Tesla has been toying with the idea of a Cybertruck camper since the truck's 2019 protoype debut, and it now has the "Basecamper" ready for purchase. The self-contained inflatable platform tent camper developed in conjunction with the geodesic German minds at Heimplanet looks like a tutorial on how to build a "rooftop" tent for a vehicle without a proper roof.

We were a bit underwhelmed upon seeing the first photo of the Basecamper during yesterday's Cybertruck premiere (the photo up top), as it looked like a basic fabric pickup truck tent using the pickup bed floor as its base, different from Tesla's original conception of a hard-sided Cybertruck wedge camper.

We still like that pop-up wedge camper design better, but the Basecamper is a little slicker and more complex than it looked at first glance. It uses an inflatable rooftop tent-style construction adapted to the unique characteristics of its all-electric rolling foundation.

Tesla says the folded tent secures above the Cybertruck bed floor but below the tonneau cover. It mounts directly to the L-track running the length of the bed sidewalls, where it leaves the pickup floor clear for storage and avoids interference with the operation of the tonneau. And it doesn't introduce aerodynamic drag/range reduction the way a hard camper or rooftop tent mounted over the bed would.

At camp, the tent sleeping platform folds out and sets up well above the cold, dirty pickup floor, providing the foundation of a self-contained tent that doesn't have to strap tediously around the wheel wells to seal out the elements. The tent body itself is designed to inflate with a few minutes' of hand-pumping, completing a roomy, cabin-like space hovering over the truck box floor below.