Bed / Mattress Height (non High top van)?

[RogerD]

I have a chevy express cargo van.

Haven't done anything to it yet, just working on my plans.

Sitting in the van using an adjustable stool, I found that much above 17.25 inches that I hit my head on the cross-members. That is if I sit up straight, which I normally slouch a bit and if taken into consideration could go higher than the 17.25. However, this is with nothing done to roof or floor that will reduce the height....insulation/panels.

I want to use the underside for storage and batteries.

The wheel wells are about 11.25 inches tall. I figure I could build the bed stand that or maybe 11.5 to be safe and then use 3/4 plywood for the bed platform.

The batteries I plan to get re just under 11 inches tall and I could use milk crates for storage which are 11 inches tall. So the above height would work fine.

This would give 5 inches for a mattress. However taking into account the mattress will give some and that when sitting I normally slouch some, I thought I would try an 8-inch memory foam mattress and hope for the best.

Thoughts?

What height is your bed / mattress?

 

[Matildas mate]

I bought a 4” foam tri-fold mattress that i have been using a couple of months now. Being able to fold the mattress provides a couple of advantages for me...

1. My 3/4” plywood platform is in two halves and hinged to allow access to the storage beneath. The easily foldable mattress makes that access a snap.

2. Folding the mattress also allows me to use the sleeping platform for other things like a desk, a workspace for projects, or for preparing/cooking meals.

This mattress replaces an 8” gel foam mattress which i abandoned because it was too hot. The difference in mattress height was not an issue for me comfort wise.

 

[QinReno]

I have a GMC Savana regular length van. Removed the lower cargo lashing boards, and it's 74-76" across the back just above the wheel wells, so I have a regular 74" long mattress crosswise. It's a twin, and just stuffs in between the vertical strut coming down to the top of the wheel well, and the side-bulkheads at the back. If you put in paneling, you will have only about 68" across.

I have a board on top the wheel wells with no extra spacing, and an 8" thick 3-layer foam mattress. I don't have a problem with my head banging the ceiling, but that might also depend on how tall you are. I got this mattress because the top-layer of memory foam is the thinnest of the group. Being foam, the corners compress into the space available, but they could be trimmed using a carving knife for better fit.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006L9QN4G

I use eight (8) of these heavy-duty cardboard storage boxes, since I had them in the closet, and they fit "exactly" into the space under the mattress, and take care of almost everything I need.
https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-3887/

Go minimalist.

 

[crofter]

Ergonomics information says to leave 34 inches above the bed.  I left 31 inches above the bed, which gave me 29 inches under the bed, enough room for two bins stacked.     ~crofter

 

[Scout]

I built boxes around my wheel wells out of 5/8" plywood and insulated the inside of the boxes with 1/2" insulation.
The insulation sits on top of the wheel well and my bed height is even with the top of the box.
I have a video on my youtube channel below if that doesn't make sense.

 

[max+sophia]

What height is your bed / mattress?

Hi Roger,  You have a lot more available head room than I do in my Ford Escape.  I bought a cot (no middle legs so plenty of underneath storage) and a memory foam mattress.  Both are pictured, with Amazon links on my Methusaleh thread.  Very little room between mattress and ceiling, but enough to use the cot as a lounge, and use my notebook.  My huge desktop stays home, waitig for an auction of all my junk. :s

 

[vanlifeadventures21]

We have a 4" gel memory foam and I find it super comfortable. I think 8" would probably be overkill unless you're really sensitive.

I would advise setting your bed to a hight where you can sit up straight. We did the slouch bed thing for the first 6 months and it was awful (of course I tend to work on my computer a lot). We ended up rebuilding the whole bed section and lowering it a few inches so we can sit up straight and it's been a huge improvement.

 

[gevalia]

For what it is worth - but please know that I am new. Brand new, just finishing my 09 chevy express this week. I plan on boondocking and restocking in town once a week. Doing photography and hiking so my needs may be different.

I redesigned and built my bed 4 times. Just took too much space for me because I lost the space above the bed. After really thinking it thru I realized that a fulltime bed was what was bugging me. Dead space when not in use. So what I settled on is a teton foldup cot. I can use it inside or outside. And went to IDEA and got 2 2x4 Kallax cabinet sets - one for each side and trimmed the passenger side length to fit. I've got 1.5 inches of polyiso on the walls and when the cot is brokendown, I have 34"+ down the centerline of the van. The corners(wall to ceiling) I also used for canned goods, toiletries, etc and I hung 3 18" baskets on drivers side and 1 18" basket on the passenger side halfway down. By bulkhead inback of the drivers seat has all my electronics and at the base are my 2 lithium batteries. Back from that is my woodworking tool garage using french cleats and then the cabinet. My 11 gallons of water is at the back drivers door along with my 5gallon toilet bucket. The cots are so hard, you need a 2" pad which makes them amazing to sleep on. I'm not giving up comfort. I did try a what they claimed was a 34" cot but you had to get off either end to take a leak so I sent it back. During the day I have my 3 backpacks on the floor along with the folded up cot (folds to like 30"x10") and put the backpacks on the cabinet when I'm asleep. Sure, I can't use the space down the center for any fixed reason but I just move things when I need to put the cot up. And I got a camping foldup chair that snugs away next to the tool garage which leaves me with a 4'x4' square open area just inside the barn doors. Who knows if this will work when I'm using it every day but it's efficient and has a lot of open space in such a small area. The cot I have I think is 17" tall. The camp chair is a perfect height for cooking on my stove and putting my feet up on the cabinets to kick back.

 

[Tiny Metal Tube]

I wanted to use storage bins underneath, which were 14" tall, so I aimed for a 14" clearance under the 2x4s. The overall bed's total height ended up at 17" because of the width of the 2x4s (which are like 3.25" wide for some odd reason instead of 4").

Of course then I partitioned the compartments at the 2x4s so the bins don't go under the 2x4s, and with the compartments I no longer need the bins, so the 14" measurement turned out to be pointless. But it's a good height for my van's shape, and I can put my feet on the floor without straining my legs.

 

[BinDerSmokDat]

I'm pretty tall and wanted storage under my bed in my E150.
Milk crates are 10.5" tall and I had an assortment of bins about 12" tall so I limited storage space height to 12.5"
I used 1.5" thick lumber for the bed struts with 1/2 ply on top.
With 1/2" insulation and 1/2" ply on the floor, the bed platform is 15.5" taller than the bare van floor and 14.5" to the plywood van floor.
The bed is supported by boxes framed around the wheel wells, about 12" deep and run from the back doors to the cargo door and a little further on the driver side.
The boxes are inconvenient to access with the mattress on top, so I have tried to use them for things I rarely need.
Things like the house battery, tools, jack, inverter, electric wiring etc.

Unlike gevalia I didn't want to have to stash a bed or do a folding/rearranging deal every time I wanted to sleep.
Leaving the bed a full-time fixture does take up space, but with a 6" mattress I can sit up in bed, or recline.
If I need more space to sit upright there is the floor or the drivers seat or the passenger seat facing rear.