Prime Camping Platform

ah, working with wood, my favorite. well done, great write up and pics! most campers here are very comfortable. are you used to a larger vehicle?

 

build a van? or convert one?

 

Anyone just pull out the back seats and make room for a spare, plus a pile of storage space? Basically make it into a 2 seater...

 

How easy was it to take the back seats out?

 

I did something similar with mine. Here was a test fitting.

75291138_960273087684663_7163836726968388204_n by Suspi posted Dec 3, 2019 at 4:22 PM

The platform was propped up with some plastic bins and a folding table. Still needs a bit more tweaking though since it started sagging a bit and I need to add more structure.

 

Very interesting. Almost looks like both front seats are taken out. I assume they are just pushed forward and folded down as much as possible? So you made a platform that sits on top of them, extending from where the trunk becomes the back seats? Please share more details and pics if you can. Thank you!

 

The Prius v could do it better, but if you push the seats all the way forward and remove the headrests, they lean down to touch the top of the back seats after they're folded down. This ends up being very similar in height as the trunk hump.



The driver's seat can lean back further if you raise it first. It'll wedge itself against the tops of the back seat.

I desperately miss the Prius v for camping and I super wish it wasn't discontinued. Those seats lay all the way down to the edge of the back seat's platform so you had one continuous lounger from the back to the front.

 

I'll have to give that a shot. When I try doing that, the back seats rests on the tops of the front seats. I wasn't confident on putting my body weight on that without deforming the padding over time.

I've been contemplating bending some tubing to insert where the headrest posts and create my own headrest platform thing. Unsure of how much work is required or if it's feasible though.

 

Maybe start with some cheap pvc pipe cut to the required length, for your supports?

 

I'm about to do almost exact same thing to my new Prime. But I might make mine just passenger side for front seat, with option of making full width. I'd like to be able to go directly from lay-down sleeping to driving without any re-arrangement whatsoever. Also, I'm going to have a headboard (my pillow always squirts out if I don't have a headboard) and maybe, if I get really ambitious and dimensions work out, an adjustable raised back AND buttocks indent, sort of like a Hospital Bed (but without raising feet). This would be for comfy laptop etc use while "in bed".

I used to run Ford Escort wagons, and make plywood "desks" so I could use big flat screen AND laptop, or two laptops, plus place for writing, dinner, etc.

As far as van-camper conversions: I've installed basically big plywood bed with 2x3 rim along driver's side in full size van for Extra Long Twin, hinged so it can be folded up against van wall to make the van instantly 90% full cargo mode. Worked out really good. Going to make slightly narrower platform, to allow for storing higher 5gal buckets under the bed, AND make it dual-mode with extra set of hinge-halfs, so platform can be mounted higher to become big desk. I guess I'd use a rope to secure the mattress up and out of the way along the wall/roof corner....2/3 up against the wall and 1/3 up against the ceiling.

 

I did something like this for the four touring to fill in the dip in the back. Ah, long gone are the days in my Gen II where I would just sleep in the truck stops on a long drive. Keep the keys in the car, lock the door, and leave the car on all night with the AC set. Pretty comfy sleep.

 

I'm beginning to set my Prime up for an extended road trip, maybe 2 months doing mostly dispersed camping in remote areas out west, plus a bit of rest area, truck stop, or stealth vanlife-type parking while enroute from the east coast. Traveling light is key in the Prime, as is selecting space-efficient gear matching up the available spaces. I do think I'll remove the rear seats and fabricate sheet metal covers and use every cubic inch for something, above and below the covers if necessary. The basic setup as of now is envisioned to include: 50 liter compressor fridge to fill the space behind passenger seat and support the pillow end of bed; trifold bed from hatch to passenger seat; folding table and other stuff to level from behind fridge to plane of cargo area; either a springy pop-up privacy tent for shower/potty/dressing or a bigger pop-up clam tent; folding potty chair and supplies; telescoping stool; crazy geometric puzzle of a chair/lounger/cot for outdoors; alcohol stove and cooking gear; 4x 4.5 gallon cube-shaped water storage jugs; backpack of camera/laptop/charging/phone/internet gear; duffel of clothes; maintenance/emergency gear; cleaning/laundry/hygiene supplies; versatile electrical setup; the usual reversible silver/black window privacy covers, but also a black curtain for behind the front seats for places where covering the windshield and front windows loses needed stealth. Oh, and bug netting, don't forget the bug netting. Probably cameras and motion sensors too, they're pretty cheap now, and it will be nice seeing it's coyotes and not creepy people, hahaha.

I've sworn to myself I'm going to make the window covers perfectly, which nobody seems to do, and then they complain about it but never re-do them! I'm hoping to not need to use ANY wood in building it out. Ideally, just use stuff which just perfectly fills the spaces. Maybe some sheet metal and a few compact stainless tubes/beams/legs, a plastic organizer or two; toolbags and duffels; etc.

I've already raised ground clearance 16.75mm with 205/70R15 tires, will probably do a 20mm lift kit on the front, 40mm on the rear. May or may not do a receiver hitch and cargo carrier box. Heavily debating that one, it gives up the totally anonymous stealth, though a Prime with big tires and out of state plates may already have given a bit of that up. Locally the tires don't seem to draw much attention, they're barely minivan-sized, but I haven't done the lift kit yet, hahaha. I often used a cargo carrier on a Gen 2, and it attracted less attention than expected, though I didn't have a box on it, just whatever I was hauling only when I was hauling it, usually empty. Adding a cargo carrier box could make the car less packed, add more water, a gas can, a winch or come-along and cable, a real jack or jackstands, more supplies to shop less often, a place to stash dirty stuff I don't want in the car, etc. Maybe even the holy grail, a spare tire bolted to it. I'll see what fits where, first. I always take too much stuff, but now when I might need it, I'd hate to take too little.

 

I've had the passenger front seat out of my '13 PIP for 4 years now, it frees up a huge amount of room. I left the rear seat for any passengers, and one of them anyway has tons of leg room!