We pack all our gear into our PIII, set up camp and use the Prius as our safe secure climate controlled sleeping cabin usinga Prius Sleeping Kit and Queen Size double sleeping bag. Like an RV without the noisy generator, the Prius runs all our camp power; 12v and 110vac in acc mode and twin 500w Energizer inverters off the main battery. Gear - Coleman Outfitter Exponent Camp Kitchen, Coleman Flex Fuel Camp Stove, Large Coleman Flushable Toilet, Coleman Camp Table, Folding Camp Chairs, Folding end table, Ozark Trail 3room Tent, Coleman 40 Qt Power Chiller Cooler, Coleman Colorado Inflatable Kayak, cloths, water and food; yes it all fits! Happy Rv'n!
Great picture AstroIII! And thanks for the sleeping kit link, we've been looking for something like that.
My pleasure, glad you like it. We use two different size tents; depending upon the type of trip, but always sleep cozy in our PIII!
Looks like great fun and it's nice to have power but I'm wondering about the logistics of powering something like a refrigerator which I assume needs 12 volts 24 hours a day. I think there is some risk of a dead 12 v battery if you use accessory mode much. Actually maybe not. I think my car automatically turns off from accessory mode after something like 20 min. If so then the refrigerator would turn off. How do you keep your refrigerator powered all the time? I assume for climate controlled sleeping you turn the car fully on. That will charge the 12 volt and HV batteries overnight if they are low as well as power the refrigerator overnight. When using accessory mode during a hot day though (if it will stay in the mode without turning off automatically) I would think the refrigerator would run the 12 volt battery down over a period of hours to the point where there may not be enough juice to power the car fully on for climate controlled sleeping the next night. How do you monitor or manage the state of charge of the 12 volt battery to prevent this?
My bad; not ACC but READY, so the engine will cycle to keep the battery charged. Thanks for the clarity point
Wow, that is awesome, and thanks for the sleeping kit link. I am going to be travelling as well soon, and was going to make something like this. Now I won't need to do so. One question: Is the sleeping kit bridge made of wood or plastic? I think I see a wood grain in the pictures.
Hey AstroIII, how much fuel does it use to keep the cabin cool overnight? The longest I've slept in my car was about two hours, and I wish I would have had this setup!
For any load at all on the 12V battery, you need to leave the car in Ready mode. Some of us have done this for hours or days (my Prius c was in Ready for 52 hours after Hurricane Sandy, powering essential house systems via an inverter connected to the 12V battery).
It is not significant enough to determine from my fuel bar gauge, but I would guess maybe a gallon or so. It would really depend on how hot it is outside as well. My camping has not been in the low elevation areas of AZ in the summer where you fight 105 Degrees F outside; but rather we head north and it is not so hot.
