TownBiz
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I’ve had a CT for 6 weeks and last week the local SC installed a Basecamp tent. I was excited about the original camper (+kitchen setup!) announced years ago and like many CT early adopters can’t help myself when it comes to fun + innovative gadgets and toys. I was hesitant to get the Basecamp because of the $3k price tag (and lack of stove, jk), but seeing the prices of other truck’s rooftop tent options + the price of a regular Heim Planet (designer of the Basecamp) tent made it seem less ridiculous.
Although Tesla is requiring SCs to do the initial install, in reality both install and removal of the tent from the bed (aka “vault”) is straightforward as long as you can deadlift 90lbs and/or have a buddy to help lift. Basecamp comes with 6 brackets that attach to the vault’s side rails and have specific spacing. Attaching these brackets is simple: same as how you attach your bottle opener or tie down points that come with Foundation Series trucks. Assuming Tesla is requiring the SC to do it just because of potential liability issues w/ people not putting the brackets in the right positions. That said, the manual provides install instructions for anyone to put these brackets in, so I suspect that one day Tesla may direct ship to customers. The trickiest parts of initial install are setting the stowed Basecamp in the right slot (need to put it in at a slight angle closest to the bed of the truck) and aligning the two T25 bolts that secure Basecamp’s frame to the truck. The manual recommends using a flashlight so you can align the holes and that really does make it pretty easy. Unfortunately the SC installer had some difficulty with this initially and scratched one of my brackets and may have also slightly messed up the threading on that bracket because it’s a little loose - not a show stopper, and theoretically a replaceable part. Once you remove those two T25 bolts, you can take the zipped up Basecamp with frame out of the truck and store it at home. This is welcome news because it definitely cuts into the length of your bed/vault (a bit more than 1/3 closest to the cab of the truck) if you like to transport adult sized mountain bikes using a tailgate pad. Otherwise, as mentioned the design is great because you can store gear under the stowed Basecamp.
Between breaks in the rain today I had a chance to try setting up the Basecamp in my driveway for the first time. Overall, it’s fairly easy to do, but I wouldn’t say it’s significantly easier than setting up a standard tent on the ground. My biggest issue with setup is the very first step, which is removing the CT’s “Aeroflap” (long metal piece right between the can and the bed). It’s tricky because you are blindly reaching the two T30 bolts that keep it in place and if you drop those bolts into the abyss below (likely falling into the area that the tonneau retracts into), bad things may happen and you will probably need to visit the SC to chase down the runaway bolts at a minimum. After you remove them a few times it’s not terrible, but between removing the bolts and then forcefully popping out the Aeroflap, it just feels like a less than premium experience. Removing and reinstalling the Aeroflap does make me a little concerned about losing some of the water proofing at the front of the vault, and I can see the plastic pieces/clips from the Aeroflap potentially breaking with repeated use.
According to the manual, after removing the Aeroflap, you should be able activate Tent Mode (no, not camping mode like every other Tesla, but a specific mode that probably enables suspension levelling for uneven ground + power to the vault outlets so you can run whatever glamping goodies you have in your tent). Unfortunately the software is still MIA, but my SC is doing some research to find out how they can find it + enable it or what the game plan is for release because their instructions don’t reference it whatsoever. I had assumed it would be similar to when an SC or tech installs a tow hitch on your Model Y and then pushes “Tow Mode” to your car.
Once the somewhat inconvenient Aeroflap is removed, the remaining install steps are pretty easy (not that removing the Aeroflap is terribly difficult either - just kinda unpolished). Unfolding the lightweight aluminium three-pieced is straightforward. However, if you don’t push in the buttons/springs to unlock + unfold each of the legs (which rest on the tailgate when deployed), you will easily snap the leg retaining mechanism. I suspect that this is another part that many people will need to replace because it’s very easy to break. Next step is finding the two “Roof Peak” clips and attaching them to the roof. This may sound weird, but these smartly designed pieces are just a great example of how the thought and attention to detail that went into Basecamp. They perfectly fit along the iconic triangle part of the CT windows and are critical for maintaining the structure of the tent. Very slick design. Once you easily find and close 3 of the 4 Heim Planet air valves, inflating the tent structure is straightforward and pretty sweet if you have never tried an inflatable tent.
The shelter materials + hardware (zippers, valves, tubes etc) feel really high quality and well made, which is to be expected from the premium Heim Planet brand. There are many CT specific logos on pieces of the tent including the zipper pulls - which may help mentally justify that $$$ premium a little. The visibility out of the tents windows is fantastic and placement of retaining bands for windows are thoughtfully placed. The mattress is about 1.5-2” foam pad that is segmented to enable the tent to fold. Because it is not foam + inflatable (like Exped brand sleeping pads which are super thick and probably as comfortable as my mattress at home), it’s definitely a very firm sleeping pad. It’s decent and definitely convenient, but people may want to bring another sleeping mat to throw on top for extra comfort. I didn’t try spending the night on it so I can’t say for sure, but that’s my quick assessment. As for the tent space itself, it’s the width of the full truck bed and a bit longer because the bottom of the Basecamp frame stands on top of the lowered tailgate. It’s smaller than a queen size bed but you can comfortably fit two adults or maybe 1 adult + 2 kids. I wouldn’t attempt 2+2 unless you want your kids kicking each other all night.
Taking down the tent is easy and quick because the frame deflates effortlessly after you open the 4 valves. Disconnecting the previously mentioned “Roof Peak” clips is effortless and gathering the tent + folding it back up is straightforward. Unfortunately, getting the folded up tent + frame back into it softcover and zipped up can be pretty frustrating. Because the tent frame is wide enough to get every square inch of real-estate from the bed of the truck, there is very little wiggle room for getting the fabric of the softcover up and over the sides of the folded Basecamp. I went through this process twice so far and both times have been pretty annoying + far more time consuming than they should be. To make matters worse,one of the nylon webbing straps sewing broke while I was tightening one of the tent cover nylon webbing straps (the two retainers with cobra buckles that you can see on the front of the unopened Basecamp). This is definitely a fixable weak point on the design that could have been avoided with some stronger double stitching.
Because the rainy weather hasn’t allowed me to do a full setup + takedown more than once, I still can’t definitively say whether or not I recommend the $3K Basecamp. On one hand, I think that much of the thoughtful and unique design elements might warrant the cost: it’s fairly lightweight + easy to install/remove the stowed tent from the truck, stays out of the way (unless you want to transport multiple bikes in the bed), doesn’t reduce range due to decreased aerodynamics, and has intuitive pieces that make setup + takedown a breeze. On the other hand, there are some unpolished areas that stick out because of all those great elements I mentioned already: removing + re-installing the “Aeroflap” and the frustration of fitting and zipping up the stowed Basecamp in softcover after you finish using the tent. The three minor damaged pieces (the scuffed + potentially thread damaged middle bracket where a T25 bolt secures the stowed Basecamp to the bed rail, one of the leg quick release buttons, and the nylon webbing for one of the cobra buckle retainers) that I mentioned might have been better designed and will need to be fixed too, but because they don’t impede the function of the tent they’re not show stoppers. The currently MIA “Tent Mode” is also a bit of a red flag because the rumoured self-levelling element is a pretty big deal for roof-top-tent camping - briefly laying on the sleeping mat while parked in my gently sloped driveway I could feel myself rolling downhill. If Tesla releases Tent Mode to all CT owners or only verified Basecamp owners may be a deciding factor for people buying the Basecamp or waiting for a 3rd party solution (theoretically if a maker creates cross bars for the vault, other folding rooftop tents that are not wider than the vault/bed could work nicely). $3K is a serious chunk of change and you could buy a lot of sweet camping gear with it. However, as I mentioned at the start, evidently $3K for a high quality rooftop tent is not that crazy.
FWIW, at this point my overall take on the Basecamp is similar to my take on the CT in general: it’s awesome and brilliant in many ways but flawed in a few areas. That said, I absolutely love my CT and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it but the jury is still out on the Basecamp because I’m not yet convinced that the brilliant elements outweigh the areas that need improvement.
![Tesla Cybertruck CyberTent (Basecamp Tent) First Review ⛺︎ [Updated w/ Awning Photos] IMG_6183](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg' width='3000' height='2250' viewBox%3D'0 0 3000 2250'%2F%3E)
Although Tesla is requiring SCs to do the initial install, in reality both install and removal of the tent from the bed (aka “vault”) is straightforward as long as you can deadlift 90lbs and/or have a buddy to help lift. Basecamp comes with 6 brackets that attach to the vault’s side rails and have specific spacing. Attaching these brackets is simple: same as how you attach your bottle opener or tie down points that come with Foundation Series trucks. Assuming Tesla is requiring the SC to do it just because of potential liability issues w/ people not putting the brackets in the right positions. That said, the manual provides install instructions for anyone to put these brackets in, so I suspect that one day Tesla may direct ship to customers. The trickiest parts of initial install are setting the stowed Basecamp in the right slot (need to put it in at a slight angle closest to the bed of the truck) and aligning the two T25 bolts that secure Basecamp’s frame to the truck. The manual recommends using a flashlight so you can align the holes and that really does make it pretty easy. Unfortunately the SC installer had some difficulty with this initially and scratched one of my brackets and may have also slightly messed up the threading on that bracket because it’s a little loose - not a show stopper, and theoretically a replaceable part. Once you remove those two T25 bolts, you can take the zipped up Basecamp with frame out of the truck and store it at home. This is welcome news because it definitely cuts into the length of your bed/vault (a bit more than 1/3 closest to the cab of the truck) if you like to transport adult sized mountain bikes using a tailgate pad. Otherwise, as mentioned the design is great because you can store gear under the stowed Basecamp.
Between breaks in the rain today I had a chance to try setting up the Basecamp in my driveway for the first time. Overall, it’s fairly easy to do, but I wouldn’t say it’s significantly easier than setting up a standard tent on the ground. My biggest issue with setup is the very first step, which is removing the CT’s “Aeroflap” (long metal piece right between the can and the bed). It’s tricky because you are blindly reaching the two T30 bolts that keep it in place and if you drop those bolts into the abyss below (likely falling into the area that the tonneau retracts into), bad things may happen and you will probably need to visit the SC to chase down the runaway bolts at a minimum. After you remove them a few times it’s not terrible, but between removing the bolts and then forcefully popping out the Aeroflap, it just feels like a less than premium experience. Removing and reinstalling the Aeroflap does make me a little concerned about losing some of the water proofing at the front of the vault, and I can see the plastic pieces/clips from the Aeroflap potentially breaking with repeated use.
According to the manual, after removing the Aeroflap, you should be able activate Tent Mode (no, not camping mode like every other Tesla, but a specific mode that probably enables suspension levelling for uneven ground + power to the vault outlets so you can run whatever glamping goodies you have in your tent). Unfortunately the software is still MIA, but my SC is doing some research to find out how they can find it + enable it or what the game plan is for release because their instructions don’t reference it whatsoever. I had assumed it would be similar to when an SC or tech installs a tow hitch on your Model Y and then pushes “Tow Mode” to your car.
Once the somewhat inconvenient Aeroflap is removed, the remaining install steps are pretty easy (not that removing the Aeroflap is terribly difficult either - just kinda unpolished). Unfolding the lightweight aluminium three-pieced is straightforward. However, if you don’t push in the buttons/springs to unlock + unfold each of the legs (which rest on the tailgate when deployed), you will easily snap the leg retaining mechanism. I suspect that this is another part that many people will need to replace because it’s very easy to break. Next step is finding the two “Roof Peak” clips and attaching them to the roof. This may sound weird, but these smartly designed pieces are just a great example of how the thought and attention to detail that went into Basecamp. They perfectly fit along the iconic triangle part of the CT windows and are critical for maintaining the structure of the tent. Very slick design. Once you easily find and close 3 of the 4 Heim Planet air valves, inflating the tent structure is straightforward and pretty sweet if you have never tried an inflatable tent.
The shelter materials + hardware (zippers, valves, tubes etc) feel really high quality and well made, which is to be expected from the premium Heim Planet brand. There are many CT specific logos on pieces of the tent including the zipper pulls - which may help mentally justify that $$$ premium a little. The visibility out of the tents windows is fantastic and placement of retaining bands for windows are thoughtfully placed. The mattress is about 1.5-2” foam pad that is segmented to enable the tent to fold. Because it is not foam + inflatable (like Exped brand sleeping pads which are super thick and probably as comfortable as my mattress at home), it’s definitely a very firm sleeping pad. It’s decent and definitely convenient, but people may want to bring another sleeping mat to throw on top for extra comfort. I didn’t try spending the night on it so I can’t say for sure, but that’s my quick assessment. As for the tent space itself, it’s the width of the full truck bed and a bit longer because the bottom of the Basecamp frame stands on top of the lowered tailgate. It’s smaller than a queen size bed but you can comfortably fit two adults or maybe 1 adult + 2 kids. I wouldn’t attempt 2+2 unless you want your kids kicking each other all night.
Taking down the tent is easy and quick because the frame deflates effortlessly after you open the 4 valves. Disconnecting the previously mentioned “Roof Peak” clips is effortless and gathering the tent + folding it back up is straightforward. Unfortunately, getting the folded up tent + frame back into it softcover and zipped up can be pretty frustrating. Because the tent frame is wide enough to get every square inch of real-estate from the bed of the truck, there is very little wiggle room for getting the fabric of the softcover up and over the sides of the folded Basecamp. I went through this process twice so far and both times have been pretty annoying + far more time consuming than they should be. To make matters worse,one of the nylon webbing straps sewing broke while I was tightening one of the tent cover nylon webbing straps (the two retainers with cobra buckles that you can see on the front of the unopened Basecamp). This is definitely a fixable weak point on the design that could have been avoided with some stronger double stitching.
Because the rainy weather hasn’t allowed me to do a full setup + takedown more than once, I still can’t definitively say whether or not I recommend the $3K Basecamp. On one hand, I think that much of the thoughtful and unique design elements might warrant the cost: it’s fairly lightweight + easy to install/remove the stowed tent from the truck, stays out of the way (unless you want to transport multiple bikes in the bed), doesn’t reduce range due to decreased aerodynamics, and has intuitive pieces that make setup + takedown a breeze. On the other hand, there are some unpolished areas that stick out because of all those great elements I mentioned already: removing + re-installing the “Aeroflap” and the frustration of fitting and zipping up the stowed Basecamp in softcover after you finish using the tent. The three minor damaged pieces (the scuffed + potentially thread damaged middle bracket where a T25 bolt secures the stowed Basecamp to the bed rail, one of the leg quick release buttons, and the nylon webbing for one of the cobra buckle retainers) that I mentioned might have been better designed and will need to be fixed too, but because they don’t impede the function of the tent they’re not show stoppers. The currently MIA “Tent Mode” is also a bit of a red flag because the rumoured self-levelling element is a pretty big deal for roof-top-tent camping - briefly laying on the sleeping mat while parked in my gently sloped driveway I could feel myself rolling downhill. If Tesla releases Tent Mode to all CT owners or only verified Basecamp owners may be a deciding factor for people buying the Basecamp or waiting for a 3rd party solution (theoretically if a maker creates cross bars for the vault, other folding rooftop tents that are not wider than the vault/bed could work nicely). $3K is a serious chunk of change and you could buy a lot of sweet camping gear with it. However, as I mentioned at the start, evidently $3K for a high quality rooftop tent is not that crazy.
FWIW, at this point my overall take on the Basecamp is similar to my take on the CT in general: it’s awesome and brilliant in many ways but flawed in a few areas. That said, I absolutely love my CT and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it but the jury is still out on the Basecamp because I’m not yet convinced that the brilliant elements outweigh the areas that need improvement.
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![Tesla Cybertruck CyberTent (Basecamp Tent) First Review ⛺︎ [Updated w/ Awning Photos] IMG_6057](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg' width='2250' height='3000' viewBox%3D'0 0 2250 3000'%2F%3E)
