We almost packed up and went home on Day 1... (Our first family Tesla camping trip)
Hey everyone,
We just got back from our first ever family camping trip in our Model Y on the east coast of Scotland, and I’ll be totally honest... Day 1 was a bit of a sh*t show!
We arrived in the middle of a heatwave and were completely exposed to 19mph gusts of wind. Because my wife had to keep our nearly 13-year-old spaniel secure on a lead and stop him from overheating, pitching our Tentsla tailgate tent was for the most part, a completely solo job. In my rush to get the tent up so he had shade, I didn't fully inflate the air beams. No matter what I did with the guy ropes, the structure was warped, the wind was relentless, and at one point we both had that moment where you read each others mind, and we knew what we both thought, "Let’s just pack this down, get in the car, and go home. It’s not worth it."
We stuck it out, but between the wind and worrying about our senior dog getting too cold when the temperature dropped at night, we got barely 3 hours of sleep.
Thankfully, Day 2 was a completely new day. The weather broke, we relaxed, and we actually got to enjoy the slow life. But it really hit home the logistical problems of camping with dependents. Because our dog needed the entire boot (trunk) to himself to travel safely, our rear passenger seats and footwells became our main gear storage.
It made me realise how much harder this must be if you camp with a newborn or toddlers. If you have kids in those back seats, you lose a massive storage space. How do those of you with kids or big dogs manage the packing and organisation? Do you find a roof box or hitch rack is mandatory, or have you found a way to compress everything into the frunk, sub-trunk & trunk?
On the plus side, we were using the new Fruble Lite kit for the first time on this trip. I knew it would be an upgrade over our Ultralite setup, but I wasn't prepared for how much more convenient it actually makes camping in the Model Y. Having that massive slide out storage drawer and the extra space underneath the platform completely changed the game. We used to live out of bags when tailgate tent camping but now we can live out of the Fruble 😂
Our biggest takeaway from the weekend is definitely patience. If you arrive at a campsite and the weather is brutal or stress levels are high, just turn pet mode on, sit down, and have a cold drink or some food before you even think about touching a single peg. It seemed impossible in the moment, but pushing past that stress of Day 1 was so worth it. By Day 3, we didn’t want to leave.
I'd love to hear your worst Day 1 setup stories. Have you ever actually thrown in the towel and driven home, or did you stick it out?
(p.s I documented the whole chaotic setup and how we managed the space on our channel if anyone wants to see the visual layout of how it all worked and some more of our old boy, Alfie :) https://youtu.be/N6pWt8PL_T0