Best products from r/priusdwellers

It’ll probably work. Just know that you won’t be able to do much else with the cig lighters while the fridge compressor is on (Phone charging is probably ok, but that’s about it). 10A max per Toyota; both sockets are on the same fuse, and the fridge pulls about 6A when it’s running.

Also if you keep the fridge quite full you could probably turn the car off for an hour every now and then while it’s cool out if needed. The other option is to keep the car in ready mode and lock the car with the physical key from the outside, though it’s still not very secure. Someone could literally break a window and drive away when the car is in that condition.

You could also wire it directly to the battery, which if you’re fulltiming I’d recommend doing. Something like this oughta do the trick. Then you wouldn’t have to keep the car on all the time (including when you’re away from the vehicle). The stock battery can safely keep the fridge running for 12 hours or so (wintertime, overnights) before it needs a recharge. I haven’t been through a summer yet with this config though, so I don’t know what the numbers would look like then.

I've heard, but haven't bought yet that Alpicool is quite popular among van dwellers. Might be wrong, but it looks like it can run only when plugged in/while the car is running and then is just a regular cooler while the engine is off. Seems like a good alternative.

Would love to hear other people's actual experience with it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073WYS3TR

So without a solar panel setup, or home battery tender, what would be the best method to ensuring the batteries don't die, and running a power efficient cooler/fridge (12V .74Ah type)? Note: Prius doesn't have an alternator - the 12V battery sends a current to the traction battery to signal it to turn on the engine - so if the 12V battery is dead, then you'd have to jump start it.

And would you need to get a dual purpose AGM battery (starter and deep) to be able to jump start the car battery? i.e. starting/deep cycle like the Optima Yellowtophttps://www.amazon.com/Optima-Batteries-8014-045-YellowTop-Purpose/dp/B000MSBUA4 . This one is rated 55 Ah.

The portable cooler/fridge (DC) - https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-Electric-Powered-Cooler-Freezer/dp/B01MRDNXPL does for .74 Ah - thus 55/.74 = 74 hours -> about 3 days to safely discharge the Optima battery.

I am mainly concerned about very cold winter use. The heater in the Prius is too loud and turns on too frequently to be of use during the night so that would be off (would use a sleeping bag), and then I would leave the car on ready mode overnight to power a mini space heater, and to recharge the 2nd battery.

But over say 8 hours every night of recharging this via the battery isolator/DC-DC setup, would the 2nd battery top out?

I'm in Hyundai's verison of the Prius, and did this:

rear passenger seat is my living room and put this on the headrest for my laptop:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0742CPQ7W/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Keep my gym bag in the front passenger seat floorboard.

Front passenger seat is slid forward.

I installed window visors and attached this fan to the front passenger seat head rest to move air:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078YLS839/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07531B7KC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Rear passenger seat is laid down and I have a cooler in the rear passenger floor board as well as my Goal Zero Sherpa 100 to charge my laptop and phone

This is my bed. 3in dense foam piece 70x24 (cut to size w/ cheap bread knife) and a 3inch foam mattress pad (also cut to size):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071QXXVP3/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I0GQ2T4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bought some decent sheet for sale via Macy's and a sweet sweet Buffy comforter (twin size for $100).

IMO, you're going to want to make the bed portion as comfortable as you can afford, or it could be the piece that pushed you to move back inside to a normal bed.

Remember I said my rear driver side passenger seat remains upright. I bought 2 clear plastic containers from the container store to store all of my clothes (they are stacked). If it can't fit (all items rolled up instead of folded), then it was donated. I lost some space as I have one of those rear shades that keep people from looking into the hatch window and seeing what's in my "trunk"

Bought very very small binder clips and command strip clothes pins from walmart and a 10 foot long piece of black material from Joanns fabric. Placed the clips and pins where needed and cut pieces of the fabric to create side and rear window coverings. Have a single piece that stretches across the car to keep people seeing the back of the car.

Old mock set-up I posted so you get an idea of what it looks like:
https://imgur.com/a/GkND1

I also bought a nice front window shade to both reflect sun, but also keep people from seeing into the car, all while looking like every other car with a window shade in the front windshield.

The easiest and best solution IMO is a removable screen that covers the whole window by going over the top of the door. I am amazed that I almost never see them suggested on here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YI3IGA6/

They are $20 for a set of 2, require no assembly or otherwise need to be “made” from multiple components, provide privacy (people can’t see in but you can see out pretty well), you can open the windows as much or little as you want, and they pack away into a tiny pouch (all 4 of my shades take up a space about half the size of a loaf of bread and can be stored anywhere).

No problem. I haven't told my family and only told 3 close friends about my decision to Prius dwell due to the stigma, so I enjoy talking about this with whoever I can. I think this is the one I got: AMAZON LINK

I recommend a Prius v (wagon) as every little bit of extra room helps. :) But either way, with the amount of use and wear you will be putting on the car simply by living in it, I would recommend going used. The Prius is extremely reliable. I had the option to get an extended warranty for an extra $1200 on mine, but I talked to a trusted mechanic, and he told me there was no need. And in the off chance something does break, there are plenty of used Prius parts you can get for cheap.

If "bag top" can add offer 24" of vertical height (with extended-top metal-bodywork box inside of it), and inner vertical height of prius is already 48", then the total is 72"; 6 feet. ... With 6 feet vertically (at all times, no need to set up and take down a pop-up tent roof), I could insulate the top/final roof and bottom/inner floor part of prius with aerogel sheet insulation (extremely effective, expensive, thin insulation) with 0.4" inches of aerogel insulation on ceiling and 0.4" inches of aerogel insulation on the floor. ... That leaves 71.2" inches of final total inner vertical height, and I'm 68" short. ... Since having room to stand was my last major obstacle to knowing if I could do Prius dwelling, I'm very pleased. :)

It's a Mummy sleeping bag but it's cheap, will fit you, and keep you warm. Add a couple of inexpensive fleece blankets to use when it's not so cold out and you'd be set.

Millard Tri Folding Mattress - $80
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W67PJ4M

Bought off a recommendation in this sub. I originally went with the REI self inflating sleeping pad and was tossing and turning at night. The Millard tri fold has been great so far.

I bought this one to mount on that weird small window between the windshield and drivers side window. It works well because the arm is so long, so I mount it to that window and have it curve over to face the driver. Suction cup has held on pretty well...I’m about 7 months into using it.

Mpow Cell Phone Holder for Car,... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010RQWSE2?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Do what I do and carry a CO2 monitor in your prius and you'll be fine. I've never had it go off in almost a year of running the engine (for the AC) every night.

Here's the one I've been using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Y6V5CI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1