Last year we used some camp cots on our trip to Kansas. This year FabHub used his skills to make something more permanent. He used some Ash boards from a tree he cut down several years ago and some high-grade plywood from his old WoodTech manufacturing days. The boards have all been stored in the barn for a lot of years and are well cured! I cannot imagine the cost if he had bought the wood recently!
There was much cutting and sanding.
He used a Kreg joiner to put the panels together. Lots of wood protector to bring out the glow. The height of the cabinets was determined by the height of a hitch rack travel box I bought.
We call it the Big Box. It is intended for carrying propane, a stove, and other things we do not typically want inside the van. It seemed best to set the cabinets at a height that allowed the Big Box to be moved inside the van in case of unknown circumstances.
Self-closing hinges and double ball catches on the doors.
They are installed with bolts into the van walls.
I think they turned out fabulous!
The bed frames are set on top of the cabinet with routed wood blocks to raise them off of the countertop. The frames are the two pieces that came as a queen-sized platform bed intended to be bolted together. They also used to fold in half, so FabHub took the legs off each piece, fixed the folding part to be solid, and TA-DA, two cot-sized frames.
The back of the bed frame is held by a gate latch mounted to an L-shaped wooden bracket drilled into the back of the cabinet. That latch keeps the outer edge of the frame from rising when we sit on the edge of the bed. It was a significant adjustment to the plan.
The inner edge of the bed frame is supported by tie straps instead of a leg so that there is room for the Big Box, a kayak, or who knows what we might need room for on the floor.
The overall look with no extra "stuff" on the floor. Well, except that step stool. The beds are a little high, and I didn't want to slide on and off. I like to say we are using more of the verticle space than if they were lower.
This is an older photo from a squeak and rattle road test of how we will store the beds. Both beds are on that same cabinet held in place by the tie strap. There is vinyl flooring on top of the cabinet to protect it from the metal frame. We are happy to report there were no noises.
As for the beds themselves:
I ordered some 30"x72"x6" cot mattresses in August 2020.
I unrolled and let them expand last week.
Then I used fitted sheet straps to keep the twin sheets from getting loose.
Then I used safety pins to attach a blanket to the same strap to stay in place. That side of the bed is up against the wall, and with the coverings attached underneath, they should stay in place.
The mattresses are encased in a regular twin-sized futon cover that is zippered across the top and one side. It's a little bit big, but the zippers are not too tight, even with the blankets inside. That makes it easy to keep the beds from getting travel dust on them. It also adds another light layer if the night gets chilly.
That is the setup for 2021. The cabinet depth allows for all sorts of storage. The foam ceiling adds some color and helps with heat reflection. The Norco sound deadener keeps the sheet metal rattle down. The bug screen is good for ventilation. The blackout curtains let us sleep in crazy places. The table gives me an armrest and some storage. The vinyl floor makes cleaning up easier. Trip's kennel is behind the driver's seat.
Now let's pack up and head to Kansas in the morning.
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