The only Kia Rio? I don't believe it!

[RamblinRogue]

1) No, I can't get another vehicle.

2) I like my little Rio!

3) There's no other gypsies out there in a Rio on the forums? Wow, always knew I was different!

I bought a tent because the Rio (or at least my Rio) has a front passenger seat that does not cooperate with the idea of laying flat. And, as I am a side-/semi-fetal position sleeper even if it did lay flat, I doubt I'd be comfortable. Can't expand into the trunk through the 60/40 because my trunk is my garage, kitchen, living room, part of my water, my shoe closet, bathroom and bedroom (tent). And, while decently sized for a small car, it's not that big a trunk!

The back seat is my 12v fridge (I bought it almost three years ago when this whole idea started), pantry, first aid/personal care stuff, craft center and closet plus the rest of the water (I'm traveling with 10 gallons to be on the safe side) while the front passenger seat is my office, entertainment center, photography workshop and linen closet.

And I'm still positive I'm missing something!  I'm going to keep a video record of how I pack for the RTR in January and then another for when I set out in April/May/June (July is the best time to be "from" Arizona) as I suspect the two will have some differences.  

Fingers crossed.  And I would LOVE to compare notes with others in small cars that don't want to disassemble their vehicles.

 

[sephson]

The Kia Rio and the Kia Soul are built on the same chassis. I have a Soul. The Soul has a bit more interior volume, but overall should be nearly identical to the Rio. Have a look at my build thread and see if any of what I've done might work for you.

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=9848

 

[user 423]

Wow, RR that seems like a lot of stuff you have in that Rio!

Years ago I did some traveling and camping in a '70 Corolla wagon and also a '87 Honda Civic sedan. Only for short periods though. It was nice laughing as so many others complained about high gas prices. The Corolla got 43 mpg.

 

[S.IX:Phoebe]

Impressive vehicle! Surprised you could get lots of room in that.

I had spent over five years living out of a Geo Metro and believed I was the only one who had chose such a tiny vehicle. But I chose it for similar reasons: I loved the fuel mileage it got. I did see a couple of Rios converted to dwelling mobiles in Ontario so it is do-able and I've met a couple that chose the Rio specifically for dwelling. They live in it full-time and travel all over Canada (including the winters) and told me it was one of their best purchases yet.

I find it fascinating where smaller vehicles like sedans, coupes and hatchbacks can be converted for life on the road. I use a Saturn coupe and really had to do some brainstorming on my conversion as I was unsuccessful at finding anyone who has done a conversion on a SC model before. But it's always a good thing to be the first by creating a custom build and to post pictures and information.

 

[michelefromohio]

I have a 2009 Rio and have been wondering if I could manage to live in it.

 

[RVTravel]

I love the look of the kia rio...the shape

 

[JD GUMBEE]

You could really use one of these=

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Foamie

Even a 4' wide by 36" tall size would be a huge improvement in your life.

You can build them REALLY cheap. Even on a Harbor Freight cheapie trailer.
Keep the car loaded and use the Foamie as a bedroom only, to keep it lightweight.

The simple ones like this get towed behind motorcycles, so your car would not have a problem.

 

[namenlos86]

I am in a Hyundai Accent which is very similar to the Rio. Mine is the hatchback model tho so I can lay down the seats in the back. I had considered doing conversion work but it honestly fits my needs just fine as it is. Portable power station for extra juice and towels to fill in awkward gaps and I have a 35mpg tiny camper;D Thinkin bout upgrading to the jackery lithium battery so that I can run a little fridge if I want....the solar panel option that is available for it is cool, if a bit overpriced, but kinda worth it to me if it saves me from having to do extra setup work to my car.

I spend a lot of time in places like coffee shops ect so this works just fine for me. One day maybe I will do the while big conversion van project but sometimes you really don't need to make a bunch of modifications and spend a bunch of extra money beyond what you already have to have a nice workable setup.

 

[bullfrog]

My son and I used a 1986 Honda Civic hatchback 1300 version that got 44 MPG city and 54 MPG highway for our two week summer trips.

 

[RVTravel]

I love the look of the kia rio...the shape

Just realized it is the kia rondo that i liked the shape of.

 

[Mbinmo]

I am in a 2011 Nissan Juke AWD. I am going to use a tent for a bedroom and the back of the Juke if the weather gets too bad. My daughter has a Kia Rio, we went camping in it this summer and I believe the Rio has more volume than my Juke. The trunk on the Rio is pretty big.