@@clairemadeinheaven I slept with my feet towards the front of the car. Laid the front seat down put a short piece of plywood down and a trifold mattress on top and slept like a baby with the auto Heater or air-conditioner on all night. Used about a gallon of gas. Back then gas was about $2.00 per gallon. Inexpensive nights sleep. I still had several inches of head room while laying down at 6-5 tall.
I have a prius V 2015 level 5, that power drivers seat without a memory thing is why I don't move the driver's seat to use that space. I so wish it had memory! My bed is the same as yours, i've been at it 3 years. I find the inability to get out of bed without bending my legs to be a problem (I have MS spasms) I built a platform to compensate for the not flat thing and used the space under the platform to store the kitchen stove. I carry more gear than you and use a camp toilet under the head of the bed. My platform has a hinge/drawbridge that opens so I have access to the flushing toilet without leaving the climate control and safety (dry) of the car.
Thanks Diane, always interesting to hear about different setups! I considered a platform to level the bed out more but didn't want to lose any headroom because i'm so tall, or lose easy access to the "basement". I'm impressed that you have a toilet!
What an awesome video! Looking for one now- Thank you! Also shoutout to your hubby for getting you that GPS for you to camp on your own with and be safe, what a cute couple you guys are!
@@ericabrown5025 for sure! It’s so reliable, better gas, sleeps well and gotta love climate control. I might start a lil vlog since I’m traveling in it a few months every year.
Checking back in (a couple years later) after your Sienna video - still love the Prius V. It’s kinda crazy how often I’ve reflect on how much I love this car. On second watch, I’m definitely intrigued by a couple of your mods! I basically just throw my camping backpack in there that contains cook stuff, clothes, toiletries, laptop/work and an inflatable mattress and sleeping stuff. I guess the alternative stuff I bring is a massive portable battery, guitar and recording gear (also fits in pack). Otherwise it’s just stock lol. Idk why I’m listing all these things but that’s how I do it. 😂 I guess I just really like the idea of being able to walk out of my house with a backpack, guitar, battery and put it in there and then drive across country. I guess it’s just part of the feeling of freedom when you also use a daily driver as a vacation home. 🏠 Thanks again for posting in the first place and inspiring!
Nice. I didn't even know until this weekend that there were other Priuses than just the regular ones. There are larger ones like this. I would like to have one. Thanks for this video.
Such a wonderful review. Thinking of letting go my 2016 CX5 for a 2015-2017 Prius due to gas prices. Plus it holds a lot more cargo. Just not great for winter where awd helps with snow tires
Had my ‘17 for five years now. Never thought to move the front seat forward, the rear seat back and pull the headrest to get a flatish sleeping area. My height is against me but I’m wondering about a chaise lounge arrangement by leaning the back seat back as far as it might go. It’s a sleeping position I’ve used in the family room so might work on a long drive when some nap time is needed. I suppose it could be used on both sides rather than fiddling with attempts to level those fold down back seats. I’m 6’5” and have a long torso. While this car never turned up on any “best vehicles for very tall people” lists, it’s a champ as a tall person vehicle. Also very streamline in design (excluding the somewhat stuffy looking back end). Mine is red too. Lovin it.
Yes, I love the moonroof. If you lock the doors from the inside using the key fob, the moonroof automatically closes 😟but it stays open if you lock the doors manually. But there’s no way to lock the hatch manually from inside, so next time I’m at the dealer I’ll ask them to program it so the fob doesn’t close the moonroof. (According to the owner’s manual, they can.)
Thank you for the video! We will try our first run at Prius camping soon. Looking forward to not having the usual arguments when setting up and breaking down a tent… :)
Hi there Erica! I’m #733 subscriber to your channel…I’m just getting my LincolnMKZ Hybrid ready to hit the road. I’m actually really excited this am, haven’t felt this excited in such a long time. Be safe out there!
I have a 2012 Prius V and am ready to roll. Had a set back due to an unexpected hospital stay am now two months out today from being given a colostomy. I did a trial run yesterday and am ready to finally get off on my Prius Glamping Adventures.
It's too bad they discontinued the Prius V. I love camping in my 2020 Prius, but I wish it was a tiny bit taller in the back. The RAV4 is a lot higher, but you really don't get much more usable space for such a bigger car and a significant drop in gas mileage. I eventually want to make a mini RV out of a Highlander hybrid, but it's a bit out of my price range at the moment.
@@ericabrown5025 I was super excited when the Sienna AWD Hybrid came out. I think that's as big as I'd ever need to go. It would seem like a full-size RV after the Prius!
Your voice is PERFECT for ASMR! I see you’ve not posted in a while. Why don’t you try ASMR? I’m playing your videos in a loop to help me sleep. And from your info, I’m pretty sure a Prius is what I need.
My GPS is on the top of the windshield. Like it there for a few reasons. It's blocking the sun, I use the GPS for speedometer , it's right where I need it. You can hear it better I want to hear it when it alerts me.
Why is it that when I see these builds the ones done by women seem to be so much better and less cluttered? Guys seem obsessed with making it "cool" and adding a bunch of unnecessary stuff, doing weird construction on the car, frames, wiring etc. This one actually looks practical.
You got my car! I'm SO jealous..... this is exactly the car I was looking for almost 2 years ago, latter model with moonroof. I settled for a 2014 V standard trim with higher mileage, but half the price. Then covid hit and I never really travelled, though I did get a 3 fold bed for it. Now I want to trade it for a car like yours, but they are well over 20K! Subbed your channel and will check out your other videos. Thanks!
I shopped for months and was willing to travel (fly, if necessary) to buy mine. They're great cars and nobody wants to part with them! Shopping tip: for some reason, dealers often misstate the trim level. Mine was advertised as a three. I found it at a Jeep dealer 4 hours away by using the Copilot app but instead of specifying a trim level, just filtered that I wanted one with a moonroof. Good luck and happy travels!
@@ericabrown5025 Thanks, you too! (be sure not to block the fan for the big battery with anything on the back floorboard... it's the biggest cause of battery failure, apparently)
Erica, it would be helpful for us if you could include links to purchase the specific inverters, cooktop, recipes or make videos about those details. Thanks.
Hello, I’m sorry I somehow missed your comment all those months ago, especially since you have good ideas 😊. I placed links to most of my supplies in the description of my earlier video from my prior Prius, but no one seemed to be using them so I didn’t bother doing the same with this one! But, I should add links to this one when I get time. Thanks!
I haven’t ventured out yet. This isn’t the best time in Michigan for camping. Since I have a stationary job, my travels are more restrictive. I have a 2014 Prius V I look forward to getting out come spring. Just wondering if and how you cook in your Prius?
I cook in my hotlogic mini, I have a mug that can boil water for ramen, tea, cocoa, etc., and I use a Sierra stove (I made a video of it) to cook at campsites. I also rely a lot on foods that don’t need cooking or refrigeration.
Howdy, I’ve been recently looking to buy a Prius V. I love your setup. From what I’ve been hearing is that these vehicles start going downhill around 150k miles with EGR/head gasket issues and eventually around 200k they need a completely new engine. Now I don’t know how true this is because I haven’t gathered enough info from enough people but I’m curious if you’ve experienced any of these issues?
Hello! Mine has about 75K miles and no mechanical issues so far (knock wood!). I’ve seen debate on the Prius Facebook pages about EGR issues, etc. I’m not too concerned because Consumer Reports rates them as among the most reliable vehicles you can buy based on their surveys of owners.
@@ericabrown5025 thank you for your response! It’s tough finding info about them so I feel it’s best to ask people’s experiences directly! I hope she keeps going strong for years to come
Hi Alejandro, 2016 Prius v, trim level 5, with Advanced Tech Package (it’s in the video description, too). They’re not easy to find - I specifically wanted a 2016 or 2017 with those features, any color but black. Searched nationwide online for months, and finally found it last January at a Jeep dealer 4 hours away from me. Good luck!
I’m sorry I missed this earlier! But if you’re still interested, I had a fender bender (my fault) in the 2012 that really upset me, so I wanted a car with more safety bells and whistles since I’m now officially a senior citizen. Otherwise, I would have kept it forever. The v 5 with ATP had the features I wanted, and the extra room is just a bonus! My daughter and SIL are now happy owners of my 2012. So I’d say keep your 2008 if you’re happy with it, but consider a v (or Sienna) when it’s time to replace it.
Solid and rare find of a fully loaded Prius V! Out of curiosity and if you don’t mind sharing, how many miles were on this when you bought it and at what price.
It had 60,500 miles and was $16k including dealer fees and registration. I found it last January at a Jeep dealer that was mis-advertising it as trim level 2 even though it’s a level 5. Apparently that’s not unusual, so I filtered my search for moon roofs, which are only on the highest trim level.
@@ericabrown5025 So funny I recently bought a 2012 Prius V same color and same miles and price. Now that is a crazy coincidence. I am really enjoying it and I think I have it set up perfectly (for now). Your set up is very nice.
Can you sit uncomfortably with seats down in back? I can't in regular Prius and feel like sleeping in coffin so I sleep in front seat and OK. Thankyou.
Thanks! Apologies for the sound; I was trying not to attract too much attention in the campground so ended up speaking too softly. I think 2017 has the same interior set up - they look the same on the exterior at least.
I have been looking high and low for a way to make a "bridge" like you have to cover up that gap. What you have there is that something that you purchased or did you make it? How do I do something like that?
I bought a precut 2’x2’ thin piece of plywood at Home Depot and drilled two holes in the top, tied cord through the holes, and attached other end of the cord to carabiners and hooked them to the headrest posts. An even cheaper option: last week I forgot to bring my “drawbridge” camping because I’m not a full timer so I remove my camping gear from the car between trips. I stopped at Micheal’s, bought a 20x30” sheet of corrugated plastic (like campaign signs) for under $4, poked holes in it with a kitchen knife, and hung it up. Worked fine, at least for the several nights I used it!
@@ericabrown5025 That is awesome. I've been having trouble figuring out a solution because there's that big gap when I slide my front passengers see all the way forward and my rear seats are folded down. I thought maybe I would try to come up with some sort of custom Bunky board that folds up but this solution you have here is something even I can do.
@@ericabrown5025 Also I'm going to be a full timer so this that you came up with is going to save me from having to completely take the seats out of my car which I don't want to have to do.
Roof racks can be installed, but I don’t want one because it reduces mpg and would block my moonroof. Instead, I had a trailer hitch installed so I’d have the option to add a rack on the rear of the car. But, it turns out that the car is so roomy and I travel so lightly, I haven’t felt the need yet to add the rear rack.
I love my Prius v but was a tiny bit disappointed with the mpg. My over all average is 35mpg, which is still good. It doesn’t seem to matter if it city or hwy. still only 35.4mpg.
Not as flat as my former 2012 non-v Prius. My head is more elevated than my feet, so I sometimes fold an extra sleeping pad or blanket under my legs to level out. Or park in a spot with the front of the car slightly downhill!
