bed mattres question

[Bob Haven]

Greetings, everyone-
I am hoping you kind folks will be able to enlighten me on a good bed mattress idea. My TD is 46" wide inside with a 2X4 as part of the frame running the length of it on both sides. No inflateable mattress that will fit will be wide enough for the two adults who will be sleeping in it, so I have been thinking about putting down a 2" layer of foam to bring it up to the level of the 2X4,s then topping it off with a 4" piece of memory foam that will go the whole 46", giving me a 6" thick bed that would put it up to the level of the bottom of the door. My girlfriend and I are new at this, and can't wait to start using this new camper, but I know we won't enjoy it without a comfortable bed.
Any thoughts, input, suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

[bobhenry]

The closed cell foam insulation board make a great sub floor under the mattress. I did something very similar as I had wheel wells poking up the same 2 inches so I planed out the floor level with the foam and added a 7/16 layer of plywood. The foam alone will compress where the weight is concentrated so that was my reason for the light sheet goods. A 4 " foam mattress may be all that is needed to prevent the crushing. I liked adding the foam board because of extreme weather camping. It will insulate to keep out the cold winter camping weather and helps to keep in the air conditioned air and protect from summer heat.

[The Teardrop Nanny]

Yah, Bob.....what bobhenry said....

But here's something else to consider. If the mattress is flush with the level of the door opening (bottom), remember that if you slide to the edge, and start to put your feet out, the mattress will indent slightly and your behind may sink an inch or two lower as you begin to get out. I found this happening over time in my TD, so now I make it a point to position myself accordingly when exiting from the TD so that the back of my thighs don't scrape along the "threshold" of the doorway.

Also, might want to make it a point to periodically check your foam levels to ensure no leakage has occurred in your layers that you can't see underneath the top foam. You may find when traveling, as I have, that water from rains can sometimes seep in from the extreme spray thrown off and dampen the underside of the foam. I keep a large plastic garbage bag handy and wrap it around and underneath the foam (interior, right in front of doorways) so it doesn't get the soak in to foam.

Joanie
the Teardrop Nanny

[woodywrkng]

I think your idea will work fine. I have a 6" foam mattress from Wallyworld that's just ducky, although it did need a few weeks of airing out due to the foam stink. Make sure there are a few layers of sheet or a mattress cover to keep the memory foam from getting dirty.

[Redgloves]

Ditto about have the mattress above the door threshold.

Also, memory foam freezes solid in winter, cold in colder weather. Basically will suck out all of your body heat.. Might consider having latex foam instead.

Jean

[tony.latham]

"a 2" layer of foam to bring it up to the level of the 2X4,s then topping it off with a 4" piece of memory foam"

We've got 5" of foam topped by 3" of memory foam (or is it 2" of MF?). The 5" of foam is a bit overkill –4" would be fine–, but sleeping on the bed is pure heaven.

I don't think 2" of foam, under your memory foam is enough. I think you might feel the floor. Memory foam, in my opinion, needs serious support.

If you go with 4" of foam on top of your 2x4's –topped by your MF– I don't think you'll notice the boards. I wish I could throw a piece of 2x4 under my mattress right now but my memory foam is hard as wood right now at 35ºF.

That post about your door height is spot on. Make sure your mattress, while compressed, still keeps your butt above your door level or it'll be uncomfortable to get in and out of.

Tony

[MtnDon]

Memory foam thaws out nicely with an electric blanket on for an hour or two. We have the same issue with the bed in our cabin that is left unheated between winter periods of use. That's all we use the electric part of the blanket for.

[Kharn]

I would use a 6"+ thick mattress rather than two different layers. If you don't like a little bit of a hill at each wall, you could use an electric carving knife to remove some of the material (I wouldn't go straight to carving out a 2x4" chunk from each side, maybe try 1x4" at first). The other thing is the rule of thumb that your door thresholds should be at half the height of the mattress or less, so a 6" mattress would have the doors no more than 3" off the floor. If you've already cut your doors at a different height, adjust your mattress accordingly.

[Bob Haven]

Wow!
Thanks everyone for the quick responses!
I've got a lot to chew on- hopefully I will order some foam this week and get this little camper out in the woods in the next week or two. BTW- I had posted an earlier question on how to get a tag for my TD. I went to the tag office today and got the ball rolling. Thanks again for everyone for those earlier responses!

[Mary C]

I would like to say I have foam between the 1 x 4s that I used. Now I believe the word foam is used by most on here to mean the type that is used in construction. You can get one inch relative cheap and it is found in the construction material dept of the big box stores. the pink or blue is fine and you can cut it with a razor knife . It comes in 4x8 sheets. Now the rest of the references could be a foam mattress. Some people have used the mattress foam you can get in fabric stores too. Hope I may have cleared that up for you.!!!!

Mary C.