dhurtt
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- Aug 13, 2018
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So, I have been looking at various videos and wondering if I can "car camp" as I saw in a few videos. I was convinced that a electricity addict like me, who was tethered to electricity the 11 out of 12 days on my last RV vacation, could do without the AC, music, fans, etc. and so I decided to go the hybrid route. (A "gas generator on wheels", as Bob put it.)
Most of the videos out there do not say how tall the person demoing their car or SUV camper is, so when they say they have a couple of extra inches of headroom it meant nothing to me. I am 6' 3" and have wide shoulders (and belly to go with it). That creates two issues: 1) can I actually sleep in the car, SUV, or mini-van stretched out; and 2) can I sit up in the vehicle in order to work on my laptop. (I want to see if I can go 'full nomad' while keeping my job that requires I be online during the day.)
So, for the hybrids you have Toyota Prius, Prius Prime, RAV4, Highlander, and a bunch of sedans I did not consider. For Chrysler you have the new Pacifica Hybrid. Chevy has the Volt and Bolt. There is also the Kia Niro, Nissan Rogue and Pathfinder, Honda CR-Z, and Mitsubishi has the Outlander. Honestly, I did not feel like anyone's tech other than Toyota's has been sufficiently field-tested, even though I liked the form factor if the Chrysler Pacifica.
So, on Labor Day I went down to the local Toyota dealer with tape measure in tow and I thought I would share. Not comprehensive, but at least you know what a heavy-set guy that is 6' 3" finds feasible.
Toyota Prius: my understanding is that the Prius V is roomier than the Prius One, Two, Three, or Four and the Prius Prime, but the dealer did not have one. They only had the Prius Three and Prius C. I did not bother measuring the C.
In this test I put the passenger side half of the back seat down, pushed the passenger front seat all the way forward (reclining the back of the seat forward also) and measured. The length for a sleeping platform was 6' 6" and the gap between passenger side of the vehicle and the driver's side half of the back seat was 24". In other words, if you wanted to keep 1/2 of the back seat up and functional, while the other half contained a sleeping platform, it could only be 24" wide.
Sitting in the driver's side back seat I could work on a laptop, but it would be less comfortable than the worst cubicle I have ever been in.
Forget sitting up in the bed, which would be about 8" higher than the back seat cushion.
Toyota RAV4: I have been watching a lot of Tristan at SuvRving.com and he is in a RAV4, although not a hybrid.
Again, putting the right half of the back seat down and pushing the passenger front row seat forward you had 7' of length. The problem was that the gap was only 18" – way too small – so both seats would have to be down. This would require putting both seats down in order for me to sleep. Further, the hump over the battery box would require you to definitely make a platform. With only 33" from the top of the box to the inside of the roof, there was no way I was going to sit up. Sitting in the seat of the back was comfortable enough for a mini-office when I would be stuck inside (when I had to make calls to customers), but it would be more work setting up and tearing down in order to sleep. (I thought that was strange given the width of the Prius gap.)
Toyota Highlander: now you are talking about something not that great in mileage – 27/29 – but definitely more suited to going onto BLM or National Forest land and something I can fit in.
Same measuring method, except that this Highlander did not have a 'bench' back seat, but two captain's chairs. Using the same measuring method as before you get 7' of length in the back. However, if you do not push the passenger side front seat forward, but push it all the way back, the length is 6' 5"! So you could keep the back seats down and still have plenty of room to work in the front passenger seat. Pushing down only on captain seat in the back there was a 28" gap. If it were half of a back bench seat it would be 24" on the passenger's side and 36" on the driver's side. The back slopes slightly upward, in order to clear the batteries. I would still need to stoop in bed.
Overall, the Highlander seems like the best bet for me. Sure, the Pacifica would give me a lot more space, especially in head room, but I am not ready to spend $50K to see if the quality is there. Also, if the grand experiment fails, would I rather have a Highlander of Pacifica as my commute car? The final vote cast was my wife and she decided on the Highlander too.
The dealerships around me all have 0-1 Highlander Hybrids and they are the Platinum Edition, which is crazy because at $50K they are competing with the Lexus Hybrid. So, I needed to order the low-end LE version and it will be delivered in about a month.
If you have any questions let me know as maybe I made a note of it. When I get my HiHy I can more accurately measure every last little thing and perform my last test: how many minutes before the engine kicks on in order to recharge the batteries when you sleep in it at night with light AC and a USB fan going, and how many minutes does it stay on. Just from the driving test I could tell that when the AC was on low, you could not really hear the engine.
Most of the videos out there do not say how tall the person demoing their car or SUV camper is, so when they say they have a couple of extra inches of headroom it meant nothing to me. I am 6' 3" and have wide shoulders (and belly to go with it). That creates two issues: 1) can I actually sleep in the car, SUV, or mini-van stretched out; and 2) can I sit up in the vehicle in order to work on my laptop. (I want to see if I can go 'full nomad' while keeping my job that requires I be online during the day.)
So, for the hybrids you have Toyota Prius, Prius Prime, RAV4, Highlander, and a bunch of sedans I did not consider. For Chrysler you have the new Pacifica Hybrid. Chevy has the Volt and Bolt. There is also the Kia Niro, Nissan Rogue and Pathfinder, Honda CR-Z, and Mitsubishi has the Outlander. Honestly, I did not feel like anyone's tech other than Toyota's has been sufficiently field-tested, even though I liked the form factor if the Chrysler Pacifica.
So, on Labor Day I went down to the local Toyota dealer with tape measure in tow and I thought I would share. Not comprehensive, but at least you know what a heavy-set guy that is 6' 3" finds feasible.
Toyota Prius: my understanding is that the Prius V is roomier than the Prius One, Two, Three, or Four and the Prius Prime, but the dealer did not have one. They only had the Prius Three and Prius C. I did not bother measuring the C.
In this test I put the passenger side half of the back seat down, pushed the passenger front seat all the way forward (reclining the back of the seat forward also) and measured. The length for a sleeping platform was 6' 6" and the gap between passenger side of the vehicle and the driver's side half of the back seat was 24". In other words, if you wanted to keep 1/2 of the back seat up and functional, while the other half contained a sleeping platform, it could only be 24" wide.
Sitting in the driver's side back seat I could work on a laptop, but it would be less comfortable than the worst cubicle I have ever been in.
Forget sitting up in the bed, which would be about 8" higher than the back seat cushion.Toyota RAV4: I have been watching a lot of Tristan at SuvRving.com and he is in a RAV4, although not a hybrid.
Again, putting the right half of the back seat down and pushing the passenger front row seat forward you had 7' of length. The problem was that the gap was only 18" – way too small – so both seats would have to be down. This would require putting both seats down in order for me to sleep. Further, the hump over the battery box would require you to definitely make a platform. With only 33" from the top of the box to the inside of the roof, there was no way I was going to sit up. Sitting in the seat of the back was comfortable enough for a mini-office when I would be stuck inside (when I had to make calls to customers), but it would be more work setting up and tearing down in order to sleep. (I thought that was strange given the width of the Prius gap.)
Toyota Highlander: now you are talking about something not that great in mileage – 27/29 – but definitely more suited to going onto BLM or National Forest land and something I can fit in.
Same measuring method, except that this Highlander did not have a 'bench' back seat, but two captain's chairs. Using the same measuring method as before you get 7' of length in the back. However, if you do not push the passenger side front seat forward, but push it all the way back, the length is 6' 5"! So you could keep the back seats down and still have plenty of room to work in the front passenger seat. Pushing down only on captain seat in the back there was a 28" gap. If it were half of a back bench seat it would be 24" on the passenger's side and 36" on the driver's side. The back slopes slightly upward, in order to clear the batteries. I would still need to stoop in bed.
Overall, the Highlander seems like the best bet for me. Sure, the Pacifica would give me a lot more space, especially in head room, but I am not ready to spend $50K to see if the quality is there. Also, if the grand experiment fails, would I rather have a Highlander of Pacifica as my commute car? The final vote cast was my wife and she decided on the Highlander too.
The dealerships around me all have 0-1 Highlander Hybrids and they are the Platinum Edition, which is crazy because at $50K they are competing with the Lexus Hybrid. So, I needed to order the low-end LE version and it will be delivered in about a month.
If you have any questions let me know as maybe I made a note of it. When I get my HiHy I can more accurately measure every last little thing and perform my last test: how many minutes before the engine kicks on in order to recharge the batteries when you sleep in it at night with light AC and a USB fan going, and how many minutes does it stay on. Just from the driving test I could tell that when the AC was on low, you could not really hear the engine.
