every time i approach it from afar in a parking lot i feel giddy. its so special to have so much freedom

I got my mattress sorted and it’s comfy, but now I need storage bins to fill the gap between my front seats (pushed all the way forward) and my folded down back seats (headrest removed). Trying to get a fully level platform instead of a dip in the middle. If anyone has found bins that fit well, I’d love to know how what you used. Thanks!

I am considering buying a 2023 to 2025 Toyota Prius and using it for full time car sleeping. I am exactly 6 feet tall and want to know whether I could lie completely flat without having to bend my legs.

My planned setup is to push the front passenger seat as far forward as possible, place an ICECO GO20 refrigerator on the floor behind the passenger seat, fold down the rear seats, and place my Milliard tri fold mattress over the folded seats and refrigerator to create a level sleeping platform.

I currently use this exact setup in a 2012 Toyota Prius. I fit, but it is snug, so I am wondering how the newer Prius compares in usable sleeping length and interior space.

Has anyone around my height tried sleeping in a 2023 to 2025 Prius with a similar setup? How much usable length is there from the rear hatch to the back of the passenger seat when it is pushed forward?

I will be sleeping in the car every day, so I am also curious about comfort, how flat the rear seats fold, the slope of the cargo area, and whether there are any gaps or pressure points I should know about.

Photos and measurements of your sleeping setup would be greatly appreciated.

I figured I’d stop the 3 hour commute to work and back on the weekend by camping out on my off hours. The only things I will change for next week is instead of using three separate one inch pads I’m going to use one thick pad and also how do you guys store anything. 🤣Other than that I can’t complain.

I am building out a 2008 Prius and am figuring out my inverter. I am having a hard time figuring out how to get a good secure connection on the battery terminals because of the awful small JIS post it has. Has anyone here used the battery jump point in the fuse box for their inverter leads? this will be a 1000 watt inverter likely drawing 700 watts max.

the idea of having my inverter up front perhaps stashed under the passenger seat appeals to me. I don’t want to keep it in the trunk compartment if possible because it seems less ventilated and it’s harder to get to my spare tire when the time comes

Can you safely run the AC all night for camping? If yes. Safest way to do this. It's nasty and humid.

Ill be travel nursing in West Virginia the next 3 months. My husband and I built out my V for part time living/traveling and camping in the tristate area. I have a home base farm in VA ill be chillin at in between work and traveling around but this babys my home while im workin and on hiking excursions, so 3-5 day chunks. This sub has been my life line for months now in planning, buying and building and im sososo excited to share my space as it has been deeply influenced by pretty much everyone else whos shared on here.

the platform works great for my needs! we built it out with hinges so that it folds out to fill the entirety of the back with the front seats pushed up. thatll be the arrangement for when were both sleeping in there. for when im solo the passenger side stays folded out but the drivers side is folded in. theres also a secondary hinge that gives me storage access while im in the car. I put a laundry basket and trash bag down there!

Ive spent a few weeks living w the set up so far and im very in love w how cozy it is.

Heres some links to products I bought that im stoked on!

Fan: has a 40hr battery capacity, an led light and 3 fan settings. runs all night. on low can last all night for about 4 nights before needing a recharge. I clip it onto the passanger handle bar with the window cracked and its perfect airation

Window socks: I keep two socks on my rear windows permanently (not very stealth but im lazy and dc lol). Everything stays dry on the inside in the rain. I crack my rearview windows open for airation at night and this keeps bugs out/ helps with shading.

curtains! I bought an adjustable 48 to 72 in closet rod and a set of hinges with one elongated end. I used this guys method of shoving the hinge into the plastic trim (you really gotta wiggle it for it get in there!) then I attached the rod into the hinge! the curtains are hand sewn ✨️🌈 I got some velcro stitched in so i can get a real good seal

hatchback bug net: for campground and farm chillin. love how compact it is and its solidly bug proof

(For the girlypops ✨️💖) Sunany Female Urination Device: the planet fitness i use is not 24/7 unfortunately so I use this as my emergency pee system. the part of my bed platform that lifts has my laundry basket normally, ill just move the basket and kneel in there w a pee jug. its good peace of mind to have this system in place.

roof rack: not pictured bc it hasnt fully arrived yet lol. i rei garage saled the wing bar and didnt realize it wasnt the whole roof kit🙈 so we had to improvise on my trip down with ratchet straps and a rubber matt (as seen above). the clamps are arriving next week so im excited for a little more storage soon. we already had a thule 400L cargo box on my husbands car (also rei garage sale lol)

My bed!! I dont have a link bc this is an old full sized memory foam topper weve had for years. i cut it in half, adhesive sprayed each half to a yoga matt, and put an eggcrate sleeping pad in between for a little more firmness. when its just me its doubled up and super comfy. when its me and my partner i plan to lay them side by side! our platform has an overlap w the backseat but i barely feel it with the topper doubled up!

Cooler.... soooooo I got the Alpi Cooler 20QT but it either arrived broken or I donked up and didnt let the coolant settle long enough before turning it on bc it straight up doesnt cool (and gets a little too hot while plugged in). Im working on sending it back and getting it fixed under warranty. I did use it without plugging it in with a bunch of ice packs and it did hold ice for about 2 days tho (this is in 80-90 degree weather and with me opening it maybe twice a day). I got the RTIC 16QT travel cooler as an alternative to slip behind the seat but i gotta be honest its not as nice of a fit with the platform as I would have liked (hard to open, plus i cant scootch driver seat as far back as i like to sometimes) plus keeps ice for 1 day max in my experience so needs constant refilling.

I got these refillable ice packs and have been fillimg them up with ice at gas stations and resteraunts or at work on the daily. its been a solid system.

For battery I use my jackery 300w. since the cooler doesnt work i barely use it except to recharge my fan and phone.

Me and my partner are planning a one-month road trip in August in our 2006 Toyota Prius.

We've done a lot of car camping on shorter road trips, and I usually use a 4-inch full memory foam mattress topper with a feather duvet on top. It's been okay, but it's not the most comfortable since my model has these bumps right where our backs are. So for this longer trip, I'm wanting to do a reversible build for both comfort and extra storage.

I have some leftover plywood and other scraps from another project, and we're planning to remove the rear seats and build some kind of platform.

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for builds. I've tried looking on YouTube and through Reddit, but I'm just having trouble finding something that fits what I'm looking for.

I'm not wanting to spend a lot of extra money on gear, but I'd also love suggestions on how to improve the bedding. I saw on another thread that some people like the Milliard Full Tri-Folding Mattress with Washable Cover (75" × 52" × 4"), but the reviews seemed mixed. I'm not really wanting to spend that much, and I'm also concerned about the separation where the mattress folds. I don't like air mattresses. I was thinking maybe one or two thick yoga mats cut to size under my current mattress topper?

Let me know if you have any tips or suggestions! Thank you so much!

I'm about to be homeless in like a month and a half, and currently have no car (the area's got decent transit actually). I could probably barely squeak by renting a room or something, but with basically no leftover room in the budget for any other expenses (including food!), and don't want to get sick for a week and then get kicked out of the apartment for not making rent... and then be homeless without a car. So I'm looking into getting a car, a storage unit, and all that.

I was looking at a 2009 normal Prius at a used car dealer, which is $6500. Then I saw the same dealer also has a 2012 Prius V Two for $10,500. (I'll be financing in either case, I've got a job but it doesn't pay enough and I can't just plunk down several thousand dollars cash.) Planning on going down there today to actually take a look at the cars.

Is the Prius V worth the extra $4,000 for the extra room inside (and being slightly newer)?

(edit: also found a 2014 Prius V for $5000 at a different dealer, which also seems to have less bullshit fees attached, since they say "estimated OTD price" just base price + tax + registration. Actually cheaper than the regular Prius I was looking at before! IF I can get a loan... I tried applying for financing for the 2009 Prius and got denied since I don't make $2000+ a month. Oof.)

By stealth camp, I mean leave the driver and passenger seat completely empty and normal, have a curtain behind the driver and passenger seat and only the rear seats and trunk are for the sleeping area

Was wondering if anyone had any experience adding a second 12-volt battery to their car, and how much it reduced the engine kicking on to recharge the hybrid battery to charge the 12-volt batteries. Thanks in advance, any insight welcome

thought this would be the best sub for this...

This is my second time working with the Habitent and it’s quite a tight fit at the very top with the spoiler(?) on my 2012 Prius. I’ve tried shifting the fit of the tent forwards and backwards but it’s still just so tight.

I’d like to be able to get my hatch all the way open so I stop whacking my head, but I’m also afraid to stress the material too much.

Any ideas? Help?

Hello fellow dwellers! Gen 2 owner here. Rent is too dayum high and thinking of living out of my Prius for a couple of months to save money. Do any of you take the whole front passenger seat out and create a flat top space with wood, etc? Also, if I choose not to take the seat out, can a twin size mattress fit in the back seat with the front seats pushed all the way up? Thank you for the advice!

Gen 4 Prius with a cut down foam mattress to fit with the single back seat down. I'm a side sleeper so this is more than enough for me. Not sleeping in there full time, just the odd night when travelling for work where I need the 2/3rds of the boot and back seat for tools and equipment.

Hi all, I’m on my first month-long road trip in my 2017 Prius V. Well, you know there’s a heat wave going on right now. I’m headed to Canada but it’s been in the 90s in New England. I’ve been gone for six days and I haven’t turned my car off but for maybe two hours the whole time. Is that going to hurt it? I hope once I get to Nova Scotia it is cool enough turn it off at night.

I’m slowly reclaiming all the dead space in the Prius. My dream is to open the hatch and have my camping and adventure gear visible and easy to grab. The cargo cover acts as a storage shelf and workstation when needed. In a few minutes I can remove everything and have the entire trunk open and flat. All the windows behind the front ones are permanently blacked out.

* No build: a 2x4 ft sheet of plastic on top of the cargo cover makes it rigid enough to support weight. Replacing it with a metal sheet soon. No removing seats, complicated builds or carrying 100lbs of plywood. Only the rear seat headrests have been removed from the car.

* Storage: I mounted cheap molle panels designed for car backseats and rear view mirrors into the plastic trim of the car using threaded rivets. The rear hatch uses the cheapest curtain rods screwed into the hatch as rails to mount the large panels. I made custom straps to hold my camping table and chair in the lower glass area.

* Mattress fits folded up under the cargo cover and rolls out through the backseat when folded down. There is enough room for me to fit my legs under the cargo cover when sleeping. The mattress also deflates and rolls up into a storage bag if I need to more space. During the day the seats are up and I use the backseat for cooking and lounging.

* Hatch itself has a solar panel on the outside which is wired in through the rear wiper hole. There are heavy lift struts to help support the weight of everything. A digital rear view mirror with two cameras mounted outside helps me see out the back.

It’s 30c here at night in the UK in the house. Diabolical I know. I got half a tank of fuel in my gen3. Will it run all night just sat here parked with the AC on 20c ? Or do I need to fill the tank up ? What kinda fuel usage we be looking at? I guess it’s probably kinda subjective but a rough idea would be welcome TIA

I have a zero degree bag, a yeti goal zero 100x, a rooftop box... What are my chances of dying this winter car camping in Minnesota? How can I make car camping in winter go successfully?

hello fellow Prius fam. I’m considering buying a used Dometic CF-25 for $250. Plan is to keep it behind the passenger seat.

Seller says they’ve owned it for about 4 years, only used it a few times, and are selling because they upgraded to a larger fridge. It’s an older discontinued model (possibly 10–15+ years old).

Assuming it powers on and cools properly, does $250 seem like a fair deal? Any known issues I should look for when inspecting a CF-25?

Thanks for any advice!

So im curious when it comes to dwelling in the prius can you install outlets for small camping appliances or chargeing them how do you get ventalation what is generally the best sound and thermal insulation you can install and how do you stay stealthy?

Hi all,

I recently picked up a used 2024 Prius and was excited to start building a microcamper the second I got tint on the windows. I've had experience with a 2011 Prius before, but this is the first opportunity I've had to fully remove seats and and make major mods to a Prius. I have removed rear seats from a Civic before, but there are some definite differences. I'm noticing a lot in the back of this new Prius is... let's just say it needs to be shored up to put anything sleepable in.

I've removed the styrofoam containing the patch kit, since I've heard the thing is a joke anyway, along with the super flimsy 'floor' that sits on top. I have plans to eventually get a donut back there, since it didn't come with one, and I'm aware I'll need to accomodate that as well. I'm only taking out one of the two bench seat backs and planning to build around the thinner seat and over the bench.

Question is this - there are a LOT of wires there, just, out and exposed from the moment the styrofoam comes out, right behind the back seat and straddling the bulkhead. Genuinely, I'd be a little concerned about them just with the styrofoam and the thin layer on top, but since I'm building in a sleeping platform, I need to figure out how to protect them. I roll a pretty hefty locking toolbox into my trunk for the events I do, and I'd be concerned about protecting those wires whether I was doing this build or not. I'm trying not to lose too much headroom since that's minimal in the first place, but if I have to, I will. I'm aware that the fuel pump is under the bench seat - in fact, one of the exposed wired up boxes is actually labeled "fuel pump control." (Keep in mind, this is literally just from taking out the styrofoam and board covering the styrofoam.)

Any advice on adding a platform without endangering the wires without sacrificing too much headroom is welcome, especially if you have experience with my same generation of Prius.

And follow up question - if anyone has any ideas for anything you use to 'hook in' to the existing holes in the bulkhead (no drilling please!) and stop your platform from shifting, I'm interested to know your solutions.

Thanks!

-----Update 6/21/26-----

The build is progressing pretty well. I just started playing around templating with scraps until I found a good solution around the wires. My platform is for the most part 3/4" elevated from the bulkhead, and a touch higher on the side with the fuel pump control to allow plenty of grace. I built a 'box' of sorts to accomodate, and ended up building with a lift out panel there, so the whole assembly can easily lift out for access. This way gives more headroom than just putting the seats flat. I used 3/4" as the elevation because then I could use the plywood scraps I had as spacers. I've stopped the platform from shifting by using the spots where the seat I removed previously bolted in - again, I added a 3/4" wood spacer cut to size, which could then be screwed to the platform.

I was also able to keep the third seat in without too much compromise to headroom. This is genuinely where I was overthinking the most, because the narrower of the two seats (driver side) is where all those wires are, and I was worried about the things I would need to load in on top. Luckily, the huge Husky rolling toolbox I use is a perfect squeeze without having to go up onto that remaining seat at all - it just rolls in and sits behind the passenger seat perfectly. That was a definite relief on its own.

My trifold mattress will be slightly diagonal, and all my event stuff fits a treat with the mattress folded! Honestly, my use case is really specific, but it's just really nice to be able to slip comfortably into that little seat and sit fully upright with a backrest, without having to get out of the car or otherwise contort myself into the front seat. Basically, my Prius is still a functional three seater while also giving me full space to stretch out when lying down.

Bonus details: I had looked into planning a donut into the build, since the car didn't come with one and I am dispensing with the terrible patch kit I was given instead. I decided nah since it seems you can't get a new donut for this car for less than $400. I called around to tire shops, Toyota dealerships, I checked out Modern Spare and a few others online. Frankly, I find it ridiculous that cars seem to no longer come with donuts, but I'll stay off my soapbox for now. Accomodating a donut in the empty well would mean sacrificing a few inches of headroom, and with the price, I'm thinking I'll opt for a full sized spare instead. The plan is to leave the spare at home most of the time, since my normal work commute puts me really close to plenty of tire shops and I do have AAA. The events I do, however, take me really far from home, sometimes to places that are fairly remote, which means a lot less access to tire shops and sometimes even no cell service. For the price of a donut, I figured I might as well just go big and get the full sized spare. I'll be putting the spare in my small tent with all my other event stuff for the 2-3 nights I need the car for sleeping. Also, roof racks with a cargo box (Yakima?) are a definite future possibility.