Ever Haul Stuff in Your Prius?

[berryman]

With a certain amont of trepedation, I drove home from the gas station this morning with a can of gas for the lawn mower (gas fumes and all). This is the first time I've transported anything other than people and packages in my Prius. It got me to wondering whether everyone else out there is as anal as I am about not wanting to risk scratching, marring or otherwise beating up the inside of your Prius by hauling stuff around. How many out there use your Prius to haul stuff?

[gene]

I've "hauled" some old computers to a disposal/recycling cener as well as (other) large electronics (TV, etc.). So far, everything I've wanted to carry has fit in the car without having th tie down the hatch -- with the back seat(s) down in some cases.

The hatch is great for some of the bigger stuff I would have never been able to get into my old Saturn. I tend to be pretty careful, use blankets, etc. but I haven't been super-anal about it. The hatch/cargo area is a definite advantage of the Prius, so it makes sense (to me) to take advantage of it.

Gene

[Sufferin' Prius Envy]

Sure, I’ve hauled a lot of stuff in the Prius. It's wonderful not having to lift heavy objects over a trunk lip or into the back seat . . . like a boxed cast iron kitchen sink or a water heater. The scariest so far has been a bicycle . . . the pedals can scratch stuff easily. Whenever I do haul stuff, I have a big thick painter’s canvas drop cloth I put down first and then wrap over whatever for added safety/protection. It also helps protect the top of the bumper.

There are times I don’t use the drop cloth . . . such as for groceries and when I . . .

HAUL ECOLOGICALLY FRIENDLY BUTT. <<< link

[inventor00]

I think everybody hauls stuff. I have fit 4 rollerboard suitcases in the back.
One of our Orange County Friends puts his Segway in the back.

Some people use the Exactamats (plastic covering like under chair mats in an office), some use extra carpet, some extra linoleum to protect the back. I use a University blanket that is like sweatshirt material- soft, to cushion things and also the Horizontal cargo net (a PriusChat sponsor).

I did break down and put in old carpeting when hauling 4 gallons of paint though.

[V8Cobrakid]

I've had suitcases.. dressers... a 7 foot cat house cylinder type of thing ( front passenger seat layed down ) and many more.. jackhammer.. digging bars.. shovels.. cinder blocks.. hehe.. it's really nice to have so much room to load items in and unload them with the back hatch.

[TonyPSchaefer]

One of the reasons I got the Prius is the folding seats. I wanted something I can actually haul things with. It's not as though I'm a hard-core hauler of stuff, but when you need to, it's to be able to.

Here's a thread I started after my first impressive hauling trip.
http://www.priuschat.com/forums/and-the-on...too-vt4560.html

[richard schumacher]

No! Nothing mars The Precious. I even tape-roller the cat hair from my girlfriend before I let her in.

[DaveinOlyWA]

i moved in my Prius and other than my TV (desk, bed, and 55" DLP TV; simply would not fit) i hauled everthing i owned, including my couch.

once i was on my way to work and spied a co-worker riding his bike in the rain, so i stopped, loaded his bike in the back.

for lack of something better, i have a shower curtain i paid a buck for at the dollar store for just such occasions. i also have a brindle pit that rides in the back on occasion. (he loves to chew on that shower curtain for some reason)

[Frank Hudon]

most of the time I bolt on my trailer hitch and hook up the trailer to haul things. Garbage to the dump, haul home the new BBQ, etc. Then take off the hitch (no sense hauling around extra weight) and put the trailer away.

[kenmce]

I think those scratches on the back bumper cover are from the masons wheelbarrow. The dog sets off the seat belt warning blinker when he sits up front, I was thinking some electrical tape might fix that. (I've tried, but he will not wear the belt) Did I mention that I can fit ten foot two-by-fours into my car? Sometimes I can even close the window too. 8-)