[How to] Expandable / Pull-out Bed for your Camper Van | Van Life & Conversions | Chevy Astro

i think that bed design is one of the most important considerations when planning a camper conversion it determines many aspects of the experience in your vehicle like how space is used or saved and what storage options are like and how to access them the bed design in disaster van version 2 is the closest i've come to attaining my perfect bed design and it comes with 11 years of experience building conversions and utilizing them in this video i will show you my bed how and why i built it the way that i did and basically nerd out on this i've built and rebuilt this bed multiple times i'm happy with the results and i'm stoked that you're here to learn more about it first let me give you an overview of the bed itself the bed in disaster van version 2 operates both as a bed for one or a bed for two i will refer to these as single or partnered mode single mode is when the bed is in its retracted state with either a single cushion or a second cushion which is either stacked or placed in couch mode please note couch mode is deceiving but more on that later single mode is great for solo adventures and utilizes the bed in a way that saves space and requires little to no time to set up partnered mode is when the bed is pulled out and each person has their own mattress partner mode is made possible by interlaced breathable slats that allow the frame to extend out the total size of both mattresses is the exact dimensions of a full-size bed which equals 75 inches in length by 55 inches in width and the frame fully extended out is exactly 55 inches in width from wall to shelf lastly the bed is designed with storage in mind which can be accessed by a front-facing cabinet for quick and easy accessibility to things we may need and has top access for placing and retrieving larger items you can also secure your load by using straps to secure the hinged lid of the bed to the stationary frame that way the items under the bed and the bed itself are secure in case of an accident now that i've shown you how the bed works let's talk more in depth about the design the bed frame consists of two main parts the base and the lid the base is stationary it is the foundation the storage area and the platform that the lid sits upon it is made with primarily two by fours three quarter inch tongue and groove blued pine for the cabinet face and three inch pine strips for the back the frame itself is screwed in place through the plywood floor the lid is not attached to the frame but rather is attached to the wall by a board acting as a base plate for the two gate hinges and the lid the lid rests atop the frame in both single and partnered mode the lid is comprised of a stationary piece and a moving piece i will go more into detail about the slats in a little while but first let's talk about general measurements all right coming at you from inside the van now let's talk dimensions first we're going to start with length the length is 74 inches from one side to the other that is one inch shorter than your standard full-size bed dimensions i did that because i needed a specific width for the shelving unit as you can see it is built as tight as it possibly can be so this had to be 74 inches the bed itself hangs over one inch on the end it's of no consequence it works out perfectly height the height on this is 11 and three quarters from the floor to the top of the frame that is the lowest that i could make the frame before the indentation in the wheel well starts interfering with the design the height from floor to the top of the slats is 14 inches from the open standpoint you have 74 inches by 55 it fits a full-size mattress perfectly i've cut those mattresses in half and they stack onto each other they fit over here 27 and a half inches and then goes out to 34. so there is some extra space specifically that's there so i can put the bed in couch mode which couch mode is deceiving but you can also store extra things like like a portable fire pit and camping chairs and other such things that you can strap on to the actual frame lip itself let's talk about the slats on the lid and how that all works there are three main elements that make up the retractable lid one a hinge lid with stationary slats and stopper bar this is the part that connects the lid to the wall hinges the lid to allow for storage access and provides the framework for the bed extension 2. movable extension slats with stopper bar this is the movable part of the lid that takes the bed from single mode to partnered mode the stopper bar acts as a brace for both stopping the end of its max length and pushes up against the stationary slats without the stopper bar the movable slats would simply fall out of the lid itself three lipped stationary slats a few of the stationary slats stick out just a little further and feature a curved underside this lipped stationary slat acts as a catch so the extension slats can move as a single piece when storage access is needed without the aid of the lip the movable slats would just sink below the stationary slats when pulled up and make top access storage very challenging and dangerous the slats in the hinge lid alternate with the slats of the movable extensions so they go movable stationary movable stationary all the way down the line quick tip use two screws for attaching the slats to the two by fours in both the stationary movable sections this will prevent excess swaying when pulling the frame out my design focuses on breathability and ensures that the mattress can breathe during both single and partnered modes do not completely interlace your slats this is the biggest and honest mistake i see a lot of people making in their first time builds when you're creating a design using interlocking slats that has no air gaps when you're in single mode you are creating a vapor barrier you are a being that exhumes moisture if you sleep for eight hours you're creating a perfect petri dish environment you're a warm human who's exhuming warm moisture into a porous material like foam and that goes down into the foam mattress and then when it hits slats like this when it hits solid slats with no air gap in between there's nowhere for that moisture to go it stays in the mattress and if you do this repeatedly eight hours a night you're warming up the environment and adding more moisture and then you let it cool down you do that repeatedly there's gonna come a point eventually and you're going to see mold and mildew damage this is problematic the solution to this is to create air gaps in between your slats so that the moisture has a place to go every single night in order to prevent mildew and mold damage in your build in your mattress in your frame you want to be able to have a breathable area no matter which mode you sleep in and you'll save yourself a lot of hardship and money in the long run now that we've talked about the let's talk about the base frame the base frame is honestly pretty simple it's mainly two by fours the base frame is shaped like an f this was based off an older enclosed design that i've since scrapped but the f design remained because i found that after a little modification i could put my pelican 1510 in pretty snugly with the 2x4 in place the front-facing cabinet is two continuous boards of blued pine which is the same material i used for the walls the material was cut two battens were screwed on for support three inches were applied to the bottom blued pine board and attached to a bottom runner that separates the cabinet face from the ground the height of the runner board is the same height as the handles i installed which allows the cabinet face to sit level and is the same height as the 2x4 on the base frame easy to put things in easy to take them out and it doesn't scratch the floor the runner also is the same distance between the lids feet so when you push the lid back to retract the bed it can fit snugly between the runner board to prevent squeaking when driving felt has been applied to the cabinet frame and swivel latches that i made and it's quite effective mattress in this build i have used two inches of ultra hard marine foam and three inches of serta memory foam the key formula is a firm surface that can hold its shape as best as it can against the slats and gives your back the support it needs and then the memory foam gives you the comfort you deserve yeah that's right you deserve that foam custom upholstery was created for them using a twin peaks themed chevron pattern and an eddie bauer heavy flannel sheet which came highly recommended by sheet connoisseurs which is something that i am not they are sewn together and feature a big ass zipper so when we want to wash the box cushions we can when needed overall the mattress is one of the most comfortable beds i have ever slept on when i'm not using them in the van you can usually find one of these mattresses in my editing studio where either myself or my cat is taking a well-deserved nap and finally tips tricks and bed design nuances my particular bed has some nuances that you may or may not find necessary for your build but it is worth mentioning them the back corner edition i made both helps hide the weird corner of the van as well as provides a support for the bed to sit upright in couch mode couch mode as i've said multiple times earlier is deceiving you can only build your bed as low as your wheel well protrudes couch mode is more for sleeping in a single mode when traveling with two mattresses i have found however that low profile camping chairs actually work really well as supplementary seating options inside the build and actually use them quite often one particular advantage to having a bed design like this is that i can still haul things i've hauled lumber building materials you name it they are very very big advantages to having everything you need not take up every square inch of space that you have and i think that this bed design achieves that goal very well on the top of my lid i have added a vertical lip so that the mattress won't fall off in single or partnered mode this was an addition i made on this build after experiencing my mattresses shifting in the night when sleeping in the van on uneven ground a simple vertical lip was an easy design element that fixes this problem and i think that about covers it if you want to see more build photos for disaster van check out disaster van on instagram at disastrovan folks thank you for watching i hope that you've learned something and happy building to everyone until next time sleep well everyone take care

Channel: The Ultralight Nerd

Views: 117,693

Keywords: retractable, expandable, van life, van lifer, van dwellers, van dwelling, astro van, astro van camper, slat bed, full sized bed, car mods, van mods, chevy astro

Id: 88Rsh5guOdw

Length: 10min 22sec (622 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 10 2020