Bed size
We are wondering about the size of the bed. Do you know the dimensions? D
We don't know what model we have so yours might be different, but most of the older smaller ones are less than full size wide (front to back) and 6' in length (side to side). Ours was 39" originally but we took out a bump at the front of the camper that appeared to have no structural raison d'etre to gain about 6" inches, but the bed was still too narrow for us (we're 5'10" and 6'0") and it was cold being right up against the canvas. We slept separately for awhile - one in the bed, the other on the bench - but that was too cold too.
I then turned the bed into a queen dimensioned front to back by adding a plywood extension that stores under the bed until we're ready to call it a day. For support, I cut down the cabinet that originally had a cooler in it (I replaced the cooler with full-extension slide out drawers) to the height of the bed platform to support one side of the plywood and then put a post on the other side to hold up the other side of the plywood. Everything is held together with dowels and "pins" I made with nails. I had the bench foam redone so that the pieces fit together to make the queen bed. It only takes about 5 min to put the platform together and more minutes to make the bed. It goes like this:
1. Pull the plywood extension out from under the bed so that it's supported by the cabinet and a length of 1x2 that I screwed to the face of the under-bed storage lid I had made previously. The plywood is now supported along 2 edges.
2. Put a dowel in the shallow hole I drilled into the bench seat plywood. Put the leg, which has a hole drilled in the bottom to receive the dowel, over the dowel so that the other corner is supported.
3. Pin the plywood into place by slipping four nails through the plywood and into the supports so it can't shift.
4. Remove the bench seat cushions and position them to make the queen bed.
5. Hold the cushions together with a fitted sheet.
Before you do all this, make sure you get what you need (clothes) out from under the bed. All the other stuff is reachable from under the extension.
We sleep a lot warmer now. We're about 8" away from the canvas on both sides and having two bodies in a bed is always a lot warmer than just one.
To provide our dog with an enclosed area that is easier for her to heat, we velcro'd some flannel sheets around the edges of the bed extension that go to the floor and bench platform to form a "tent" with our bed extension serving as the ceiling. We don't winter camp but the temperature typically drops into the 40's or even the 30's early and late in the season at the higher elevations we summer camp at.
Sorry I can't provide pics right now. I'm busy with gardening this time of year and would have to clear out a bunch of stuff stored in the camper to be able to take the pics. We'll probably by loading up in a couple of weeks at which time I'll provide photos.
Good luck with your project. We've had a LOT of fun - except when camped near people shooting guns constantly. The rules overseeing this behavior are almost non-existent. It's an assault to those of us who are seeking solitude and a quiet communion with nature. But that's a whole other topic.
Great reading your post! I just picked up a 1995 Hallmark LaVeta. I've had it off the truck the past week working on exterior fix-ups: multiple coats of linseed oil on the bed box, new calk all around, removed jack mounts to zip strip and repaint, new lid latches on the way along with a new fresh water drain...
