Setting up a bed in a teardrop...mattress question

[Nicolathecat]

We are trying to decide between a 4x8 or a 5x8 TD....I am guessing a 4X8 is roughly the size of a full bed and a 5x8 the size of a queen. I know a lot of people buy foam and cut it to size, but I was wondering if anyone has tried one of those beds in a box that you get all rolled and smooched up, which expands once removed from the packaging. I was thinking that if you got the one closest in size to the interior space it could only expand to the room it had...and thus it might work. Has anyone tried this? Am I right, did it work? Or did you still have to cut some off?

I was thinking something like this would be comfy. http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Master-8-In ... roduct_top
A good bed is very important because I have back issues and want to be able to enjoy myself not hobble around in pain.

[Shadow Catcher]

There are a number of us that have bought mattresses from http://www.thefoamfactory.com/mattress/mattress.html and ours is a 6X10 tear which leaves a little room around the queen size mattress (they can custom make to any size). It comes rolled up and shrink wrapped, you want to open it up INSIDE the tear . Ours is 5" thick and 4" would have been more than sufficient, 8" and you are filling a good bit of volume in your tear and will likely have more difficulty finding sheets.
Locally I checked and could not find a better price or quality. One of the things to remember is that unless you will stick with sleeping bags you have to make the bed and at best this can be a pain and if you do not have one that fits, is a bit too big, it will be more of a pain.
Ours is the conventional foam, memory foam tends to get cold and stay cold, reported by others.

[aggie79]

Our 5' x 10' teardrop has an interior width of about 57" and a length of 78". We used a standard 54" wide by 75" long full size mattress. The extra room on the sides allows us to move the mattress to add the sheets. With one us at one door opening and one at the other, we "scoot" the mattress forward and up into a slight curl. This allows us to reach the portion of the mattress under the cabinets over our feet. We add a fitted bottom sheet, top sheet, and if cold a blanket. We then scoot the mattress back into place and make the top half of the bed. We can do all of this in a minute or two.

[stumphugger]

I had a Little Guy 5 wide. The mattress that came with it was not thick enough. I bought a 4 inch thick queen size topper that was compressed to fit in a box, opened it up inside the trailer, and it fit perfectly.

I was also able to remove the mattress after accidently splooshing water from the rain canopy inside. I slid it out the hatch door. The Little Guy configuration allowed for that. I put the mattress back in through the hatch too.

[working on it]

Mattress Sizes
•Twin--39 x 75 inches (or 99 x 190 cm)
•X-Long Twin--39 x 80 inches (99 x 203 cm)
•Full--54 x 75 inches (137 x 190 cm)
•Queen--60 x 80 inches (or 153 x 203 cm)
•King--76 x 80 inches (or 198 x 203 cm)
•California King--72 x 84 inches (or 182 x 213 cm)
My 4x8 uses the twin size [I bought an Ikea 3" foam mattress (I like firm; the thin mattress on the trailer floor is perfect for me); if my wife wants to use the trailer, I'll buy another from Ikea, and put it underneath!]. It leaves about 6 inches of open floor (inside measurement is 46.5" wide x 76" long). I bought a 54" long body pillow to fill that gap. I put two king-size pillows in, and they fit wall-to-wall. If it's just me inside, as it will be 99.9% of the time, its very comfortable. But if my wife ever comes with me (unlikely, as we have many critters at home), then it'll be tight. You and your daughter should be OK (my wife and I are a little larger!).

• head
• body pillow (not in gap)
• foot

[tony.latham]

In my recent build, we bought a 5" HD36 from the Foam Factory. I thought it was great, the princess wanted more and we now have a 3" memory foam topper that was purchased at COSTCO. It IS a comfortable combination. If I were to do it again, 3" or 4" of foam and 2" memory foam would do the trick.

The tear is 56" wide. The 60" queen fits in there just fine. Keep in mind your door size!

The Foam Factory will do the custom cut thing but compare the price of cutting your own. You can cut foam with a bread knife easy enough.

TL

[Vedette]

Our 5' x 10' teardrop has an interior width of about 57" and a length of 78". We used a standard 54" wide by 75" long full size mattress. The extra room on the sides allows us to move the mattress to add the sheets. With one us at one door opening and one at the other, we "scoot" the mattress forward and up into a slight curl. This allows us to reach the portion of the mattress under the cabinets over our feet. We add a fitted bottom sheet, top sheet, and if cold a blanket. We then scoot the mattress back into place and make the top half of the bed. We can do all of this in a minute or two.

Teamwork!
That is what makes Tear Drop Camping so much fun!!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[Sputterputz]

My interior space is 58"x78" I had found an ikea mattress that was 59x79 and I used it as it came.

Sal

[working on it]

My interior space is 58"x78" I had found an ikea mattress that was 59x79 and I used it as it came.

Sal

Another vote for an Ikea mattress. Actually the reason for buying the pre-made Ikea was the ticking cover already on it. I was going to get raw foam and cut it to exact size, but never would have a custom snug cover for it. My experience with raw foam was that it deteriorates around the edges, if not snugly wrapped. Plus, I'd never have been able to cut it properly. Custom pricing was not in my sights at the time; if something went awry, I didn't want to spend more than the $79 I'd laid out. No chances taken, no loss.

[Nicolathecat]

You all are awesome. Thank you so much.

Right now I am leaning toward the 5X8 Sojourn from http://teardropsnw.com/. I am so excited about this...planning everything is so much fun.

[slacktime]

MS Cat, We have 5 x 10 with a queen size mattress. We put a 3 inch memory foam topper on the mattress, Oh it is wonderful. We sleep on a queen bed at home, it is comfy to sleep on the same in the trailer. It has not been too cold for us but we do not camp in temps less than 40 degrees. We love being up off the ground and behind a locked door. We were in Anacortes last week, beautiful corner of the world.

[KennethW]

I am using a regular wire lined twin mattress from the house in my 4foot wide TD. I got lucky it fit through the door! The space on the side can be filled with a pillow by the arm and at the foot by camping stuff like flash lights and ditty bags. You would be surprised that a twin will sleep two well rounded people in a tear because you can't fall out so you can sleep against the wall.

[atahoekid]

I too used a Ikea queen size mattress. I didn't spend a ton of money for it but it wasn't their cheapest either. It came all rolled up in a plastic bag. I cut open the bag inside the trailer, rolled it out and I let it air out for a few days. It is very comfortable. Almost more comfortable than the VERY expensive Sleep Number bed at home. One night on our trip two weeks ago, I complained to the wife that the mattress felt lumpy but managed to fall asleep and sleep quite nicely. While I was cooking breakfast the next morning, she was making the bed and discovered one of the big Maglite flashlights that I had been looking for under the mattress. Even with that large flashlight under the mattress, it was still comfortable enough to sleep on. That's comfort!!

[AlgoDan]

I am using a custom made 7'' spring pillow top mattress for our trailer, which is cozy as home. As memory foam on the colder nights gets hard...and we like cold weather camping so custom was the way to go..

[Woodbutcher]

I went to one of those factory store mattress companies. The last teardrop I had a 7" mattress made to fit my exact opening. With a 60" trailer the inside space was only 58" wide so a queen mattress would be to tight. Plus, I'm on vacation. Away from home sometimes 2 weeks. I want a good comfortable mattress. It cost a little more but I find it one place to splurge some.