Ever Haul Stuff in Your Prius?

It is entirely possible -- though I think Heidi is thinking she can get another year out of her (1986) Tercel, and is looking at 2006.

I will make a bet, though: one way or another, we'll be a two-hybrid family within the next couple of years.

 

Hi Folks,

I have hauled many interesting items but my record so far is three Goldens...

Here's a picture of my two!

 

Hmmm, 16 8' long 2x4's, 10 8' long 1x2's, a ladder, and assorted tools is the record so far, although I fit a 5 10' long 1x3's in there on another trip. Had to rent a truck to move the plywood, but I pulled out a measuring tape first.

 

I regularly carry a bicycle in the back (Trek 5200) because one-half of my daily commute (weather permitting) is by bicycle. It is a nice easy in and out and the bicycle fits very nicely.

I have carried a lot of luggage. On one trip I started by carrying the luggage in the back of our 4Runner, then transferred everything to the Prius. Amazing amount of space that is easy to use.

 

I hauled a 13 foot tall sycamore tree (including 30 gallon root ball) this afternoon. It dangled out the back about 5 feet and I had the hatch open slightly while it was held down with rope. I did 60 mph on the freeway most of the way back home. Who says you need a pickup when you've got a hatchback!

There is a great tree farm out in the Texas countryside near Houston(http://www.treesdirectfromfarm.com/title.htm) about 30 miles from my house. Good prices and great quality.

 

I can comfortably travel to my cabin with my wife and I, with a child (and child seat), luggage, and a 100 pound Weimeraner. The 60/40 split seat is awesome and a huge selling point for me. To protect the carpet, I have flipped the entire back mat upside down so the rubber side is exposed and not the carpet. Then I lay a towel on the 60 split portion where the dog lays down. I used to only drive an SUV to the cabin in order to accomodate the dog so I am thrilled with the functionality of my Prius.

 

Darwood,

Glad to see you like the functionality of the fold down seats and have adjusted the floor mats accordingly. I however purchased Exact Mats for all four carpet mats to protect them from debris of any sort. This may as well be a good investment for you, especially with your child and pet. The website is http://exactmats.com/. They are well worth the costs. I think you can also order for the hatch floor mat as well. I have used my prius to haul 8 bags of mulch. I like the car a lot. Enjoy!

 

My wife went out and bought some cheap mats that are similar to those, but pre cut. They were a pretty good fit, although they don't go over the middle like that, but I didn't have to do any cutting either. She also bought seat covers. (all this because I refused to pay extra for the Scotch-Gaurding). This was a much cheaper way of protecting the upholstery.

 

Weather permitting, I put my Trek 5200 bicycle in the back (on a blanket or tarp). I drive 15 miles, park, then ride the Trek 5200 the other 15 miles to work. At the end of the day I reverse the process.

This is a "win-win," I cut my distance traveled in the Prius by one-half and get a good aerobic workout. I model good social responsibility, good aerobic fitness and contribute to better air quality. There is no hitch and nothing to dismantle other than changing shoes and pulling the water bottle out of the cage on the bicycle frame.

People know who I am and recognize me on the bicycle (bright yellow, long sleeve jersey) and often comment, "Gee, I wish I could do that!" They increasingly recognize the Prius and what a good vehicle it is.

 

Full-size wheelbarrow (fully assembled) AND 8' X 10" X 1" lumber for a built-in bookshelf project. About 10 pieces. No problem. Also in another Prius feat, completely filled the back with flattened cardboard boxes and scrap metal from an old furnace. Both times my SO said no way, let's go get my small SUV. I am pretty sure these things would NOT have fit (it's a Tracker, kinda short on the utility!) Drive clean, drive fun, drive Prius!

 

I love the storage capacity - I went to IKEA to get 27 sinks once (for my hotel) and only had my Prius and two friends' cars: an Explorer Sport Track and another large pickup truck - to my amazement I fit one more sink in the Prius than in the Explorer!!!

Then I went to home depot once to get strips of wood again for the hotel - I can fit 10 1/2 FOOT pieces of wood in the car and still close the hatch thanks to that extra long windshield - you couldn't even do this in a huge pickup, at all!

Finally, I went to Aspen on a drive to pick up my roommates things from storage - we fit a ton of stuff in the car, crammed it full (even the little hidden trunk) and only had to take one trip - and we still got 44.5 mpg on the trip back.

For storage, the Prius is the shiznit.

 

I should clarify - "I can fit 10 1/2 FOOT pieces of wood" means "pieces of wood ten and half feet long" into the Prius...

 

When hauling stuff, be careful not to overload. It is only rated to carry 800 Lbs.

 

I hual a lot of camera cases and a funky sharp edged hand truck,the solution to the damage problem I found was to buy two cheap zip together sleeping bags, they zip around whatever you are hauling and completely contain it, they also offer some padding.