Sequoia Sleeping / Storage Platform

[Retired Tanker]

Wife and I decided to build out the Sequoia. But, rather than sink a ton of cash into it (which we really don't have), we're going to "grow" into it.

First phase will be a sleeping / storage platform, next will be ... I really don't know yet. We'll probably overnight a couple of times and then decide. We may eventually build a mild-offroader (I doubt we'll be crawling over rocks) or we may just stick to the occasional multi-day boondocking adventure.

Great thing about a Sequoia is the floor of the cargo area is nice and flat, provides plenty of anchor options, and is long enough for a full size mattress.



She wanted to keep the middle row of seats, and I agree. They do come in handy between trips, and they're a pain to take out. So the platform has to be high enough to clear them, and allow space of a pad of some kind to protect them.



So, with a sheet of plywood in the back and level, we figured that the platform needs to be about 14" tall.



I settled on 3/4 Birch plywood. 1/2" is probably strong enough, but would require some additional hardware to assemble, stiffen the structure, etc. I cut the major pieces and did some dry-fit.



And then brought the wife out to make sure she was aware of the space constraints. I spent 21 years as a tanker and can sleep standing up if I need to. When we were dating she used to say "roughing it is late room service..." So I'm just a little skeptical of her new-found interest in camping.

Anyway, I got quite a bit done yesterday. I need to make a couple of adjustments before I build the drawers, but this is what I've got so far.



Anyway, I've done quite a bit of researching on the portal and I appreciate everyone sharing their experience. Just trying to give a little back.

 

[Retired Tanker]

Got a little more work done. Fastened the top platform using biscuits and glue.





And I put the frame into the Sequoia to decide how I wanted to tie it down and to check the scale with the air mattress in it (Grand Daughter added for scale...)



Didn't get any work done on the drawers. I'll probably get to those next weekend.

 

[batmn77]

sweet! looks heavy though!

 

[Retired Tanker]

Naw. She's pretty light...

OH! The frame!! Haven't weighed it, but it's only a single sheet of 3/4 birch plywood, right now. Maybe 60 - 65 pounds. The drawers will add about another 45 pounds, empty.

 

[fjtoyman]

The single sleeping platform in the back of my landcruiser was built on the same premise, except just one person. My issue is the head & knee room and getting dressed in the tight space. Just my thoughts. It's ok for me but if I added my wife to the equation, May be a different story.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[Retired Tanker]

I climbed in and rolled around a bit. Plenty of shoulder space, and I can lift my knees up if I need to get dressed. We'll have to work out some processes, but hey, that's part of the fun, too.

And, we may find we're just not really interested in this approach and scrap the whole thing. That's why we're starting small and working our way into it.

 

[drifter_r6]

Try to lighten the frame as much as possible, without ruining structural integrity (cut a bunch of 2-3" round holes in the sides). You will be surprised how much all that weighs once you are finished. Also cut some doors/openings on the top. That way you can still access the drawers from inside the vehicle with the tailgate closed (think riding out a bad storm).

 

[Retired Tanker]

What you have done is very nice looking and should serve you nicely.

The wife situation could be improved by one of the tents that fit at the rear of the vehicle. They have a wall section that has a skirt that covers the lift gate and back of the vehicle with a bungee cord around the back of the vehicle. You can slide out the back stand up get dressed have a porta potty and bad weather food preparation area.

I look forward to seeing the process and development of your project.

Now that's something that is interesting. We had talked about one of those pop-up "pavilion" style awnings, and I had thought about something that might attached to the edge of the lift gate. I could lock is up with some PVC pipe around the supports.

Do you know of a specific tent that would be suitable? Or do you just get a 4-sided one and use 3 sides? (edit: Never mind. Through the magic of Google...)

 

[Forbye]

If you search "SUV tent" or "truck tent"on ebay you will find 4-5 different choices most days. Most will provide upright dressing.

 

[Rezarf <><]

The sequoia is an awesome rig, we loved ours when we had one.

Another option is sourcing a few low profile sleeping pads like a thick thermarest or a few of the exped mega mats. They are pricey but they will gain you another 4-6" of room compared to a blow up and won't sacrifice any comfort.

 

[Retired Tanker]

If you search "SUV tent" or "truck tent"on ebay you will find 4-5 different choices most days. Most will provide upright dressing.

I knew as soon as I hit send that I should google it and, sure enough, there they were. Thanks for helping.

 

[Retired Tanker]

The sequoia is an awesome rig, we loved ours when we had one.

Another option is sourcing a few low profile sleeping pads like a thick thermarest or a few of the exped mega mats. They are pricey but they will gain you another 4-6" of room compared to a blow up and won't sacrifice any comfort.

I saw those in Cabella's the other day. We're going to use what we have for now and then decide where best to take our little project.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Dartman]

We ended up using this as our sleeping pad for the back of our 2004 Sequoia SR5:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SNOFSWK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

It fits perfectly. At first, we were going to build a sleeping platform like you. We did a mock-up using 4 Action Packers and two Coleman Extreme Coolers. It turns out to be a great fit, and we thought we might be able to go with that set-up and not bother with a platform. We sleep two down below and two on top with a roof top tent.




Then we tried it, and it just felt too constricted due to the lack of headroom. We ended up scrapping the platform idea and now we just lay the pad down on the floor with the seats folded forward. There is a ton of room, and the whole family hangs out down there at night before bed. Once it is bedtime, two of us go up top to the roof top tent. Obviously the biggest drawback is that you have to move some stuff to the front seat and outside. This system has been working well for us. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Retired Tanker]

The headroom thing is actually my first fear. Not for me, but the wife. We'll give it a try right after Christmas and see how it goes.

Edit: One of my other challenges is managing the rear hatch from inside. I don't like the fact that I can't open / close the window, nor open the lift gate from inside. I'm sure there are some safety reasons that it's designed that way.

The functions are controlled via the "Back Door ECU." I'm thinking of adding a rocker switch and a pushbutton to the inside panel. The rocker would be spliced into the wiring at the back of the key switch. This would both unlock the doors and (when held) lower / raise the window. The pushbutton would require me to engineer and add an actuator to pull the latch cable near the handle, and I'd have to find a 12v supply circuit somewhere in the door; perhaps off of the same line that feeds the key switch.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Retired Tanker]

Well, we boondocked on the way back from our Christmas vacation. Little rest plaza east of Hot Springs, AR.

The headroom thing wasn't even a "thing," as we pretty much went right to sleep, or tried to. We're not looking to build out a fully functional camper, just a sleeping platform.

While I did sew up some "blackout curtains" and hung them using suction cups, I didn't account for the various noises. Wifey went right to sleep, but the traffic passing through the traffic kept me awake for some time. I didn't have my earbuds, and some soft Jazz would have been welcome. Won't make that mistake again.

We're thinking we might try our next trip down to Slade. We'll go down on Friday after work, boondock, and then explore some of the KAT the next day, returning home either on Day 2 or the morning of Day 3.