....... I really wanted a 12x7 so I could put a bed in sideways in the front but this was done and done.
I've done a front bed in a 6' wide in order to still be able to haul something and sleep without unloading. Pics are in my Album on this site. I'm right there at 6' tall but the bed opens up to 54" wide so I can sleep a bit angular if I am alone. If the wife goes along, it is just a smidge crampy for me. BUT, I always have planned to gain either a few inches by incorporating an acrylic bubble into the door (not much different than how they "widen" Ram and Sprinter Vans), or, up to 12" wider by adding a 54" x 36" Concession window on the Drivers side. A concession door would hinge at the top, and swing open only a foot at the level of the lower edge of the bed mattress. Light weight panels would fill the gap when opened. Just didn't get to it yet.....
But, like others have said, use it first. See how things pan out.
........So I want a permanent bunk with storage cubby under the bed. I think bunk size 30” should be good. Any experience if that is too small?
In a prior Step Van conversion, I had benches that were only 24" wide in order to be able to haul a cycle in the middle. That was tough. So, I used a piano hinge and added another 6" wing that stored under the cushions when not in use, but flipped out to give me the 30" your after. I had to pull the cushion out from the wall for something to be on that outer edge. The 30" width was adequate for me (220lb'r). However, I never had a good solution for that 6" gap that was created by sliding the cushion out, so depending on what I used, sometimes it was not so good. There was no good way to use the backrest cushion in that 6" because it was much taller. Add to that, the truck was 7' wide, and with the beds flippers out, the bike wouldn't fit. That whole experience is part of why I did a front bed in the trailer.
The BIGGER Pain in the butt to me was actually accessing the stuff I stored under those 24" bunks. You were either always on your kneecaps digging around peaking in doors that were too small, or ripping the bedding off and flipping up the framework to actually get something out. It's another reason I did the front bed in the trailer. With the trailer, I have a bench seat with an OPEN bottom area I can slide bins in and out of easily. The bench is part of the bed. The rest of the bed "murphy's" into the front V-Nose, bedding and all. Just takes seconds to put the bed away.
...... What’s a decent fan hatch brand for in roof venting?
Most of the fanless vents made for the trailer industry are 100% garbage. When held in your hands, your amazed that the metal is actually thick enough to retain a shape. Maxx-Air Fan models all seem great. No complaints, other than I got cheap when I was buying and did not buy the one with the remote control. Big mistake. When you leave it on at night as you go to sleep, you wake in the morning to a freezing trailer and you have to GET UP to shut the dang fan off. I might just put a master switch somewhere near my headboard area to pull the power to it. It's one of the electronic models, so I'll still need to get up to turn it back on.
..........Any recommendations for tongue mounted storage?
I didn't like any prebuilt cabinets I found available. You get far more space just building what you need. And, it doesn't have to be ugly. Here is what I did:
There are some build pics in the Album. Fairly easy to do. Aluminum Angle, Aluminum plate, Aluminum Rivets and a modified Vice Grip to make a shrinker to make the aluminum angle make nice curves. I would have went taller, but my tow vehicle has a hatch that would not clear if I went higher. For the floor in mine, I used 1/4" ABS black plastic..
......... The front currently has two propane bottles for the heaters But I would also like to put a fuel station? for the motorcycle gasoline there.
Two ? 20lb'rs ? If so, yikes that is a lot unless your gone weeks at a time in the cold. In my box, keep a 2300w genset, one 5lb propane cylinder for hot water, a diesel fuel tank, gas grill, Tarps, chocks, stakes... gosh... there is no end to whats up there.
But here again, you have to be very mindful of weights and balance. I can do the extra tongue weight because I have enough weight distributed behind my axle. If you do not take that into account, you can run into troubles very quickly.
Get an Album started on this site. It's easy to show ideas once you understand how you get pics into your text, and we all like pictures !
Good Luck !
