an example of Prius cargo capacity

I was at HD today picking up some lumber. Here's what I took home with ease:

8 pcs of 2"x4" 8ft length
2 pcs of 3/4" MDF: 2ft x 6ft
1 pcs of 3/4" MDF: 2ft x 4ft

Sadly, the front passenger seat does not fold flat with the rear seatbacks folded forward. In order to carry lumber without damaging the car fabric, it is necessary to make supports. You can see in the photos where I've done so. Without them, the 2x4s would angle upwards towards the front, rub the seat where the headrests go, and slide around. The supports allow more horizontal placement and lumber stacks much more better.

You can get fancier with support design to limit lateral sliding + bungee cords or ratchet straps. Stack 24 pcs of 2x4x8 and strap it all together!!
You can carry 10ft lengths of 2x4 but it has to sit on the dash which I'm not willing to scuff up.

Just think......you can't do this with pickup trucks with less than 8ft bed and keep the wood out of the rain.

Cool, thanks for sharing. What are you building?

Good info although I love having my Previa for HD runs.

A gen II can get one 10 foot 2 by 4 in, 8 foot lumber will fit straight down the middle and clear the dash. (although if you slam on the brakes it opens the clear glove box)

and of course, mine spends much of it's time carrying networking gear.

17 foot ladder, four 8 gallon tubs of PC parts, three laundry bags of network cables, 4 book bags of non-networking cables, 1000 foot of bulk cable and room for 3 humans.

(Had it been available in 2009, I was a candidate for a Prius v, if I could have fit a 22 foot ladder in) http://www.wernerladder.com/newprods/mt.php

Sorry for thread jacking, but Jimbo thats allot of stuff! Thanks for the pic., your avatar is the side view to this rear view correct? Always wondered what else was is in the car. Any idea of the estimated weight of everything and how's your MPG's loaded vs. unloaded?

Yes that is the same day, side view. What I need varies day by day but I need it all.
PC parts are not that heavy, (400 pounds?) Loads of potting soil feel MUCH more back heavy. I get 40 MPG in winter, 47 MPG in spring and fall, and 42 MPG in summer. Mostly due to heating and A/C, (I am not native to Mississippi) and 35 years of bad driving habits, which I am very slowly losing. I very rarely drive with it unloaded, I only unload it to carry all my in-laws, so it is not any lighter.

Thanks for sharing. In 2009, I moved 250 miles with ALL my belongings packed in the Prius.

I'm building a work bench for the garage. It's about time I organized that place.

well done everyone! prius is my favorite hauling vehicle for both home depot and lowes. i only take the pickup if i'm building an addition.

Can't do that in a CT200h!

brought home a 12' piece of baseboard molding last night, had to stick it out the window.

Great!
I wish we could do that with sheetrock or plywood!!

that wood be sweet. i hate tieing a 4 x 8 sheet on the roof.

I have used the Prius twice now to make smaller deliveries, to avoid having to use my wife's Tacoma 21 MPG or our Chevy 3500 hi-cube van 12 MPG. As long as it fits in the cargo liner and the hatch closes it goes.


delivery one Mustard Cabbage and a couple of Squash

Delivery two 140 lbs. of Lemon Grass Banana boxes 30 lbs. each, Papaya box 20 lbs. Removed tonneau cover and folded rear seats down, had to Tetris the boxes in to get the hatch closed. 140 lbs. might not be allot of weight but you might only use a couple of ounces of Lemon Grass usually to cook with. Total weight with boxes about 156 lbs.

My other delivery vehicle 2003 Chevrolet Express G3500 Hi-Cube Van 12 MPG in traffic even less!

nice.

But can it haul a 9,000 pound tandem dual axl trailer?
just kidding..

If you stick it out the window, it will actually handle a 16' piece of baseboard (without red flags), with the back door closed. You just have to tie down the baseboard to the front end of the car.

Mike

So, how much combined bandwidth were you hauling in that photo? 3terabits/sec?