Just ordered a cot..

[arlon]

I have tried a few different arrangements for a bed in my van and just haven't found a truly comfortable solution. I'm a strict side sleeper and always wake with hips hurting a dozen times a night. I have 4" of foam and 2" of memory foam and still wake up sore. I decided to throw the boxes/platform out and just put in a simple folding cot. If the cot works (can't be as hard as the plywood platform) it sure would solve a lot of issues for me. I got a roll-a-cot to try. It's kind of funny in a way. I've spent two weekends building up some platforms I could store stuff under and still be light enough to easily remove for those times I need a van. Now I'm going to throw them into the garage and try something so simple it can't possibly work. The cot is lighter, could use it out of the van, could use it in the house, cheaper, tall enough to store stuff under, etc... If it actually works I'll go out and bang my head against the wall a few times.. (-:}

 

[libarata]

Roll-a-cot, as in Camptime Roll-a-cot? Will there be pictures associated with this

 

[tgreening]

Before you pull and/or toss those platforms you putt all that work into, why dont you stick that cot i your house and do your test driving in there? It might end up being the cot that gets tossed, and you'd have wasted time and effort moving those platforms around.

 

[arlon]

Yes, Camptime. I made my platforms in sections so they come out and stack in the garage in about 3 minutes. Not a problem rearranging the van but I will for sure try it in the house first. I'll at least get to see how it compares to the couch.

 

[bstory]

Consider Ikea slats under your mattress



We had the same issues with sore hips (and shoulders) on a plywood bed platform and solved the problem with Ikea bed slats system. Something like this:http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60125969/.

The outside of the frame sits on two wooden lockers built over the wheel wells in our Sprinter. The whole thing easily lifts out when we need the van to transport sculpture and is very comfortable even for old farts in their late 60s. We spent a month on a cross country trip with our van with this bed and it is so comfy we once moved out of a motel room into the van for a good night's sleep.

We use an Ikea foam mattress on top of the slats. Something like this, although the exact mattress we have is no longer sold. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70272323/

We are planning to install hardware on the slats frame and ceiling of the van so we can hoist the whole thing to the ceiling rather than taking it out of the van when we carry sculpture. The slats frame and mattress are light enough it shouldn't be a problem to rig a simple system with eyes and rope.

 

[Pinnacle Campers]

I have seen the slats before, it's hard for me to see it being any different, comfort wise, than a platform.
Are the slats in your hip area really deflecting enough to make a difference?

 

[bstory]

Yes, they all deflect so you get a springy surface rather than a hard one. No substitute for trying one, if you are ever in the neighborhood of an Ikea. That's what we did - go in and lie down on the beds and see what you think. Plus they are very light weight.

 

[ober27]

Arlon,
Any update? Did you get your cot? Photos set up in van?

 

[arlon]

I got the cot and I'm thinking this is one of those "less is more" kind of deals. I took out the back platform boxes and stacked those in the garage. I left the front ones for the moment but they be gone soon too. There is plenty of room under the cot to store stuff and if I don't want to look like I'm sleeping in there, I just fold up the cot. This is way more comfortable to sleep on, looses no storage space, easy to have my van back when I need a van. I'm always solo so this just seems perfect for me. If the wife did come along, she can sleep wide ways on the front box. I wish I'd have just done this in the first place. Zero construction or changes to the van is appealing in some cases. I don't want an RV, I want to be as inconspicuous as as I can be.

Pics are with the 4" foam and 2" memory foam pad I had to use on the boxes to be comfortable. The cot is more comfy with nothing than the boxes were with 6" of foam. I did put the 2" memory foam topper on it and it was even more comfy.

With no center braces under the cot, my 14' canoe, paddles and PFD even fit under it...

 

[ober27]

Would there be enough space for two cots side by side?

 

[arlon]

Would there be enough space for two cots side by side?

Two would not simply slide right in. I think there would be about an inch that would have to come from somewhere. What I do see is that if you were to cut about 5" off the end of one cot, it might force itself in. If you trimmed the end AND cut the feet down an inch on one of them i would fit pretty well. Trimming one end would also leave room for a cooler behind the seats, space to at least sit up AND gets the back leg out of the step well. With the cots crossed legs on the ends, it would be more difficult to get stuff out from under them. Considering cost and such, if you need to sleep side by side I'd just build a platform, and live with it. I go solo almost always so the cot is perfect, better than the platform I had. If the wife goes, she sleeps crosswise on or kitchen box behind the seats. We sleep foot to foot and everyone is happy!

If you could find cots about 1/2" narrower, they would drop in. I'm sure there out there.

Moved the cot back to get the leg out of the foot well. You could just add an extension to the leg in the well too.

This is how far I moved the cot back.

 

[arlon]

Normal configuration when two of us go.

 

[ober27]

Looks like a nice setup. I'm curious, how tall is your wife? Is she comfortable in that configuration? I ask because my wife and I have been looking at vans to replace our old Toyota pickup. She really doesn't like the idea of a full size van, so I'm looking at our options. Thanks for sharing.

 

[philos]

Man, this really appeals to me. And when you're actually at a campsite and not doing the stealth thing, it'll come outside for a night under the stars.

 

[arlon]

Wife is 5'4, no problem for her sleeping behind the seats... With door well and storage well behind the drivers seat in this location it makes it almost 6' wide (the widest part of the van). I can sleep pretty comfortably on the box behind the seats but at 6', I'm just a few inches short of being able to stretch all the way out. I like the full size vans but I also like the Astro a lot too. Astro fits in the garage easier.. Wife has no complaints with sleeping in the van as long as she doesn't have to leave it in the middle of the night for anything.