Prius Camping
Very Comfortable For The Price

Prius camping worked for me because I used my 2008 model to range all over the State of Florida gathering information and taking photographs for Florida Backroads Travel.

Even though I'm 6'5 and 230 lbs it seemed possible to make a little camper out of my Prius.

I achieved it for a total expense of $77, not including sheets and pillows.

First, I did a lot of measuring. I decided that the best way for me to sleep would be in conventional bed fashion.

Measurements indicated I could slide the front seats forward and fold the rear seats down and end up with a pretty good sized space.

The Prius measures about 80 inches from the rear deck at the bottom of the closed hatch to the back of the front seats. Since I am 77 inches, this was encouraging.

One problem, however, is that the center console sticks back into the rear seating area and reduces the available space. The top of the the console is about 21" high above the floor.

Another problem is that there is 18 inches between the flattened rear seat back and the front seat back that has to be bridged.

I measured the well behind each front seat when they were extended forward and decided I could fit a box in each well that would be about 21 inches high, 18 inches deep, and 13 inches wide.

I could then place these boxes in the wells, span them with a board of some kind, and put an air mattress on the resulting 36" by 80" rectangular area.

I couldn't find a single box that fit the bill, so I bought 6 smaller boxes at Bed Bath and Beyond for a bit less than $10 each. Each box is 11-7/8" wide x 17-7/16 long x 7-1/8" high and contains a drawer.

Three boxes fit in the well behind each front seat. During my Florida backroads travel mode, they fit in the luggage area aft and contain underwear, socks, shirts, pants, coffee maker, air mattress, pump, cereal and coffee.

Since most of my camping is in Florida and not too far from my home, this is plenty of room for what I need.

I bought a cardboard box from Home Depot for $2 that when folded measures 42 x 18 x 1 inches. This spans over the boxes and provides support for the air mattress.

Walmart sold me the air mattress for $15. The mattress is 75" x 39 x 8".

When sleeping in the Prius, I typically kept the car running in Park with the air conditioning/heater set at about 78 degrees. Somebody estimated this overnight battery and engine use eats up about 0.4 of a gallon, just a bit more than a dollar in terms of today's gas prices. The air conditioning makes this camping viable even in the hot humid Florida summers.

The air conditioning/heater runs on the car battery. When the battery gets low, the gas engine kicks in.

I also set the parking brake when sleeping because when the gas engine kicks in it lurches the car forward a tiny bit unless the brake is set.

It takes a little time to get used to the lurching.

Prius camping reminds me of my days living in tight quarters aboard my boats, or my days in the Navy aboard a destroyer.

A lot of my Florida traveling is solo, so I have to caution that Prius camping may not work as well for couples as it did for me. Maybe a small couple could pull it off.

Like Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb.

I usually stayed at Florida State Parks, camping in tent sites that have electricity and water. I need that for blowing up the mattress at night, plugging in my laptop, and heating coffee and cereal in the morning.

Florida campsites cost between $10 and $50 per night, but with my senior discount it costs me about half that. This is a whole lot less than all but the cheapest Florida motels.

Unlike a big RV, Prius camping can use a tent site. In Florida State Parks, camping in these sites is fun because they are usually surrounded by palmettos and other vegetation and are very private.

The restroom/shower facilities at Florida State Parks are usually clean and comfortable.

My Prius also offers additional privacy by having tinted windows as an optional extra.

Conclusions About Prius Camping:

Camping in a Prius is not too bad, but I'd prefer a thinner mattress, maybe a dense foam one that could be rolled up when not in use.

The 8" thick air mattress I use makes it a bit tougher to climb up in and go to bed.

Still haven't tried sleeping with Mrs. Tom Thumb. Rosie O'Donnell is definitely out of the question.

For other than one night trips in cooler weather I will probably pack a tent.

Other people have tried sleeping in their Prius, and there is a forum where they discuss Prius camping.

One recent summer (2009) I took a long trip from Florida to the Michigan Upper Pensinsula and back with two kids and two grandkids. The trip did not lend itself to Prius camping, but we did discover a family phrase we now use, "Five Optimists In A Prius."

I got rid of my Prius in July 2010. For several months I used another car I called my Toyota From Hell to wander around Florida. The big adventure was whether I made it to my destination and all the way back home. I finally traded this lemon in on a Toyota Corolla.

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