Sleeps two adults 6 feet all, or two adults and a child. Plywood piece is 3/8 inch, with sanded edges, corners, and surfaces. Pedestal supports were home made with scrap lumber, but you could also buy cheap folding stools online for 10 to 15 bucks. Back seats push down further with the weight of sleeper(s) on top, leveling out. I also have custom fit mosquito net sleeves to go over the back windows so these can be cracked open for air.
What I do is leave the back seatbacks upright and remove the center console and replace with a pillow. That way when I pull into a rest stop I put up sunscreen shades over every window, remove front seat head rests and slide them all the way forward and recline all the way down flush with rear seats and fill in the gaps with pillows and blankets... Way softer and more room if I sleep diagonally than your way, but that's because I'm more than 6 feet tall. As in prefer to make use of existing cushioning, instead of adding more stuff that can get in the way of how much I can haul.
So these go under the plywood to support it? If so, I think I'd skipped that idea and use luggage, ice chests, or similar that one already needs when camping to prop up the plywood. The large wooden stands are otherwise useless the rest of the time and take up too much space. I think foldable stands/stools would work better and could be used as tables/chairs around the campsite when not sleeping. If I camped in it a lot, I think I would find stackable plastic storage containers to fit in the passenger footwells to support the board. Place them so one can still access the drawers with the passenger doors open. Fill them with clothes, camping supplies, whatever one needs for the trip. Move to the hatch when traveling with 3+ people.
I ended up using birchwood and some paracord, I like it but... I'm 6'2" and about 250 pounds... a few times I've heard the birchwood creek like it was going to break. I'm still debating removing the rear seats and building a custom platform, until them I might have some metal sheets cut to replace the birchwood. How to fill the ledge behind front seats and rear seats folded down in a Toyota Prius -
If you design the frame right, you can get away with thin wood for the skin and keep it light. This is 1"x2" poplar frame with just 1/4" birch ply: For the extension behind the front seat I use 1/2" birch ply since it's unsupported:
Always nice to see someone's who's competent enough to understand the value of a lightweight design in a vehicle modified for camping... Nice work!
20 screws for the panels, then 6 bolts and the frame would lift out. Here it is partially finished (there's a top frame with longitudinal beams screwed to the top of this, then the plywood over that):
I'm pretty shocked that more Prius campers don't "remove headrest and recline seat back flush with the rear seat" like you do. Almost everyone just leaves the passenger seat upright. I'm 6'2" and didn't want to go diagonal. A plastic drawer unit on the passenger's seat (drawer opens out the door) brings it level to the height of the rear folded seat. Then a piece of plywood on top of that, running from the glove box to the rear hatch. Eight feet of flat space and mattress on top. No mods to OEM -- at end of camping trip it returns to a "normal" car in minutes. In camping mode, easy access to passenger's foot area for storage (just open rear door) and also between the front passenger's seat back and the plywood also creates storage, not to mention the drawer itself on the passenger's seat. Total cost = one plastic drawer unit and one sheet of plywood.
Wait so 26 screws to remove the platform? this weekend I'm taking my seats out to see about making something out of instamorph.
