JK/JL Jeep Camper Concept
- Thread starter LostInTheWorld
- Start date
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
I don't have Michael's fabrication skills or attention to detail, so I had the interior of mine built by Goose Gear in California. I am extremely happy with how it turned out, and I think it's going to be fascinating to compare Michael's interior to mine.
I am loving the differences in our campers so we can learn as much as possible.
-Dan
PS Michael took that great photo in the video thumbnail!
Mules
Well-known member
Thanks Dan! I love the wood finish, all the cubbies with bungee cords, and the induction stove. Looking great!!
Great photo Michael!! It shows off the layout and size.
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
Mine will have a bed platform upstairs, I think Michael is currently planning to have his downstairs area convert into a bed.
Again, a great way to learn the pros and cons of each approach with a direct comparison.
-Dan
86scotty
Cynic
Oh I knew that much. Maybe you said it in the video? Me and a couple of friends have been wondering how you would lay it out though.
I usually fool with vans and all the pop top loft beds are sections from one side to the other that you can stack in the back in camp mode and some are done with a bed that lifts to the ceiling. I was curious whether you might do two long sections on each side, spanning front to rear rather than side to side, so you could maybe just take one for solo trips and still have walk around space (kind of) down below when a single bed is in place.
Like this:
Slide together for a double bed, fold up to each side or both on one side when convenient, or possibly raise one or both to ceiling. I would think you'd need pop up to go about 3' up for this to work though, which is higher than most straight up/down pop tops. The biggest question with this layout is whether or not long platforms like this could be built strong enough to not sag in the middle on the side that is towards the center, without having to build them so thick that they take away headroom.
Last edited:
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
The biggest lesson I learned from the Jeep I drove around Africa is that jobs you have to do every day start to consume your life, and you want them to be as minimal and quick as possible.
Making the stowing the bed fit that description to a T, especially when you move basically every day like I do on my trips.
So for me, it will be one big bed platform that just pushes up to the roof to get it out of the way. All mattress, bedding, pillows and everything will stay perfectly in place, so it's literally a 5 second job to pull the bed down and be done.
I don't want the hassle of anything extra.
-Dan
Mules
Well-known member
I agree with you on the push up platform bed. It is so nice to just push up your bed, and immediately make coffee or breakfast below. Leave the mess upstairs.
One suggestion is to keep the bed platform 6 to 8" below the bottom of the tent material. This way the mattress won't interfere with the tent material getting pulled in when you pull down the pop-up. I think about this every time I spend an extra five minutes tucking my tent material away.
Last edited:
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
Mules
Well-known member
Thanks and here's another unsolicited suggestion
Start with your mattress selection, and go from there.Here's a few options:
1) Alucab style wedge roof and bed system. This is the simplest design, keeps the pneumatic lift outside the vehicle away from the tent material when folded, and you might be able to pull down the top from the hatch inside the back. This would have been easier to lift/put down than my design. Note the bungee cord around the outside.
2) Side hinged design like AOV's jeep. Another simple design. Leave a hatch at the back of the bed to pull down the top. Another simple design.
3) Electric Lift System would be very cool, but getting more complicated and costly. How cool would it be to just push a button, and up goes the top.
Mules
Well-known member
I keep thinking about Dan Grec's top lift system/bed platform. I feel for you Dan since I struggled with which way to go building mine. The bed platform can get in the way of the top mechanics. Also how do you lift the top from the inside, if the bed platform is in the way. Below is an example from AEV's Outpost II which might lead to some good ideas for your build.
If you added a side hinged bed platform on the same side as the top from this example, and left gaps at the front and back of the bed, this might be nice. You could also go with pneumatic lift instead of the electric lift in the AEV to keep it simple. The bed would rest on both sides of the camper with gaps in the front for pneumatic cylinder and gap at the back to access sleeping quarter and for the back cylinder. You could even attach the bed platform to the roof with a bungee, so that it goes up when you lift the roof.
I bet Michael can make a really cool light weight and strong bed platform for you from carbon fiber!
I love thinking about possibilities. Good luck whatever way you go.
If you added a side hinged bed platform on the same side as the top from this example, and left gaps at the front and back of the bed, this might be nice. You could also go with pneumatic lift instead of the electric lift in the AEV to keep it simple. The bed would rest on both sides of the camper with gaps in the front for pneumatic cylinder and gap at the back to access sleeping quarter and for the back cylinder. You could even attach the bed platform to the roof with a bungee, so that it goes up when you lift the roof.
I bet Michael can make a really cool light weight and strong bed platform for you from carbon fiber!
I love thinking about possibilities. Good luck whatever way you go.
Last edited:
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
Thanks for all the input!
I won't be doing a side hinge roof like the Outpost II because it exposes more of the canvas to direct vertical rain and snow than I'm comfortable with (lessons learned in monsoons and all that).
-Dan
LostInTheWorld
Builder/Traveler
A little update on things:
We just got back from a nice camping test trip in the jeep camper. The habitat interior is only partially installed, and I still have a lot of habitat systems work to do, but we took a few days for a desert camping trip to meet up with family. It was a good time. Overall, the vehicle ran great and we averaged 19 mpg even with a lot of hills, so I’m pretty happy with that.
It was nice to test out all of my recent additions to the habitat, and the internal layout is getting pretty comfortable. Now that there is better internal habitat storage to keep things organized, it felt a lot less like car camping, so that was a big improvement. I look forward to getting the heater and refrigerator installed soon, but I think the next phase will probably be fabricating and installing the pop-top mechanism and installing the solar panels.
The new insulated carbon fiber roof was a nice upgrade, and with two windows open a little at night, there wasn’t any condensation, but the windows had to be open a little more than I would ideally like for cold weather, so I have a forced ventilation/heater idea that I want to try out.
Overall, things are much improved from our last trip, but I feel like some things still need work/iteration; like the new Hest Dually folding mattress wasn’t as comfortable as we were hoping. We liked the Mattress Insider Gel Foam Mattress + Froli Stars combination that we used in our Unimog habitat, but that combination doesn’t really work with this convertible bed/dinette. We might just need a totally different mattress, but first, I think I’ll try an under-mattress cushion under Hest mattress.
We just got back from a nice camping test trip in the jeep camper. The habitat interior is only partially installed, and I still have a lot of habitat systems work to do, but we took a few days for a desert camping trip to meet up with family. It was a good time. Overall, the vehicle ran great and we averaged 19 mpg even with a lot of hills, so I’m pretty happy with that.
It was nice to test out all of my recent additions to the habitat, and the internal layout is getting pretty comfortable. Now that there is better internal habitat storage to keep things organized, it felt a lot less like car camping, so that was a big improvement. I look forward to getting the heater and refrigerator installed soon, but I think the next phase will probably be fabricating and installing the pop-top mechanism and installing the solar panels.
The new insulated carbon fiber roof was a nice upgrade, and with two windows open a little at night, there wasn’t any condensation, but the windows had to be open a little more than I would ideally like for cold weather, so I have a forced ventilation/heater idea that I want to try out.
Overall, things are much improved from our last trip, but I feel like some things still need work/iteration; like the new Hest Dually folding mattress wasn’t as comfortable as we were hoping. We liked the Mattress Insider Gel Foam Mattress + Froli Stars combination that we used in our Unimog habitat, but that combination doesn’t really work with this convertible bed/dinette. We might just need a totally different mattress, but first, I think I’ll try an under-mattress cushion under Hest mattress.