The Dispatch | Expert | Scudo Hub

Firemoth

Member

From: Bacup, Lancashire

Registered: 2019-07-05

Posts: 55

New slide out bed

Got busy over the weekend with a new bed idea for car camping. It's not often we use it so it's not it's not particularly refined, but the concept might be an idea for some. Granted, it's in a synergie, but the floorplan is the same in the van versions so would work equally well.

Sorry the last 2 are a bit dark. Winter makes it late early lol.

It's built from 2x2 (ish) for the frames, and 1x2 for the slats. One simple rectangular frame, and a matching rectangle for the pullout section

Alternating slats are fixed to the main frame, and the other alternating slats are fixed to the slide out frame only. When closed they're supported by the back of the main frame and pulled out, by the front of the main frame. I'll be adding a length of sheet metal of some sort just to stop them annoyingly falling to the floor and making it awkward to the pullout slats over the fixed slats.

Wifey was concerned over its weight bearing ability (her face didn't look impressed lol) so I demonstrated it was fine by putting all of my weight (14st I think) on one slat, painfully balancing on my knee lol. So it's good for strength.

I'm no joiner by any means, and it does show. It's a little twisted and doesn't quite fit as well as I'd have liked. It was supposed to be right up to the tailgate but I've ended up with a gap of a few inches, mainly because I didn't properly plan for the wheel arches. But my main thing was it would fit it in the boot with the middle seats in the rearmost position, which it does........ Just!

It should be high enough that it will go over the middle seats folded down (although I've not actually tested that yet, it should do).

Makes life when car camping much easier with essentially a whole cars worth of extra storage space, and lifting the bed off the cold floor in winter. We've got a week in Poland at the end of January so that's very very much a bonus lol.

All in all I'm fairly chuffed with it. It could have looked a bit more professional, maybe if I had a proper circular saw to get nice straight edges on the timber cuts instead of using a hand saw with a car stereo to maintain straight edges. Which wasn't completely effective lol.

All in all I've used about £60/£70 of materials. I spent £90 but I'd bought reinforcing brackets and things like that which it didn't need in the end.

Overall, I'm happy 

Last edited by Firemoth (2019-11-11 09:46:50)

---

If in doubt, give it a clout!

Casper

Member

From: East Lothian

Registered: 2015-12-20

Posts: 2,118

Re: New slide out bed

When i made my mini camper i wanted a back for the seat so went for a slightly different option.

Thepoolman

Member

Registered: 2019-01-05

Posts: 70

Re: New slide out bed

I did same idea, slide out bench / bed

Casper

Member

From: East Lothian

Registered: 2015-12-20

Posts: 2,118

Re: New slide out bed

Side way is how i made it in my convoy but the lid splits making it a lot easier for lifting into storage area