Toyota RAV4 Forums banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Camping overnight in RAV4 Hybrid - how often will engine kick in?

Jump to Latest
21 - 37 of 37 Posts
#21 ·
Santino said:
Did it 5 days ago altitud 1500mts, 7/1C , wife....The first night was perfect, more cover from the wid 7C, the motor started a few times, fuel consumption vey LOW, sleep like a baby. Second night, we moved to a better view, more exposed to the elements; more wind and 1C with a feels likes -3C, i notice more starts of the engine and more gas consumption; but nothing to be scared of. We where very pleased and suprised about how adaptable and clever the desing was. We have had a great time, truck were left on, lights off (only complaint, lights wont turn off completly and the inside panel too...unless I was doing something wrong.
Click to expand...
Doesn’t the RAV4 hybrid turn off the car completely when left in park for too long?!? I have had it happen to me when sitting in park for extended periods. Is there a way to keep the car on the whole time?
 
#23 ·
I have my first Hybrid on order. As a camper, this is interesting information. It sounds like I can sleep in the car and it will handle HVAC throughout the night without depleting the starter battery. Is this correct? If yes, this is a huge benefit I never considered. Thanks in advance.
 
#25 ·
Variman said:
One thing to add to the other comments is that heat is produced by the engine on a Rav 4 Hybrid. This means that one looses most of the benefits/efficiencies of using a hybrid for car camping. The Rav 4 Prime uses an electric heat pump for heat, which is more efficient. The Prime also has an option for a 1500 watt inverter and running the car in stealth mode (electric only) while camping.

If I could not get the Prime and needed heat during car camping, I would look into using a heating blanket for heat.
Click to expand...
What about the electric side working in the Prime in temps below 14 F when the heat pump wont work (stelth mode)? Do you have any info on that situation?
 
#26 ·
I personally find the RAV4 extremely uncomfortable to sleep in the back by myself, let alone two people. The slight slope didn't bother me at all. It is the length and width and I'm not that tall. I never intended to sleep in the back, but found myself their one night while I had my telescope setup in the driveway. I will buy a cot for next time. Have a couple of different compact tents should I ever use the RAV4 for a camping trip. Bought a 2 person canvas tent for this purpose specifically.
 
#27 ·
SLS Artemis said:
I personally find the RAV4 extremely uncomfortable to sleep in the back by myself, let alone two people. The slight slope didn't bother me at all. It is the length and width and I'm not that tall. I never intended to sleep in the back, but found myself their one night while I had my telescope setup in the driveway. I will buy a cot for next time. Have a couple of different compact tents should I ever use the RAV4 for a camping trip. Bought a 2 person canvas tent for this purpose specifically.
Click to expand...
For the price of a few tents and cots, you could build a sleeping platform that makes it level. I'm 6'4" and with the sleeping platform I fit comfortably in the back with my knees bent slightly (I'm a side sleeper).
ItemCost per unitQuantityCost
T TGBROS Custom Fit for Car Windows Sunshade (Amazon)
$68.88​
1​
$68.88​
Foss® Enticing Gunmetal Indoor/Outdoor Carpet 12 ft. Wide (Menard's)
$0.59​
72​
$42.48​
3M™ Super 77™ Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive - 13.8 oz. (Menard's)
$11.98​
1​
$11.98​
Grip Fast® #8 x 2" Star Drive Yellow Zinc Flat Head Construction Screw - 1 lb Box (Menard's)
$5.99​
1​
$5.99​
Grip Fast® 3/8"-16 x 2-1/2" Zinc Grade 2 Carriage Bolts - 3 Count (Menard's)
$1.19​
1​
$1.19​
3/4 x 4 x 8 BCX Sanded Plywood (Menard's)
$55.08​
1​
$55.08​
2 x 4 x 8' Construction/Framing Lumber (Menard's)
$4.78​
2​
$9.56​
Sterilite Set of (2) 28 Qt. Storage Boxes Plastic, Blue Cove (Walmart)
$10.27​
1​
$10.27​
Gatehouse 3-in Satin 5/8-in Radius Mortise Door Hinge (Lowe's)
$3.28​
2​
$6.56​
$211.99​
7% tax
$14.84​
Total
$226.83​
 
#28 ·
juniorkirk said:
For the price of a few tents and cots, you could build a sleeping platform that makes it level. I'm 6'4" and with the sleeping platform I fit comfortably in the back with my knees bent slightly (I'm a side sleeper).
ItemCost per unitQuantityCost
T TGBROS Custom Fit for Car Windows Sunshade (Amazon)
$68.88​
1​
$68.88​
Foss® Enticing Gunmetal Indoor/Outdoor Carpet 12 ft. Wide (Menard's)
$0.59​
72​
$42.48​
3M™ Super 77™ Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive - 13.8 oz. (Menard's)
$11.98​
1​
$11.98​
Grip Fast® #8 x 2" Star Drive Yellow Zinc Flat Head Construction Screw - 1 lb Box (Menard's)
$5.99​
1​
$5.99​
Grip Fast® 3/8"-16 x 2-1/2" Zinc Grade 2 Carriage Bolts - 3 Count (Menard's)
$1.19​
1​
$1.19​
3/4 x 4 x 8 BCX Sanded Plywood (Menard's)
$55.08​
1​
$55.08​
2 x 4 x 8' Construction/Framing Lumber (Menard's)
$4.78​
2​
$9.56​
Sterilite Set of (2) 28 Qt. Storage Boxes Plastic, Blue Cove (Walmart)
$10.27​
1​
$10.27​
Gatehouse 3-in Satin 5/8-in Radius Mortise Door Hinge (Lowe's)
$3.28​
2​
$6.56​
$211.99​
7% tax
$14.84​
Total
$226.83​
Click to expand...
it isn't the slope that bothers me, it is the length and width. I sleep on both my side and flat on my back. I'm shorter than you and I have to sleep with my knees bent in the RAV4. Two people doing that to sleep I can't figure out. I have no clue how anybody can fit two people back there comfortably. What do you do with your gear if it starts to rain? Cover it with a tarp? I still will take my canvas tent over sleeping in the RAV4. I have several tents of different material and sizes. The tent I'm referencing I bought specifically for camping with the RAV4. I don't use a cot in any tent. Just a pad. If I were to buy a cot it would be only for those nights that my telescope is in the driveway so it doesn't walk away. Once was enough to sleep in the RAV4 for me. I bet I could set the tent up in between 5 and 10 minutes by myself.
 

Attachments

#29 · (Edited)
SLS Artemis said:
it isn't the slope that bothers me, it is the length and width. I sleep on both my side and flat on my back. I'm shorter than you and I have to sleep with my knees bent in the RAV4. Two people doing that to sleep I can't figure out. I have no clue how anybody can fit two people back there comfortably. What do you do with your gear if it starts to rain? Cover it with a tarp? I still will take my canvas tent over sleeping in the RAV4. I have several tents of different material and sizes. The tent I'm referencing I bought specifically for camping with the RAV4. I don't use a cot in any tent. Just a pad. If I were to buy a cot it would be only for those nights that my telescope is in the driveway so it doesn't walk away. Once was enough to sleep in the RAV4 for me. I bet I could set the tent up in between 5 and 10 minutes by myself.
Click to expand...
Mine has a fold out piece that extends the length for your head. You have to slide the front seat forward and tilt the back all the way up to make room. I am solo, so I only made the head piece wide enough for my sleeping pad and don't have to move my driver seat. I keep it in my RAV all the time (literally just went out to the parking lot at work and set it up quick to take these pictures) so if I ever am driving somewhere that I get tired and want to take a nap, I can do it in comfort.

As far as gear, there is is room under the platform (have the two totes under there with tools, human first aid, and car first aid), as well as gear can be moved to the front seats when you need to sleep in the back. For me, I can easily pack away about a weeks worth of clothes without having to move anything around if it is just me. With 2 people, you might have to move a few bags from the back while driving to front seats when you go to sleep.

Set up time is about 5 minutes and teardown is about 5 minutes. Just fold down the back seats and slide the front seat forward. Take the top piece of the platform and slide it forward into place. Take the stand and put it under the headrest piece and it is ready to use.

The main reason I built this was I wanted to go on a trip a few months back going to a couple of national monuments/landmarks but didn't want to spend over $100/night to sleep in a hotel/motel for a few hours. This is also nice since I could have the AC running all night to keep me cool and dry since it was in August and hot as hell around here.

Image

Packed away

Image

All set up and ready to use

Image

head area (sleeping pad is 77" long)

Image

Front seat has to be moved forward to make room for head piece to fold out.
 
#30 ·
i prefer to have the ignition completely off when camping in the car, so i just double up sleeping bags and crack open the rear door windows, which are covered in mesh to keep out bugs & mosquitoes but allow air to circulate. i level out the floor by storing a fold out bbq table under the foam mattress, and support the pillow end with my (upside down) wash basin & (fresh filtered water) jerry can...
Image


i use that black and red stick, to switch on the accessories button when seated in the back, using my mobile or laptop, so they can charge at the same time, luckily the accessories switch time's out after 15 mins, so then i just roll over into the sleeping bag(s) and sleep very well, during our winter/spring down under...cheers Don.

Image
 
#31 ·
forgot to mention, sleeping in our car is legal in my state down under, as long as we abide by the parking times. another thing i like to do is use (clean) mircofiber gym towels as curtains, that are held in place by 4 clip on pegs. (one above each door pillar)
so i sleep with my legs under the rear parcel shelf, and 4 towels around me, so from the outside no one can actually see me sleeping in there, even with a torch, but air can still freely circulate above me and the rear camera is not covered...
Image
Image


the last image is the rear towel in place laying on the rear parcel shelf, my bed is underneath. the front and rear camera's come on, when i press the accessories power button with that red & blk handled stick in the first post...

also i hang my food esky, off the passenger seat, to give me leg room below it when sitting there. so i've managed to stealth sleep in our city, the suburbs and down along the coast, using this quick & easy method, where-ever my adventures take me.

cheers Don.
 
#32 · (Edited)
78YZ said:
I have my first Hybrid on order. As a camper, this is interesting information. It sounds like I can sleep in the car and it will handle HVAC throughout the night without depleting the starter battery. Is this correct? If yes, this is a huge benefit I never considered. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Yes, but it does involve the ICE turning on and off at times if needed to recharge the hybrid battery. If you are near other cars, such as in a campground, you are basically running a generator. Which is a pretty selfish thing to do in the middle of the night, and most campgrounds ban the running of generators after 8, 9 or 10 PM. Having recently had the 'pleasure' of car camping in a small campground where someone had their generator cycling all night, there's a word for people who run things at night (gas stand alone, hybrid vehicle, etc.). Don't be one.
 
#33 ·
Dan Daniel said:
Yes, but it does involve the ICE turning on and off at times if needed to recharge the hybrid battery. If you are near other cars, such as in a campground, you are basically running a generator. Which is a pretty selfish thing to do in the middle of the night, and most campgrounds ban the running of generators after 8, 9 or 10 PM. Having recently had the 'pleasure' of car camping in a small campground where someone had their generator cycling all night, there's a word for people who run things at night (gas stand alone, hybrid vehicle, etc.). Don't be one.
Click to expand...
I agree with that, but I think the RAV would be a lot quieter than a generator. The only time I would keep the engine on would be if I was sleeping at a truck/rest stop for the night.
 
#34 ·
78YZ said:
I have my first Hybrid on order. As a camper, this is interesting information. It sounds like I can sleep in the car and it will handle HVAC throughout the night without depleting the starter battery. Is this correct? If yes, this is a huge benefit I never considered. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
If you plan on keeping the car on all night, you have to press the lock button on the driver door with the doors closed in order for it to stay on past an hour. If you just park and leave it on, after an hour the RAV will turn itself off. So, if you are camping out of the back, you will need to climb in the back, make sure all the doors are closed, and then reach up and click the lock button on the door.
 
#35 · (Edited)
Dan Daniel said:
Yes, but it does involve the ICE turning on and off at times if needed to recharge the hybrid battery. If you are near other cars, such as in a campground, you are basically running a generator. Which is a pretty selfish thing to do in the middle of the night, and most campgrounds ban the running of generators after 8, 9 or 10 PM. Having recently had the 'pleasure' of car camping in a small campground where someone had their generator cycling all night, there's a word for people who run things at night (gas stand alone, hybrid vehicle, etc.). Don't be one.
Click to expand...
The Rav 4 plug-in hybrid (the PHEV known as Prime in the USA) uses the 18.1kWh (14.5 usable) traction battery for both heating and A/C WITHOUT NEEDING THE ICE AT ALL - assuming a) the outside temperatures are within a certain range and b) the battery has sufficient charge to operate the cooling and / or heat pump. This is an enormous benefit for car campers like myself who do not wish to keep windows open to avoid condensation and prefer to camp like the Tesla and Ioniq 5's 'camp mode' which maintains a constant set temperature and air flow without using the ICE. The Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe PHEVs do NOT have said heat pumps and DO require the ICE which is why I bought the Rav 4, though not my ideal first choice as a little smaller than those PHEVs which I would have preferred.

The Volvo XC60 and 90 and Audi Q5 and Q7 PHEVs also have heat pumps and allow all night car camping as described, subject to the conditions stated above. Note that Canada / USA / AUS may have different options than in the UK, but my many thousands of hours researching what BEV / PHEV to buy for car camping have given me these conclusions for the entire PHEV UK market. I hope this helps... .
 
21 - 37 of 37 Posts
About this Discussion
36 Replies
24 Participants
Last post:
462478
Toyota RAV4 Forums
posts
1.1M
members
174K
Since
2004
Rav 4 World is the internet's largest Toyota Rav4 SUV and EV online forum community. Discuss towing, modifications, and more.
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
4.3 General 4.3 Mechanical 4.5 RAV4 Hybrid (except Prime) 4.5 RAV4 Prime 4.3 Exterior