2,333 mi Winter Trip from New York to Georgia in R1S with an iKamper

[SPITmadFIRE]

This setup looks awesome! When you suggest reducing the current for charging at campsites, is that done on the portable charger or are you changing that from the vehicle itself?

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[Cueball121]

There were times when regen was limited, and it wasn't clear whether that was because of the battery temp. or sustained downhill.

Family and I were coming back to DC from Snowshoe in WV, and coming down thru Shenandoah on a few occasions regen just disappeared, with just a quick pop up warning. Same... not sure if it was temps or sustained downhill. Either way, it was a bit jarring, especially happening just before some hairpin turns. Kind of dangerous, in hindsight. I do think I stumbled on a post about some changes to regen in the next Ota update. Hopefully it fixes it.

Love this post! Thanks for sharing.

 

[ElGuapo]

I may have missed this, but what tires do you have?

Great post and jealous of that trip!

 

[C.R. Rivian]

Thanks!

The pup actually sits in the middle seat of the middle row with the kids using one of these:

She likes it fine, although will occasionally climb down to lay down on the floor by my youngest's feet.

We have the third row folded down, since it stores a 40L fridge and two electrified Bromptons. Generally, we have it laid out like so:

Although the bins are nice in that they can be Tetris'ed in different configurations, e.g.:

The "platform" is just a project board + a couple of 2x4s for footing. The OEM shelving rests on the top of the platform. This was done to (1) make the rear level and (2) give a couple extra inches to the storage area to fit a 7-gallon Aqua-tainer:

We have a little electric pump/faucet to access the water. The storage area also held emergency gear, two inflatable pack rafts + paddles + PFDs. Even with a full loadout including items we didn't need, there was extra storage space if needed.

For sleeping, all five of us fit in RTT. The kids climb up fine by themselves, but the pup needs to be carried up. She loves it, though, and will beg us to carry her up near bed time. Not sure how much longer we'll be able to do this, but the RTT is technically meant to accommodate 4 adults.

The ground tent is mean to be a "living room" during nasty weather. The floor got swamped during the rain, so we're looking for a better alternative.

Happy to answer any other questions!

For our R1T glamping, we used Caddis Rapid 6 Tent | REI Co-op. Great tent, popup setup, floor will not leak. Six person tent, 2 persons and two large dogs (Akita and Korean Sapsalli) with glamping accoutrements.

 

[theadonnan]

You could either get an annex for the roof top tent, an awning with walls, or an suv tent that connects to the back for living space. Did you have to breakdown the roof tent in the rain? Or was the space heater your saving grace for that? Also, nice efficiency on your trip. Those larger wheels and smoother tires make a difference.

glad you enjoyed South Carolina

 

[mpw81]

I wonder if there is a thread on here discussing the RAN points giving them ratings on food options, things to do, doggy ratings….

There is a thread for the Salida, CO RAN that has a lot of this information. It Would be great to have a pinned primary RAN thread with links to individual RAN threads.

I really wish the forum operated a little more like other forums (Flyertalk comes to mind) and we had moderator abilities (i'd volunteer), and a wiki or FAQ we could pin at the top for questions that get asked constantly ("I'm new here, how can I download the newest OTA?"), the ability to merge threads when 9 people start a thread on the same OTA update, etc.
@Administrator is any of this doable? I've dug around a bit but don't see anything that makes think this functionality is available.

 

[moosetags]

Thank you for posting. Your trip log is very informative and entertaining.

Brian

 

[MoreTrout]

If I sold all my camping gear I never use anymore, that roof top tent, some creature comforts and electric cooktop, heater, and fridge would be mighty comfortable with a 100+KW battery underneath it all. I need to get to the okefenokee swamp, an international Dark Spot with views of the Milky Way at night. With this setup it would be a breeze to overnight.

If I had 1000W or 2000W of solar, would it make a dent in recharging the Rivian? Not sure I get the math behind figuring this out?

Short answer, no. Depends on what you consider a dent. At best that would get you 1-2 mi/hr of range charging, and that's assuming you had them perfectly oriented in the sun for the few hours it was at peak each day. I guess if you are travelling less than 10 or 20 miles a day, then the few miles could be considered a dent, but not on a long trip.

 

[Administrator]

There is a thread for the Salida, CO RAN that has a lot of this information. It Would be great to have a pinned primary RAN thread with links to individual RAN threads.

I really wish the forum operated a little more like other forums (Flyertalk comes to mind) and we had moderator abilities (i'd volunteer), and a wiki or FAQ we could pin at the top for questions that get asked constantly ("I'm new here, how can I download the newest OTA?"), the ability to merge threads when 9 people start a thread on the same OTA update, etc.
@Administrator is any of this doable? I've dug around a bit but don't see anything that makes think this functionality is available.

Great idea @mpw81.

We can enable WIKI threads. Do you want to start the RAN glossary/links thread here in this Trip Report section or the Charging/RAN section?

 

[mpw81]

Great idea @mpw81.

We can enable WIKI threads. Do you want to start the RAN glossary/links thread here in this Trip Report section or the Charging/RAN section?

Charging/RAN section would be ideal. I'm happy to do the build out of it as well. Will need to be built with future proofing in mind.

 

[jplblue]

This setup looks awesome! When you suggest reducing the current for charging at campsites, is that done on the portable charger or are you changing that from the vehicle itself?

Changing it in the vehicle -- I don't think the Rivian portable charger (the only one I have) lets you limit the amperage.

 

[jplblue]

I may have missed this, but what tires do you have?

Great post and jealous of that trip!

Still on the stock 22 Pirellis.

 

[jplblue]

For our R1T glamping, we used Caddis Rapid 6 Tent | REI Co-op. Great tent, popup setup, floor will not leak. Six person tent, 2 persons and two large dogs (Akita and Korean Sapsalli) with glamping accoutrements.

Thanks for the tip -- will check it out!

 

[jplblue]

You could either get an annex for the roof top tent, an awning with walls, or an suv tent that connects to the back for living space. Did you have to breakdown the roof tent in the rain? Or was the space heater your saving grace for that? Also, nice efficiency on your trip. Those larger wheels and smoother tires make a difference.

glad you enjoyed South Carolina

Thanks for the tip! Other than the swamping issue, we really like the tent because it's an instant pop-up. From what I've seen, those annexes for RTT takes a long time to set up. An awning would be awesome, but I'm hoping to limit efficiency loss somewhat given there's already a huge tent on the roof. I'll check out SUV tents, since that's been under consideration.

Luckily, when we broke down the RTT, the rain had turned to a drizzle. The inside didn't really get wet, but the heater helped with removing the dampness from the canvas.

Nice setup! Does the hitch rack limit Driver+?

 

[TigerWuxia]

Thanks for sharing your exciting trip. I am also interested in your rear storage setup. What are those storage boxes (containers)? Where did you buy them?

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