Drop Down Beds

[Sparkie]

Hey Sparkie....Now I've got an idea of putting it toward back of van in your design, shortening your sofa seating by making the end piece a movable ottoman that hides shower pan, and a curtain/water shield assembly that somehow stores/drops down from underside of the raised bed.

Hey Brad.
I spent about a year building my van in my head before I started. I found each solution throws up 2 new problems!
We had a toilet which was a necessity really, but no shower. We couldn't find the payload to carry enough water to make it worthwhile for us. Or sacrifice the room for something that would  get used a few seconds a day. However, I did consider a shower base under one of the cushions on the sofa. You could build up the sides within the sofa to make a small 'bath' structure, and store the shower rose inside it. Remove a cushion, climb in, and then raise a curtain up around you which gets secured to the ceiling. Quick shower, and then collapse it all back inside itself and put the cushion back.
Good luck with your build. Everything is a compromise but at least you get to choose what they are.
Cheers

 

[Sparkie]

Oops. duplicate

 

[accrete]

beauty of a build Sparkie. Nice job on documenting the build and your adventures.
I really like the rear lounge with overhead bed.

Thom

 

[BradKW]

We had a toilet which was a necessity really, but no shower. We couldn't find the payload to carry enough water to make it worthwhile for us. Or sacrifice the room for something that would  get used a few seconds a day. However, I did consider a shower base under one of the cushions on the sofa. You could build up the sides within the sofa to make a small 'bath' structure, and store the shower rose inside it. Remove a cushion, climb in, and then raise a curtain up around you which gets secured to the ceiling. Quick shower, and then collapse it all back inside itself and put the cushion back.

Well hey, I really like that shower idea! I assume you had a cassette porta potty...where was it stored?

You mention weight/payload, and honestly that's a step I haven't taken yet...as in calculating everything. But its certainly one I wonder about...looking at some builds, it almost seems like the elephant in the room that nobody mentions. Either that, or its really hard to exceed the capacity of a MC 2500 or Promaster 250. How closely did you calculate everything? Considering that your build doesn't appear to be nearly as heavy as some I've seen, I'd be curious as to your input. Thanks! 

 

[Sparkie]

We did have a porta potti which was stored under the kitchen sink on fixed wheels / drawer runners. It slid out of the end of kitchen cupboard, across the sliding door. Some pics on the site here
http://www.stealthsprinter.com/van-build/amendments-changes/


We weighed our van at the local rubbish tip a few times during the build. The GVM of our van was 3550kg, with about 1000kg available for the build. The initial ply lining weighed about 250kg alone so we changed some of it. Apart from overloading the van, your insurance can use your weight as a reason not to pay if you have an accident.  We finished at about 3300kg fully laden. That payload has to include the build, fuel, water, 2 x people (if theres 2 seats), all your stuff etc. Adds up quick. 

Have a look around this site; theres some good stuff. Scroll down the link page to see the interior. It was my inspiration. Seems to have what you need. Permanent bed, second expandable bed, shower, toilet, and modern looking all inside a stealth work van. It was the van that showed me you don't need 70's brown and orange interiors!

http://stealthcamper.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-max=2013-08-06T15:13:00-07:00&max-results=7

Cheers

 

[Evil Patrick]

I used a queen futon mattress (unbelievable comfort!) on a sliding/locking platform (2 ft fwd and aft) that is piano-hinged to allow the futon to be a couch. The shower is in the back of the van and collapses against the back door, or drops completely (shower curtains on a hoop that attaches to eye bolts in the ceiling). I carry far too many goodies in Hefty Storage bins under the bed to even consider a Murphy or otherwise disappearing bed design. 2012 Sprinter 170 2500. Well, not to say I didn't spend a lot of time contemplating such a design, but in the end I'm really glad I didn't go that route! It's just too easy to forget that, just like a house with too few closets, a van with inadequate storage for your stuff is disappointing.

 

[jooliepoolie]

I used a queen futon mattress  (unbelievable comfort!) on a sliding/locking platform  (2 ft fwd and aft) that is piano-hinged to allow the futon to be a couch. 

Evil Patrick: Sliding/locking platform for a futon mattress is exactly what I'd like to have - right now I have a fixed platform. Do you have pictures posted anywhere?

thanks!
julie

 

[Bast]

Hi
This is a very interesting discussion. I was thinking that a motorized bed might be a good solution for us because we are going to need open space for a wheelchair. I've been considering a toy hauler trailer because they already have a ramp and many of them have a drop down bed. How reliable are the motors on these beds.
Bast

 

[BradKW]

In 8 months of looking, HappiJac is the only one available stateside that I've seen. Read lots of reviews, builds, etc, and feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Problems that occur appear to be quickly and competently handled by the manufacturer to peoples' satisfaction.

I have found the manufacturer to be responsive to general inquiry emails.

 

[Chrisbx7]

I'm actually building a "Murphy" style bed in my regular conversion van with a 12" top. I have room for a full size futon mattress and storage below and above. I wish I would have bought a straight wall high top van. This would be much beater with a lot more storage. 

In my layout I've got roughly 2'-6" between my bed wall and my bench and it goes to the front of the van. Keep in mind that I only camp in mine. Here are a couple of pictures of the work in progress.

I'm not in disagreement with anyone on here about storage space. I happen to believe that I have plenty of storage space and my bed won't take long at all to put up and down.