Windows and Privacy

I do 2 things for privacy while inside the Prius. First, I tinted the windows. If I were to do it again, I would not tint the front windows for better visability for night driving. And, because I hang a curtain behind the front seats, I don't need the front windows tinted for privacy.

I've used several types of window curtains in my Prius hatchback, including fleece, Duvytene, and Reflectix. I've described below how I've used each of these materials.

The Reflectix is a thin insulating material with tin foil on both sides of bubble wrap. I've used it plain; and I've also used it with black material glued to the outside for stealth. It has enough stiffness that if you cut it a little larger than the shape of each window, it'll wedge in and stay put without any additional help. The down side is that it takes up quite a bit of room in a small vehicle like a Prius. Plus, it's kind of a hassle, for my lazy self, to put up, take down and roll away. The up side is that it provides insulation on chilly nights.

Duvytene is a material that is used in the theater for black backgrounds. The soft side absorbs light real well. When looking in from the outside, when the Duvytene is hung, it just looks like an empty car or darkly tinted windows. The same is true of the black fleece. The fleece stretches, but the Duvytene does not. The Duvytene ravels (and should have a sewn hem), but the fleece does not ravel. The Duvytene wrinkles, and the fleece doesn't wrinkle. The Duvytene is cotton and the fleece is polyester. Both are lightweight.

I started out using black fleece curtains onto which I glued a long strip of Velcro to the top (the hook side). The Velcro would stick good enough to the headliner to hold the curtains up. I have 4 curtains, 1 just behind the front seats, 1 just in front of the hatch, and 2 for the back windows. When hung, if you looked into the back hatch window, you could see the bed. But, both the tinted windows and the black sheet over the bed make it difficult to see that there is actually a bed inside.

But, just like the Reflectix, the Velcro'ed fleece was a hassle to hang up, take down and put away (in a stuff sack) each night and morning. I wanted easy. I wanted curtains that I could just draw closed at night and tie back in the morning.

So, I got some black bungee cord and made a curtain rod from it. I strung it from 4 anchor points inside of the car -- 2 at the front corners (using the handles above the doors) and 2 at each back corner (using the struts for the hatch) -- making a rectangle-shaped "curtain rod." I cut 2 very wide curtains from the duvytene. One curtain would be tied back at the driver's side of the hatch and, when drawn, stretch across the back (just in front of the hatch) as well as cover the driver's side back passenger window. The other long curtain would be tied back just behind the front passenger window. When drawn, it would hang just behind both front seats and cover the passenger's side back window. When tied back, these curtains do not obstruct my view for driving. I hung the curtains so that they would slide on the bungee cord using small safety pins attached to the Duvytene.

The good thing about this set up was that it was easier to put up and take down. But, the unhemmed Duvytene raveled and looked raggedy, and the safety pins were not strong enough for daily use. Plus, the safety pins were starting to make holes in the Duvytene.

So, now I'm back to the black polyester fleece, also cut into 2 very wide curtains, and tied back at the 2 corners like I did with the Duvytene. At the top of each of the long curtains, I put in grommets which align to the anchor points for the bungee cord. At each of the bungee cord's anchor points I put an "S" hook that I slip the grommet onto when I draw the curtains. I use the bungee cord "curtain rod" to lay the top of the curtain over to hold it closer to the ceiling. So far, this is the easiest and cleanest looking solution to date.

I got my black fleece from cutting up blankets purchased at thrift stores. The Duvytene was a real find on craigslist for free. The yards of bungee cord were purchased off of eBay. And, I think everything else was purchased from Walmart.