1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

My Prius camper- a mini hotel on wheels!

Discussion in 'Living Life in a Prius' started by wbs887700, Jan 13, 2021.

  1. wbs887700

    wbs887700 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2020
    74
    15
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    One
    I've been traveling the country in my Prius for the past several months and so I thought I would share it here. I watched all the Prius camper videos on YouTube and asked tons of questions in the Prius camping groups on Facebook and got all the ideas I could and then finally made my own Prius camper. I installed a power inverter, fridge, microwave, sleeping platform, and a lot more stuff. Here it is:



    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    nerfer, txexplorer, Downrange and 5 others like this.
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    24,904
    16,213
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Nice setup!

    I would suggest moving the + connection for the inverter from the bolt where you have attached it, just to the nearby bolt that is on the other side of the battery fuse. (It's behind a little spot where the plastic of that fuse/connector housing folds out.)

    fused.jpg

    Here's what that looked like in my old Gen 1 (where the same style fuse/connector housing was used). The cover flap is folded open in the photo so you can see the connection.

    [​IMG]

    Connecting at that recommended spot means you've got the battery fuse between your inverter wiring and the battery, and also, at the far forward end under the hood, the DC/DC converter fuse between your wiring and the car's converter. That makes it a well-protected spot.

    It also means that when you are running the inverter and the car is READY (which I hope is pretty much always, right?), because your inverter's power is coming from the DC/DC converter then and not from the battery, you just have the voltage drop of one fuse on that power path, rather than two.
     
    Priusjames and wbs887700 like this.
  3. anderetr

    anderetr New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2021
    2
    3
    0
    Location:
    Phoenix, Arizona, USA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    This is amazing. Never saw the Prius as a camper.
     
    wbs887700 likes this.
  4. buenavides1

    buenavides1 Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2019
    27
    10
    0
    Location:
    Florida
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius Alpha
    Model:
    N/A
    What did I just watch? Is it really possible?
     
    wbs887700 likes this.
  5. Johnny Cakes

    Johnny Cakes Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2016
    1,023
    767
    2
    Location:
    Virginia, USA
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    The beauty of the Prius is climate control all night long and completely stealth -- park anywhere.
     
    wbs887700 likes this.
  6. gogreener

    gogreener New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2021
    8
    2
    0
    Location:
    nevada
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I didn't know it was a thing, either! small and mighty!
     
  7. Rickyland

    Rickyland Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2020
    7
    1
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    Wow, that's awesome! I also haven't tried camping on my Prius. It's worth learning this from you.
     
  8. thetuningspoon

    thetuningspoon Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2018
    30
    22
    0
    Location:
    Connecticut
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the black plastic cover off of the positive terminal assembly on my Gen 2 to get at the bolt that you're referring to underneath. Does anyone know how to get at it without destroying it? Right now I have my inverter connected directly to the positive terminal (I just removed the red cover). That's how I've seen it done everywhere else, but if there is a better way, I'd definitely switch to it!
     
  9. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    24,904
    16,213
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    On my Gen 1 (I bet Gen 2's is pretty similar), on the side of that black plastic body was a flap that is just clipped closed over that bolt. It's 'hinged' at one side (the way they do 'hinged' for little plastic flaps, just very thin plastic where it folds over) and there's a little squeeze-to-release deal at the far edge.

    There wasn't any big neon sticker on it saying "OPEN HERE", but just looking at it for a minute or two thinking "there was surely a way they accessed the bolt for assembly..." did the trick for me.
     
    thetuningspoon likes this.
  10. sylvaing

    sylvaing Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2023
    1,185
    495
    0
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Would a Prime be a better option for heating instead of turning the engine on at interval to warm up the cabin?
     
  11. txexplorer

    txexplorer Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2023
    50
    23
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Your video was one of the ones that inspired me to get my Prius :)
     
  12. txexplorer

    txexplorer Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2023
    50
    23
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Your video was one of the ones that inspired me to get my Prius :)
     
  13. txexplorer

    txexplorer Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2023
    50
    23
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Your video was one of the ones that inspired me to get my Prius :)
     
  14. sxgp

    sxgp New Member

    Joined:
    May 1, 2024
    2
    0
    4
    Location:
    Valley Falls KS
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    I took your idea and ran with it, making my own 2010 Toyota Prius IV build-out. Instead of batteries and inverters, I bought a Goal Zero that charges by the car when driving or solar panel which operated a fan and microwave.

    I'm selling my Prius and the buyer doesn't want the camper build-out. The build-out is available for sale: includes custom PVC frame and custom shaped platform. It is very lightweight yet sturdy, allows for all of the space the rear seats took up. Only asking $100 to cover costs of material.
     

    Attached Files: