The packing list we actually send guests
Two weeks in a car needs less than you think. Every list I have seen online is padded with things that stay in the trunk the whole trip, so this one is split honestly: what we hand you, and what you bring.
What comes with the car
Camping Package, from $216/day
- Rooftop tent for two, up in about 30 seconds, and no wet ground
- Built-in foam mattress, so you are not feeling the roof rails
- Euhomy 12V fridge that runs off the car, so no ice and no meltwater
- Two-burner stove with propane
- Cook set: pot, pan, boards, knives, cutlery
- Kettle, two chairs, LED lantern
Cybertruck Off-Grid, from $299/day
Everything above, plus a bed tent over the truck bed for two adults with kids in the cab, a compressor fridge, a power station for laptops and cameras, and a recovery kit. On request: Starlink Mini and a 100W solar panel. Ask at booking.
What you bring
Clothes, and it is less than you packed
Three t-shirts, two shorts, one pair of long pants, one fleece. That covers 14 days, because laundromats exist in every town in America and you will pass twenty of them.
Broken-in hiking boots. New boots mean blisters by day two, every time. Flip-flops for campground showers. A rain shell, because Arizona monsoon season from July to September is real. And a warm layer, because 6,500 feet is cold at night even in August and this is the single most common thing people underpack.
The things that actually matter
- SPF 50, UV lip balm, a hat. The desert does not forgive pale skin.
- A liter of water per person in the car at all times. Three liters per person per hiking day.
- A headlamp. Campgrounds are dark. Red mode does not wake your neighbors.
- Basic first aid: blister plasters, ibuprofen, antihistamine, bug spray.
- Documents: license, an International Driving Permit if your license is not in English, booking confirmation.
Tech: phone and USB-C cable, the car has four ports. A tripod if you care about the night sky, and out there you will. Download offline maps for the stretches with no signal, which is more of them than you expect.
What to leave home
- A generator. Camp Mode gives you climate, light and USB. The car is the generator.
- A cooler and ice. There is a 12V fridge running off the car. Ice is a solved problem you would be re-creating.
- A gas lantern. LEDs are brighter, safer and do not involve fuel.
- A case of canned food. Buy fresh as you go. Trader Joe's, Walmart and farm stands are everywhere.
- Tools. Nothing needs an oil change. If something breaks, call the concierge.
- Paper maps. Download offline instead.
Camp Mode is why this is different from tent camping
- Climate control all night, whether it is 104°F in the Mojave or 35°F in the Rockies
- Interior lights and USB stay on
- The car does not shut down, lock you out, or alarm
- Cost: about 1% battery per hour on A/C, 2 to 3% on heat. A night runs 8 to 10%.
Which means no sweating in a sleeping bag, no condensation, and no neighbor's generator starting at 6am. You sleep the way you do at home, with a better view.
Six things about using the gear
These are about the equipment, not about campground manners. Where to sleep and how to behave once you are there is in the campgrounds guide.
- Pop the tent before you need it. Do it once in daylight, in the parking lot, with someone watching. Thirty seconds when you know how, considerably longer in the dark on night one.
- Charge in the evening, not the morning. Overnight on a destination charger means you leave full. Mornings are for driving.
- The fridge runs off the car, so leave it running. People switch it off overnight to save battery. It draws almost nothing and warm food is a worse problem.
- Cook simple. Pasta, eggs, wraps, soup. Gourmet camping generates dishes, and you are washing them in a jug.
- Fill water at every opportunity. Two gallons per person per day covers drinking, cooking and washing. Dispersed sites have none at all.
- Crack a window. Tesla windows can be programmed to a gap. Camp Mode handles temperature, but recirculated air all night is stuffy and the fix is free.
The gear above ships with the Model Y Camping Package. If you want to be self-sufficient with solar and Starlink, that is the Cybertruck Off-Grid package. Tested campsites are in the best campgrounds list, and free alternatives are in the boondocking rules.
Camping is not a compromise. With the right setup it beats most hotels, and it costs less.