Bob and Mimi have been eco camping for several years, together and individually, using both tents and a small trailer. Mimi used her 2007 Prius for several years when she went off the visit family and to explore mountain bike trails, but has recently sold the Prius and now drives a hybrid RAV4. Bob uses his 2011 Prius when he attends mountain bike races. They both use the 2011 when they camp together.
Last fall and spring, they took an extensive trip to places warmer than Wisconsin, including Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California. The 2011 Prius held both bikes and all camping gear, clothes, bike gear and food. Bob removed the back seat to enhance storage and build a sleeping platform.
Recently, they decided to buy a Safari Alto camper. Although they will be carrying around a bit more of a home, they want to keep things simple and as economical as possible. Follow Eco Trailer Traveling through this blog to learn more their experiences and get tips and advice that you can apply to your own adventures.
Eco Trailer Traveling 
Hi! I think we stumbled across another blog of yours: “thousanddreams,” which was our first exposure to the Alto. It began a crazy search for us on ultralight travel trailers. We are now contract signed, deposit register-mailed and with a pickup date of July 2018 for own own little 1743 Alto. Thank you for sparking our journey!
(I’d actually tried to message you through your other blog, but there had been a lapse in updates, which spawned a much wider search. This has been such a fun process!)
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Congrats on your new Alto. The wait seems to take forever, but time passes and then there it is. We are having a great winter with ours. It has been light to tow, comfortable and we do love it! Yes, the other blog has essentially been neglected. We are trying to keep this one updated – it has been somewhat difficult on the road with limited wifi and phone service. But we are still here! Thanks for letting us know we were able to inspire you!
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Hi Mimi,
I am trying out Prius as tow vehicle for my light camper later this month. Thank you for the detailed records of your exprience. One question I could not figure out from the blog posts was how much weight did you end up having Prius (tow + carry)? It guessing that the Alto trailer is ~1800lb plus two people, food + water, gear thats another ~1000lb.
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I am guessing we are closer to 2100 lbs. total for these trips..we are trying to focus on light items,and minimalism,but it is hard to estimate every item that gets tossed in.
We travel with all tanks empty,of course..
.if we find a local scale we will post an accurate number..
We wish you all the best in your travels!
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The Alto is supposed to be 1600 – at least that is what we are going with. Bob and I together weigh 260 or so, we don’t travel with water in the tanks, food, a grill, two bikes that weigh 50 lbs. together, dishes, pans, heater, chairs, computer, clothes, bike gear, and the usual camping stuff we would have on any trip. We hope to stop at a truck scale somewhere on one of our next trips to get our weight.
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Thanks. Yep sounds like you guys are over 2100 as well.
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Hi Jenn – so exciting!! Great job on your score! We are, as you thought, enjoying our winter in St.John, but we are also excited to get home at the end of March to try out the trailer. So far, we have only pulled it home from CanAm. If you have any specific questions or concerns, feel free to ask and we are happy to give you our thoughts. We only have internet from here if we are visiting a friend, so we aren’t as active online now as we are from home.
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Hey there folks! I’m thinking you may be enjoying St. John. I do hope so! Me? I’m an Alto fan and was lucky enough, through posts and outreach to have scored the spot for the purchase of Can-Ams 2015 1743 show model. I had been wanting to purchase one for adventures starting this spring, but the long wait list would’ve had me needing to just get something else. I’m excited to say the least, and also looking for a short soundboard from an actual owner. I’ve plunked down a $1000 deposit, and will likely need to finalize the next big deposit on that in tomorrow. If you are open to a little chit chat from one who is about to take the plunge, I’d sure be appreciative. In either case, HappyTrails to you wherever your path leads. Sincerely, Jenn
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