Electric vehicles are natural-born campers, as they can maintain the cabin temperature for extended periods regardless of the weather conditions. People hoped the Cybertruck would raise the bar even higher, but that didn't happen. Tesla's electric pickup doesn't feature a climatized vault, making camping in the back a little more inconvenient.
Most people love outdoor adventures, and camping in the wilderness is one of America's favorite activities. There's a reason why campers are so popular, whether it's an old camper van, a full-blown motorhome, or just a pickup truck with a tent set up in the bed. Whoever went camping at least once knows that you need to prepare if you want to remember this experience as a positive one.
Depending on where you set up camp, you can manage with just a mattress, or you might need more amenities. These can range from a gas cooker if you only plan for the absolute minimum to a more elaborate setup, allowing you to survive for days off the grid. If you don't need an extreme setup, most electric vehicles are perfect for the job. They can keep the cabin warm or cool for a long time with minimal battery loss, and most are big enough to allow two people to sleep comfortably if you fold the rear seats.
Traditionally, if you want to camp in less accessible areas, an off-road-capable pickup truck is a great choice. You can install a slide-in camper if you want the kitchen sink, or you can go minimal with only a rooftop tent. This is so common that people thought the Cybertruck could become the ideal camping vehicle, thanks to being both a pickup truck and an electric vehicle.
Well, not so fast. People who thought the Cybertruck's vault could be warmed or cooled using the vehicle's HVAC system were in for a disappointment. The bed is completely separated from the cabin, and there's no HVAC system for it. Thus, you must use a heater or portable air conditioning to camp in the vault. Or, you can stay in the cabin, but there's not much space to stretch your legs.
This doesn't prevent Tesla from selling a "Basecamp" tent as an accessory for a cool $2,975. The tent is produced by Heimplanet with an inflatable structure instead of structural poles. It's custom-made for the Cybertruck's vault, and it doesn't affect the cargo space or prevent the tonneau cover from closing (when it's not in use, of course). However, you need a manual pump to inflate it. That's because, unlike the Rivian R1T, the Tesla Cybertruck doesn't have an accessible air hose.
If you need to cool or heat the interior, you must use external devices. Thanks to the Cybertruck's bed outlets, this shouldn't be a problem, especially as the power is more than enough for all household appliances. This is something a Cybertruck owner discovered after camping in the winter. He used a generic pickup truck tent that fitted the Cybertruck's floor perfectly.
It is not as good as the officiant Basecamp tent, but it is much cheaper, at only $99.99. For this price, you'll be more than happy to put up a little work to set it up in the truck's bed. The camper woke up frozen in the morning, but that's only because he didn't consider bringing a heater. As for the rest, everything is as good as it gets, with the Cybertruck providing power for the electric grill and the bed lights discretely illuminating the tent.
After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions. Full profile
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