The Official Prius Camping and Road tripping Thread

Thanks! I think we might give it another go this weekend.

 

Thanks! So far we haven't had anything to put in the cargo area, but if we needed more space, it will be nice to have it.

I am curious to try a night with the windows up and the a/c or heater running. Surely the fan will keep the moisture at bay?

 

Are those the tents that fold up like a windshield cover (round hoops)? Those look amazingly fun!

 

IMO, the moisture comes from dew and with the windows closed, the dew doesn't form on the inside. My concern would be that the engine kicking in might wake us up, but then I've slept through some pretty noisy motel A/C fans cycling on/off all night.

 

Yes they do fold around the tubes. Great tent. I have two. 9x9 and a 10x13. H

 

I can help you with the conversion. Take a look at my avatar for a bike I converted. If you want any details, PM me.

 

That looks really comfortable I think I'm already getting sleepy ...

 

I preferred a good tent. But all to his or her own. H

 

This setup will haul 3 people, all the gear, and enough hardwood for a 3-night long weekend - with no 55-mph max speed restrictions as it's not a trailer. Firestone RideRite air suspension is used to level the load, and off to the campground we go. The Thule cargo box is 13 cu. ft., the same size as a Toyota Corolla trunk and sports working lights. We use Sierra Design tents, a high-end brand like Marmot, A16, REI, Big Agnes, MSR, and Mountain HardWear. Vehicle-mounted tents don't offer the flexibility and weather resistance we get with a tent no larger than 10X10, with a full-coverage rainfly, bathtub floor, anodized aluminum poles and wind/rain integrity.

Conveniently mounted in the garage on a receiver when not in use:

 

Enjoyed the blog and pics!
We sewed mesh pockets for all 4 windows out of no-see-um netting as my wife's bridal veil has long since disappeared! We keep all 4 windows cracked open for cross-ventilation, and I think that is important to avoided interior moisture condensation when the weather is cool. The inward-sloping windows are a problem in rain, so I constructed aluminum rain shields that fit into the upper window channel to keep the windows open but avoid rain coming in. We have the Sportz dome-to-go tent that attaches to the rear of the car and allows us to keep the hatch open, and that also helps with cross-ventilation and avoiding interior condensation.
For the sleeping platform , we used stacked containers like yours for the first trip, wood on top of suitcases for the second trip, and a wood platform that rests on aluminum tubes inserted into the headrest sockets for the third camping trip.
Please keep posting your trips and tricks!

 

PM sent
Not sure how I missed this for a month...

 

Got it, will respond as soon as I can.

 

I can pretend my Prius is an Aztek and camp out in it?

 

Hello, all!

I bought a Habitent this winter and have been gearing up for a real camping trip soon. If anyone is interested, here is a too-long explanation of making a fitted mattress for your car: Learn from my mistakes: Making a fitted mattress for your Prius | LaurenandLloyd.com

 

Road tripping to Georgia from Chicago in two weeks. One night or more (hopefully) camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains before staying near Athens. Excited to see how the 2010 performs as a road warrior!

 

We just did a 1600 mile road trip from Seattle to Sacramento and back in our 2010. I have the Torklift 2" hitch receiver, aluminum cargo basket from Amazon, and the Firestone Riderite airbags. It was me, my wife and our 2 kids (5 and 8 years old). Averaged 44mpg and $88 in gas not including the fill up a couple days after getting home. I put it in power mode to go up the mountain passes at 70+ mph too. Great road trip car!








Here's a pic before the airbags and a much heavier steel carbo basket.

 

What a difference those airbags made. Nice!

 

I put 19,500 miles on my Prius in 3.5 months of travel to 36 states living in and out of my 2011 Prius that I modified into a one person campervan. You can see the adventure & conversion at. macaloney..blogspot.com


iPhone ?

 

@bigmike98208, did you install the airbags yourself?
I'm waiting for mine to be delivered, and looking for the the easiest/fastest way to go about it this weekend.

Thanks.

 

My camping outfit