Car camping at Point Leo Reserve, on the south coast of Victoria

17 Apr 2023 Point Leo Foreshore Camping

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I checked with the ranger/reception about plugging in an EV at the powered site, and mentioned that I was car camping. I chose a powered site ($10 extra), which is only slightly more than it would have cost me to top up the charge at home.

I set the Tesla to “camp mode” which keeps the accessories on. Air con (with no engine running) kept me comfy all night. I used a folded over yoga mat for a bit of extra padding under the hips under the Tessories Australia foam mattress. But I should have levelled out the car a bit more to alleviate the gradual sliding down into the boot during the night.

Thermos of tea, fireplace on the Tesla screen, glass roof to watch the sunrise in the morning, and a USB powered mozzie zapper from KILOS GEAR, just in case.

28 comments

John Myers via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023

Nice setup will try an overnight camp in our model YLR when it arrives May to June

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Evert Numan via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023

Ahhh very good. Did you get any tips from TeslaBjorn (Youtube) on this? He's done it at or above the Arctic Circle in a Model X, if memory serves. :)

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1. Tesla Tripping eTripping.au 21 Apr 2023
  
  Evert Numan Arctic Circle – wow. No, I haven’t seen that.
  
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  1. Evert Numan via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023
    
    Tesla Tripping Oh and he's also done model 3s. Lots of vids he has produced.
    
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2. Evert Numan via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023
  
  https://youtu.be/2WeOc9qWujA Not the one I was looking for, but I know he's done it and searching on YT drives me batty
  
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Gavin Reeves via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023

Wow things are looking tuff guys!! You’re now sleeping in your car😂😂
Looks like fun 👍🏽

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Mikey Lewis-Smith via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023

Got to be honest with you, I LOVE sleeping in my car when I travel. Bloody amazing.

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Mark Lockwood-Porter via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023

Fantastic! How tall are you?

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1. Tesla Tripping eTripping.au 21 Apr 2023
  
  Mark Lockwood-Porter 175cm
  
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  1. Mark Lockwood-Porter via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023
    
    Tesla Tripping Thank you. Do you reckon 180 would fit ok or were you squeezed in? It’s an awesome idea I’d not considered.
    
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  2. Tesla Tripping eTripping.au 21 Apr 2023
    
    Mark Lockwood-Porter 180cm would fit. The bed overhangs the seat to give a bit more length. The issue is that the sloped top section (the folded down seats) makes you slowly slide down a bit into the boot.
    
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  3. Peter McBurney via Facebook ↗ 22 Apr 2023
    
    Tesla Tripping It’s quite easy to remove the bench seat if you’re happy to leave it at home. That way the seats can fold completely flat.
    
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  4. Tesla Tripping eTripping.au 22 Apr 2023
    
    Peter McBurney ThanksI I’ll look into it.
    
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Keith Strib via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023

10,428 km in 10 weeks and 4 days of ownership of my Model 3 RWD and I’ve slept in the car while traveling for almost half of that time
In a caravan park at Broken Hill for the next few days, have charged at 15a at powered sites most nights and used NRMA free charging where possible
Unbelievably economical and trouble-free road tripping
Might not work for everyone but it suits me very well
Happy travels 🙂

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Jill Clarke via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023

Is that both of you sleeping in the back or just you?

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1. Tesla Tripping eTripping.au 21 Apr 2023
  
  Jill Clarke Just me (Tom) this time. We tried both of us a couple of months ago, in Dubbo. We had a terrible night’s sleep then, due to less space per person, but mainly due to it being too hard under our hips, exacerbated by the slightly sloped top section.
  
  Getting better at the setup each time.
  
  https://fb.watch/k2fJeuAXq8
  
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2. Jill Clarke via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023
  
  👍
  Yeah, that's what I reckoned. I climbed in the back one time and thought it would be too squashy for 2 of us! Checked out the Y dimensions, and even that would be too small - looks like a modified X is what I would need to be a happy camper. 🤔
  
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Bernadette MacBarrie via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023

How did you find the Tessories foam mattress? Is it worth the price?

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1. Tesla Tripping eTripping.au 21 Apr 2023
  
  Bernadette MacBarrie I think the Tessories mattress is great how it compresses to about 40% volume to pack away into the sub trunk or boot. I think the foam would be better slightly harder, but if I can get the extra padding right under hips, and reduce the sloping, it might be okay. Worth the price if it avoids paying a night or two in a motel.
  
  See our earlier video:
  https://fb.watch/k2fJeuAXq8
  
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  1. Bernadette MacBarrie via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023
    
    Tesla Tripping thank you will check it out!
    
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Melissa Jane via Facebook ↗ 21 Apr 2023

Where’s Fran?! You didn’t park her outside I hope! ⛺️🫢🤣🤣

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1. Tesla Tripping eTripping.au 21 Apr 2023
  
  Melissa Jane Hah! Francis spent a few days with her sister visiting the town of Somers, not far from where I camped.
  
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Melinda Harrison via Facebook ↗ 22 Apr 2023

In my 3 I keep hitting that back shelf when I toss and turn

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1. Keith Strib via Facebook ↗ 25 Apr 2023
  
  Melinda Harrison my self-inflating camping mattress is comfortable for me and much thinner than a standard air mattress to provide a bit more space
  
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Nicole RowRow via Facebook ↗ 22 Apr 2023

Love it 😁

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Vil Thong via Facebook ↗ 22 Apr 2023

Were you able to keep the mattress flat or was it on an awkward angle?

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1. Tesla Tripping eTripping.au 22 Apr 2023
  
  Vil Thong Not level. I added some yoga mat under the hips which helped a bit. I parked the wrong way down a slight slope which made it worse.
  
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  1. Vil Thong via Facebook ↗ 22 Apr 2023
    
    Tesla Tripping smart, great tip!
    
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