Ever Haul Stuff in Your Prius?

I've "hauled" some old computers to a disposal/recycling cener as well as (other) large electronics (TV, etc.). So far, everything I've wanted to carry has fit in the car without having th tie down the hatch -- with the back seat(s) down in some cases.

The hatch is great for some of the bigger stuff I would have never been able to get into my old Saturn. I tend to be pretty careful, use blankets, etc. but I haven't been super-anal about it. The hatch/cargo area is a definite advantage of the Prius, so it makes sense (to me) to take advantage of it.

Gene

 

Sure, I’ve hauled a lot of stuff in the Prius. It's wonderful not having to lift heavy objects over a trunk lip or into the back seat . . . like a boxed cast iron kitchen sink or a water heater. The scariest so far has been a bicycle . . . the pedals can scratch stuff easily. Whenever I do haul stuff, I have a big thick painter’s canvas drop cloth I put down first and then wrap over whatever for added safety/protection. It also helps protect the top of the bumper.

There are times I don’t use the drop cloth . . . such as for groceries and when I . . .

HAUL ECOLOGICALLY FRIENDLY BUTT. <<< link

 

I think everybody hauls stuff. I have fit 4 rollerboard suitcases in the back.
One of our Orange County Friends puts his Segway in the back.

Some people use the Exactamats (plastic covering like under chair mats in an office), some use extra carpet, some extra linoleum to protect the back. I use a University blanket that is like sweatshirt material- soft, to cushion things and also the Horizontal cargo net (a PriusChat sponsor).

I did break down and put in old carpeting when hauling 4 gallons of paint though.

 

I've had suitcases.. dressers... a 7 foot cat house cylinder type of thing ( front passenger seat layed down ) and many more.. jackhammer.. digging bars.. shovels.. cinder blocks.. hehe.. it's really nice to have so much room to load items in and unload them with the back hatch.

 

No! Nothing mars The Precious. I even tape-roller the cat hair from my girlfriend before I let her in.

 

i moved in my Prius and other than my TV (desk, bed, and 55" DLP TV; simply would not fit) i hauled everthing i owned, including my couch.

once i was on my way to work and spied a co-worker riding his bike in the rain, so i stopped, loaded his bike in the back.

for lack of something better, i have a shower curtain i paid a buck for at the dollar store for just such occasions. i also have a brindle pit that rides in the back on occasion. (he loves to chew on that shower curtain for some reason)

 

most of the time I bolt on my trailer hitch and hook up the trailer to haul things. Garbage to the dump, haul home the new BBQ, etc. Then take off the hitch (no sense hauling around extra weight) and put the trailer away.

 

I think those scratches on the back bumper cover are from the masons wheelbarrow. The dog sets off the seat belt warning blinker when he sits up front, I was thinking some electrical tape might fix that. (I've tried, but he will not wear the belt) Did I mention that I can fit ten foot two-by-fours into my car? Sometimes I can even close the window too.

 

The hatchback design and the folding seats ia a big reason why I got a Prius(I probably wouldn't have otherwise). Our Prius gets used as a delivery van in the summer. We have an ice cream shop and 2 concessions stands at a lake and our Prius is always hauling around Ice Cream (a/c works like a refigerated truck on max a/c) and all sorts of stuff to keep our places supplied.

 

This is a great post for me because I haul stuff in my Prius all the time. I am the lead singer in a local band here in South Florida, and I haul around my PA, and the 2 PA Speakers as well as my microphone, cables, and some other equipment as well.

One time the drummer didn't have a ride to a practice so I hauled his ENTIRE 10 piece drumset in my Prius, while still being able to sit comfortably with him and I in the front of the car. The Prius truly is quite a versatile vehicle.

When hauling stuff I do have one complaint.... THE CAR IS SLOW!!!

While hauling stuff the car has an extremely slow acceleration speed, and it seems to take forever to go from 0 - 60. Besides that, I love the prius.

 

I have a question how does everyone handle the glove box cover. If you look at it wrong it scratches. It is driving me nuts!!!

 

the glove box cover is an issue for me too. i already have chipped paint on the button area

 

Well, I put a 7 foot Xmas tree in the back a few weeks ago...

 

I hauled 2 kayaks in the back of my Prius last fall. Couldn't close the hatch, of course, but was able to tie it down with no problem.

 

Last summer, while my wife was working temporarily in La Jolla, I moved down there from Oregon with two dogs (Border Collie and my wife's strange, small dog), my business (Mac G5, 23" screen, fax, 2 printers, scanner, Airport, tape backup machine, 6' folding table), a summer's worth of clothes, an upright vacuum cleaner, dog food and accessories, and a buncha miscellaneous stuff. It all fit inside comfortably. If we do this again, next time I'm bringing the kitchen sink too.

 

We used our Prius' storage space to haul 8 Xerox boxes full of clothes and household items to a local charity last week; and then 8 boxes of used books over to Half Price Books.

They fit in the back as if the trunk had been designed for them. I think my partner is seriously thinking about trading her old Tercel in, and making us a two Prius family.

 

I hauled my new iMac G5 from UPS yesterday. I had put down the rear seat backs and wondered if I would be sliding it in the hatch or the door. I had envisioned a big cube box as I have always had, separate monitor, mini tower, etc. The iMac is nothing more than a 4" thick screen with a stand. I kinda sorta forgot that part. The box is about 30" square and 10" deep with a carry handle like a briefcase. More styrofoam and air volume than contents. Then, of course, I felt pretty stupid as I laid it flat in the cargo area and put the rear seat backs where they belong.

I do have an exactmat in the rear and carry an old sheet in case I might have dirty stuff to put in. I take the trash (compactor bag) and recycles to the dump every 3 or 4 weeks. I picked up lumber for a book case, just covered the lowered seats with old flannel sheets. Every Wed, I haul 3 rolling skating backpacks, a rolling school backpack and 3 kids in the rear seat. Those bags got all sloppy in the rain and snow.

I would not have bought the car if I couldn't haul stuff in it.

 

Went to IKEA last night and drove home with 2 sofas, a coffee table, and a couple of bent plywood stools... Pretty much took up every cubic inch with the back seats folded .