Conversion van bed

[mothercoder]

How big, generally, is the bed in a conversion van (the fold down back seat)?  Is it the rough equivalent of a double or a queen?

 

[ArtW]

not big enough, lol
every conversion van bed i ever saw was too short to be a full or a queen. and to make maters worse, the fold down seat / bed is rarely flat and comfortable

 

[mothercoder]

not big enough, lol
every conversion van bed i ever saw was too short to be a full or a queen. and to make maters worse, the fold down seat / bed is rarely flat and comfortable

I'm 5'4" so would it be long enough for me?  I would plan on adding a memory foam mattress to it.  Or....if it's smarter just to pull it out and build a bed, I could do that.

 

[ArtW]

At 5'4" you might find it big enough
Keep in mind too that I haven't tried every conversion van bed there is
But consensus on this forum is they usually aren't good beds, most pull them out and either build their own or stick a Walmart frame with a memory foam topper in the van

 

[steamjam1]

You should fit the vast majority of conversion bed out there, but they are not too cozy.

 

[mothercoder]

Okay. I guess I'll be pulling out the bed. Sigh.

 

[Almost There]

I recommend that before you make up your mind that you try sleeping on the bed for a night in your own driveway so that when you wake up at 3 AM hurting and uncomfortable you can head inside and crawl in to your real bed.

In the 30+ years that the RV industry has been putting those atrocities in conversion vans, I have yet to hear someone praise them.

At 5'4" you will probably be able to sleep across the width of the van IF you build the bed platform so that once the mattress is on it, the sleeping surface is the same height at the window ledge.

The conversion vans traditionally use up at least 5 to 6" of usable interior space in each of the side wall so that the width side to side is up to a foot smaller than an empty cargo van...that's why to get maximum width you have to position the bed height at the window level.

 

[mothercoder]

I recommend that before you make up your mind that you try sleeping on the bed for a night in your own driveway so that when you wake up at 3 AM hurting and uncomfortable you can head inside and crawl in to your real bed.

In the 30+ years that the RV industry has been putting those atrocities in conversion vans, I have yet to hear someone praise them.

At 5'4" you will probably be able to sleep across the width of the van IF you build the bed platform so that once the mattress is on it, the sleeping surface is the same height at the window ledge.

The conversion vans traditionally use up at least 5 to 6" of usable interior space in each of the side wall so that the width side to side is up to a foot smaller than an empty cargo van...that's why to get maximum width you have to position the bed height at the window level.

Great information!  Thank you.   I'll try to sleep on it once although that means I'll be sleeping in the parking lot of my apartment complex.  Hopefully none of my neighbors freak out.

 

[SternWake]

I recommend ripping the conversion van bed out and swinging various weight sledge hammers at it while cursing vile curses, that which would make a pirate blush, at full volume.

But, one might have to sleep on one for a couple of nights to develop that level of anger and contempt for the evil torture device.

 

[mothercoder]

I recommend ripping the conversion van bed out and swinging various weight sledge hammers at it while cursing  vile curses, that which would make a pirate blush,  at full volume.

But, one might have to sleep on one for a couple of nights to develop that level of anger and contempt for the evil torture device.

   I don't know.  I think I have a lot of unresolved anger from childhood, divorce, lousy bosses that I could tap into right away!

 

[SHELK]

I hear the manual ones are much lighter and more simple to take out.

At least I hope that is true. I plan on buying a conversion van that has the manual folding seat bed.

 

[ArtW]

well adding an electric motor to one sure wouldn't make it any lighter
Maybe you can sell the fool thing"gimme $50 and you take it out" lol

 

[TrainChaser]

AlmostThere gave good advice: try it. I've never heard anything good about them, either. I took out the one in my first van REALLY FAST.

I'm 5'8", too tall to sleep crosswise, so I just built a simple 2x2 + plywood platform the length and width of a standard twin mattress, tall enough to have good storage underneath. It was very comfortable.

In the next van, which was longer, I made it the same width but a full 8' long. This way, the (same) mattress took up the 'bottom' 6' and the top 2' was my indoor 'table', where I could cook with my small propane Grasshopper stove (yes, vented). And this is probably what I'm going to do again.

 

[masterplumber]

I've always liked this conversion van - simple but practical build.
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/live-conversion-van/

 

[mothercoder]

I've always liked this conversion van - simple but practical build.
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/live-conversion-van/

I like that van build also, with a few modifications:  I can't sleep on an air mattress - not even the high quality ones.  Gotta have something way more comfortable.  And while I'm not frou-frou by any stretch of the imagination, I do like adding some "hominess" to my space.  Practical is great and necessary but if I don't walk in and go "ahhhh" then it can never be home to me.  Maybe that's a "girl thing."

 

[masterplumber]

I totally get the hominess thing. My trailer has things that bring me joy in it - found antler sheds, turkey feathers, a custom license plate my wife and I once had on a car when we were young, A plate with a painting my late mom gave me for my first camper, etc. I also have very colorful curtains that my mother in law sewed up for me to brighten up all the wood tones. I wouldn't use an air mattress either, but I did like the simplicity of the bed build itself. Just put a quality mattress to your liking on it.