Someone design a shelf for the Maggiolina tents

[Corey]

I did not want to clog up this other thread, so here goes a fresh one.

I dig my Autohome Maggiolina AirLand roof top tent.
Have gotten quite a few nights sleep in it while out camping.
One thing lacking is a nice shelf to put stuff on such as shoes, a hat, dirty clothes sack, a portajohn as seen in my picture in the other thread.

The shelf I have now can not hold very much or a lot of weight.
I am thinking a flat piece of aluminum or wood with fold down legs that are thin at the bottom, and they could possibly slip in between the mattress and side of the tent tub.
And anchor some to the scissors lifting mechanism arms.

It would have to fold flat so it could be stored in the tent when the top is down.
I do not have access to shop tools or equipment to do this or I would tackle a project like this.

Has anyone thought about doing something like this?
If so, would you produce them for other members?

And while you are at it, design a better portajohn bottle too.
The one I have is way to small.
The opening that is
The current design is not the easiest thing to use at 3 am when you wake up and do not feel like climbing down the ladder to go wee wee.

 

[StumpXJ]

If you design it, I will build it. I dont have that style tent, so I wont be much help. But, with a drawing and demensions, it sounds very simple.

~James

 

[Mike S]

I am going to keep an eye on this thread. Design could be VERY simple - a pair of gate legs, hinged to fold flat.

 

[Life_in_4Lo]

what is that box shaped thing that the light is built into (on the Maggiolina roof)
Can that be drilled into?

 

[Mike S]

what is that box shaped thing that the light is built into (on the Maggiolina roof)
Can that be drilled into?

Yes. You must isolate the drill bit from the fabric before drilling. The underlayment is laminated wood.

 

[compactcamping]

Corey, The feet part is easy, use standard boat top hardware, the fitting works with 1/2" condiut. Could make the legs for a couple of bucks each.

I don't have a Maggiolina so I'm not sure about attaching to the roof supports. Could be as simple as a couple of 90 degree bracket. Then use a piece of 3/8" Baltic Birch plywood for the table top.

 

[Corey]

Some good ideas in here.
I will have to crack open the tent when we get better weather and do some measuring for the width and length of a medium sized tent like mine.

It can not be to deep, as it has to lay next to the ladder and pillows and not hit the top of the upholstery on the roof inside.

This would be a lot more stable than the current setup I am using.
It does not need to anchor to the roof, but maybe a way to have it secure to the X on the scissors mechanism to keep it from trying to come forward towards you.

 

[07 Elephant]

subscribed...

 

[R_Lefebvre]

what is that box shaped thing that the light is built into (on the Maggiolina roof)
Can that be drilled into?

Box shaped thing? I have a Mag, and not familiar with that. All I can see is the light is set into the headliner.

I'm really interested in this project too. Is there any reason the back of the shelf *has* to be attached to the roof supports? Why not just use 4 legs sitting on the base for simplicity?

There's these:

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&p=40035&cat=3,41306,41309

 

[compactcamping]

A pair of these straight style wire hooks

screwed into the back of the shelf would work well for attaching the backside of the shelf to the tent scissors mechanism.

Just get some dimensions and I could mock one.

 

[Life_in_4Lo]

Yes. You must isolate the drill bit from the fabric before drilling. The underlayment is laminated wood.

Why is that box built in there? It seems way too big for just that tiny light.
Structural support for the lid?

Well if it's wood, easy enough to modify and make a shelf out of it... is it bonded to the fiberglass in any special way?
recommendations on how to pull off the headliner as not to damage it?

 

[compactcamping]

Hmmm, based on Rob's idea, there might be a Breakfast Tray available somewhere that is the correct size

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Exactly, why does it have to be more complicate than that? Though since I have a large, 60" wide, I'd be surprised to find a breakfast table that fit.

I'm also trying to remember what the sides of the mattress/tent are like. I think they're pretty tight? I know at the ends, there's a large piece of real estate over the jack screws where legs could sit. On the sides, it might need to pinch in the mattress a bit. Though I suppose one could make some "feet" at the bottom of the legs. Say triangles made of 1/4" alumimum, rounded edges, and maybe some plasti-dip on the bottom. Those could slide past the sides of the mattress without compressing it in any way.

So the legs could be just 1" square hardwood sticks, and at the bottom of the legs, triangles of 1/4" aluminum with a 4" base dimension that would be screwed to the legs.

 

[Mike S]

Mattresses are a tight fit in the base. The legs could be flat 1/8" aluminum bar stock. Pretty simple, like the breakfast table in the earlier post, but full width, and high enough to leave deployed when sleeping.

I use a simple cargo net that has hooks that slip into the open tops of the lift struts.

 

[Corey]

I have another idea floating around in my head.
You know how the upper roof has the groove in it which you insert the tabs of the nylon pockets you can buy...

What if you took a flat piece of materiel and put hinges on the end with an upright that can swing to fold down flat on the wood and swing back out again, and at the top of that piece it had a thing aluminum piece that was curved that would fit in that upper roof groove?

This would require no legs at all, and it would be suspended pretty much like my current shelf but sturdier.

The aluminum piece could be as wide as the shelf/swinging piece, so it would not rock at all when in place.

I do not have a good picture of the nylon pockets up close or how they attach to the roof.