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My Prius III RV

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by AstroIII, Aug 25, 2015.

  1. AstroIII

    AstroIII Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2014
    23
    23
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    Location:
    Scottsdale AZ
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    PIII Evening Camp.jpg
    We pack all our gear into our PIII, set up camp and use the Prius as our safe secure climate controlled sleeping cabin usinga Prius Sleeping Kit and Queen Size double sleeping bag. Like an RV without the noisy generator, the Prius runs all our camp power; 12v and 110vac in acc mode and twin 500w Energizer inverters off the main battery. Gear - Coleman Outfitter Exponent Camp Kitchen, Coleman Flex Fuel Camp Stove, Large Coleman Flushable Toilet, Coleman Camp Table, Folding Camp Chairs, Folding end table, Ozark Trail 3room Tent, Coleman 40 Qt Power Chiller Cooler, Coleman Colorado Inflatable Kayak, cloths, water and food; yes it all fits! Happy Rv'n!
     
    #1 AstroIII, Aug 25, 2015
    ckayte, Dylan Doxey, avusblue and 5 others like this.
  2. Thomas Bombadil

    Thomas Bombadil Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2014
    5
    1
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    Location:
    Arlington, Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Great picture AstroIII! And thanks for the sleeping kit link, we've been looking for something like that.
     
    #2 Thomas Bombadil, Aug 25, 2015
  3. AstroIII

    AstroIII Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2014
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    23
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    Location:
    Scottsdale AZ
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    My pleasure, glad you like it. We use two different size tents; depending upon the type of trip, but always sleep cozy in our PIII!
     
    #3 AstroIII, Aug 25, 2015
  4. shaotai

    shaotai Member

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2014
    34
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    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    great photoshop...
     
    #4 shaotai, Aug 25, 2015
  5. KeinoDoggy

    KeinoDoggy Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2012
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    very neat setup!
     
    #5 KeinoDoggy, Aug 25, 2015
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,751
    48,964
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    gorgeous!
     
    #6 bisco, Aug 25, 2015
  7. DoubleDAZ

    DoubleDAZ Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2014
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    Location:
    Peoria AZ (Phoenix)
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Fabulous setup!
     
    #7 DoubleDAZ, Aug 25, 2015
  8. AHetaFan

    AHetaFan Member

    Joined:
    Feb 10, 2013
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    Looks like great fun and it's nice to have power but I'm wondering about the logistics of powering something like a refrigerator which I assume needs 12 volts 24 hours a day. I think there is some risk of a dead 12 v battery if you use accessory mode much. Actually maybe not. I think my car automatically turns off from accessory mode after something like 20 min. If so then the refrigerator would turn off. How do you keep your refrigerator powered all the time? I assume for climate controlled sleeping you turn the car fully on. That will charge the 12 volt and HV batteries overnight if they are low as well as power the refrigerator overnight. When using accessory mode during a hot day though (if it will stay in the mode without turning off automatically) I would think the refrigerator would run the 12 volt battery down over a period of hours to the point where there may not be enough juice to power the car fully on for climate controlled sleeping the next night. How do you monitor or manage the state of charge of the 12 volt battery to prevent this?
     
    #8 AHetaFan, Aug 25, 2015
  9. AstroIII

    AstroIII Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2014
    23
    23
    37
    Location:
    Scottsdale AZ
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    My bad; not ACC but READY, so the engine will cycle to keep the battery charged. Thanks for the clarity point:)
     
    #9 AstroIII, Aug 26, 2015
  10. DavidSpivey

    DavidSpivey Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2015
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    Location:
    United States
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Wow, that is awesome, and thanks for the sleeping kit link. I am going to be travelling as well soon, and was going to make something like this. Now I won't need to do so.
    One question: Is the sleeping kit bridge made of wood or plastic? I think I see a wood grain in the pictures.
     
    #10 DavidSpivey, Aug 28, 2015
  11. AstroIII

    AstroIII Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2014
    23
    23
    37
    Location:
    Scottsdale AZ
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Wood, very sturdy; made in the USA.
     
    #11 AstroIII, Aug 30, 2015
  12. bigmodernmess

    bigmodernmess New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2015
    8
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Hey AstroIII, how much fuel does it use to keep the cabin cool overnight? The longest I've slept in my car was about two hours, and I wish I would have had this setup!
     
    #12 bigmodernmess, Aug 31, 2015
  13. ftl

    ftl Explicator

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2009
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    Location:
    Long Island NY
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    For any load at all on the 12V battery, you need to leave the car in Ready mode. Some of us have done this for hours or days (my Prius c was in Ready for 52 hours after Hurricane Sandy, powering essential house systems via an inverter connected to the 12V battery).
     
    #13 ftl, Aug 31, 2015
  14. AstroIII

    AstroIII Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2014
    23
    23
    37
    Location:
    Scottsdale AZ
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    It is not significant enough to determine from my fuel bar gauge, but I would guess maybe a gallon or so. It would really depend on how hot it is outside as well. My camping has not been in the low elevation areas of AZ in the summer where you fight 105 Degrees F outside; but rather we head north and it is not so hot.
     
    #14 AstroIII, Aug 31, 2015
    bigmodernmess likes this.
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