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Journal of Loosely Ordered Chaos

Campground Review: Oceana Thousand Trails in Ocean City, WA, Underwhelms in the Park but Makes Up for it at the Beach

Campground Reviews, Washington

We headed to Oceana Thousand Trails in Ocean City, Washington, from Chehalis Thousand Trails. Initially we planned to explore the Olympic Peninsula, but my vertigo came back with a vengeance and I was as close to bed bound as one could be without actually being immobile. Luckily, the beach was only a few hundred yards down a trail leading from the back of the campground, so my teens enjoyed going down there as a substitute for our plans to explore.

Connectivity

This is the first question everyone asks about Thousand Trails campgrounds so I’ll just give it its own heading. Starlink is viable at approximately 85% of the sites at Oceana, and speeds are good. We averaged over 100 down and 7-10 up. T Mobile is 1 bar and inconsistent at providing even that.

EV Considerations

There are superchargers all over the Oympic peninsula, so getting to where you want to go in a Tesla isn’t an issue. The closest supercharger is in Aberdeen, WA, about 16 miles away, and the stalls are all nose-in stalls, which is perfect if you’re towing a camper or have a large bike rack.

We charge from a custom setup on our rig, but no one at Oceana asked about it or tried to stop us from charging from it. This seems to be the attitude at many Thousand Trails in the Pacific Northwest, and it’s greatly appreciated.

The Good

  • The bathrooms are immaculate. The only downside is that there is no shower chair or fold down seat for those of us with disabilities.
  • Landscaping is also well done. All sites could use a bit more gravel, but they’re level so it’s okay. I wouldn’t want to be in some of the sites in heavy rain, but the overwhelming majority of sites are fine.
  • The bridge over the creek is worrisome at first sight, but on closer inspection it is concrete under the boards and more than able to handle any rig that wishes to cross it.
  • The beach is a reasonable walk away although some parts are treacherous.
  • Starlink works well here. Very good speeds but it doesn’t point north. Everyone was pointing in some variation of a southerly direction.
  • Gateway to everything you want to see in Olympic peninsula while still being close enough to Seattle for day trips there.
  • Lots of options nearby for things to do even with little kids.

The Bad

  • Our one interaction with staff was quite rude. Perhaps this older gentleman was having a bad day or maybe they aren’t cut out for customer service. It put a bit of a bad taste in our mouth. He claimed our rig was too large for the sewer sites up front but then put toy haulers that were even longer in those spots. It seemed to irritate him that we used online check-in.
  • The sites are NARROW, especially the pull throughs. The pull through sites up front are not going to be conducive to putting slides out if you have neighbors.
  • Only a handful of sewer sites, and only 1 or 2 could fit a big rig.
  • All sites are 30 amp.
  • Surrounding area has a lot of yards that could double as salvage yards.

The Ugly

  • The electrical pedestals were poorly maintained at a level that shocked us. I own a mobile RV tech business and we are fulltimers. We’ve seen a lot. This was excessive.
    • It took us 3 tries to get a site with electricity we considered safe. Not perfect, mind you, just a reasonably low chance of fire. The first pedestal the 30 amp outlet had a weird white substance coming out of the holes in the outlet. The second Dean checked with his meter and it had issues that worried him. Finally the 3rd site was workable.
    • While looking for sites Nadine and I walked the park checking pedestals. In the pullthrough section we found a couple of outlets that looked like they had been chewed by animals.
    • Also in the pull through section, we found one of the pedestals was rusted through the top, which would allow water directly into the box. When we tried to lift the lid, the right side of the lid broke. (Yes, we reported all of this on our card.) If I were managing this park I would redirect a good portion of the funds spent on fancy landscaping to electrical infrastructure.
    • The power went out multiple times, usually only for a minute or two. Our solar caught it and we barely noticed it, but neighbors without backup systems did notice and complain.
  • The dump station broke multiple times while we were here. Thankfully they blocked off a couple of sewer sites up front to use while they figure that out.

Conclusion

Oceana Thousand Trails has the potential to be a hidden gem on the Olympic peninsula, but deferred maintenance on electrical and dump station infrastructure keep it from being a top tier choice. The biggest thing it has going for it is its location and the easy beach access. It also is not subject to high use restrictions so is a good reservation placeholder when you already have 2 high use reservations on the books. Make the reservation but be sure you have a quality EMS/surge for your rig before you arrive. Honestly I could write this about any Thousand Trails campground but it goes double at Oceana Thousand Trails.

Is the Tesla Model Y the Perfect Mobile Office for RVers?

Model Y, Tesla, Tesla Tips

If you read my blog regularly, you know I love Catnip, my Tesla Model Y Long Range 7 seater. It saves me money on gas, it’s nicer to the planet, and I charge for free at most RV parks. It also fits our entire family and all of our dogs for adventures away from the RV. Recently I found something else it does well: the Model Y mobile office has been the answer I’ve been desperately seeking.

Besides running this blog, I’m also the woman behind On the Go RV Tech, which means I spend a LOT of time on my devices. For the last year, I’ve been using our bed and a lap desk, which is not optimal for someone with my particular combination of health issues. (Don’t worry fellow Tesla owners. I’ve been assured my body is “within spec”.) For much of the summer/fall of 2021, my answer was our Clam Pavillion or our awnings, but recently we’ve been in spots too tight for the Clam and/or too windy for the awnings. Add in that 6 of the 7 meds I’m on collectively cause sun sensitivity of all 3 main types, and this becomes a real challenge. The teens are schooling in the RV, and the pets are frankly distracting and overstimulating at times. I recently found the answer, and it’s literally been parked on my site since November of last year: my Tesla Model Y is now my office.

Inspiration Strikes

Hear me out before you click away. We are remodeling our RV and the plan was to put a desk in the living room slide for me to use for our businesses. We probably still will because we need a home for networking stuff and backup hard drives and the kids need a table for school projects on occasion, but it won’t be my desk. It will be more a family desk. As I was shopping for a desk chair that was both compatible with my body and not too heavy, I kept wishing there was an office chair as comfortable as the seats in my Tesla Model Y. Then at about 2-3 in the morning in the middle of the flare I realized that my Tesla could be my office. It has a nice sound system, a way to charge phones and laptops, climate control, and a very nice bluetooth system for calls. It’s insulated from outside noise, and I could use the windshield shade for a bit of privacy. Best of all, the doors LOCK.

Equipping a Tesla Office

The Desk

I couldn’t find anyone who had written about this, but my internet at the time was far from ideal so I was unable to dig too deep. I became determined to find something that worked. I had a few demands, as always:

  • It needed to be lightweight as even though it’s not riding in the rig weight does affect range.
  • It needed to be compact and easy to stow away for travel days. I didn’t want to be loading/unloading it. Ideally it would live in the car.
  • It needed to feel stable. I wasn’t willing to risk my electronics.

Of course, I looked online for what others did and didn’t find a whole lot that interested me. Dean even offered to build me something custom. I ended up searching on Amazon, and I found a desk that I thought might work. It’s called the FITEV Desk. I received it quickly and despite it having virtually no reviews it is a solid product. I haven’t figured out why it has a Topfit logo on it, but it’s a relatively inexpensive item from Amazon so that’s how it is sometimes.

It’s super light and it folds in half, which had me doubting how strong and stable it would be. It comes in at just under 6 pounds. I could describe how it sits in the Tesla, but I think this is truly a situation where a picture is worth 1000 words. I decided to enjoy the view today while working on this post instead of using the windshield shade. Thank goodness for UV filtering on the auto glass!

Tesla Model Y mobile office
The laptop is a 13″ Macbook Pro and there is plenty of room for it and any accessories you need. I have had both my Macbook and my 11″ iPad Pro on this desk without issue.

One of the great things about this setup is that there is plenty of legroom. I don’t have to have my legs bent at 90 degrees all day, so there’s no stiffness. I have a ton of options to change angles and pressure points, which is great from an ergonomic perspective. Did I mention the doors lock? Unfortunately my teenagers discovered the peacefulness of the Clam and started schooling there and even doing homework there often, which killed the entire purpose of my pop up office. I gave them the RV! I’m half kidding, half not. I love them and love hanging out with them, but I love it too much and it’s a distraction for me.

Wireless Charging Compatible Phone Case

The wireless charger does work for my iPhone 12 Pro Max without any modifications. I use Apple’s Clear MagSafe case and have never had an issue charging, but I know the Tesla wireless chargers can be super fickle and that’s why I mentioned it. My husband tried other cases, even thinner ones, but those cases would not allow the phone to charge. I also have a Samsung ZFold 3 as my business phone and found a case that charges well and holds the S pen as well. It’s the Spigen Thin Fit P, and the price isn’t bad, either, considering everything for this phone is priced at a premium. I have to slide the phone all the way to the center divider to get it to charge, but it does so reliably and quickly.

Real-Life Work in a Model Y Mobile Office

I’m using my Tesla as an office either at the RV park we’re staying at or at a supercharger, so power and climate isn’t a problem. Plugging into a standard outlet will keep the charge level stable even when it’s 95 outside and I have climate set to 72. If you’re wondering about the ethics of charging in an RV park, I have a post explaining this here.

I do occasionally get strange looks from other campers, but when we chat about it the digital nomads understand immediately. I’ve had people sit in my car and try the office. It’s definitely a conversation starter for sure.

Downsides

It is not always ideal from a privacy perspective. I have occasionally had small children knock on my window and ask if I am stuck in my car! It took some trial and error, but I did finally find some privacy shades that stay in place and are not difficult to install or remove. They are the TESCAMP 8-Piece Privacy Shade Set for Model Y.

The main downside to using my Model Y as a mobile is that I never have a stable office because we drive it around. I need to set up and take down my office daily because leaving my electronics in the car is an invitation to steal. Secondarily, it just seems to accumulate STUFF and it drives me nuts. I always have little doodads for the cameras or extra charging cables or the inverter if I’m working truly remote and have stolen the Starlink for the day.

A more recent challenge is that we’ve also been using the Tesla as the RV service vehicle in many cases because diesel has just gotten stupid expensive. We could increase our mileage surcharge and/or shrink our service radius, but we have chosen instead to take the Tesla whenever possible to avoid increasing costs for our customers. It’s hard for me to do office work in a car that’s not on site half the time.

Conclusions

A few months after I started writing this, I have to admit that I have only been using the Model Y as a mobile office when supercharging or when I need to avoid interruptions. Part of this is due to the park we spent a few months at being so chatty that I had fewer interruptions working from my bed in the RV. I loved it there; it just wasn’t conducive to me working from the Tesla. The other factor is that RV parks struggle mightily in the summer down south to provide proper electricity to all of the sites so running my car as an office just seemed rude somehow. It’s definitely a fantastic option for milder seasons in less sociable campgrounds and I’m glad I’m set up for it. Now that it’s November I’m back to using it as an office when its on site.

Seminole Canyon State Park: The Hidden Gem I Don’t Want to Share

RV Park Reviews, States, Tesla, Texas

We ended up at Seminole Canyon State Park quite by accident. There was nothing nearby we wanted to visit. My daughter Elizabeth simply wanted to be somewhere Dark Sky friendly after months in the Austin area. I wanted to be away from people and not in a parking lot RV park. My expectations were low. It’s a state park and has only a few sites in the desert quite literally in the middle of nowhere.

Getting There Is Half the Fun

The first challenge was getting Catnip there in the first place. The nearest charger is in Ozona, TX, and the drive from Ozona to Seminole Canyon State Park is beautiful but winding and full of bumps and dips that come up quite suddenly. This drive should not be missed. I usually have at least a time warp of my drives, but I forgot to hit record on my The winds were kicking pretty hard, but since the road is so winding and bumpy you’re not going to be going fast enough to worry too much about range.

As we arrived at the visitor’s center, Catnip began telling me that we were leaving the range of all known chargers. The messages kept popping up with such frequency that we joked that she must be having a panic attack. Since we have long had the proper adapters to charge at RV parks, I wasn’t worried, but the car didn’t know any of this. Important note: This route has many flood crossings, so check conditions to make sure you’ll be able to use it.

Our truck, 5th wheel, and Tesla Model Y at Seminole Canyon State Park campground

On the way to Medina Lake, I traveled a route different from our RV because it would save the dually 100 miles (and roughly that amount in fuel). I tried another route that would very likely have been doable without the bike rack but was an abysmal failure with it. This was because there had been a storm all day the previous day and I was worried about taking the route to Ozona.

I went east on 90 to 277 and then 377 to the Junction supercharger. After being held up by border patrol deciding to question me about my trip due to my lack of a front license plate, my car told me I was 12% short of the supercharger. Oops. Slowing down wasn’t going to do the trick, so I searched for nearby RV parks and found exactly ONE on 377. I called and asked about charging my car there, and the gentleman at Gonzales RV Park told me to go ahead and that site 3 had power on. I arrive and it’s essentially an RV storage lot with power and sewer. My behind was saved by the kindness of a stranger and I am eternally grateful. This is why my Tesla road trip gear post is so important. You have to be ready for surprises.

The Campground

We make it to the campground, and it immediately exceeded all expectations. It’s at the top of a hill with beautiful views all around. The sites aren’t crowded together, and each site has a covered concrete pad with a picnic table that’s usually placed to make the most of what nature has to offer. There are 50-, 30-, and 20-amp power options and water at each site, but there is no sewer just a dump station across from the well-maintained, very clean bath house. This is a Dark Sky friendly park, so they ask you to turn off your camping lights at sundown so everyone can enjoy the night sky with as little light pollution as possible.

Our site was one of the longest and also faces away from all of the other sites. When we walked out of our RV, all we saw was nature. We had a clearing large enough not only for the covered picnic table but also all 5 of our chairs and ottomans, a propane fire pit, and also the regular fire pit that went unused because of the burn ban. Even the few nights that we had other people in the park we felt completely alone.

Don’t be put off by what our family refers to as murder bushes on that makeshift trail leading to that area; there’s plenty of room to walk to the back of the RV and a wide, safe path to that seating area. I was just entranced with this photo and thought it showed just how much space you get for $20 a night or $120 a week. As you can see in the cover photo, we had room for a 43-foot 5th wheel, a dually, and our Tesla. This park would be a steal at twice the price.

View of our reserved pavillion at Seminole Canyon State Park

I caution you to stay on the roads here even when turning around. There are plants here with spikes that would eat tires for breakfast and laughingly belch afterwards.This park would be a steal at twice the price. Comstock isn’t far away but has a single gas pump and a single diesel pump. I wouldn’t want to try to find a replacement tire out here.

Connectivity

T-Mobile is the only cellular provider that works well out here. The signal was marginal to okay on our family’s iPhones but phenomenal on our Androids and the T-Mobile Home Internet device. Verizon does not work at all here, and one camper said they had email/browsing connection on their devices and 2 others said they had nothing.

In addition, we have Starlink and it screamed out here. I’ve had speed tests approaching 300 down. None of the sites seem like they would have obstructions. It did struggle even in the light downpours that happened a few times while we were here, which surprised me because usually we are unaffected by mild to moderate showers.

Things to Do

Hiking

This is a small park with beautiful scenic overlooks. It’s become a family joke that if there is a pile of rocks, we’ll photograph it. There’s a lot to see per square mile here. Our hike was to the Presa Canyon overlook. I’ll admit up front that we started too late in the August heat and that combined with picking the wrong trail back led to me having to call the ranger when my right leg just had no more to give. Luckily the ranger here was very kind and told me they’d rather pick us up a little early than too late. As you can see from the small sampling of photos along the trail, it has a very high payoff per mile. Those without disabilities should have no problem with this trail. The only downside is that there are no shade shelters along this route.

Artistic photo through
Looking down into Seminole Canyon
Panther Overlook at Seminole Canyon

We were also lucky enough to go on the Windmill Nature Trail and visit not only a spring that has attracted human inhabitants since prehistoric times. It’s only half a mile, but it’s a pretty trail especially for those with small children. You can also see the Maker of Peace bronze statue by Bill Worrell.

Biking

A few days later Nadine and I decided to take our bikes out one morning and went all of the way to the Panther Cave overlook. It was my first longish ride on my new Trek Powerfly 9 eMTB and a good test of just how much the assist would be able to compensate for my disabilities. It was a rousing success. Even coming back on the long grades I was able to adjust the level of difficulty with the assist where I had to work still but it was still doable.

We were disappointed to find out that you can’t actually find the panther and other pictographs without binoculars, but the view of the Rio Grande and the shade at the overlook were much appreciated. How is it that being 2 people out in nature makes deep conversation so easy? We had several hours of good bonding time and it did our relationship a world of good.

Pictographs

The only way to get a good view of the Panther Cave pictographs is by private boat. As mentioned above, they recommend binoculars at the Panther Cave overlook, but even my camera’s long lens couldn’t reveal them even after zooming in on the photos back at home. That said, we were in no way disappointed in the view from the overlook.

The park rangers lead what they characterize as a fairly rugged hike to the Fate Bell Shelter. We didn’t go on it as we were concerned about my leg and Dean’s hip, but it is the main attraction of Seminole Canyon State Park. It is offered daily except for Monday and Tuesday and is $8 for 13+ and $5 for 5-12.

A second ranger-led hike is the Presa Day Hike and requires prior arrangement. It goes deep into Seminole and Presa Canyons to visit the site of more remote rock art. Understandably this all-day hike is a bit more expensive at $25 a person.

Having met the staff on several occasions, I really wish we had been able to go on the hikes with them. They are kind, courteous, and have seemingly endless knowledge of the history of Seminole Canyon whether it has to do with the rock art, the railroad, or the Army’s stopover point at the Seminole Watering Hole

Bats

I mention these along with my review of Seminole Canyon because Seminole Canyon is the nearest state water/electric camp site to these areas. I’m not afraid of being without hookups but being this far away from chargers, it makes Catnip happy to have some outlets that don’t rely on our solar setup. Truth be told, you can’t throw a rock in this area without hitting a state or national recreational area or park, and Seminole Canyon makes a great home base from which to explore it all.

Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area is reasonably close in Rocksprings, TX, and offers the opportunity to see 3 million bats leave the sinkhole on warm evenings. Access to this area is only by guided tour, and other options include birding and nature walks. Kickapoo Cavern State Park is even closer has its own bat flight at Stuart Bat Cave, and this one is not limited to guided tours. There are also cave tours, birding, and miles of hiking and biking trails.

Wrap Up

Summer heat makes Seminole Canyon State Park a beautiful ghost town, but that may be just what you’re looking for. Hiking and biking are doable if you get up early enough to be off the trail by 11 a.m. Camp hosts and rangers are simultaneously attentive and hands off. If you’re on the road and need to work, Starlink screams here and T-Mobile is good enough to work if you have a decent booster. With all of the beautiful scenery and the ability to be remote while still having a town with Walmart and Home Depot less than 40 miles away, Seminole Canyon State Park is a great place for a reset. Finally, if you have a Tesla (or maybe another fun to drive car) the drive in from Ozona is beautiful and fun as long as you’re watching for the sudden bumps.

Related Links

Is it Ethical for RVers to Charge an EV at an RV Park?

Tesla, Tesla Road Trip, Tesla Tips

I used to think the answer was “it depends”, but the longer I own my Tesla, the more I think the answer is yes.

The Options

In our situation I have always thought the answer was yes, and it has to do with how we go about it. We have 2000 watts of solar panels on the roof, a 5000-watt inverter as well as a 1200-watt inverter, and 900 ah of battery capacity. When we need to charge, we just unplug our RV and plug our Tesla in, using the RV’s solar to stay comfortable while we charge. Since electricity is included at most RV parks, this works quite well for us. I’ve always thought of it as a trade off. We run our RV off of the sun and use the electricity from the RV park to charge the car. It’s clean and simple but not a solution most have access to.

I have spoken with other Tesla RVers who use both the 50-amp and 30-amp circuits at the same time, but they do it in such a way as to not overload the pedestal if it’s one of the older ones not wired for concurrent use. They plug their RV into the 30-amp outlet and their Tesla into the 50-amp outlet, which works because the Mobile Connector won’t pull more than 32 amps. In older campgrounds I’d be tempted to drop this to about 24 amps, which is still double the trickle charging rate. This is the least risky way to use both outlets. I tested this method this week and it does indeed work. My advice is to be around to monitor at each RV park you visit until you get the lay of the land. A good EMS/surge is still your best friend regardless.

The Ethics

Non-EV campers sometimes say this isn’t ethical as it costs the campground money. A couple of points to consider:

  • Electricity is provided, and RV parks don’t specify how it is to be used. Some people light their sites up like the 4th of July. Some run bitcoin mining rigs. I charge my car. I pay for what that pedestal is capable of providing. If they haven’t priced their sites accordingly, that’s a poor business decision.
  • Electricity is an amenity just like the pool, the mini golf course, the bath houses, or the pickleball courts. Not everyone makes use of them all or at all, but our nightly rate routinely pays for benefits we don’t use. It balances out in the end.
  • There is nothing unethical about my use of electricity just because it “fuels” my car and other campers have to pay for gas/diesel. I still pay for diesel for our tow vehicle. I know it’s expensive but we all chose our vehicles, hopefully after a lot of research and financial planning. Someone else’s choice to go electric isn’t fair or unfair. It’s just a choice with different pros and cons.
  • It will raise prices for everyone. Well, inflation’s here to stay. My car’s charging is but a drop in the ocean comparatively speaking. As long as demand for RV parks exceeds demand, prices will continue to increase.

Nitty Gritty: Consumption Comparison

I have been told that our power draw for our 5th wheel and the Tesla are not nearly equivalent often enough that I did the math. The answer only surprised me because of how close the two were.

Tesla Mobile Connector

The Tesla Mobile Connector with the NEMA 14-50 adapter maxes out at 32 amps at 240 volts, or 7680 watts. In our case, it’s a pretty even swap to run on solar/batteries while our car makes use of the outlet. Note: If you are looking for information on what you need to RV successfully with a Tesla, check out this post on road trip gear.

Our Fifth Wheel

Our rig is a 43′ fifth wheel that uses a 50-amp outlet as stock configuration. That’s 12,000 watts at 240 volts. In the summer, it’s not uncommon to see our system pull 7-8,000 watts or more during the day with all 3 ACs running and us in the rig living life. I’ve been told that this isn’t possible so I offer the screenshot of our Victron energy dashboard. It was taken this morning with 2 ACs, the water heater, and the dryer as well as assorted lights and network equipment up. Our AC load is 5073 watts. That’s before I turn on the 3rd AC or the teens are up with their gaming rigs and playstation. As you can see it’s not hard at all to pull 7-8,000 watts in the summer.

Full disclosure: As I type we are moochdocking on a 30-amp outlet and combining with solar and our battery bank to stay comfortable. I don’t have a 50-amp outlet to show you those numbers, but if anything they’re higher because I’m not combining carefully to avoid tripping the solar/battery system breakers.

Charging a Tesla at an RV park has a similar AC load as my fifth wheel RV
As I type we are moochdocking on a 30-amp outlet and combining with solar and our battery bank to stay comfortable. I don’t have a 50-amp outlet to show you those numbers, but if anything they’re higher because I’m not combining carefully to avoid tripping the solar/battery system breakers.

As you can see, in the summer, it’s a nearly perfect swap for us. It isn’t unethical. It isn’t costing them anything more than it would if I plugged our fifth wheel in. It’s close enough to be a shrug…unlike the Bitcoin miners and the ones lighting up their site as if it were a runway.

Yes, It’s Ethical to Charge a Tesla at an RV Park

Given the posts above and my 8 months on the road as a fulltime RVer traveling with a Tesla, I see no reason why charging a Tesla at an RV park would be unethical. It is neither dangerous nor an egregious abuse of campground resources. I think that many people overestimate just how much energy it takes to charge a Tesla, and that misconception drives opinions that are simply not based in fact.

Related Links

If you enjoyed this post, check out the related posts below, especially the one on RV park etiquette.

Essential Tesla Road Trip Gear

Model Y, Tesla, Tesla Road Trip, Tesla Tips

There is no doubt that Teslas make road trips more fun, more relaxing, and cheaper to boot. There is a lot of confusion about what you need to be prepared on a long road trip. Having put 8,000 miles on my Model Y in 2 1/2 months on what is essentially an extended road trip, I have an idea of what Tesla road trip gear makes for a painless trip.

Tesla Road Trip Gear: The Necessities

The Tesla Supercharger network is phenomenal, but there will be times when you find yourself in a gap, especially out west. Maybe you decided to take a scenic byway or maybe you skipped a charger you shouldn’t have, but eventually you’ll need to charge outside of Tesla’s system. If you are camping in RV parks, you can charge for no additional cost as well. The first 3 items come with the car.

  • Mobile Connector (no longer included if you ordered after 4/17/2022 but highly recommended). If you have to buy it, it now comes with the 5-15 and 14-50 adapters.
  • 5-15 (household 110v) adapter for Mobile Connector. When nothing else is available, this will get you something. If the Mobile Connector came with your car, this is likely the adapter it came with.
    • High quality 110v extension cord. Sometimes you’ll be really far from the only available outlet for your car. You need something that will handle the load.
  • NEMA 14-50 adapter for Mobile Connector. This will allow you to charge from 50-amp RV pedestals. The Mobile Connector is limited to 32 amps, but this is the fastest charging you’ll find in an RV park.
    • RV extension cord for NEMA 14-50. If you tow a 30-amp camper but still need to charge your car, sometimes the mobile connector just won’t reach. This will do the job safely. Not necessary if you’re car camping exclusively.
  • SAE J1772 adapter. For those times when you need to connect outside of the Tesla Supercharger network. Lots of slower chargers in parking lots and garages use this connector. This adapter still comes with the car.
  • Charger lock ring for J1772 adapter. This prevents people from unplugging you when using the J1772 adapter. What generally happens is that people will leave the adapter in the car since the charge port is locked and disconnect the charger from the adapter. This locks the adapter to the charge cable, which prevents people from unplugging your car. Yes, there are people this petty.
  • TT-30 adapter for Mobile Connector from EVSE Adapters. Not all parks are 50 amp equipped. Many are in the process of upgrading and are only partially 50 amp. You’ll need this adapter to properly hook up to the pedestal. The 30-amp adapter Tesla sells is for 220v; the TT-30 is a 120-volt plug. Some say they’re interchangeable, but the car is an expensive thing to gamble with so I strongly suggest you use the proper adapter.
  • Air compressor. You’d be amazed at how far you can limp a tire if you can add air. This is an absolute non negotiable. I have the AirMan ResQ Pro+ in mine, but any decent quality compressor will do. Just know that if you use the sealant and still have tires with foam on your tire, you’re going to need a new tire. Depending on the situation, this may not be a negative but it’s worth knowing ahead of time.

Charging Equipment I Do Not Have (and may or may not want)

  • Tesla CCS Adapter: You can now import the Tesla CCS adapter from South Korea from harum.io. It will only work if your car is CCS enabled, so be sure to check that on the software page under “additional vehicle support”. Rumor has it that there will be a retrofit available for cars without CCS support once Tesla released the North American version of the adapter. I used to wonder if I was going to bother, but I’ve decided I will get it as soon as possible for more options in remote areas.
  • There is an aftermarket CCS adapter out there for Tesla that will allow you to charge at non-Tesla charge stations, but I don’t recommend it. They’re always one step ahead of Tesla shutting them down, so you never know when you pull up to charge whether you will be able to charge. That sort of uncertainty is unacceptable to me given how expensive they are and that Tesla is bringing their own CCS adapter to market sometime this year. The company is Lectron if you’re wanting to take the risk.

What Do I Carry?

I live on the road in my car and am a fulltime RVer, so this is what I carry in my car:

  1. Mobile Connector with household 110, TT-30, and 14-50 adapters.
  2. High-quality 3-prong household extension cord.
  3. J1772 adapter and locking ring.
  4. Portable air compressor.

That’s it. I have other toys that are part of the RV’s kit, but with these few items I’ve never been stranded. A few weeks ago I arrived at a supercharger in Florida with 4% remaining after boondocking and kayaking, but I’ve never had to do the tow of shame.

Creature Comforts

The Desk

Being a blogger and the owner of a mobile RV repair business, making the most of my time is super important. Whether I’m at a supercharger or using my Tesla as a mobile office at the RV park or national park, the Newellev Tesla Model Y Foldable Laptop Working Desk is a constant companion. If you’re interested in learning more about my mobile office setup, I’ll have a post up about it soon.

The Mattress

Camping Mattress for Tesla Model Y/3/X, YONZEE Memory Foam Car Mattress is what I chose for car camping and I don’t mind it. It isn’t the most comfortable thing out there, frankly, but it’s good enough for camping and it’s not an air mattress. Double bonus points for fitting in the sub trunk.

The fit for my 7 seater is a little strange, but nothing’s really built for the 7 seater Model Y anyway. The sheet is some sort of inexpensive microfiber, and it all comes together quickly. I am usually 100% about comfort with mattresses, but I don’t spend a whole lot of time car camping since we have the RV, so it does what I need it to do. It’s a solid choice for occasional camping; if I were car camping full time, I’d invest a bit more.

Privacy Screens

I haven’t found privacy screens I like for the Model Y yet. I did buy some BASENOR on the advice of another Tesla camper, but the screens weren’t tall enough. Perhaps they were for the 3 but mislabeled for the Y. I’m awaiting an exchange in the hopes that this is the mistake that was made as I really liked the build quality of the screens and their opacity. I will update when I receive the replacements.

The Controversial Tesla Road Trip Gear

If you’re going to be charging in RV parks frequently, I consider having a good surge/EMS a requirement. Even in the newest or most recently upgraded campgrounds electrical problems abound. I choose not to risk a $75,000 car over the price of a surge/EMS. If you have experience with a volt meter, you can use that instead. Progressive and Southwire are solid brands.

I know some make the argument that the Mobile Connector has all the fancy circuitry in it so there’s no need to duplicate the effort with an EMS. It’s not that I don’t trust it so much as the fact that they’re always out of stock and I don’t want to risk damaging it, especially on a road trip. Common issues in campgrounds are reverse polarity, loose wires, low voltage, and surges. Some issues are riskier than others, but I have experienced them all. They are not rare by any means. My husband is an RV tech and we see this far too often to not warn you about the risks.

When I’m with my RV, I don’t need it. We have a hardwired EMS for both the 50 main circuit and the 30-amp “moochdock” circuit. Within a few minutes of pulling in, we know if the circuit is trustworthy. Neither EMS will allow power to the RV without it checking out. Once it checks out, we know it’s safe for the Tesla, too.

Conclusion

Some things are absolute necessities, some things are niceties, and some are a personal call. No matter what decisions you make as to your Tesla road trip gear, hopefully this has given you food for thought in choosing your essentials.

Related Links

Is Starlink Internet the Fulltime RVers Silver Bullet? Unboxing and Initial Impressions

Internet, Product Reviews, Starlink

We did it! We used an (apparently now deprecated) workaround and were able to get our Starlink unit delivered in Florida. Impressions, reviews, and DIY follow. Keep reading for our experience with Starlink internet!

Note: The way I obtained what is essentially now Starlink’s residential offering seems to no longer work unless you are able to initialize service at the service address. This is apparently true even if you enable Portability. I can’t confirm or deny this. I’m just saying that there are reports in the wild of this now being an issue. Starlink for RVs has launched, and details are here.

I ordered Starlink on April 9th using a service address in Bryce Canyon National Park using a plus code so as not to disenfranchise legitimate residential users and had it shipped to us in Fort Myers, Florida. It shipped on April 12th and arrived on April 19th. We had been struggling with cellular signal issues in that location. Verizon was okay but our data allowance isn’t great with them, so we had to save that data for the teens’ classes. Our T-Mobile Home Internet was the slowest it has ever been and quite unreliable. According to T-Mobile, there was a lot of work on the towers happening due to the 5g upgrades and there wasn’t a lot they could do. After a few months of constantly trying to figure out what internet is currently working the best, I gave up and ordered Starlink internet service using the above-mentioned (apparently deprecated) workaround.

Hopefully your Starlink system arrives in better condition that mine did. As you can see, the box has seen much better days, and while I usually am happy to blame FedEx for all manner of mishaps it doesn’t appear that the blame is all theirs in this case.

Starlink internet box

Once I carefully opened the box, hoping it didn’t fall apart on me as I planned to use it to protect my dish until I figured out another storage option, I found what appears to be a meticulously repacked refurbished unit. This doesn’t anger me; Elon Musk’s companies are trying to be sustainable and electronics of all types are in short supply currently. I just wish they were upfront about it and maybe that they’d have cleaned it better before sending it. And maybe sent a box that wasn’t falling apart. Just sayin’.

Starlink internet by a sustainable company still comes with superfluous packaging.
Superfluous logo branding
I'm impressed by Starlink's very functional, seemingly endlessly reusable packaging.
Functional top form-fit packaging
I spy with my little eye the first glimpse of Starlink internet's Dishy McFlatface.
See that little piece between the base and the dish? Don’t lose it!
Starlink dish has been unearthed!
Dishy McFlatface
Nonverbal instructions
Elbow grease for the poor?
The front of the router or a price card at Apple. Hard to say.
Protect the proprietary, fragile ends of this cable.

Setup could not have been easier. Everything can only go together one way, and there are only a few settings that are user selectable, so even the most techphobic of RVers should be able to get online within minutes. Be VERY CAREFUL with the cable that goes between the dish and the router. Those ends are proprietary and easily crushed, and the cables are almost always backordered. It’s the end of May and I just received the 150′ backup cable I ordered the same day as my system. That’s about a 6 week lead time. I recommend having a backup cable on hand if internet is mission critical to you.

First-Time Setup

We were at a friend’s property in Fort Myers and couldn’t resist setting up Dishy right away. I explored around my rig with the obstructions viewer in the app. As you can see, I’m in an area with some trees, but I have lucked out because our 5th wheel is parked in a large open area. The trees to the north create only minimal obstructions for Starlink internet in the spot that I picked, which of course was the back of my husband’s truck. You can take the girl out of Texas…

Finally I power up the system, wait for it to boot, and then watch as it spins and directs itself in search mode. There’s no documentation with the unit aside from those drawings, so I wasn’t sure how long it should take or if it was even doing this right. After 3 reboots I shouldn’t have done, I left it alone for 15 minutes and it connected. Speeds were lovely: 129 down and 27 up in a waitlisted area. This was a couple of weeks before Portability was announced, so I was definitely in “ask forgiveness not permission” territory as far as Starlink internet service was concerned

Taking the Internet Show on the Road

We left Fort Myers the weekend after Easter. We boondocked and kayaked one weekend and spent a few days at a KOA in Florida, and then boondocked at my mom’s house for a few days in Mississippi. The system performed well at the first and the last of these stops, even though I didn’t think it would even connect in Mississippi due to all the obstructions. Somehow the app saw these obstructions, but my Starlink internet was nearly perfect.

Boondocking in Central Florida

We were at a Harvest Host called Blessed Chaos Farm that I barely got out of with my Tesla. I became the meme of a Tesla charging with a generator. Oops! This was our first stop after Fort Myers, and we loved it there. The hosts were kind and very gracious. Our internet was perfect. Dishy quickly found the satellites, and since we were at a horse ranch, there were no obstructions. Our service was quite good: 125 up and 15 down.

Milton KOA

What I found confusing was how much trouble the system had at the KOA in Milton, FL. There are mature trees there, sure, but it had everything but the fringes wide open. The obstructions appeared in the Starlink app to be less of a problem here than would show later in Mississippi, but we had a warning about outages every minute. It wasn’t unusable for surfing and streaming, but my kids’ classes didn’t like the frequent drops and would disconnect them frequently. We luckily had just enough cell signal to carry us through. I began to suspect the obstructions viewer was a guesstimate at best, but I wouldn’t be able to confirm it until our stop at Lake Tawakoni in Texas.

Lake Tawakoni

Lake Tawakoni RV campground is a heavily wooded, marshy campground on the shores of Lake Tawakoni in Point, Texas. AT&T cellular works there, but we have Verizon and T-Mobile and they were nearly useless. We knew going in that finding a site with a clear view to the north was going to be a challenge, and after 3 tries, we settled on the best one we could get. According to the obstruction viewer, we should have had a little bit of obstruction in the top middle and a fringe along the bottom edge. What we actually got was more time in outage than functional no matter what we did. It was another place where the outages for Starlink internet service didn’t seem to make sense. I had a tiny window in Mississippi and had full service; we couldn’t get reliable internet at all at Lake Tawakoni and had to leave since the kids were still in school. We had been looking forward to relaxing by the lake, too.

As a fulltime RVer who has to be connected wherever we go, it is worth the $135/month for Starlink internet. It’s not a silver bullet, but it is a very versatile, unlimited data option for the data hogs among us. I have it running in a failover/load balanced configuration with a T-Mobile Home Internet device. For less than $200/month I have unlimited data virtually anywhere I go. Our phones are Verizon, so that gives us an extra layer of flexibility.. I’m not missing our 3 Calyx hotspots at all, especially now that they are so low priority on T-Mobile as to be useless.

There are a few things to think about when trying to decide if Starlink internet will be worth it for you:

Things to Consider

  • You’ll still need a cellular backup of some kind. Whether it’s because you sometimes won’t have internet during storms or because you won’t always have the unobstructed view to the north that Starlink internet requires, it’s good to have a backup if your livelihood depends on internet. We run T-Mobile Home Internet. It’s unlimited and very reasonable ($50/month) for unlimited internet. Our phones are Verizon so we have options.
  • You will need to decide between Starlink for RVs and regular Starlink. Basically, Starlink for RVs is available immediately anywhere in the US but is lower priority than residential users who are at their service address. The service can also be paused. Residential Starlink users can move their service around to wherever they are provided there is space in the cell. This is most likely to be available in the western half of the US. Most of the eastern half is waitlisted. However, when you can “move into” the cell you will be a priority user and have optimal speeds; the downside is you cannot pause the service.
  • Do you like to camp in the trees? Those are called obstructions, and they’ll slow your Starlink internet down. If what you’re looking for is internet that will let you stream and surf, you’ll be fine. Most of the time the drops won’t be noticeable. However, if you are relying on Zoom or similar technology to do your job and like to camp in the trees, this isn’t your silver bullet. If you’re savvy enough to setup/maintain a failover to a cellular provider, it could be a compelling option despite these limitations.
  • Want to boondock without cell signal limitations? This is where Starlink internet really shines. It provides freedom of location as long as you have a northerly view. This is what made Starlink interesting to us. Our kids attend virtual Catholic school and their need for internet has limited where we could boondock during the school year. to areas with decent cell reception. Now we have no such limitations, and I am so excited for the possibilities.