Cargo To RV Unusual Design & Beds

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

Sometimes a thought pops into ones head and gets followed through on.  As we remove and prime the wall boards and find and mark the windows in the empty cargo trailer, we keep rearranging the design as we consider new and different ideas.  I got this idea to take our two cots out and put them where the bed was designated to go.  Wayne loves it the idea as much as I do.  See, the cots are REI camping cots that (1) make into a bed) or (2) raise just the topmost section and you have a lounging chair (nice way to watch TV), or (3) flip the bottom under the mattress which we use with it and it turns into a chair and provides a lot of extra space in the 6.5 foot x 16 foot space.  Then, if you want you can even fold them up and put them out of the way or take them outside and take a nap under a tree or in the tent/screen room.  

Our plan is a 2-year 2nd honeymoon/vacation that we've been planning for a very long time upon retirement (I think 343 days or so now to go...)

In the winter it gets cold and weather often keeps the family (2 adults and 2 dogs) inside.  Having the ability to change our body positions so easily as well as to create space for projects (perhaps I'll set the easle in front of the chair and oil paint).

I promise everything will have a secure spot and tie down so things aren't bouncing around as we drive down the road.  

And as an FYI with the cots outside the two mattresses would fit on the floor if one wanted to sleep that way and perhaps use the cots for guests in the outside tent.  Or for sleeping closer on cold nights.

Oh - and we are test-driving this option at the moment.  We got rid of our bedroom furniture and we are now using the cots and the Costco camping mattresses we bought years ago.  I am sleeping better than I have in a long, long time.  How's that!

 

[tx2sturgis]

I sleep well on my military style cot....I cringe EVERY time I see a van build where the builder has installed a plywood sheet and a wood frame as a base for a bed. 

What ARE they thinking?

Hey maybe it works with a 10" mattress and the person is under 200 pounds....maybe.

Or maybe it's a young, energetic couple and they plan on testing the thing....


:dodgy:

 

[WanderingBiker]

Over engineer it and build it once

Under engineer it and build it twice 

 

[tx2sturgis]

Over engineer it and build it once

Under engineer it and build it twice 

Building it strong is one thing, but building it strong AND uncomfortable is another. 

Box springs were invented for a reason....

 

[WanderingBiker]

right now I have a 8" memory foam mattress.. no box springs, right on a plywood base... so comfortable.... will probably move it into
my TT when I get it...

 

[John61CT]

I haven't slept on anything more than 3" dense foam, like a gym mat, direct on flat wood, since I was a kid (many decades now).

Except for a few hotel rooms, and man I hated sinking in, that sag in the middle.

Most of that time it's been more like 1.5", and for 15 years just woven mats.

Perfectly comfortable, all depends what you're used to.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Hey if it works for you, fine.....but sleeping on a plywood plank requires a thick mattress, (for us large guys) as you confirmed.

That means space lost, that could be used in other ways....not to mention a fair amount of added weight for the plywood and the framing. 

If I were to 'build' a bed for a van or trailer, I would use strong nylon webbing and an aluminum perimeter frame, along with a thin mattress or pad. This would provide the curved 'hammock' effect that I find so comfortable, especially if the vehicle is tilted slightly off-axis. 

Mil-spec cots are comfy and lightweight....and completely portable and removable...but of course they are not suitable for every build, and even less so for a couple.

 

[John61CT]

If I were to 'build' a bed for a van or trailer, I would use strong nylon webbing and an aluminum perimeter frame, along with a thin mattress or pad. This would provide the curved 'hammock' effect that I find so comfortable, especially if the vehicle is tilted slightly off-axis.

I need pretty close to flat, stomach sleeper here.

I've mentally designed a pipe or square-profile frame to suspend sunbrella-type fabric like outdoor furniture, stretched real tight.

Easily removed, rolled up and stashed.

Maybe a couple levels, and bits for the shorter passengers to fit into other corners like over the front seat area.

Personally I would not need any further cushioning, except maybe in snowy conditions for bottom insulation.

 

[Rabbit]

I'm in the process of replicating my current at-home twin bed in my 6x10. (I almost decided to simply move the one back and forth, but didn't need to cheap out that much.) I plan to use a standard twin frame and mattress; yes, it's big and takes up lots of room. But this is a no-box-spring setup, so there's space for storage underneath. (My batteries and more are hopefully going to end up there.) Since I'll need all this stuff and therefore it must go _somewhere_ anyway, I don't think I'll actually be giving up all that much real-world space. And, hopefully, I'll sleep well.

Crappy RV beds are a large part of why I'm building my own.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I need pretty close to flat, stomach sleeper here.

Oh, yer one of THOSE people.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I'm in the process of replicating my current at-home twin bed in my 6x10. 

{snip}

But this is a no-box-spring setup, so there's space for storage underneath. (My batteries and more are hopefully going to end up there.) 

{snip}

Crappy RV beds are a large part of why I'm building my own.

The kind with the steel springs and steel wires, or steel straps would work I think...and leave some room underneath. But if your batteries are under there, I'd figure out some way to isolate them from all the metal!!!

I would not expect anyone to put a box-spring in a van build....but what a box spring does is provide cushioning and compliant support under the mattress, same with the wires or straps.

Yeah I had a Class A years ago and the bed platform was stupidly bad. I mean, it worked, but I had to modify it, and of course there was lots of room in that RV for a thick mattress in the 'bedroom'

 

[happiergnome]

Oh, yer one of THOSE people.

I blew air out of my nose!  Had an ex who was a belly sleeper except it was more like a permanent sky diver.  Arms out, legs out, no space for me!

what a box spring does is provide cushioning and compliant support under the mattress, same with the wires or straps.

Copy/paste from wikipedia;  The purpose of the box-spring is threefold: to raise the mattress's height, making it easier to get in and out of bed; to absorb shock and reduce wear to the mattress; and. to create a flat and firm structure for the mattress to lie upon.
--
I always thought a box spring was just a glorified spacer and in my cheap bed experience, they've never been more than a wooden box frame with a cover over it.  i sincerely do not believe they offer any cushion but instead are meant to absorb impact when idiots like myself flop on the bed at the end of a rough day.  It might be beneficial, if space is limited, to just try not using one?  All that said, I've never owned a memory foam anything and always used a traditional spring mattress but I also spent the better part of a year sleeping on a couch and have slept quite well on the rear bench of an 80s suburban many times when doing things I shouldn't have been, not always drunk too!  My derriere isn't that particular is what I'm saying.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I always thought a box spring was just a glorified spacer and in my cheap bed experience, they've never been more than a wooden box frame with a cover over it.  

There is a big difference between a box-spring and a simple mattress foundation.

The box-spring actually has metal springs in it.

A mattress foundation is (usually) a simple rectangular wooden box with padding and fabric over it...and about 95% of people (including furniture salesmen) call those box-springs, but they are NOT box-springs.

If you see one listed for sale as "box-spring/foundation", hell, who knows? Be sure to investigate. 

In my post, I am referring to the actual box-springs.

 

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

In 1986 someone turned in front of me. I had 2.5 years of neck therapy and had 10 years of pretty bad problems off and on. Lots of needles in the spine to keep me working. Currently often use a walker and my last camping trip in September I was boiling hydrocolator bags and having a steam treatment in the forest under a tree on my cot.

I've alway needed several inches of memory foam. Currently we have a Costco rollup mattress that placed on top of the cot is really comfortable. When I had gone camping last I had had a bad fall and the cot was awful - I was going to sell it. But then I got better and I'm using it now and sleeping better than I have for years. There are no bars under it - just air and a give to the mattress when you move due to the webbing on the sides where it attaches. I figure we can always build something later but if this works having the modular furniture is a big plus in the winter when stuck inside. A chair in place of a bed is twice the room in the same spot and double that for the other cot/bed.

 

[Rabbit]

The kind with the steel springs and steel wires, or steel straps would work I think...and leave some room underneath. But if your batteries are under there, I'd figure out some way to isolate them from all the metal!!!

I would not expect anyone to put a box-spring in a van build....but what a box spring does is provide cushioning and compliant support under the mattress, same with the wires or straps.

Yeah I had a Class A years ago and the bed platform was stupidly bad. I mean, it worked, but I had to modify it, and of course there was lots of room in that RV for a thick mattress in the 'bedroom'

Thanks! I plan to secure a sheet of plywood over the batteries as electrical insulation. Or perhaps affix it to the bottom of the bed, which now that I think about it may make servicing the bank more convenient. This style of frame has steel crossbars, and relies entirely on a thick all-foam mattress for comfort. My home-bed is similar though not quite exactly the same (the home-bed has extra support-legs in inconvenient places or I'd just replicate it completely), so... It _should_ be okay. We'll see what develops; parts arrive Friday and oughta be installed and sleepable by Sunday if all goes perfectly. Which, of course, it never does.

 

[Rabbit]

I blew air out of my nose!  Had an ex who was a belly sleeper except it was more like a permanent sky diver.  Arms out, legs out, no space for me!


Copy/paste from wikipedia;  The purpose of the box-spring is threefold: to raise the mattress's height, making it easier to get in and out of bed; to absorb shock and reduce wear to the mattress; and. to create a flat and firm structure for the mattress to lie upon.
--
I always thought a box spring was just a glorified spacer and in my cheap bed experience, they've never been more than a wooden box frame with a cover over it.  i sincerely do not believe they offer any cushion but instead are meant to absorb impact when idiots like myself flop on the bed at the end of a rough day.  It might be beneficial, if space is limited, to just try not using one?  All that said, I've never owned a memory foam anything and always used a traditional spring mattress but I also spent the better part of a year sleeping on a couch and have slept quite well on the rear bench of an 80s suburban many times when doing things I shouldn't have been, not always drunk too!  My derriere isn't that particular is what I'm saying.

Everything is intensely personal when it comes to beds, so what I love others may hate. But in my own experience, memory foam directly on a purpose-designed steel fame and no box spring is easily the best night's sleep I've ever had. The only drawback I've noticed is that it sleeps a little "warmer" than a conventional mattress, and even that's a positive in colder weather. It's a relatively cheap way to go as well, if the components are bought off-brand on Amazon, and long-lasting. I've been sleeping on foam since (I believe) 2009, and never regretted it once.