Bertha is my 2012 Toyota Prius camper. I lived in a 21 foot travel trailer for most of 2021. When my camper was unexpectedly destroyed, I decides to minimize even further. I sold my truck and converted my Bertha to a camper so I can continue nomadic living, hopefully with less hassle and expense than with the travel trailer. Bertha has a lift kit, 2000w inverter, bed, toilet, running water, and black out shades for stealth camping.
Why not just recharge a power station from a DC charge cord in the cigarette lighter plug in the Prius rather than bother with connecting an inverter? Wouldn’t a quality power station provide plenty of power for camp cooking and whatever, making an inverter unnecessary?
It would take awhile to charge from a cigarette lighter plug. Using the inverter provides on demand power and uses the car as a generator when left in ready mode. I'm sure there are instances where a power station might work better for some people (like if someone does a lot of tent camping away from the car), but for me, this was the best option.
@@sweetoldbertha ok, I can definitely see the convenience of that. I guess the combo of both creates more options. Right now I’m preparing to lose my home and looking for the simplest setup. I’m somewhat handy, but very cautious with electrical work. I wouldn’t want to get any of the wiring wrong (from what I’ve seen on other channels) and paying for it to be done might be pricey. Maybe I’ll ask around about wiring costs to find the best starting point.
@@ericbishton2779 I’m sorry to hear that. Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions. For me, this was the best solution. However the 2000 watt inverter is more than I need and was also more expensive that the less powerful options.
I applaud your build. Trying to figure if I can rationalize getting a cheap second gen as a mini rv because the weather has been too hot and or humid for me to enjoy tent camping most of the time.
Oh that’s good to know! The state where the car is registered allows for an inspection exemption if I can prove I’m out of state. So I haven’t actually had to get an inspection yet on this car.
The inverter may be emitting a lot of emf, which can cause forgetfulness and kill brain cells. Stainless steel cover or reflectix can prevent emf from traveling to your bed area. An Emf detector can help you check if there are any leakage. Usually when the inverter is on.
Yeah, Travel Nurse! Wish I had done this when I was working! Much better than being supplied with housing that had ROACHES so bad they would fall on my head out of the suspended ceiling. (2005 New Jersey)
Yeah temporary housing can be tough. Didn’t ever have any problems with roaches in the places I rented but so many places rentals were sooooo much worse in person than they appeared online.
The car had over 200k miles on it when I bought it, and I tested the hybrid battery when I bought it, and it didn't have much life left in it. So I did end up replacing the hybrid battery last summer. As for the 12V, it was an off brand replacement (no idea how long it'd been installed), but I replaced it a couple months ago.
I made my own coverings with reflectix. Since trying to find just the right blackout fabric is challenging and also expensive, I purchased a couple blackout curtains from Walmart. (I used the Eclipse brand without the grommets.) I cut them about 1-1 1/2” bigger all around my reflectix and cut slits to help them fit the windows better. The slits and notches (where needed) prevent the fabric from bunching up too much, gives a little bit of overlap and provides something to pull on to take them out of the window.
That sounds great! I think one of the main benefits over the weathertech would be that it would be matte instead of shiny. So would look more like just darkly tinted windows
@@sweetoldbertha you have to use the curtains that look almost like a linen fabric instead of the satin. I have a light tint on my windows already, so it still looks like a super dark tint.
I love your set up. I have a 2017 Prius trying to get different ideas. Can the back seats be reinstalled? Did you install the inverter yourself? I don’t know where to find someone knowledgeable to do that for me. I was told my battery (2017) is not in the trunk area. Hope you’re well. Thanks 😊
Thank you so much! Yes the seats can be reinstalled. An electrician or car stereo place could install the inverter. It’s fairly simple to install. Hope this helps!
I went through your item list in the description, I was looking for a simple way to cook! The starter gizmo👍 The window screens👍 I saved a lot of your links for future reference - Thanks for sharing 🥰
Your placement of the toilet is incredibly natural 👍 I'm in the process of building mine out & gotta incorporate your feature. I've got the back seat out but use the whole width as a bed, spoiled. I might split & hinge the platform just as the seats once opened to reveal a most convenient & private place to role along with nature's call. Thanks for sharing the place!
I've got lots of appreciation for your sharing & others sharing on YT with their designs. I'm looking to make it in my own way too, but not before considering how others have made themselves comfortable, Thanks! 🥰 @@sweetoldbertha
I have a sun screen protector I bought from Toyota that actually fits the Prius very nicely. However I do lower my son visors all the time to hold it in place. But it folds up quite nicely and when I’m not using it it either sits on my backseat or underneath my driver seat. Love your video. Is your refrigerator does it have a regular plug or does it plug into like a cigarette lighter I liked it your hot water maker must have a regular plug. Thank you thank you for your contact.
I’m curious about your remote in the back of the car to help start your car if you need that extra power. Because I know in my Prius I have to press the break in order to start the car. How do you handle that from the back?
It’s just a remote start system (meant to be used outside the car), but it can be used inside the car to start the car. So pressing the brake isn’t necessary.
Should not go beyond 1000watt inverter to stay within what the DC to DC can provide. Here is a how-to for those interested in generating power with their Prius ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LKAuxiRSkNg.html
Thanks so much! I actually just found the brackets in my dad's storage shed lol. I'm not sure of it's original intended use but I'm guessing a hardware store could help with that.
