Due to the beauty of the hybrid engine, driving a Prius means you’re never really “off the grid”, you simply take it with you wherever you go. Here are some essentials that will let you travel near or far, and let you feel like you’re still at home!
1) High wattage inverter connected directly to your starter battery. Mine is 2000w. Make sure it’s “pure sine wave” so it doesn’t fry sensitive electronics.
2) 3.5in REI camping pad. It’s insulated so you’ll never be cold. Alternatively, a 4in foam mattress, but you can’t roll it up small when you want to put other people in your car.
3) An electric kettle to heat water anywhere. Keep it under 1000w.
4) An electric skillet to make eggs, pancakes, burgers. You’ll never have to carry cookware!
5) An instant pot if you want to pressure cook stews, bake, or make hard boiled eggs.
6) A fridge/freezer that has a condenser. They don’t use much wattage and can run off a small power station when you turn off your car to go hiking.
7) A water heating coil, at least 1000w. This will heat a bucket of cold river water in about 10 minutes so you can have a hot shower anywhere.
8) Hot Logic food warmer. This little lunchbox hot plate will heat a frozen meal in a couple hours, so you can literally cook while you drive. It weighs next to nothing.
9) A toaster, so you can impress your RV friends who can’t run a toaster unless they’re on shore power.
10) A USB powered shower, so you can have a lovely shower in the sunshine (you can get a privacy shower tent if you’re shy).
11) A roof box so you can store stuff like your camping chair, shower, toaster, instant pot and spare tent when not in use.
12) A portable power bank to run your fridge while you turn off the car to go hiking. 300wh gives enough power for about 5hrs. I recommend 500wh to guarantee it runs all night if you leave the car off overnight. (If your car isn’t hybrid, you’ll need a solar panel to recharge during the day. If you have a prius, run the car all night to recharge. No solar panel needed).
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Tiny Prius Travel 
Thank you! This is great, detailed information I need to help me get started on my desire to travel. Car camping will help me to start this journey sooner than later
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You’re most welcome!
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Great blog! I need to know how my Chevy Volt compares with a Prius for charging things… can you direct me to resource
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I’m not familiar with the Volt but I’m sure there are groups dedicated to that car on Facebook.
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I don’t have a resource for that but there’s probably a Facebook group for Volt owners. And inverters that are attached to your starter battery should work the same way.
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Maybe you have posted a blog about this that I havent found but what do you use for a pottie in your prius. I just order the reliance pottie from walmart but it is way too big. Takes up too much room. So your suggestions would be helpful. I dont want to go out at night. Thanks
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I’m usually parked near a bathroom, but when I’m not I have a popup shower tent that a travel toilet can be placed in. I found a Prius owner that removed her front seat so she could put a toilet there. Other folks use a small container with a lid, like a large plastic coffee can. It all depends on your comfort level.
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