Mach-e Car Camp Checklist & Lessons Learned

[Ford Motor Company]

There have been a few Mach-e & car camping posts with some of the basics compiled below. So far we’ve only camped as a less expensive alternative to hotels which have been short stays, but there are some considerations for longer stays as well. I’ll continue to update OP, so please share your experiences and links!

GEAR:

• SUV Hasika Camping Tent (Large) $52 on sale, regularly $70.
• Lost Horizon foam/air mattress for Tesla model Y GREAT sale price $183 with the pump, regularly $230
• Headrest fillers for gap behind the front seats - others have used carryon luggage or inflatable pillows (OP). We’re not tall, and aren’t ready to buy another thing to do. Amazon boxes for this trip!
• 40 amp and/or Ford mobile charger

MACH-E SETTINGS for dark, quiet, and 12V drain:

• Vehicle: vehicle power down timer OFF
• Vehicle: Alarm System motion sensors Off
• Vehicle: Lighting Welcome Lighting off
• Vehicle: Locks Walkaway disabled
• General: Display brightness

NOTES from ours & other’s experience:

• MATTRESS: We overfilled the mattress the first time. With foam it is much more supportive with less air in it than other air mattresses we’ve used w/o foam
• MATTRESS: if you purchase the pump it must be charged before first use.
• MATTRESS: I let the mattress out of the highly compressed package to expand for a few days before leaving. Ideally it is stored expanded, or moderately expanded in its bag, to preserve the foam life
• CLIMATE CONTROL: expecting to use 8-15% of charge if running A/C or heat. It was a nice 59*F outside that night, so we used neither.
• CHARGING: campsite 50 amp breaker tripped and didn’t charge while sleeping. Would have tried the Ford mobile charger with lower amperage had we noticed ?
• CHARGING: Driving 10 mph over the 70 mph speed limit over 200 mile interstate stretch saves 24 min. Opted for speed limit-ish driving to hold flexibility in stops as it eliminated a charging stop. Also found it more relaxing as we passed a number of speed traps. Will re-evaluate as faster charging options become available ?
• CHARGING: bring 40 amp (or adjustable) charger for faster charge on short night, otherwise just use the Ford charger which more conveniently stays in the car
• CHARGING: 30 amp sites slightly more available & less expensive, but as noted below only 120V which charges at 12 amp (level 1). We opted for the 50 amp site to avoid more expensive public charging and an extra stop on the way home.
• TENT: In case of extreme wind or rain we would not set this up at under 5’11” we would fit with the hatch closed
• TENT: At 59*F we didn’t run the car. It was excellent for allowing a bit more space & air movement while keeping bugs out.
• TENT: with no wind we relied heavily on the elastic and a couple straps for securing to the car. It was also the first time we had it out of the bag and set up during quiet hours in the dark. We’ll do better next time, or not… ?

Cheers!

That's awesome! We'd love to see the adventures our Ford Family embarks on with the Mach-E! Thanks for sharing.

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[YeOldeTraveller]

I have one similar to this, this is a very high-quality EVSE. The J Boost 2 is a 40a push-button selectable amperage unit.

J+Booster 2 is a great EVSE. I have used the ability to reduce the rate to allow charging on some questionable circuits without issue. I have not gotten the TT-30 adapter yet, but I may in the future.

These are not inexpensive, but appear to be worth the cost.

 

[Steph]

I was trying not to add unnecessary packing items, but with the rear door closed we would have benefited from more head support on a 2 night trip. I think it’s time for these IKEA 17 gallon SAMLA box now $17 with lid:
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/samla-box-with-lid-clear-s99440774/ posted by Ezzelin https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/found-a-perfect-storage-container-for-car-camping.46413/

Hopefully they will help with storing sheets, pillows more compactly as well.

 

[Steph]

After another adventure in the woods can’t wait to try out the Kurgo Backseat Bridge Extender!

Would still love a “camp” mode Ford!

 

[music_cities]

I wish I had considered adjustability before buying chargers. My OpenEVSE display says it figured on 40amp, but I do wish the Ford app/mobile charger were adjustable. I have the the Home flex (not hard wired) with app, but not sure how it would work if I didn’t connect it to WiFi. Also adding something to the packing list decreases my “jump in the car and go” approach.

Just as an FYI I've heard (somewhere on this forum) that if you use 240V but put it into the Ford Mobile Charger using the Nema 5-15 "tail" it will still charge at 12 amps (attaching the 5-15 "tail" sets it to 12 amps) but will charge twice as fast as Level 1 (since its 240V).

You'd probably have to hack your own adapter, since putting 240V on a Nema 5-15 has few use cases and would be a dangerous thing to sell.

If you're doing this commonly, buying a EVSE that is actually adjustable is probably a better idea.

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