Hi - I’m thinking of getting a Toyota Prius and was wondering if anybody else has one and how you manage to carry your bike and stuff around. Does a bike fit inside the car? What racks do you recommend? Is there enough room in the trunk?
Thanks, Ken
Yes! I’ve owned a Prius since November 2001 and it’s a great car.
Does a bike fit inside the car?
Yes, but not without some effort. Best bet is to take both wheels off and put it in the backseat. There is no way to fold down the back seat and have access to the trunk (because the battery is between the back seat and the trunk) so that makes it harder than some sedans / hatchbacks for fitting a bike in.
What racks do you recommend?
I have a Yakima roof rack – “Q-towers” with “Q-31” and “Q-32” clips. The actual trays are Rocky Mounts brand but anything that will fit on a Yakima rack works.
Is there enough room in the trunk?
Yes - plenty of room for my needs. It’s a regular sized trunk - fits several pieces of luggage. I recently spent three days car camping at Wildflower, and the car worked great for two people with a lot of gear. We had a large cooler, two lawn chairs, several tarps, a regular tent, an E-Z up tent, a camp stove, food for three days, two bikes on the roof, two wheels in the car, three sleeping bags and an air mattress, wetsuits, shoes, clothes … I could go on, but it all fit 
- Ginger
Why 3 sleeping bags w/ 2 people:-)? Or, is my assumption of 2 people wrong? Then, why didn’t the 3rd have a bike? Sorry…it has been a rough Monday and I needed a breather…
I don’t have a Prius but there is a new model coming out this Summer/Fall that looks to be quite a bit roomier. Some nice other goodies in there as well - check out the Toyota website.
OT
excellent question, David!
To go into more detail about what was stuffed into that car (and also how to be completely comfortable camping at WF):
- 2 people
- 1 (waterproof) 4-person tent
- 1 tarp to use as a groundcloth
- 1 double bed sized air mattress
- 1 air pump that plugs into the car cigarette lighter
- 1 set of flannel sheets for a double bed
- 2 pillows
- 3 sleeping bags
Throw down the groundcloth, set up the tent, pump the mattress, put the mattress in the tent, put the sheets on the mattress, use the three sleeping bags as blankets. Very cozy. Of course you have to be comfortable sharing a bed with whomever you’re sharing the three sleeping bags.
“Of course you have to be comfortable sharing a bed with whomever you’re sharing the three sleeping bags.”
At last! A Slowtwitch opinion for which there can be no argument! Sounds like a great trip - thanks for the insight and tips! have a good rest of the day.