Prius Camping Takes on a New Dimension with Freewheel Drive

Are you looking for a way to experience the great outdoors without having to lug your own gear? If so, you may be interested in camping with a Prius. Prius camping is a great way to cut down on energy costs and enjoy all the same great features as traditional camping, with the added benefit of not having to worry about finding space or cooking gear. Hybrids like the Toyota Prius are designed specifically for camping, with ample storage and creature comforts like an air conditioner and a comfortable bed. If you’re looking to take your camping experience up a notch, consider purchasing a hybrid car that’s also electric.

There’s something special about camping in a Prius. The car’s spacious interior and plush, supportive seats make for an ideal environment in which to spend a night under the stars. And with the added bonus of being able to power up your electronics and appliances with the car’s 120V outlet, camping in a Prius is a truly convenient experience.

Well, look no further as we are always here ready to help you understand everything and anything. Car camping is a new method of camping where you basically take your car with you for camping. Your car will be your new storage room and also your living room. Sounds a bit too assemblage, right? However, it isn’t as scary as it sounds. Well, for beginners it might be since they probably don’t know the basic guide for car camping but worry not as we will now be getting into details about every single dos and don’ts.

As the title suggests, I am going to lean towards Prius, and it’s not due to partiality or advertisement purposes, but instead because of its perks and benefits. It has so many uses that you will want to take this car the next time you go car camping. Now, let us go ahead and go through the benefits one by one.

What is Prius camping?

Prius camping is a way to enjoy the outdoors while still taking advantage of all the features and amenities that come with owning a Prius. This type of camping allows you to use your Prius as both your home and your vehicle, providing you with everything you need for an enjoyable experience.

There are a few things you’ll need in order to perform Prius camping: a Prius, some supplies, and knowledge about how to set up and get started. The first step is preparing your Prius for the trip. Make sure it’s in good condition, brakes and tires are functioning properly, and there are no mechanical issues. Once your car is ready, all you need are the supplies: tents, sleeping bags, cooking gear, etc.

What are the benefits of using a Prius for camping?

Spacing inside the car:

Due to its extremely massive interior, you won’t have any worries about the storage since it is capable of storing a lot of items in it without difficulties. You can definitely pack your camping tent, chairs, picnic boxes, your camping gear, food, and water, and don’t forget about your sleeping bag or mattress, depending on your preference, pillows, and bedsheets, and then you will still have more space to pack many more items because of its colossal interior.

If you want to go camping in an uncivilized fun way, then you can fold up the back seats and fit up to two to three people in the back and you all can have a lot of fun on the way to camping. However, this will require you to pack a few items less compared to normal times since your friends will be taking up the backspace, leaving less space for the items that you need to take with you for camping. Then again, there’s no shame in having uncivilized fun with your friends while going camping because the more you have with your fun, you become more connected with your friends.

Seating arrangements:

We all know that the bigger the car, the bigger and more comfortable the seats are. Well, I can’t vouch for the more comfortable every single big car, but I can, however, vouch for Prius because my cousin owned the Toyota Prius V 2019 model and I can tell you that, it almost felt like a cruise ship once I entered the car. It’s so big; it’s almost hard to believe that a normal car can have so much interior space in it.

You can fit normally five adult people inside it, with enough legroom and arm space for everyone. If you want to fit, more, then you probably fit 2 more adults and 5 more kids in there, and not to mention, the backspace is already there for more people to fit it. You can either fold the seats and tighten the belt to make sure they don’t fall down from hanging mode and sit in a free open backspace, or you can put the folded seats down, unfold them and sit properly on a more comfortable seat.

Smoothness:

Usually, people say that the smoothness comes from the driver that drives the car depending on how fast or slows he drives, how he changes lanes, overtakes other cars, and all the other aspects of driving a car. However, in my opinion, I think that it also depends on the car too because if the car is too low, then the bottom layer of the car will hit the ground more often and create some sort of screeching sounds and if the bottom layer is in contact with the road for quite some time, it will create friction which will lead to the formation of sparks. These sparks are very dangerous as if they are created in some amounts might start up a fire and cause your car to either catch on fire or even explode on the scene.

However, when it comes to Toyota Prius, they are probably the smoothest car in the world. You won’t even notice when the car is speeding or even changing lanes due to its exclusive build and features. You might be worried about its bottom layer touching the road but fear not as they are not only built higher to avoid touching the road but also will make sure that the bottom layer will not touch the uneven soil, rocks, and other debris when you start driving off-road to head for your camping destination.

You can just go to sleep when you enter the car and by the time you wake up, you will be already close by or at your camping destination all while you were sleeping peacefully without being interrupted while taking turns or going through rough roads. However, this sleeping case is only viable if you are a passenger and not the driver because imagine being the driver and sleeping while driving.

Now the main question that lands in front of us that is “What makes a Toyota Prius suitable for camping when compared to a Rav4?” let’s see a quick comparison between Rav4 vs Prius here:

Rav4 vs Prius for camping :

	Toyota Prius	Toyota RAV4
Budget	Toyota Prius 2021 model’s cost price can start from $24,000 and that is considerably low since it’s an electric hybrid car. In 2020, they released the top of the line Limited edition Prius that cost around $32,000 and that’s acceptable since it’s a limited edition and these are meant to cost this high. If you don’t want the limited edition, then you can go for the 2020 anniversary edition, which sits around $29,000.	Toyota RAV4 can be quite expensive when compared to Toyota Prius as they are below $30,000 and the lowest can be around $26,000. Even though that’s a low price, it is still more expensive than a Toyota Prius. The limited edition hybrids cost around $37,000, which is a very high price in the market.
Size	A Toyota Prius is approximately 15 feet long and around 4.8 feet high in height. This will allow medium height people to fit in easily but might be slightly difficult for tall people to fit in.	A Toyota RAV4 is also approximately 15 feet long. However, it has the upper hand as its height is 5.5 inches which leads it to be higher than a Prius, therefore, serving as a suitable option for tall people without any difficulties.
Mass	After size comes the mass of the car and the car itself only without passengers and baggage weighs from 3,010 to 3,220 pounds.	A Toyota RAV4’s mass is somewhat slightly more as its curb weight is 3,490 pounds making it heavier than a Toyota Prius.
Seating capacity	Toyota Prius comes with the space to provide seating for 5 passengers but unlike RAV4s, it provides generous amounts of arm space and legroom for all the passengers. However, it has less passenger volume, which is only 91.5 cubic feet.	The newer models of RAV4 provide luxurious seating for 5 passengers as it presents two rows of voluminous seating. It has a passenger volume of 98.9 cubic feet making it higher than a Prius.
Engine and its replacement cost	A Toyota Prius comes with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, which is pretty good as it is bizarrely powerful and marvelously flexible. However, if it goes bad and you need to replace it, an old one will cost you somewhere between $2,300 to $3,100, and services charges will cost you up to $1,500 extra. If an old engine replacement can be this expensive, then a new one will be undeniably more expensive costing you a fortune.	All kinds of Toyota RAV4s are equipped with a 2.5-liter engine 4 cylinder engine and it’s an adequate option since it’s extremely powerful while being remarkably flexible. Now, no one wants a bad engine but if one does get damaged then you will need to spend somewhere between $3,000 and $6,000 to get a new perfect engine and this is even pricier compared to a Prius.
Fuel Capacity	All kinds of Toyota Priuses will either come with an 11.3-gallon fuel tank or a 10.6-gallon fuel tank. To me, it seems enough for one whole journey.	Toyota RAV4s will come with a definite 14.5-gallon fuel tank providing more fuel than a Prius. The reason behind this is that RAV4s are less eco-friendly than Priuses.
Fuel Consumption	Since Prius’ new models are hybrids, they are eco-friendly and manage to use up to 3.9 liters of fuel per 100 km or in other words, they can travel up to 25.6km with just 1-liter fuel.	Given the fact that RAV4s aren’t eco-friendly, they will use up to 6.2 liters of fuel per 100 km in other words, they can travel up to 16.1 km with just 1-liter fuel.

Setup: How to set up the Prius for camping?

Step #1: Sleeping materials:

First of all, you need to check how much space there is on the back of your Prius. Is it big enough to fit a mattress or not? If it is big enough, then you need to check the width. Is it wide enough to fit the mattress? If both factors are acceptable, then you need to measure how long it is and then get a mattress, which will fit, within the measured space.

If you get a bigger one than the space inside your Prius, then it will just be a waste of money and time since it basically has no use and if you get a smaller one, then you won’t fit in it properly. Therefore, you must make sure to get a mattress that fits you and the backspace of your Prius properly.

If you want to skip on mattresses due to budget or space issues, then the next best alternative would be a sleeping bag. They come in all sizes so you don’t need to be worried about it fitting in. However, the only downside is that they aren’t as comfortable as a mattress but without comparison, they still are very comfortable for a night or two’s sleeping session.

Moreover, if you want to get neither mattresses nor sleeping bags, then you can either lie down in the middle seat row with some pillows while curling up in your favorite blanket. Prius’ middle rows are very spacious, so you won’t have a problem sleeping there. Don’t forget that pillows and blankets are important whether you get a mattress, sleeping bag, or none. They are still valuable and are required for sending you off to a peaceful sleep.

Step #2: Blocking off sun rays:

When we usually sleep at home during the nighttime, we put on our curtains to make sure that sunlight doesn’t enter and disturb our peaceful sleep in the morning. However, while car camping, there’s no way to block off these sunlights to enjoy a peaceful sleep. Eh, wrong. One might think that it isn’t possible but fear not, as there are ways to block off the sunlight. For this method to be successful, all you need is a piece of long cloth and some clips. All you need to do is hang the long cloth from the roof handles and attach them with clips on the handle to make that it doesn’t fall off and that you are all set.

If you don’t have clips, then you can lower the window and bit and put a small portion outside the car thorough the pulled down part of the window and when enough part is outside, you can slowly pull the window up slowly while making sure that a small portion of the cloth is outside and once the window is up, you will realize that the cloth is tightly hanging up, all thanks to the small portion outside the window.

Now, if you are lazy or don’t want to go through all this hanging-up process, then you can just simply buy some window sunlight visors from your closest car accessories and just simply set it up. This will prevent all kinds of sunlight to enter your car and allow you to have a peaceful sleep. However, if you ask me, then I would suggest hanging up the cloth method, and it is because why bother spending extra money when there’s always a long cloth lying down in your house.

Step #3: Ventilation:

When we sleep at our normal houses, we will close all the doors and windows and that is a normal case, but closing both doors and windows in your car while sleeping is a cosmic error as you can potentially kill yourself while thinking that you are getting a peaceful sleep. Keeping all doors and windows closed in your car while sleeping will suffocate you, as there isn’t much air stored inside you, unlike in your house. You can suffocate and die while sleeping in your car.

Now, to prevent that, keep your windows open a bit and make sure that airflow goes in and out to change the old air inside your car with fresh air. Prius cars are very big so you don’t need to worry about ventilation but make sure that at least one of your windows is 1/4^th open.

You might be wondering that if you keep your windows open, then mosquitoes and all sorts of other menacing insects will get in and cause havoc. And, the solution to that problem is using screen mesh shields. They are circular disk-like mesh that comes with a suction cap that when placed on the glass will stick on and prevent all kinds of insects from entering your car.

Step #4: Storage issues:

Sometimes we tend to pack a bit more than our cars can fit on the back. You might notice that you won’t be able to fit in some of the containers that contain your essentials won’t fit in. That will definitely make you if you owned some sort of normal car but if you own a Prius, then you have no need to worry. Priuses are adjusted with storage space under the seats where you can store your goods without them getting damaged or left behind.

You can even place some containers from the back and place them in the storage space under your seats to empty up some space in the back so that you can have more space for putting up your mattress or your sleeping bag.

Step #5: Feeling Hot or Cold:

Human bodies are meant to sweat when feeling hot and shiver when feeling cold to show that our body needs to change environments. So, while sleeping in a car, you might think that keeping your car on for just an air conditioner while feeling hot might make the engine very hot and thus explode.

That’s not the case for a Toyota Prius. They are built to make sure your car stays regulated as long as it operates. Therefore, you can keep the air conditioner on for as long as you want without any worry. The same goes for using a heater during winter car camping. You can use your Prius heater as long as you want to keep yourself warm.

Tips for Making the Most Out of Your Prius Camping Experience:

• Choose a location that is close to your campsite but still has plenty of space to roam.
• Make sure your tent and sleeping gear is compatible with the Prius’s unique layout.
• Carpool with friends or family members if possible to cut down on transportation costs.
• Pack light, and be prepared to move around camp frequently in order to find an open spot.
• Keep an eye out for wildlife while camping – some creatures can be quite curious!

Conclusion:

To sum up, Toyota Prius can serve as a very good option if you choose to take it camping. You can go for the older models, but getting the newer hybrid models is better due to their eco-friendly perquisites. You don’t need to spend much on gas or petrol, as you will only require electricity to charge it up and also keep the environment clean and flourishing. They are also the better choice when it comes to seating and storage. So, if I were you, I would definitely go to any Toyota showrooms and book a Toyota Prius for myself.

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