There are many blogs and videos about people living in their Prius, but every time I watch one I get a feeling of dissonance.
Cramped Prius
Yes, you can cram a lot in a Prius, and I’m guilty of doing that on many occasions. And should misfortune ever fall upon you or me, I’d be the first to suggest living in a Prius instead of a homeless shelter. But isn’t the point of minimalism that you shouldn’t have a lot of stuff? Isn’t it about looking around you and feeling joy, instead dread at seeing a mess?
For fresh out of college Chris Sawey, moving most of his possessions into his car made sense, and he even managed to have a sense of order. But if you truly want to embrace minimalism, my feeling is that what you own (or what you carry in your car) should also be minimal.
Ruslan Osipov has a great example of the minimal set of belongings one might need to live in a Prius. You could even add a cooler (under the pillow to eliminate the need for the conversion kit), without taking more space. It’s an environment that looks spacious, clean and comfortable. Thieves wouldn’t see it as a gold mine of loot, and police wouldn’t see it as the undesirable home of someone boondocking in an upscale neighborhood where they didn’t belong.
If you have many belongings, the best way to have your Prius home neat and tidy is probably to rent a storage space. Even if you’re always going back and forth cross country, there are certain cities you’ll visit regularly. Maybe you visit family a couple times a year, that could be a good place to swap out your seasonal clothes or camping gear.
If you don’t have a roomfull of stuff, but you like to have lots of clothes, camping gear, or you do lots of activities, a roof box might be your best option. Yes, it cuts down on your mileage, but not by much. And you can hang out in nice neighborhoods without attracting lots of attention. You’ll just look like an outdoorsy traveler who loves to ski/camp/etc.
Unless your budget is extremely limited, you’ll be using public facilities for many of the things you do. There’s no need to have a big camp stove, kitchen table or portable toilet if you’re going to eat meals microwaved at the library and use public rest rooms.
If the inside of the Prius is for sleeping, and the outside of the Prius is for everything else, you don’t need much. The library and Starbucks can be your living room / office. The the gym can be your bath room. The the microwave at the grocery store deli can be your kitchen. Remember that the world is your oyster. Go live in it!
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Tiny Prius Travel 