A sit down table inside teardrop? Is this possible?

[lrrowe]

I already picked up a used electric knife at a yard sale for just a few dollars but haven't gotten around to making the cut yet

Exactly what I got at a yard sale. I then cut a 6" thick latex mattress using a straight edge as a guide. Worked great.

[deleted]

Thanks, Stacie! I didn't realize the memory foam would freeze..... I'm going to have to think that one through a little more too!

I didn't either and had purchased a memory foam topper at a local store... Then read online that can be a problem. Thank goodness I hadn't taken it out of the box as I'm pretty certain it isn't humanly possible to fit one back in after you release it

Was very glad I did. At the time I lived in California and didn't think I'd ever be out in freezing temperatures yet that first year I did spend two 28º(F) nights (in Iowa and Oregon) sleeping at Pilot truck stops with no electricity to warm things up.

From what I've gathered if you lay on a frozen mattress long enough your body heat will soften it but who wants to go through that?

lrrowe your testimonial is emboldening me to go ahead and make that cut!

[lrrowe]

I think you will do just fine. I have another to cut soon. I did mine on the floor and had to make sure I had a board under the cut area so as not to cut the carpet. Measure many times first and then double check. And you are right about never getting it back into the box.

[halfdome, Danny]

Although many of you have said that it's no problem sleeping on a mattress that's several sections, I'm still not so sure about how comfortable that would be.

Our two mattress pads are 58 1/2" wide and 40" long in fitted & zippered custom ordered covers.
In the cabin the area of our teardrop, between the walls and bulkheads, is 58 1/2" wide and 80" long.
We have to force the two mattress pads to meet in the center because of the tight measurements, the mattress pad and the fitted sheets.
We've never noticed the seam.
Lay down on your home mattress with pillow and have someone measure to the proposed center/half of the length of your cabin area and see where it hits you.
It's up to you.
Danny

[Roly Nelson]

Hi Little Foot. Yes, seating for 4 can be done within a 4x8 teardrop. I did it 14 years ago, when I built the 1/2 Nelson Woody. Eight adult feet fit nicely in the foot-well below the floor, where an extendable, wall to wall table is located. The inside-the-cabin cabinet, folds down flat against the rear wall, allowing seating for 4, no sweat. Check out my build pics and you will see what I mean. Good luck on your effort, as it sure is nice to sit inside during the rain, while enjoying your prime rib dinner.
Roly, the li'l ol' So Calif woody TD guy

[Little Foot]

Hello all! Thanks again for all the great replies! I'm still trying to decide what I want to do, but I'm now looking into latex foam mattresses and finding they are VERY expensive. Are these mattresses really many hundreds to a thousand dollars, or can anyone tell where to look for one more reasonably priced options? Unfortunately, I did not hit that big Poweball lottery drawing last night, so dropping +/- $800 on a mattress might not be in the budget for this build. Any help would really be appreciated.

Thanks!

[halfdome, Danny]

I get my foam custom cut and shipped from http://www.foamproducts.net/index.htm In Florida.
I order my zipped 3 sides mattress covers from http://www.foamorder.com/custom_cuts.php In San Francisco, CA.
In the past I've spent a total of less than $500 for a queen two piece covered mattress, 4" of medium foam and 1" of glued on memory foam.
Both companies follow my exact measurements and the covers fit the foam perfectly.
I choose the low end Hunter Green fabric which is very durable and looks great.
The way I look at it a teardrop is primarily a bed on wheels.
If you want a comfortable nights sleep then spend the money on the mattress.
Danny

[bdosborn]

I cant believe no one has posted pictures of inside seating! Here's how I did mine:

I framed in the bottom of a section of the harbor freight trailer and made a removable lid:


The lid serves as a table. Here's a photo without the cushions:


I added a leg and some hardware so the table could be used outside the trailer as well:


I cut the mattress in sections so that they could be stacked against the back wall when the table was in use. While it seemed like a great idea we didn't use it very often. It so cramped inside the trailer that it was a pretty tight fit for the two of use. I don't think I'd do it again if I built another trailer.

Bruce

[Little Foot]

I cant believe no one has posted pictures of inside seating! Here's how I did mine:

I can't believe it either!

Bruce, thank you so much for the great pics, that's exactly what I was hoping for when I started this thread! I knew I saw something like that before, but couldn't find any examples by searching. But you're suggesting that it's not really worth it to bother with the inside table? I'm starting to feel that way myself, especially after others pointed out that you could sit out a rainstorm in the tow vehicle, or use a small fold down table or a "breakfast in bed" try on the mattress in a pinch. I will, however, definitely be doing those side tables off the back sides of the camper, that has always been in my plans, though I may forgo this idea of an inside table. Could I please ask what kind of mattress you used? Was it memory foam, latex, or something else altogether? Did you cut and apolster it yourself? And did you build benches for the seating, or just sit on the cushions when you used the inside table? Thank you so much for your help!!

@Danny - Thank you again for your help and suggestions, I very much appreciate it, even though I'm leaning in the opposite direction as of right now (though nothing is set in stone yet). I do not think I'll be spending that kind of money on the latex mattress right now. I am, in fact, a backpacker by heart, and even on winter trips I'm happy sleeping on a flat rock with a thin closed cell foam sleeping pad or one of the self inflating pads like the Thermorest pads, which I have several of. Although we've really come to like "car camping" and now wish to have a camper of our own, I just don't think we need to be spending that much on the matters right now. Although I'd like to be able to take the camper out in cold weather, my wife is very unlikely to go winter camping. I'm thinking I may start with the less expensive memory foam mattress, and then upgrade later to the latex foam if we feel we need it in the camper. Thanks again for you help!

And thanks to everyone else who has offered their help and suggestions, I'm very grateful for all your efforts!

[bdosborn]

Could I please ask what kind of mattress you used? Was it memory foam, latex, or something else altogether? Did you cut and apolster it yourself? And did you build benches for the seating, or just sit on the cushions when you used the inside table?

We got our 4" foam mattress from the Foam Factory. I cut it with an electric knife and my wife sewed covers for them (she's handy with a sewing machine). We didn't build benches, we just sat on the mattress sections. We wore out our first set and had to buy another one. I think we got the extra firm, which is a little to firm. I'd go with regular or firm instead.

Bruce

[rmclarke]

Here's what I did:
The table is off centered: When it's up, we sit in an "L" configuration; with one person using the cabin wall as a backrest.



I works quite well when we use it, but we really don't use it all that much. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
If I was doing it over, I probably wouldn't. The foot well has a 10.5 inch drop; I raised the floor about 2 inches so I could make the foot well deeper...........I know, SLAGI@TT! (Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time....to coin my own internet acronym )



Like Bruce, we bought a foam slab, cut it up into cushions with electric knife and my talented wife did all the sewing. We also use a 3" foam/memory foam topper when it's a bed. The topper rolls up out of the way under the rear cabin galley when not in use.

Richard

[deleted]

Hello all! Thanks again for all the great replies! I'm still trying to decide what I want to do, but I'm now looking into latex foam mattresses and finding they are VERY expensive. Are these mattresses really many hundreds to a thousand dollars, or can anyone tell where to look for one more reasonably priced options? Unfortunately, I did not hit that big Poweball lottery drawing last night, so dropping +/- $800 on a mattress might not be in the budget for this build. Any help would really be appreciated.

Thanks!

I don't recall how much my The Foam Factory mattress was but it wasn't anywhere near that much. I did the 3" topper. If you already have inflatables you could get away with a thinner topper and set an inflatable over it. I'm guessing that would be plenty comfortable compared to the inflatable alone.

[kudzu]

My camper is a standee with a dinette that spends all its time in bed position & two flip up side tables that almost never get used. We nearly always eat outside.

For my money, good quality foam over an air pad is the best of both worlds. We're using two Therm-a-rest camping pads set side by side in place of a full sized air mattress. One pad is their standard self-inflating pad & the other is a NeoAir. Put an inch or two of foam over those & you can't tell the difference between the two pads. It feels just as good or better than a standard full size mattress. The added foam on top also adds insulation that really helps in cold weather.

On a side note: BF takes his Tempur-pedic memory foam pillow camping. When it's cold it takes forever for his body heat to makes the pillow soft-ish. I've joked on a couple occasions that if dropped it in cold weather it would crack. Actually, I'm only half joking. My travel pillow for the car is also memory foam & it has a similar, though not as dramatic, problem. There'll be no memory foam mattress or topper in my camper!

[Little Foot]

We got our 4" foam mattress from the Foam Factory. I cut it with an electric knife and my wife sewed covers for them (she's handy with a sewing machine). We didn't build benches, we just sat on the mattress sections. We wore out our first set and had to buy another one. I think we got the extra firm, which is a little to firm. I'd go with regular or firm instead.

Bruce

Hello again, Bruce! Thanks for the reply. Could I ask if you went with the latex foam for your mattress, or the more traditional memory foam?

[Little Foot]

Richard, thank you for your pics and help! When you say foot well, that's because you place your feet in there when you're sitting at the table? And I understand one of you can lean against the wall of the camper for support, but what does the other person do for back support, if anything?

Stacie, thanks for your help again! So you have a 3" thick mattress and you feel it's comfortable enough? If I was going to do the regular memory foam, I was planning on at least 6 if not 8 inches thick.

Thanks very much everyone!