Rivian R1S Camp Mode Battery Drain: What the Service Trip Found

18% state of charge gone in 8 to 10 hours of camp mode. That’s what I came home with after my first real camping night in the Gen 2 R1S at the Big Bear Toyo Tires Trail Pass event. Outside temp was 39°F, heat set to 73°F, outlets off, Gear Guard enabled. The Gen 1 R1Ts parked next to me lost closer to 8 to 10%. I wasn’t panicking — I had plenty of battery — but the number bugged me enough to file a service ticket the same night.

Rivian didn’t just review the logs remotely. They asked me to bring it in.

Four Things I Brought In

Camp mode consumption was the main concern, but I added three more while I had the appointment:

Floor mats — the Rivian all-weather mats weren’t lining up correctly. Rivian support already told me it was within spec. I wanted a second look with their own eyes.

Crossbar locking — the rear crossbar takes extra effort to seat properly, and if you don’t push it all the way in it loosens when you wiggle it. It locks, technically, but it didn’t feel right.

USB-C center console disconnect — whenever I plug my MacBook Pro into the center console port where the Gear Guard hard drive lives, the hard drive disconnects and reconnects repeatedly. I wanted to know if that was expected behavior or something to fix.

The Gen 1 R1S Loaner

They set me up with a Gen 1 R1S quad motor on all-terrain tires — 23,076 miles, August 2023 build. Jimmy at Rivian Irvine got everything sorted. Shout out to him.

First impression pulling out of the lot: the Pirelli all-terrain tires are genuinely loud. Louder than the Cybertruck Falcon tires, which I didn’t think was possible. At 50 mph it’s noticeable enough that I’d want to swap tires before doing any serious highway miles in an AT setup on my own R1S.

Second impression: the sound system. The Gen 1 has it over the Gen 2, no question. I normally run volume 17 in my Gen 2 and still want more. In the Gen 1 I was comfortable at 13. Rivian pushed a “premium audio improvement” update for the Gen 2 — I noticed a small difference. Not enough.

Third: the quad motor is still a blast. I’ve driven Gen 1 before, this wasn’t my first time, but putting it in Sport mode reminded me why the quad has a reputation. If you can find a used Gen 1 quad with low miles and all the recalls already addressed, it might be a better deal than people think.

One practical note: I had to bring my NACS to J1772 adapter since I charge at home on a Tesla Wall Connector. That’s just part of life with a Rivian right now.

Charging on the Rivian Adventure Network

A couple days into the loaner I hit the Rivian Adventure Network in San Bernardino. Started at 17% and 88°F battery temp.

The Gen 1 quad peaked at 215 kW — I just didn’t catch it on camera. It floated around 193 to 200 kW through most of the session, then tapered as expected past 75%. We pulled off at 78% after 35 minutes. With the larger battery and lower starting point we put in over 80 kWh, which works out to roughly $50 at standard rates. Because it was a Rivian loaner, I was hoping for a complimentary charge — and it was.

I also used the charging stop to shout out everyone who’s used my Rivian referral. The latest haul: a Gear Guard Gary vampire costume (Halloween timing was perfect), the fanny pack I’d been wanting, and Gear Guard Gary socks. The Kamik awning and crossbars came in earlier. Genuinely appreciate every person who’s used it.

Total loaner stats after 6 days and 617 miles: 2.58 mi/kWh on Conserve mode.

What Rivian Actually Found

Got the notification that my R1S was ready and headed to Eastvale to pick it up.

Camp mode drain — normal. The invoice explanation: the vehicle was in camp mode with “Stay On” selected, which keeps the car in Ready Power Mode and prevents it from sleeping. Combined with 39°F ambient temps, the HVAC ran continuously to hold 73°F. A larger cabin, colder weather, and staying awake all push consumption up. No vampire drain. No anomalies. Functioning as intended. The diagnostic took an hour and a half, would have been $352, covered under warranty. Glad I have it on record.

USB-C center console — not designed for laptops. The ports aren’t Power Delivery capable at a level that can run both the Gear Guard hard drive and charge a laptop simultaneously. The hard drive takes power to keep recording; add a laptop draw on top and it flip-flops between devices. Their fix: use the 120V outlet under the rear screen for the laptop instead. Makes sense.

Floor mats — within spec. “Unable to duplicate customer’s concern.” I knew that’s probably what they’d say. I’ve already moved on to 3W mats that fit better anyway — if you haven’t seen that video, go check it out.

Crossbars — they took a look but the invoice didn’t flag anything critical. Just needs some attention to technique when locking.

The Gen 1 is Still Worth a Look

Six days in a Gen 1 quad confirmed what I already suspected: the value is there in the used market if you do your homework. Check the NHTSA recall database with the VIN before buying — Rivian also maintains their own recall page. Any outstanding recalls Rivian will address, but knowing what’s been done versus pending matters.

For my Gen 2, the service trip did exactly what I wanted: everything came back normal, and now it’s documented. Sometimes that’s the whole point.