Rear window rain guard for Prius Super RV

Having cross-ventilation when camping in the Prius is important, but on our last trip we noticed a problem with the inward-slanting windows in the rain as the rain tends to come inside. That is undesirable in general and especially for the right-rear window, the rain could GO DIRECTLY INTO THE HV BATTERY COOLING AIR INTAKE ! Since that could damage the HV battery, rain infiltration at the right rear MUST be prevented. So from 6-inch wide aluminum flashing I constructed the rain guard below, which inserts into the upper portion of the window's rubber channel and will shield the interior from rain even if the window is left partly open for ventilation (with the screens on , of course):

Cheers!

 

I was going to use plastic spring clamps on the window frame just under the front and rear to vertically support them. (They seem to fit in the channel well enough that horizontal or lateral movement should not be a problem.) will be testing these shortly. I have made rain guards for the two rear windows and one front from a 6-inch by 10 feet strip of aluminum, but need to buy more to make the last window guard.

Did post screen construction how-to last fall -- basically fold no-see-um netting over each window to make a big pocket and then sew the edges. The screen pockets slide down over the rain guard and are held to the door at the bottom by magnets. The screens worked well on the trip to Alaska.

Basic idea is to PACK SMALL as space in the Prius is limited--use backpacking or bicycle camping gear. The stove, cups, bowls and water boiler fit like nested dolls:


DW and I found that unzipping a sleeping bag and using it like a down comforter over both of us was a more comfortable way for the two of us to sleep in the back of the Prius.

For sleeping, the bottom layer is a 4x7 foot section of indoor-outdoor carpeting cut to fit the rear when the seats are folded flat and the 3 backseat headrests removed. A headrest board about 18x48 inches should be laid across the rear seat foot wells and supported level with the folded down seats by plastic milk crates or small luggage sitting in the footwells. On top of the carpet we use 1/2 inch foam yoga mats plus 1-inch air mattresses . Result is very firm but sleepable--thicker air mattresses could give a softer sleeping surface. YMMV.

We bought organizers from Aldi that slip over the front head rests but hang down the BACK of the front seats. Those were meant for kids sitting in back, but they have many little pockets that we use while camping--pocket knife, bear spray, flashlight, sunscreen ,etc. , and it helps keeping clutter off the floor.

Found small aluminum folding table at REI that slides into the black plastic tub above the spare.

Keep wheel chocks and emergency equipment down with spare under tub--I think jack and Jack handle should be improved but have not had time to do that yet.

Jeez, long-winded answer, but let me know if you have specific questions or want to see any if these mods.

 

^^^right, I also used the Lowes ECO rug option that Haskel first proposed, although I left it about 7 feet long so that it will extend completely forward over the folded down seats and the 18-inch wide piece of plywood that acts as a headboard in the RV mode.
Had not seen that PIP flat tire thread you referenced as I have a hatchback, but I read that some of the problems with jack are the same. My time to jack up car from flat was 10-15 minutes according to DW, but it was on gravel and very tricky.

I have found a full-sized spare will fit in the lower well in the hatchback, but then the plastic tub sticks up about 2 inches too high in the rear--still working on a solution for that as would prefer full-size spare.
Thanks for links.

 

If the rear hatch is closed, keeping the vehicle in the ready state will work, but at the expense of depleting the HV battery and wasting energy, which some of us oppose on moral grounds. I found that experience of sleeping in the back with the hatch shut was quite different from having the hatch open and windows down with the window screens deployed--much more cluastrophobic.
If the rear hatch is open as when the tent is attached in RV mode, then the HVAC may simply not handle the open-air situation well, depending on ambient temps, wind, and so forth. The open rear hatch allows easy ingress and egress and a comfortable attached living room/dining room for dressing, mealtimes, and cozy evenings reading or working on our iPads, etc. IMO it depends on the camping experience one is seeking whilst using a Prius.