Prime Camping Platform

No issues with the air bag or air bag warning lights?

 

That is a very tempting configuration, which at least for now, I've decided against. As I see it, here is how the question of whether to keep the front passenger seat versus the rear seat on the driver's side, boils down, if you're keeping just 1 seat other than the driver's seat. Whether I keep the rear passenger side seat or not, it will not be usable for a passenger, with a fridge totally filling the legroom.

Reasons to keep passenger seat, scenario A:
A1. It looks normal to anyone looking through the windshield, or looking through the car from behind silhouetted against lights/sky whatever. Just like having the rear seats folded down for carrying stuff.
A2. It allows putting a curtain behind the front seats, and keeping it there while driving with a passenger, or not.
A3. Most passengers, especially if you're a couple, would rather sit side by side.

Reasons to keep rear driver's side seat instead, scenario B:
B1: Maximizes storage space. Removing the front passenger seat creates much more room in the Prime, right down to the seat tracks or floor. Removing a rear seat finds more stuff under it which you can't take out. It also doesn't open up as much unused legroom to being used for storage.
B2. Related, you can do something huge in the passenger seat space. You could install a big 2-zone fridge/freezer, or a cabinet, or a really secure locking job box, a safe, a big battery setup for solar, whatever you want. I've even seen a build (albeit in a Prius, not a Prime) with pretty much a real potty setup in place of the passenger seat. I've never seen anyone put a fullblown cassette toilet or composting toilet there, but hey, anyone want to be the first? Some private jets even have a seat belt and takeoff/landing certified toilet to count the toilet in passenger capacity, though you'd not want to know the price of one.
B3. Many Prius campers have figured out really nice setups for making the rear driver's side seat their center of operations. Anything they need to do, much of which I'd probably do in a privacy tent instead, they do there, short of taking an actual shower. Dressing, bathroom, sponge bath, office, cooking, you name it.
B4. With the rear seat being kept clear for sitting there and using it as your base of operations, it also gives you the option of reclining the driver's seat to sleep in, with any guest sleeping in the usual passenger-side rear bed. Or vice versa. Basically, it's a decent way to sleep 2 separately. Sleeping 2 together in a Prime just severely limits space for stuff, with no under-deck storage. The only Prius builds I've seen for 2 sleeping together longer term, made very heavy use of under-deck storage, usually including ditching the spare tire.
So, sleeping 2 separately is about as good as you can do in a Prime if living on the road as a couple for a while versus just having a weekend or maybe a week's adventure. I've never found spending a night in the driver's seat to be uncomfortable or problematic, but I don't recall ever spending more than 2 nights consecutively. For a long Prius camping road trip, or anyone trying out nomadic life, the rear bed is clearly the way to go. But there is one nomad who prefers the driver's seat in her Highlander, and seems to do extremely well that way, so I'm not ruling out trying both. Ditching the need for a bed in the rear would create tremendously more space for stuff, yet I feel that part of the fun of Prius camping, will be to NOT bring tons of stuff.
B5. It discourages people from asking to come along, if that's your preference. There are cases where it's better for them to not want to ask, than to have them ask and get declined, especially for you married folks doing this to get a break from your spouse, hahaha. Maybe it will also reduce your spouse's fears that you'll pick someone else up, if the passenger seat is safely tucked away in your garage.

 

David Swanson - lived in his Prius for several years - and took the front passenger seat out -
This man lives on $800 per month in a Prius - The Wayward Home

 

Would love to see your setup once you get it all packed!

 

Thanks! No final decisions made yet, regarding exact configuration, and my big trip has been delayed until February or March, due to my business having to move down the hall when the lease renewal takes effect, due to building renovations by the landlord to accommodate a new tenant requiring demolition of my current space. Ugh.

But there is good news also. With the disclaimer that I don't recommend anyone but me deviate from Toyota's intentions, here is a status report on technical stuff. Trained professional on closed course, do not attempt at home, etc.

My 12v fridge, which I'll use as a freezer, has been working flawlessly at home after checking that it fits well into the Prime behind the passenger seat. 50 liters, and maintaining 0F in a 70F room consumes just an average of 16 watts, while maintaining 32F consumes an average of 8.4 watts. That's without any additional case or insulation, just the fridge sitting on carpet in a 70F bedroom.

My tri-fold bed has arrived, but I won't unspring it from the box for a few more weeks and test it out then. 72x24x4.

I'm going to upgrade my 12V battery from the stock Group 140R with 45Ah (@20 hours) and 90 minute (@25 amps) reserve; to either a Group 47 with 60Ah and 115 minute reserve, or shoehorn the physically smallest Group 24R available in there for 130 minute reserve. I'm just a bit afraid that even a fender bender would cause the tight clearance of the 24R to crack the headlight assembly, making it a pretty expensive fender bender, plus I haven't found the exact battery in stock anywhere to measure that it's really 5mm shorter than most 24R. So, most likely, Group 47. The model number I'm leaning strongly toward just changed from ACDelco 47PG to 47G115 a few days ago. The battery upgrade will let me test how long the fridge will run, to various voltage cutoffs, without the car in Ready mode. I've also procured a couple of programmable battery voltage monitors with audible alarms.

Last but not least, I've figured out how to tap the big battery for whatever amounts of DC and AC power I want, for less than the military-equipment prices it first looked like it would cost. But I'm likely to wait until 150K miles before actually doing that. Who knows, maybe I'll get brave, I do have the needed equipment for doing a proof of concept installation to run the fridge on 24V, a 12V/USB/other distribution panel at 13.8V/5V, and a 300 or 500 watt AC inverter, upgradeable to something larger later if I'm willing to deal with things like driving the battery cooling fans off the battery outputs. I'm not looking to cause problems with the battery/emissions warranty, even if the technical challenges are pretty easy.