Anatomy of the Bed

One of the most important features of a campervan is a comfortable bed.  There are many (and sometimes very clever) campervan bed designs, including the classic convertible bench/table configuration.  I chose to build what's known as a "platform" bed.  A couple campervans I rented had bed designs that required you to convert a bench seat into the bed each night and then reverse the process in the morning.  Let me tell you...this gets old in a real hurry!  So, and since I didn't really need a lot of bench seating, a permanent bed configuration made the most sense.  In addition, the platform design -- which is where the bed is 3-4 feet above the floor -- creates a large storage space underneath, commonly referred to as "the garage".  This is where my water system, electrical system and propane tank will be located.

Next decision was how to orient the bed: cross-wise (perpendicular to chassis) or in line with the chassis.  I decided on the former since it maximizes the amount of available floor space.  I also opted for a full-sized bed versus the queen that I had originally planned on as this adds an extra 6 inches to the living area (every inch is critical in a campervan).  The only negative with orienting the bed crosswise is that mattresses, even RV mattresses, are longer than the width of the van.  However, in the case of a full-sized bed, this is only a few inches, and memory foam mattresses can easily be trimmed to size.  I also plan to build in some "cut outs" at the head and foot of the bed to minimize the amount I'll need to trim (this'll make more sense in future posts).

Building the bed frame itself was rather straightforward.  There was a horizontal metal support conveniently located at the appropriate height, to which I attached 2x6's using rivnuts (this of course required a special installation tool) and bolts.  I installed 2x4 and 2x6 cross-supports (the 2x6 was at the rear since there will not be any vertical supports), and I cut rabbets in each of the cross supports to accommodate the bed slats that will be installed later.

Rivnut before 2x6 and bolt installed.

Bed frame from interior of van

Bed frame from exterior of van

One slat setting in rabbets of cross supports.  I will install and nail in the slats at a later time since I still need to be able to stand up in this area to access the ceiling.

There was an approximate 3 inch gap between the main 2x6's and the van wall. While this was probably not a big deal, it just seemed logical to me to fit pieces of wood into the gaps to help support the head and foot of the mattress.  Plus, these would be helpful when framing the cutouts.  The horizontal metal supports were beveled at the top, which I guessed to be 30 degrees.  I tested out a couple scrap pieces to confirm the angle, which proved to be a good move since the angle was actually about 27 degrees.  Another example of custom fitting that would be required throughout the van build!

Piece of beveled wood to fill in gap between 2x6 and wall.

View of bed frame with rear doors closed -- I'll talk about the decorative panels along the sides of the doors in a later post.