Camper Van Bed Unit

Two & a half years ago I traded my much loved GMC Canyon pickup for a Chevy 3/4 ton full windowed cargo van.  My intention was to convert this vehicle into a solo camper using home made modular units that would be easy to remove.  This way the van could be a camper or a cargo hauler as needed.

The bed module would be the largest module & thus needed to be the first one made.  All the other units would then be designed based on their intended use & their position in relation to the bed module. 

 Positioning the 4 Bed Frame Supports

I wanted the wheel well & gas filler housing to be inside the bed frame.  I first thought to build a 1x1 frame & sheath it with 1/4 inch plywood but this idea wasn’t sturdy enough for a removable unit.  Solid wood panels also proved to be less expensive.  The distance from the rear of the wheel well to the front of the gas filler housing was 2 inches longer than a standard length twin or cot mattress.  The cot mattress I’m using is 34 inches wide.  This is a common cot & single RV mattress size. 

 Bed Base Screwed & Glued Together

Here is the bed base cut to size, glued & screwed together, & in place in the van.  The 4 corner joints have a 1x1 clear pine pieces on their interior sides.  The screws go through the wood panel & into this 1x1.  All wood to wood surfaces are glued with Titebond Wood Glue.  I used small pilot holes for all of the screw locations.

Bed Base with Stabilizer Bar

I moved the base around some & found I needed to stabilize the bed’s outside edges.  I used a clear pine 1x2 braced on 1x2 upright supports glued & screwed onto the interior of the end panels.   The area between the wheel well & the gas filler housing is intended for storing van gear like jumper cables, windshield sun screen, wiper fluid etc.  The larger storage area in the foreground of the photo is for more general camping gear. 

 

Bed Module with Plywood Mattress Support in Place

Here is the basic module all assembled.  The overhang in the front will be cut down to 1 inch wider than the mattress once the fitting around the van body support pieces has been done.  The top will then be cut lengthwise,  piano hinges installed & support shocks fitted for access to the under bed storage.  I also need to cut 2 hand grips on the short ends to facilitate removing the module.  Then the whole thing will receive final sanding & an oil finish. 

Bed Module with Mattress

This is the bed module ready for its shake down run on a road trip to Michigan.  There will be a Coleman 12 volt cooler located between the bed unit & the driver’s seat. 

Camper Van Stage 1 with Bed & Gear

Coleman also makes these very neat LED lantern light sets.  There are 10 little green Coleman lanterns on the string & they’re powered by 3 AA batteries.  I’ve got a string of them clipped to the van framework & a 2nd set to attach outside the van at camp sites.  They put out enough light to easily read a book while sitting on the bed.  The bracket above the bed attached to the ceiling struts holds 4 fishing rods with or without reels attached.   The reels hang right at the rear end of the bed so I don’t tend to bump them sitting on the bed.