Camping in R1S - First time thoughts

[GWNavigator]

Also agree with your points. It's pretty crazy how well auto-level works. Here's a picture of us maxing out it's capability. The difference between the front and back was impressive.

If you're going with the Megamat, the M will fit between the 3rd row armrests, but the LW+ will not.

PRO TIP: Look up Megamat Auto for a perfect fit.

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[AdaminFlag]

I ended up purchasing this mattress for camping in the back of the R1S:
https://rpmrivian.com/products/rpm-...0ADwDGOnODwiSjN1Wh0IPOgrGI2gdLWsaAgu2EALw_wcB
I used it this past weekend for the first time and was very comfortable as far as the mattress goes...climate control didn't go as well.
As OP and others have mentioned, reaching up to the front screen is a pain. Would be so much nicer to have the second row screen and/or app able to change the temp. But the bigger deal was energy usage and ability to keep temperature. When I went to sleep at 11pm the car was showing 45F outside - I'm guessing it got down to high 30's overnight. I tried to set the temp to 64F on auto to start, but the car seemed to blow a lot of cold air at this set temp. I upped it to 67F, and the screen still showed the AC symbol for the vents, although it didn't seem as cold. I ended up putting back on my down sweater about halfway through, and when I woke up again at 5am I checked the app. It was showing 55F in the cabin, with the setpoint at 67F. I like to sleep cold but not that cold...

I thought maybe there was something wrong with the heater, but it does seem to blow warm, but only when upping the set temp to about 72F. What are others' experience here? I want to be able to sleep at about 65F in the car...can the climate control logic in the car not actually achieve a temp in the 60s when cold outside? Also, in order to maintain that 55F temperature, the car used 15% battery over 8 hours. That's about 19kWh! That's enough to power a good size house for a day, all to keep my car at an uncomfortably cold temperature. Our old 2015 Model S (also w/out a heat pump) could actually keep temp in the cabin and would lose about 5% overnight (or about 4 kWh) in similar temperatures (granted, smaller cabin).

 

[Milermore]

... But the bigger deal was energy usage and ability to keep temperature. When I went to sleep at 11pm the car was showing 45F outside - I'm guessing it got down to high 30's overnight. I tried to set the temp to 64F on auto to start, but the car seemed to blow a lot of cold air at this set temp. I upped it to 67F, and the screen still showed the AC symbol for the vents, although it didn't seem as cold. I ended up putting back on my down sweater about halfway through, and when I woke up again at 5am I checked the app. It was showing 55F in the cabin, with the setpoint at 67F. I like to sleep cold but not that cold...

I thought maybe there was something wrong with the heater, but it does seem to blow warm, but only when upping the set temp to about 72F. What are others' experience here? I want to be able to sleep at about 65F in the car...can the climate control logic in the car not actually achieve a temp in the 60s when cold outside? Also, in order to maintain that 55F temperature, the car used 15% battery over 8 hours. That's about 19kWh! That's enough to power a good size house for a day, all to keep my car at an uncomfortably cold temperature. Our old 2015 Model S (also w/out a heat pump) could actually keep temp in the cabin and would lose about 5% overnight (or about 4 kWh) in similar temperatures (granted, smaller cabin).

I haven't camped, but the temp settings seem consistent with what I've seen. Setting temp below 71-72 seems to keep the AC on. at 71-72 it starts blowing warm air. I haven't spent much time thinking about it, but it doesn't seem to like the mid-range temps.

 

[RexRemus]

I ended up purchasing this mattress for camping in the back of the R1S:
https://rpmrivian.com/products/rpm-...0ADwDGOnODwiSjN1Wh0IPOgrGI2gdLWsaAgu2EALw_wcB
I used it this past weekend for the first time and was very comfortable as far as the mattress goes...climate control didn't go as well.
As OP and others have mentioned, reaching up to the front screen is a pain. Would be so much nicer to have the second row screen and/or app able to change the temp. But the bigger deal was energy usage and ability to keep temperature. When I went to sleep at 11pm the car was showing 45F outside - I'm guessing it got down to high 30's overnight. I tried to set the temp to 64F on auto to start, but the car seemed to blow a lot of cold air at this set temp. I upped it to 67F, and the screen still showed the AC symbol for the vents, although it didn't seem as cold. I ended up putting back on my down sweater about halfway through, and when I woke up again at 5am I checked the app. It was showing 55F in the cabin, with the setpoint at 67F. I like to sleep cold but not that cold...

I thought maybe there was something wrong with the heater, but it does seem to blow warm, but only when upping the set temp to about 72F. What are others' experience here? I want to be able to sleep at about 65F in the car...can the climate control logic in the car not actually achieve a temp in the 60s when cold outside? Also, in order to maintain that 55F temperature, the car used 15% battery over 8 hours. That's about 19kWh! That's enough to power a good size house for a day, all to keep my car at an uncomfortably cold temperature. Our old 2015 Model S (also w/out a heat pump) could actually keep temp in the cabin and would lose about 5% overnight (or about 4 kWh) in similar temperatures (granted, smaller cabin).

I believe the better way to think about climate settings in the Rivian at this moment is that you're not setting the desired cabin temp as much as setting the desired air temp coming out of the vents - if you want warm air set it above 70, if you want cold air set it below 70, doesn't matter what interior/exterior temp is, set the temp you want coming out of the vents and you'll be much happier.

Kinda crazy that this is how it's currently implemented, but that's what we've got.

 

[VikingMD]

It really is! (forgot to mention in the first post mine is also a Med)

This bedding system works well with that mat.

https://www.rei.com/product/193017/rei-co-op-camp-dreamer-double-sleep-system?redirect-pup=false

 

[citizen]

Also agree with your points. It's pretty crazy how well auto-level works. Here's a picture of us maxing out it's capability. The difference between the front and back was impressive.

If you're going with the Megamat, the M will fit between the 3rd row armrests, but the LW+ will not.

How old are your kids? I'm prepping to bring my 3-year-old on his first trip. Might start with in-car before going ground or RTT. Did you store the car seats in bags outside once at the campground?

Any other considerations taking a kiddo? Will be the first time he goes w/o a bath. And he has issues pooping in a toilet so it might be just fine having him poop in a diaper around the campground... watched a few Youtube videos, pretty standard w/ extra diapers and wipes.

 

[AdaminFlag]

I believe the better way to think about climate settings in the Rivian at this moment is that you're not setting the desired cabin temp as much as setting the desired air temp coming out of the vents - if you want warm air set it above 70, if you want cold air set it below 70, doesn't matter what interior/exterior temp is, set the temp you want coming out of the vents and you'll be much happier.

That's not how climate control is supposed to work!! And it's not how it supposed to work in the Rivian. From the owner's manual:

I haven't used an infrared camera, but my guess would be that the air coming from the vents when the heat is actually on is substantially hotter than the set temp. I've actually never understood having that temp display when auto is off on any vehicle with climate control...I guess it's intuitive to keep it as a guide to going hotter or colder, but as soon as you turn off auto, it's no longer either the temp coming from the vent or the (target) temp in the vehicle.

Good to know that others are having the same experience. I've got an appointment for service coming up next month for some other things - I think I'll add this as an item, even though it's very much a limitation of the vehicle. Might encourage them to look at reprogramming the logic for the climate control in a future update if they get enough complaints...

 

[RexRemus]

That's not how climate control is supposed to work!! And it's not how it supposed to work in the Rivian. From the owner's manual:

I haven't used an infrared camera, but my guess would be that the air coming from the vents when the heat is actually on is substantially hotter than the set temp. I've actually never understood having that temp display when auto is off on any vehicle with climate control...I guess it's intuitive to keep it as a guide to going hotter or colder, but as soon as you turn off auto, it's no longer either the temp coming from the vent or the (target) temp in the vehicle.

Good to know that others are having the same experience. I've got an appointment for service coming up next month for some other things - I think I'll add this as an item, even though it's very much a limitation of the vehicle. Might encourage them to look at reprogramming the logic for the climate control in a future update if they get enough complaints...

Oh I know what it says... haha and how it SHOULD work, I'm just saying shifting my thinking to that model (for now - software can change things) has worked out far better than thinking of it as setting a thermostat at home

 

[jplblue]

How old are your kids? I'm prepping to bring my 3-year-old on his first trip. Might start with in-car before going ground or RTT. Did you store the car seats in bags outside once at the campground?

Any other considerations taking a kiddo? Will be the first time he goes w/o a bath. And he has issues pooping in a toilet so it might be just fine having him poop in a diaper around the campground... watched a few Youtube videos, pretty standard w/ extra diapers and wipes.

They're 5 and 7. For the car seats, we just threw them in the front seat.

I'm not that concerned about bathing when we camp, but we have a Geyser bath system -- basically a sponge bath that cycles warm water -- that works well.

Generally, I try to be more liberal with bribes during trips (s'mores, toys, screentime when just hanging out). Have fun!

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