Bed for one
Well, kids grown up and
working/living independently and my wife isn't too excited to 'rough'
it anymore. So, I now basically have a 4 door wagon that will only
explore/camp with one person (me). I've slept in the back of vehicles
over the years, but have mostly always preferred putting up a tent.
But,
with only one person, it seemed a good idea to consider something that
fits in the vehicle and provides a sheltered place to sleep, especially
when it rains/drizzles. Not being one to go down the path of permanent
storage I figured I could knock something up pretty cheaply with some
1/2" plywood. After quite a few measurements to see how things would
ideally fit in to give a single person platform, I came up with what
you see below. I did raise the platform so it sits above/on the rear
wheel arch and also has sufficient room undernearth for a bunch of
24"x16" totes and toolbox etc.
This is looking at the platform with the top of the picture being the
tailgate end and the bottom of the picture being behind the front row
seats. Glued and screwed together. Various shapes cut into it to fit
snuggly to the contours of the the vehicle.
Trial fit in the vehicle and checking how the totas fit underneath. I
tried to use the minimal number of feet/supports under the unit to keep
the weight down and also allow lots of access from the rear and sides
for the totes. Of course it had to be strong enough to support my less
than slim body without sagging in the middle :)
I've spent a few dollars to get some green spray paint to give the unit
a nice forest look and make it look a little more finished. This is a
trial fit without the securing brackets yet figured out. Another tote
can slip in nicely with the rear passenger side door open.
Two bent up pieces of 1" x 1/8" strap secure the front of the platform
utilizing 2 existing captured nuts that normally secure the rear
passenger seat. Captive rivnuts in the top of the bracket make it
easier to feed the bolts through the plywood. The front upright is 2
pieces of the 1/2" plywood glued together.
The platform is a nice fit into the vehicle, you can see that bed
height lines up close to the rear passenger handle area. Easy access to
the door latch if you want to open and exit through the door and also
easy to pull the door shut.
By keeping the entire platform light, I can move it single handed from
a storage shed at the back of the house into the 80. Once positioned as
shown, I can rotate it and push it into place.
Installed with mattresses positioned for sleep.
Tucked into my sleeping bag with some extra comforter layers to keep
the feet and legs warm. The front row lighting is perfect for
reading and can be easily turned on/off with the switch. I have several
12V outlets at the rear of the center console so can plug in and charge
cell phone, tablet etc. I'm a side sleeper and there's plenty of room
to rotate my body to sleep on either my left or right sides and the
mattresses have plenty of thickness to prevent the hips from
'bottoming' out. Toss in a pillow and it's a pretty comfortable bed for
a good night's sleep.
Easy to slide out the various totes to access cooking gear and food
etc. Making/breaking camp is pretty quick. Once camping chair and all
set up to relax. Tailgate makes a great food prep and cooking area. No
table required.
