ROAD TRIP TIPS

A true EV road trip often involves a number of overnight stays in different campgrounds, and other locations, along the road.

That means night after night of setting up camp, and tearing it down hours later to get back on the road.

Sometimes you arrive at your campsite in less-than-optimal conditions: after dark… in the pouring rain… in snow. Being able to get things set up quickly, with as few steps as possible, can be paramount.

I discovered early on the benefits of storage containers to keep all of the various items needed for my road trips as organized as possible.

Just a day or two into my first road trip I discovered the need for said storage containers to be watertight.

Weatherproof.

And, eventually, I came to realize that they should be raccoon proof, if at possible. (I’m not even kidding).

I also discovered that a storage container in the trunk of my Model 3, with its instant acceleration and massive amounts of torque, tended to slide around the trunk and bang on all four sides.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Nothing interferes with the peace of a drive than constant banging noises coming from the rear of the vehicle every time you accelerate, brake, or take a turn at any level of speed.

Eventually, I discovered what I think is the perfect solution: watertight, weatherproof and raccoon-resistant storage boxes from Husky, sold by Home Depot.

I use three such ‘travel boxes’ in the trunk of my Model 3 for the perfect fit: a 20-gallon box, and two 5-gallon boxes, squeezed right in.

The 20 gallon Husky fits just about everything I need for my campsite:

• Bedding/Pillow

• Cliq Camping Chair

• Camp Stove/Fuel

• Lanterns/Headlamp

• Citronella Candles

• First Aid Kit

The two smaller 5-gallon Huskies have varied in their use through my years of road tripping.

• In 2022 one contained nothing but COVID tests, KN95 masks, hand sanitizer, and other COVID-related health supplies. Remember those days of social distancing on the road? Fun!

• Currently it contains items that I use daily, like dog treats and dog poop bags.

• The second Husky is where I stow my electronics: my 30-amp and 50-amp car charging adapters, as well as camera equipment. (I like keeping this stuff in a hardshell case in a second hardshell case, so the 5-gallon Husky boxes work perfectly.)

In the trunk of my Model 3, the 20-gallon box gets inserted first, and the two 5-gallon boxes stack on top of each other, filling out the trunk space to hold all three boxes perfectly in place as I drive.

The height of the boxes is perfectly suited for the Model 3. They fit (with very little movement) in my 2021 SR+, and now fit like a glove in my 2025 LR, squeezing perfectly between the base of the two subwoofers up above. It’s almost like this car was designed around them!

Being wedged in prevents them from moving much, and I’ve developed a system for squeezing other items in around them: my computer bag and camera tripods slide in to the right, or my tent when I take it on road trips. My hygiene bag and an assortment of other items fit in to the left: window blackout covers, windshield cover, snow brush, umbrella, etc. Sometimes I throw in a garbage pail, other times a cooler - it all depends on what I need on a particular road trip or Teslacamping weekend.

When I arrive at a campsite in a downpour I can quickly move all three boxes to a nearby picnic table, and presto! - my trunk is practically empty. My contents remain dry in their storage boxes, and I’m back in my car in a matter of a minute or two.

Imagine if, instead of this system, I had every single item in these boxes stored separately and had to painstakingly move them, one by one? It would be confusing, my items would wind up wet, and I’d be scrambling in the dark trying to light up my entire campsite to find an item. (That better describes my first road trip. You learn from your mistakes. This system is one that I came up with after a few frustrating nights on the road).

If you are blessed with the additional space that the Model Y provides, my system may not be the perfect one for you - you may be able to fit bigger storage boxes, or more of them. You’ll probably be able to fit many, many more items in your trunk, as well.

You may drive a Model 3 or Model S and have your own solution. (Feel free to share it with me!)

If you’re looking to embark on your first road trip in a Tesla Model 3, though, and you plan to do lots of overnights along the way, consider my system as one possible way to make your trip easier, less time-consuming, and less noisy. If you use it and find it works for you, let me know!

In addition to the Husky storage boxes in the trunk, I have several storage boxes in my back seat that come along with me for most of my road trips.

For these I use collapsible grocery bags - think boxes that fold flat when you’re not using them.

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I pack like this because I like to have extra space in my car if/when possible, and I like the flexibility that being able to fold and stow these boxes if/when necessary provides.

I also like that they have handles - they’re meant for carrying groceries, after all - and they’re easy to move from car to picnic table, or from back seat to floor.

I typically start each trip with four or five boxes:

1. Groceries and food supplies

2. Clothing

3. Bottled water and beverages

4. Trash - I line it with a small trash bag

5. Miscellaneous - my CPAP, mobile charger, medication, etc.

Five boxes fit across the back seat perfectly when I’m driving.

They do fill the back seat from door to door, making it impossible for passengers to sit there. I’ve removed them and left them in my campsite a few times - in my tent or under a tarp in case it rains. Usually, though, my trips are solo ones and the back seat isn’t needed for passengers. (I’ve met road trippers who embark on their journey with the back seat completely removed from the car, for more comfortable sleeping… at least I could take on back-seat passengers if I remove these boxes, right? To each their own).

At night, the front seats must be moved forward so that the rear seatback can be folded down - this is what turns the Model 3 trunk+rear seat into a bed. Once the two front seats are in the all-the-way-forward position there is room on the floor behind them for four of my foldable storage boxes. I place them along the floor, side by side, and as I lay down to sleep comfortably in my bed everything I could possibly need is right by my head: snacks in one, extra socks in another, etc. etc.

I should note that I am careful to put the bin designated for trash farthest toward whichever door I use to enter and exit the vehicle. The last thing I do after pulling my feet in at night is remove my footwear and place them across the top of the box designated for trash. Dirty shoes? Beach sand? I do my best to avoid getting it on the floor, or in the bed, and let it fall into the trash container where it belongs. (I learned this trick after I left my shoes on the ground next to the car overnight and it rained unexpectedly - I woke up to soaked shoes!)

Maybe you travel lighter than I do.

• Perhaps you wear the same couple of outfits every day on your trips, or just do laundry more often?

• Maybe you eat at restaurants, and don’t prepare food at your campsite?

• Hopefully you travel with less medication than I do.

Some roadtrippers will be able to get their need for backseat storage down from five boxes to three, or two, or one, or even none.

(How I envy you minimalist travelers!)

My system requires four or five for everything I like to bring with me, and I’ve done this enough to know what fits and what makes the trip as efficient as possible.

Sure, my campsite may look like a cluttered mess, at times…

[PHOTO OF PICNIC TABLE]

…but the system here works for me.

I hope you’ll find one that works equally well for you.