*Just what the doctor ordered! It is heavy duty **MyseIf.Furniture** returns to form well, and stays put on my mattress. Great way to add some firmness with give too. Better sleep and less back pain. Best birthday gift in a long time.*
I went to the link: Myself.Furniture but it didn't take me to a specific item that you might be referring to. Could you direct me to the specific item you recommend? Thank you!
Memory Foam...having sold mattress for quite a while maybe I can pass on some information. First memory foam is temperature sensitive. As the temperature in your trailer gets lower, your mattress gets firmer. Summer vs. Winter provides a different comfort level. Memory Foam Topper vs a Memory Foam Mattress. A memory foam mattress is not. pure memory foam. It is composed of a supportive foam base with a memory foam top. A six inch memory mattress has on average one inch of memory foam, and five inches of a supportive foam base. Pore memory foam was not meant to sleep on. If you put a six inch piece of pure memory foam in your trailer you would slowly compress it almost down to the floor when sleeping on it. A piece of one to two inch of pure memory foam is meant to used as a "topper". The purpose is to go on top of a spring mattress, the spring mattress acts as a supportive base. That is why when using a memory foam mattress the comfort level is much different than just using a memory foam topper. Best way to cut a piece of memory foam...you have the best enviroment for this task. Being that memory foam is temperature sensitive jus put your memory foam outside durring the Alaskan winter. In the morning it should be almost as stiff a Styrofoam when you cut it with your electric carving knife. I really enjoy your Utube Videos.. Thank you again.
Love this information Mark! Thank you for sharing this. Have you ever come across the memory foam that has blue dots in it? I think it may be called gel foam? That is what our foam is. Like you said it is meant to be a topper, not a mattress. What we like about this memory foam is in all temps it feels pretty much the same. In winter it does get a little more stiff, but not near as noticeable as regular memory foam. I don't know if this style of foam is still common or not. We got it from Costco about 10 years ago.
I used this trick to firm up a well loved sofa! Who says electric knives are just for meat, right?! As for putting foam back into the case: put/squeeze the foam into a large large LARGE trash bag with the opening of the bag going into the case. Then just pull the trash bag out. Voila! No catching fabric on fabric to wrestle with. Then just squeeze the zipper shut. P.S. I know I'm years late, but we're starting out on our camping journey (again) and reliving our Eagle & Cadette scout days. Saving for a camper, but until then, camping it is! We're starting out w an air mattress that has the pump built in. Elevated on folding cots, popup stand up tent, sleeping mummy bags. I'm so excited! Love the Channel!
This is amazing, especially! The comment section, read half of the entire thing and then quqly scrolled down to the buttom when I found out exactly how an insane amount of replies you are doing to all your comments. Your replies are also well thought and often you research or look something that is mentioned. Truly appreciate it. I think you made many subscribers that will stay with you for a while thanks to that
Thank you Leo. I think on our end we are a bit selfish in that we love doing these videos because we learn so much from the comments. The videos are fun to make, but it is the comment section where our family really learns and grows. Thanks again Leo for the very positive comment. We don't get a whole lot of these :)
Having built a couple campers, we're absolutely in love with the tri-fold mattress concept. You can get them in any standard mattress size including the peculiar RV "short queen" size. They can be found with dual layer construction, fairly high density on the bottom with gel memory on the top. The part we find fascinating is how when folded a particular way, they convert to a super comfortable couch . A folded 4 inch mattress will have an 8 inch thick seat cushion with a tall (24 inch) back cushion 4 inches thick. Lots of upper back support and a couch that can be unfolded back to a bed in about 10 seconds. Unfortunately, they aren't found thicker than 4 inches. We had a dual layer 5 inch mattress (non folding) in our previous truck camper and it was an absolute glorious experience. I never wanted to get out of bed. For our current truck camper we needed a folding mattress because of the slide out bed extension so we used a 4 inch and I added an additional 1.5 inch memory foam topper to the bottom after cutting it in into three sections for the tri-fold. I use a large pair of tin snips to cut thinner pieces of foam and a hand held hacksaw blade (blade only) to cut thicker pieces of foam. Not as nice as the electric carving knife but usually can be found on hand :-) I've also used a large bread knife before.
@@PlayingwithSticks We always have a rear panel that supports the back at a 20 degree angle so it's a natural sofa position. In our Runaway Range Runner we'd just lay the panel flat against the wall when deployed as a queen mattress. The one in our current truck camper is absolutely luxurious with an 8 inch thick seat (2 - 4 inch thick sections one on top of the other ) and the third section rising up as the backrest. Most expensive travel trailers have very inexpensive 3 inch foam cushions by comparison. We've found that of the 3 brands that we've used Milliard is the best quality. As I mentioned, the thickest tri-fold we found was 4 inches but a 1 inch topper above or below makes it very comfy.
At home we have 6” foam (custom one side firm, other side medium firm) with 2” latex topper…best sleep ever! I no longer wake up with a sore back. And the chipped latex pillow fill means no more neck tension/spasms. Our CTC has 5” firm foam - and because it’s trifold I’d love to put our topper in there.
That side of me drives me crazy. But, I think in the end it really helps increase our time out camping. Each time we make micro adjustments to one of our pinch points it usually equates to an additional day or two of camping due to the comfort or convenience it brings.
I tried this air & foam mattress tip, as well as, your winter camping trick of adding down and wool blankets. And you’re right, GAME CHANGER, I slept so much better. Thanks so much for the tips & tricks videos they have helped a lot! I plan on having a camping gear yard sale in the spring for all the “stuff” I bought that just didn’t work out for us. It’s accumulated over the years.
In the van I took the foam mattress off our spare room bed along with the board (plywood). When the seats were folded down the board and mattress made a perfect bed. I was able to sleep well while my wife drove on I 4 and when we arrived in Daytona area I was rested up and took over driving my wife reclined on the front seat. 73
I just became the proud owner of my first teardrop (squaredrop) after 12 years of wanting one. One of the features that drew me to this particular model was the queen size inner spring pillow top mattress. Sooo cosy. Love the channel!
8 inch foam mattress from Walmart. Fantastic bargain at $139 for a twin and about $169 for the queen in October of 2021. Cuts easy with a hot knife/electric knife if needed but I didn't need to cut mine. Easily the most comfortable mattress set up. I've slept on it for more than a year now living full time in a 17 foot Coleman Lantern travel trailer and I have zero complaints. I'll be using the same product for the teardrop I'm currently building.
Great video, I have had my Casita for 5 years and have been through many iterations of bedding including the backpack inflatable camp pads along with a tri-fold mattress from Costco which really worked for awhile. Now I have a 3" Gel Memory Foam topper with a 2" portable foam bed, all from Costco and I am sleeping in luxury. Didn't even have to cut anything 👍🌞🌞🌞🌞
@@PlayingwithSticks I'll have to check the packaging. I don't have access right now because I had a catastrophic axel failure last week so it's in the shop across town. But Costco has them in stock right now & it seems typically every Spring. You're supposed to be able to roll it back up & move it around say for sleepovers and such. Has a nice durable cover kind of like outdoor cushions.
Do you leave the memory foam topper in your trailer for the winter? I got mine from Costco too trying to figure out how to safely store it for the winter when I can't use my trailer regularly
For a week now, as a trial, I've been sleeping on a Coleman Ridgeline 3 cot topped with the accompanying 2" pad and topped on that with the Klymit Static V, that you are using, but for one person. Without the Klymit, the cot was fairly comfortable, but just needed a tad more cushion. The Klymit solved the problem and I've been really comfortable and getting a good night's sleep. But, unlike your setup, I've got it on top of the pad. I believe I tried it under the pad but found it worked for me better on top. (I think the "V" keeps me more centered on the cot and away from the side rails.) I had already had the Klymit but didn't use it much because it did not provide sufficient cushion on a hard ground or bed of a van. The cot will be part of my temporary minivan conversion for road trips this summer, and I'm now looking forward to a better setup in the van because it will allow storage under the cot, thus more floor space and ability to move about more easily, as opposed to what I had been doing, which was using an airbed that took up most of the floor which made it necessary each night to move gear to the front seats and then to the back in the morning, a very great time-consumer and strain on my bad back. I'm now really looking forward to lots of road trips this summer and being a part-time nomad!
Awesome to hear you found a great setup and you are on your way to part-time nomad status! We are going to have to try putting the Klymit on top. If you saw in our video I love the setup, but it still needs just a little tweak, maybe flipping the mats around will be the ticket! Thank you for the great info.
My favorite mattress of all time ever is the tempurpidic clowr. I want to put it in but it is 9 inches thick. I hay have to cut some thickness off. If you have never tried it well iits called the cloud for a reason. I got ot for free on Craigslist. People give them away all the time I have gotten all 4 of my tempurpidic mattresses for free. They sleep hot and that's why people give them away for free. In a tear drop trailer hot is good. Especially in the winter.
I had the exact same issues with my memory foam mattress, shoulder hitting hard floor surface. I did the two Klymit 3/4 length and used larger diameter pool noodles for the edges. So far after two years, so good. I do have to re-inflate the Klymit mattresses whenever changing altitudes, not a big deal.
That is us too! In the end we just added foam insulation (pipe insulated sleeves) to the edges and this setup has been the best for us. Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic! I was pre-thinking in pre-solving this potential problem in my mind - thank you so much! I am preparing to go nomadic; it's going to be a while but I have decided, and am going to get my health together, downsize and go nomad before I die! Life IS too short !
This is EXACTLY the solution I ended up with after years and years of trying various different sleeping/bed options! Best night's sleep ever :-D I now sleep much better in my tent than I do at home X-D
Can’t wait to go camping next so I can try this out because that is the part that kills me the most is the sleeping discomfort. When you’re a kid you really don’t notice it but even in mid 30s I’m like God I have to find a solution
I really enjoy your Chanel and the comments .......and watching you both interact with your kids . You are giving them a great foundation . The mattress thing is something I’m struggling with at this time. My memory foam has grown tired. My self inflators worked well with memory foam initially. I appreciate Thayer you too always want to ‘tweak ‘ for that next improvement. On another of your contributions on water saving I learned a lot. I’m old now on my own and family away so I now dish wash only once a day , yesterdays rinse water becomes today’s dish and pot wash water which works well as I created a very deep sink with two compartments and I use bi carb for sterilising .....I’ll be trialing the bi carb for washing and the hot water and bicarbonate in spray for rinsing. Thankyou for your energy and family experience.
Glad you are enjoying the videos Douglas. Let us know what you find that works for you in terms of bedding. We find a lot of folks on here purchase a Futon cover/mattress. There is another name for it, sounds a bit more fancy, but when I ask them what it is they say it is basically a futon mat. Another great thing we have found is firm foam and then over it place a lot of thicker layers of blankets like fleece , down comforters, and unzipped sleeping bags. This is also a solution many people do. Great idea on recycling the rinse water. Going to have to try the bicarbonate. This would eliminate the vinegar smell for those who don't like it.
I have a little off-road teardrop... first used an air mattress, it popped, but was ok besides crazy condensation. Yesterday, we built a platform and put an amazon mattress on it. I think it’ll be good and I start a new trial expedition tonight to test it.
Great idea with the platform. No more moisture issues for you. That is half the battle. Another neat setup we have seen is the Froli sleep system, just in case you are unfamiliar with it. Mostly known as a sailboat thing, but starting to pickup momentum in the camper world.
Playing with Sticks I do know of the system as I had been thinking about a Winnebago travato for a while before this. I didn’t know you could buy it. That’s interesting! Thanks so much for these videos... I’m new to teardrops yet also being forced upon it (happily tho) so I’m trying to learn all I can in a short amount of time.
Hey guys great video, we use outdoor 5 inch furniture cushions for their durability and a memory foam pillow on top this way we get the dual functionality that we need out of it.
We bought two matching 6” tri-fold foam mattresses. They are surprisingly comfortable, and trimming them down with an old electric bread knife was easier than I ever imagined.
We have a 17ft Casita SD and it had a custom made mattress and we put a 3" memory foam from Costco. It works great! We live in it and have for 18 months. We love having a toilet for the middle of the night. Our grand daughters go with us (9 & 11yo). One sleeps on the floor and the other the table/bed.
Sounds like a great setup. Our memory foam is from Costco as well, but about half the thickness of yours. Living in a Casita for 18 months sounds like a blast! I bet the granddaughters love hanging out in there.
Reminds me of the 1960's when we all used "Carving Knives" to cut the foam underlay for the walls and floors ... over time what was old, becomes new again. :-)
@@PlayingwithSticks I went into my art supply storage room and found my old electric knife in the box... sadly I bought it in the USA (110 volt) and now I live in Australia (240 volt) ... retired teacher.
Retired teacher, hopefully that will be us some day. Glad you made it over to that side of the world. Much of our past summers were spent on Java and Bali. We can smell the air now just thinking about it.
I've always used a serrated (full blade length) steak or bread knife. Works for me. Don't need electricity. Don't need to store an extra gadget in small places. Over the years I've made a number of cushions and mattresses for campers and/or tent cots.
I got the 1 inch foam blocks 24 x 24 that you put under your weight equiptment in your house. You cN get it at lowes, acadamy sports dicks ect. Add a 4 inch memory foam pad and holy crap. Best sleep ever. Like a cloud. Yet firm and no preasure points on your hip or shoulder. Love your videos. Just got into teardrop camping. You rock sir!
We used an 6" walmart memory foam mattress in our little guy teardrop for a few years. Best sleep I've had. I'm heavy and I never hit bottom. And, cold doesn't bother it. Also, the notices of it being hot in warm weather are overrated. It was great. I cut mine with a razor knife. Just put a heavy board or slice of plywood over it, sqeeze it to the ground and cut in layers. Saves the cost of a power carving knife. The same mattress now resides in my cargo conversion. And, we have a 12" in the house.
I’ve had my teardrop for 8 years and have used a cot for most of those years. I took the foam off the home bed and cut it to cot size. Works great for me. I’m a single camper, so I know it wouldn’t work for y’all, but I wanted to post in case there are other single campers looking for something. PS I’m 5 ft 3 in tall.
My teardrop (2006, purchased 2.5 years ago) came with a foam & memory topper from the previous owner. Due to sinking in & tossing all night, I upgraded. I found "love my mattress". They make custom sizes to fit any application. It arrives like a burrito, just place it inside & cut the plastic wrapper. They are EVERY bit as good as your home mattress! Mine way about $300. Its awesome , soooooo comfortable!!!!
That is so good to hear Raul. Thank you so much for this information. Do you happen to know how many inches thick your mattress is? We are ready to go that route, but we are torn between 6 inch and 8 inch thickness.
@@PlayingwithSticks its 7.5" thick & it will squish down 1.5" - 2" with people on it. It fills up the teardrop from the floor to the bottom of our door. It will take up some of your foot space, but there's always a trade off. It will be tough to move it if you're putting a bicycle inside. (Bike rack outside?)
I have the T@G. I see a some T@G owners reporting they are using 8 inch bed, but truth be told, your feet will not fit comfortably under the air conditioner with 8in. The AC is located in the the middle of the cabinets, drops a few inch's below the cabinets, and the toes will be touching the bottom of the AC with 8 inch bed. I'm 6'1", and have to sleep at angle with feet under AC in order to not reach the back of the camper. The 2015 model is 76 inch bed. So what I do is I'm using the original 4inch foam mattress that came with camper, then 2 inch memory foam over that. From my head down to knees is an additional 2 inch foam which I got at hobby lobby, then I tapper down foam to feet so under AC is only 6inches. So for about 2/3 of bed is 8in, then tapper to 6in at feet. I did this mod last summer, seems to be working in the last couple trips. I really like this video, as I can relate. I have tried some other experiments similar to you.
That is a great idea! We know having your feet touching the air conditioner or the cabinets doesn't sound like much, but it can be the difference between a decent night sleep and a great night's sleep!
Hey Drew. I just came across this video. With my build, I went big. I got a full size mattress (5’x6’) and sliced open the bottom seam about a foot in on each side and along the 6’ length. Then I cut 2 rows of springs off and reconstructed the framework and sewed it back up... we now sleep on a true 46”x6’ mattress :-). Great video btw
We never would have thought that could be possible. I guess our worry was that we would ruin the structural integrity of the mattress by removing portions. Never thought about using wood to reinforce the areas removed. Of all the comments we have received I think you have actually found the perfect mattress for a small camper trailer. We all want our mattress comfort from home, but don't know how to purchase one that will fit. Glad you shared this David.
When I said “ reconstruct “ I actually used rebar tie wire to rewrap the wire frame inside of the mattress, before I sewed it back up. No trees 🌲 were forested in the making of this mattress or box springs.
For over a year I live full time in my small van conversion and I love my sleeping system. I went to a mattress producer and bought myself the hardest and stiffest 4" mattress. NOT a memory foam one though. This proved to be a great choice as I get a great sleep every night to this day. As bed can turn into a bench or sofa if you like, I cut the mattress lengthwise in half, each half has it's own cover made to fit (durable, water resistant for ease of cleaning yet soft to touch fabric). As both halfs fit perfectly in the space there is no discomfort gap between them. Also it stores away easy as it's in 2 pieces.
Sounds like a great setup Joanna. We currently are sleeping in a pop-up camper for three weeks. It is a firm mattress and at first we didn't like it. We are going on week three now and we are feeling pretty darn good!
That's what I do with my tent. Best out doors sleep ever. My brother took a folding cot similar to what the army use and in cold climates you freeze all night. with an air matress and foam topper it's perfect.
My camper came with 100mm foam mattress, I put a padded mattress protector on that and topped all with a fitted sheet. The bedding on top is a winter doona (comforter??) , a summer doona and a sheet. Usually just sleep under the sheet but as it gets cooler I sleep under a lower layer. Works for me.
A padded mattress protector is a good idea. Our bed is "almost" perfect. I bet a simple little pad on top will get us right where we need to be. Thank you for this!
Yep, and at times they are very affordable as well. Seems the price tends to bounce around a bit from month to month. We didn't realize they were lifetime warranties. Thanks for sharing Spencer.
I’m a tent-er and LOVE my Klymit pad so much I’ll keep it for my trailer when I (finally) choose one, along with my custom Enlightened Equipment down quilt. It took me a while to find the right stuff as an insomniac, so not going to give it up. 😆
What you may want to add is a full size cut to fit ; blotter , these are useful to draw moisture into them and out of your layers of foam, air mattress. Put it under all the items and closest to the floor. Installed these under mattress in my boat and they really help reduce moisture from respiration and humidity that invades the different layers. I purchased at a west marine store, available at hobby lobby type retailers. They are what used to go on desks when ink would spill, yeah long time ago. Should last quite a while depending on your camp climate and where you live . RLH
Oh, great tip -- I've not heard of this blotter material! Another under-mattress product, which I didn't see mentioned yet in this forum, is Aire-Flow Hypervent [$10/lin. ft. x 39"W]. It is a sheet of looped plastic mesh, laid under mattresses for air flow. It can also be purchased as Enkadrain by Colbond [as a landscaping material for drainage -- possibly cheaper this way??]. Here is one link to start with: www.mattressinsider.com/mattress-condensation-prevention.html
by the way, i have design my DIY camper with kitchen and shower with a porta potty, the one you showed. the height on the rear end has the 46" x 22" skylight that will prop up on one side and a split curtain around the opening for privacy. still got some refinement to do. will be using diamond plates to the top roof, front and rear area for added strength. I'm also using car sound/thermo adhesive blanket for inside insulation, just peel off the paperback and press it on the surface. i use it on inside my scout full cab. stays on very good.
Great design Robert. The sound insulation for the camper insulation is a great idea! A skylight would be a fun addition to a camper. After using the teardrop and the Scamp quite a bit we would definitely suggest one larger window that allows you to take in the beautiful views around you.
I appreciate that. I have had a few comments in this video telling me to get over it. When I was younger someone on the street in Norway told me something that has stuck with me all these years. He said the best products to put your money into are your shoes and your bed. He said something to the effect of 60% of the day you are on your feet and 33% of the day you are in your bed... unless you have a great partner and that percentage increases 😂
I'm a bit late to the show, but we got a Exped MegaWatt Duo 10 sleeping pad for car/tent camping, but we also use it in our small slide in camper now because it's as comfortable (possibly more comfortable) than our at home bed. The other nice thing is it has an R value of 10, so you stay warm even on winter nights. 🤠
We have a bushwhacker 12, and since we have storage under the bed... We went with 2 30x78 insulated king camp mattresses that are 3" thick. Works perfect for being able to still get to storage, even with someone in there if needed.
My camper fits a queen size bed, so we were able to get the exact same memory foam/pillowtop mattress cover from Amazon we have on our bed at home. Same sleep as home makes me a happy camper.
Our pop up camper came with a hospital bed. We put memory foam topper (2”) on it and it’s perfect. The hospital bed is thin but still has descent support. Queen sheets fit it fine. It’s like sleeping at home.
I think the hospital bed sounds like a great idea. We have found the main mattress doesn't need to be very thick as long as you have the memory foam topper. Thanks for sharing your sleeping setup with us.
I reused a old leather couch,to line the side walls,foam naturally behind leather.I find the feeling and looks big improvement. i used the cushions and foam to make mattress ,covered with thick blanket.must rise those cabinets .The back of couch leather was like new,no sun light i used for head board,
I sleep on a Tempurpedic mattress at home and a memory foam topper for my T@B was the first accessory I bought. I had one made by a company in Colorado called Mattress Insider that fits it perfectly. It’s got non-slip material underneath, two inches of memory foam and an organic cotton top. It also has elastic straps at the corners and you just let them know how deep the mattress or cushions are that you will be placing it on and they make them to fit which keeps the topper in place and also helps keep the cushions together as a single unit. They offer it in a lot of sizes and will make a custom size or shape if you need a curved edge or something else to fit a specialty mattress. I think they also offer a thicker topper as well as every size and shape of custom mattress you can imagine. Mine was about $150, it arrived within two weeks of ordering and it had almost no smell - unlike the memory foam mattress I ordered from amazon that I thought would suffocate me from the upstairs bedroom. I also had a set of custom sheets made that fit the depth of the cushions plus topper. It is definitely a luxury but really nice to have and they are 100% cotton and very well made. I’m not affiliated with them in any way but I very highly recommend them.
That sounds great and affordable. We have been surprised how many custom mattress manufacturers there are out there. Before making this video we didn't even know that was an option. Thanks again for the suggestions.
The door stopper things -- such a great idea to fill in any gaps! Our T@Gxl came with two 4-5" twins - side by side. Then we added a 4" memory foam mattress. It's very, very comfy - but it makes getting into our under bed storage really difficult. Someone did a special hydraulic lift hack that we might try someday. As always, thanks for the great videos! ~ Maria
Thanks Maria for the feedback on your bedding situation. Your bed mattress plus memory foam sounds very similar to our home bed setup. I bet you sleep real well in that T@G. I am gathering from most people that the have roughly 8" thick beds. When we took out the scamp we had the same issue as you with the memory foam. It makes a great night's sleep but it definitely makes it more difficult to move things around.
I like the draft dodger idea as well. As far as the air mat and memory foam combo-I've been doing that for years. works great in the short to mid term but found it needs periodic removal and rotating to maintain the desired support level. Also, the air mat conducts cold, so, brrr if not factored.
@@micahmitchell517 You are right on about the cold. We find the Klymit one we use has no insulation so it doesn't stop any of the cold. We think a thermarest style would probably be better, but the Klymit was the exact size of our floor.
I'm a huge proponent of foam mattresses...and I strongly suggest skipping the 'big box' store and instead google foam factories/suppliers near you. We have one about 40 minutes away and it's always worth the visit. For the same price as the big box stores you get better foam and selection. They can cut it to fit as well.
Our T@g Max XL we had 2 custom built mattresses made. They are 8-9" thick. Can be a struggle to open and access the underneath compartment but have not looked back on our decision. We sleep as well as we do at home and that was very important to us. So we are very happy campers. 🙂
Okay, we are jealous! That T@g Max XL looks amazing. We have found through these comments 8" mattresses seem to be the perfect thickness. Sleeping like you do at home means you don't ever have to go back if you don't want to. And that is a great feeling!
Excellent idea... we got the same mattress in the insulated version for our Sportsmobile bed, and have a thick rectangular sleeping bag over it. I’ll be adding an inch or two of memory foam over the air mat. Thanks!
That sounds perfect. That is what we ended up going with as well. We kept trying new things but the trick for us was a thick sleeping bag opened up over the gel memory foam.
I'm 75 and two things I've learned about inflatable matresses!! #1. They deflate!! Always when you least expect or want it -- like in the middle of the night? #2. They remain at room temperature so if youre in a tent and it's freezing -- you freeze! I have never in my lifetime been able to depend on anything inflatable for very long! Except tires🤞
Great insight you have there Toni. Thanks for sharing. Our newest thought is a firm foam on the bottom with a memory foam on top. We are still using the inflatable, which has worked, but like I said in the video still think we can take it up one notch in comfort.
For our Aliner, we originally kept the crummy factory cushions(which were of course completely unsatisfactory) and just tossed a 3 inch memory foam topper on it. This was unsatisfactory still so we replaced the factory cushions with a 5 inch foam mattress(1 inch memory, 4 inch firm) and put the 3 inch topper on top of that. Sleeps nice, and we really don't care about the inability to access thing under it as we have no need to.
That sounds like a good setup. Like you on 2 campers now we have left the poor quality cushions and put a memory foam topper. It is good for about a month, but then you realize it is not a "real" bed. I like the idea of just swapping it all out for a more standard style bed. I guess now that Slim Potatohead is in his new fiberglass trailer, you are going to have to be the new TH-cam face for A frame trailers. Somebody has to fill the spot! Just kidding. But, we do really love learning about those style of trailers from Slim and will miss seeing it a bit in his videos.
I have yoga mats for my base. 2 layers per person. I started out with mini foam doggie mattresses but wake up sweating with foam. Finally found a futon with cotton batting. Love the cotton but chunked the polyester cover for a cotton duvet. Great for warmer weather but going to combine with wool blanket for wicking while i sleep. The cotton gives a damp feeling in winter but i am getting older.
We got the Mega Mat Duo 10 by Exped to sleep in the tent up at Mt St Helen’s early this spring and it’s an amazing bed! Yes, it’s a bit spendy but it’s so comfortable, easy to inflate or adjust and has an R value of 9, so it never felt like the ground. I would definitely recommend this bed. There is the medium and double size but we got the medium so it will also fit perfect in the Honda Pilot. I don’t know what size your hauling car is but it may fit in that too.
Great suggestion Marlene. Quite a few years ago we tried out the Mega Mat Duo. It truly is probably the most comfortable mat out there. We weren't able to find one that fit our teardrop. But, I bet it will be a great fit for a lot of the others who watch this channel. Thanks again Marlene for reminding us about this great mattress.
Instead of the draft dodger for the side fillers for the gap left by the air mattress, you could roll up bath or beach towels to use as filler. You may find a use for the extra towels in an emergency, after getting soaked in the rain or an impromptu swim and after drying, they go back to work as mattress gap fillers.
Great suggestion! We love reading the tinyyellowteardrop blog. In that blog she is often mentioning how helpful spare towels can be and how she stores them almost everywhere.
Love your tear-drop.ive been using a electric carving knife for over 30 years to cut foam, it does work well.ive passed this tip on to people many times.Sandra in Oz
you point is well taken, better ventilation too. i love your ideas to improve my DIY half teardrop and a half ??? with toilet and shower for convenience. thanks, bob
Can't wait to see your finished trailer. For us these type of projects tend to take much longer than we anticipated. We will be sending you good vibes that doesn't happen for you.
We are so glad you commented about your Scamp. We were always wondering how it would work to throw a memory foam topper on the Scamp bed. Mainly we were wondering where do you put the memory foam topper when you convert the bed into the table?
In my square drop adventure trailer I have a 6 inch memory foam mattress, and I love it. I am 6'1, and weight 220lbs, and I don't sink to the subfloor. I also have plenty of room for my feet in the foot box. My wife is also very happy with the comfort level too. I can't fold mine up and out of the way though to use the subfloor as a a gear hauler though. I just put a tarp over the bedding if I want to throw something on top for storage during traveling.
You sound like us with the tarp. Would love the fold up option for a quick roadside picnic every now and then, but the tarp does just fine for storing gear.
I like that idea. Over here in Asia latex is pretty much the only bedding you can purchase. It’s been nesting getting to know the feeling of sleeping on latex and actually coming to appreciate it. Seems to be pretty popular in Europe as well.
Haven't ready thru comments, but the standard mattress in our T@G XL is exceptional. I was actually shocked. Pretty sure they can be ordered as an accessory. I actually have LESS aches in the morning camping than I do at home!
Now that is nice to hear. We will have to look into that. And good for T@G for doing that for their customers. That is the type of trailer manufacturing we like to see.
I LOVE Klymit. I sleep on one at home, one in the bugout bag, one in the house sitting bag.. 3/4 full of air and the first thing you notice is the mattress pops up to fill in under your neck and in the small of your back. Filled too full and it's like sleeping on a rock. My shoulders crackle and pop and wake me up at night with shooting pains, but Inflate to floppy and suddenly I can sleep the night through on my back or sides. Klymit grooves seem welded better too, because cheaper mattreses have had their cells pop open. Doesn't affect sleep, but looks bad. Not so with klymit who seem to weld their cells securely by what they say is their special method. Deflated, the mattress packs away for more room for gear while on the road. Too close to the ground or floor? Put another one under there, even a cheaper brand. In the wild, I use two with grooves nestled together for a 4.5 inch mattress. The bottom layer takes the cold, and the top layer stay warmer. Below zero, put one inside the sleeping bag. Deflate for travel on the road to pack more stuff in a trailer. TIP: Washing an air mattress risks destroying its waterproof and airtight properties, and abrasion on floor boards shortens it's shelf life, so it really does need a cover to wash and buffer friction, instead. I bought klymit's mattress cover which is essentially a stretchy topper with garters underneath. It doesn't work. Every time you roll over, it pulls the speedo with it, and you wind up on the mattress AND on top of the button garters. Pricey too! FIX: Use a synthetic zipped or sewn sided travel sheet for half that price. The ones that fit best were Hammock Bliss for single size but I have others that are a little baggy but still work well. Silky, it slides easily over the mattress when you flip sides in the night, so it doesn't matter if it rotates over the mattress. It's cool and silky in summer and retains warmth in the winter because YOU aren't inside the bag, just the mattress, but body warmth is held inside the bottom air space in winter. Plus the travel sheet can be used as a travel sheet for hotels against bed bugs. For this application in the video, a zipped sheet isn't necessary, so sewn is probably better to prevent mattress friction. Lightweight, they wash like a dream and dry in about 15 minutes in a dry breeze. I dry mine in front of the wall heater of a cabin. I don't recommend electric dryers that weaken synthetic fibers. I put the head of the air mattress in the foot of the travel sheet and flip the sheet upside down, so the pillowcase feature doesn't wrinkle up underneath my shoulders. Two single travel sheets CAN be zipped together if they zip around the foot too AND are the same brand, but one pillowcase will be over your partner's face, not under their head, and if used on a mattress like the full klymit, will extend another 10 inches beyond the mattress foot. I just tuck the excess underneath to secure the mattress inside. In the cabin, I use two zipped together as a duvet over my opened down sleeping bag, and knot the pillowcases together to hold the down bag from slipping out and off the bed. Upshot: Buy quality like Klymit for the surface you sleep on, and get a cheaper brand underneath if you're only using air mattresses, and invest in inexpensive travel sheets for dual and multi-purposes.
If your bag loses air in a slow leak around the valve, there is a quick fix on the road on YT removing the valve (pop it off) and then superglue before putting it back on. But check videos about it because it's a ONE TIME repair. So do it right.
The silver shadows are perfect little teardrops. We really love that style. Great suggestion on the carpet padding. We never would have thought about that.
I use a 3” tempurpedic topper on top of a 4” Thermarest Mondoking xxl with a 1” memory foam on top of everything. When it is cold I use a Biddeford Sherpa quilted ac power heated mattress cover. Spoiled😍
I just got my teardrop in Feb. It is a used Little Guy Five Wide. There previous owner gave us the bed they used in it. It folds up into a small couch. For me, when I laid on it, it was OK, but a bit hard. My partner likes hard though. So, I put a memory foam mattress under the bed. I thought it felt a bit better. But, I will see when I spend my first night on it. If too hard, I may cut the memory form in half and put it just on my side on top of the mattress. :)
Sounds like a good plan. You are going to have so much fun Tara taking our your Little Guy. We have a family member who has a Little Guy and loves everything about it. You are also really going to appreciate the fold up bed. Obviously the couch is nice. But the fold-ability is really nice to do things in one half of your teardrop without getting dirt or crumbs on your bed. When you have one single mattress like us everything is always done on top of the nice clean sheets.
Since we won't be buying any kind of teardrop or Scamp until we finish paying for college chick's tuition...I told my husband that, along with our tent (we can stand up in it so it will be our changing room/rainy weather dining room/maybe bathroom) I am removing the back seats in my gen 2 Honda CRV and fitting a bed in there. I wanted to build a platform over the wheel wells so that a full sized mattress would fit in there easily. But husband was concerned about overhead height and so for now I have cut custom panels of 2 inch. foam wall insulation panels and then placed on top of it a simple full sized airbed (8 in.) that I only inflate enough to fit it snug around and over the wheel wells. Some of our storage bins fit into the foot rest area in the back to help bring the space level with the rest of the back. I am going to look into maybe using your bed suggestion as it might be comfortable without the thickness. I do have some arthritis in my knees and right hip so my only concern is whether your combo would work for someone like me. Thanks for the info. Like you, I will probably never be satisfied, ha. But great coffee and a great camping bed are two musts for me.
We used to use the same setup, meaning a combination of tent and bed in the back of the vehicle. We built our bed up to allow storage drawers below. Your husband is on to something, having the bed with drawers was nice but loosing that head room made it not the most enjoyable experience. Coffee and a good bed sounds like us as well. Thanks Robin for sharing your setup.
Great suggestion. We actually have the "Bamboo" brand mattress protector for our home mattress. It is so soft and cozy. We looked up the mattress toppers last night. We didn't realize Bamboo made toppers. Definitely affordable as well. Now that May is pregnant she would like a little bit more softness to the teardrop bed. Looks like a mattress topper will be on our shopping list. Thanks again for suggesting this.
You are the second person to mention that. It didn't even cross our mind. Definitely a great idea. Love the username. We have a volcano that goes off here quite often called "Mt. Redoubt."
@@PlayingwithSticks yes, mattress has about a 6" foam pad inside. For me, just the pad alone works......at least for now. Much better than the old RV mattress!
Full size Millard 6" trifold memory foam. We tried a regular mattress, an innerspring futon mattress, an air bed, and the 6" memory foam surpasses all of them in every aspect. 😁
6" memory foam sounds just right. And the idea of a trifold sounds even better knowing you can fold it out of the way. We didn't realize they made trifold memory foam. We thought they were just regular foam. Thanks for the info.
(2) $15 self inflatable camp sleeping pads from ALDI , layed side by side, covered by about 5 synthetic rectangular sleeping bags. Incredibly comfortable and snuggy warm.
We have never heard of the ALDI pads. $15 you can't beat that! May loves sleeping bags as toppers. Unfortunately ours are all mummy bags so they get bunched up. Looks like it might be time to get rectangular bags.
I did the typical thing where you put down the exercise mat puzzle piece flooring. On top of that, I use a Foamy from Hest. If my sister or my son is with me, I have a 2nd Foamy and bedding set. I actually think the exercise mat plus Foamy arrangement is easier on my old joints than my bed at home.
I also use a thin inflatable in my bus conversion, but this one looks thicker and a little more luxurious. I never thought about memory foam on top. I think I'll try it. I learned the carving knife thing in upholstery class - it's the best, isn't it?
We truly love the inflatable/memory foam combo. Our inflatable doesn't have foam in it like a thermarest. Our guess is if you combine a thermarest style mattress with memory foam you will be in schoolie heaven!
My four inch mattress was not comfy. I tried a couple things under it that didn't work, back when. I purchased a somewhat spendy, thin, self-inflating mattress for under my side because the dog's side didn't need it. But it moved some under there and left me feeling downhill. So I got the narrower, matching air mattress for the dog's side, and it stays in place. At first, it was too squishy, couldn't crawl around on it. Let out a bit of air, and it's just right. I figured this out before seeing the video, so I did good. I once tried the foam puzzle piece blocks under there, but for whatever reason, it sweat underneath those. I had looked at the Froli system, but I'm now happy with the air.
Do you have any problems with mildew? I’m in the humid southeast and love down/feather bedding, but have to be careful in the summer since I rarely turn on the a/c.
You need to have a custom “cushion” made for you. Almost like a thin couch cushion. You can have a seamstress make one for you. It can even fold in half. That will be your best bet. I slept on one for the last week of college. It was about 3 inches thick and was so comfortable!
I use my Klymit single for my camping cot. I use a cot inside my tent, they also have same ones with insulation but my favorite one is made by Teton, they have double ones self inflating which you can adjust as well giving you a better R value. Thanks for the info.
I have and am currently using a "Relic" which is a 1987 Teardrop Trailer, with a custom bed of 6" memory foam cut down to 4 1/2'is inches, with fitted quilted sheets, and you sleep in dreamland with utter relaxation, it's the best that I have found to date, of course I have been sleeping on my creation for the better part of 4 years now :D
Got a teardrop (love it). Was designed to take an IKEA memory foam double mattress. Comes with removable (zip) and washable protector/liner. We recently had a mould problem so that was a super convenient feature. Not sure on price but less than AUD200. Never looked back 🤔🧐😉 love your channel keep it up 😎
Love the idea of a washable protector/liner with a zipper. One of the hardest things for us, after installing the memory foam, is reinstalling the sheets and getting them to stay in place. Having a proper sized sheet to fit a proper size non-cut mattress would definitely alleviate that. Here in the States the IKEA Full "Double" is on sale for $259 from $329. It is the model with the zipper. Thank you for sharing this Dan!
@@PlayingwithSticks you could make your own mattress cover from sheets. Make it a little bigger than your mattress, sew up 3 sides leaving a long side open. Either put in a zipper or ties or Velcro on the open side. Or buy a regular mattress cover and sew it to the size you need.
Nice hacks you found there. Personally, I can sleep on just about anything. Still and all, we’ll probably upgrade the mattresses in our new Casita. Happy Camping
The beauty of the Casita is that you have all that headroom. So you’re not concerned about mattress height like a teardrop. As long as you can find the correct mattress, size or be able to cut your mattress to size, it will work in a Casita.
Sofa mattress is the way to go! We picked up two of them brand-new @ Habitat for humanity $15. each. Instead of an inflatable mattress-use a sofa mattress for the base & memory foam for the top.
I am using the bedding cushions that came with my nucamp tag xl. Not the best and they move around. I have a cot that I use when I tent camp and overnights. It will fit in there and sits up about 8 inches but like you said about feet space under the cabinets on the back side. Even tho they are about 24 inches high from floor and you take the 8 inches from it you still have 16 inches which may work but I also have a 4 inch memory tri fold mattress that I bought off of Amazon that can go on it then I’m down to 12 inches of feet space. But I am going to try that on my next camping trip. Will let you know how it was for me. I camp alone so I know it will be hard for 2 people or a family. Like 90% of things in this life, you do what’s best or works for you.
I have a 5" futon mattress with springs. More comfortable than foam - only problem is that you can't trim it to size. For my cargo trailer build, I made it fit a full-size perfectly.
Interesting. We had no idea that there were futon mattresses with springs. Our trailer is very close to a standard size. Luckily it is a bit on the small side of standard. So maybe just filling the gap with some foam pipe insulation. Thanks for sharing.
So we would put the 2" dense foam on the bottom, then wool, then memory foam? We have had other people mention the wool. How does the wool help. We would love to try this out, but wanted to understand the principles behind it a bit before trying it.
@@PlayingwithSticks Playing with Sticks A wool blanket "breathes" and moderates the body heat that notoriously cause memory foam to break down. Like a heat sink. Antibacterial & water repellent properties of wool and cold water washable. The dense foam is going to last you ten years. Also bed bugs hate foam, btw.
@@PlayingwithSticks Also check out military surplus but be sure to read the content label as US Army blankets are rarely all wool these days. (you can do a burn test to be sure) Anyway, I found a thick Italian military blanket years ago, never wash it, just hang it out in the sun a few times a year. It’ll last a lifetime!
All of that work lol. We bought a roof top tent mattress then added a memory foam topper and it’s unreal. Oh we also added dynamat on the floor for sound deadening and insulation.
Great suggestion. Originally the Exped Mats were what we wanted as well. You are absolutely right, they are so comfortable! When we looked up the dimensions they weren't going to fit our teardrop well. However, it has been three years now since we looked them up. They probably have different sizes now. Thanks again for the reminder to check them out.
I use the exped 10 in my cargo van with built in twin size wooden frame which has under bed storage. That mattress is so comfortable. I have not had to reinflate or adjust the air since I got it. That was about 4 or 5 years ago.
That is a great idea. You are the first person to mention pool noodles as an underbed. One of our fellow camper enthusiasts mentioned pool noodles, but that was for filling the gaps on the sides.
Inflatables are never permanent solutions for full time sleeping, though they are comfortable. My successful cheap solution has worked for the past three years (full time every night)- I sleep on 3 large dog pillows under a thrift store queen sized cotton quilt that was tripled up for extra padding. The dog beds are easy to shake out, portable, easy to conform to whatever narrow small environments you are in and can quite inexpensive compared to comparable human mattresses.They have the same thick cushioning as any camping mattresses. Very cost effective and they come in huge sizes.
@@occipitalneuralgia2339 Love the dog pillow/cotton quilt combo. The more we tinker with a perfect bedding situation the more we lean towards something like yours. Thank you M.A. Enriquez.
That sounds perfect. That is probably the route we should have went. We got such a good deal on the Klymit Double V at the time. But a nice insulated, padded mat like yours would probably have made this 100% as comfy as our bed at home. Thanks for sharing Jimmy.
I do the aerobed and a 1.5" memory foam topper for my tent. Looking into ordering a teardrop, I like the idea of the small inflatable, good to know. thanks!
You are most welcome! We used to do the aerobed for our tent as well. But unfortunately, ours finally gave out this summer on the seems of the air pump so it has been pretty tough keeping it sealed up. I think we used our 1 too many times.
@@PlayingwithSticks We've narrowed it down between The "Classic" Bean and a Tag Boondock. I like the layout of the Tag a lot more, but like the 'seamless' roof concept on the bean for longevity.
The Bean is awesome. I reached out to them a few weeks ago to see if they planned on making a standup version. Unfortunately it is not in the plans for them at this point. We loved the video where they took the sledge hammer to the trailer. If they could use that design and make a standup version I think they wouldn't be competing with anyone. A light, but small standup trailer seems to be missing from the market. We agree that we like the T@g layout, but would like that layout with less weight and seamless construction.
What are the chances, I tried almost the same things that you did, and today I received a piece of memory foam to put over a sleeping pad xD, it works great, plus I have a sierra design Front country double sleeping bag, which's really comfy.
Check out Froli System for the base layer and what the RV upholstery shops around here call a travel bed on top. Actual real mattress, not just a slab of foam. The Froli allows air circulation...no black bits in the corner under the mattress.
Thank you for this tip. We have been looking into the FROLI system since we heard comments on here. Seems like a great investment, especially if you ever decided to swap out your trailer for a different one the interchangeable pieces can just go with you. I wonder if we have any RV upholstery shops up here. WE will have to look for a travel bed.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
*Just what the doctor ordered! It is heavy duty **MyseIf.Furniture** returns to form well, and stays put on my mattress. Great way to add some firmness with give too. Better sleep and less back pain. Best birthday gift in a long time.*
I went to the link: Myself.Furniture but it didn't take me to a specific item that you might be referring to. Could you direct me to the specific item you recommend? Thank you!
Memory Foam...having sold mattress for quite a while maybe I can pass on some information. First memory foam is temperature sensitive. As the temperature in your trailer gets lower, your mattress gets firmer. Summer vs. Winter provides a different comfort level. Memory Foam Topper vs a Memory Foam Mattress. A memory foam mattress is not. pure memory foam. It is composed of a supportive foam base with a memory foam top. A six inch memory mattress has on average one inch of memory foam, and five inches of a supportive foam base. Pore memory foam was not meant to sleep on. If you put a six inch piece of pure memory foam in your trailer you would slowly compress it almost down to the floor when sleeping on it. A piece of one to two inch of pure memory foam is meant to used as a "topper". The purpose is to go on top of a spring mattress, the spring mattress acts as a supportive base. That is why when using a memory foam mattress the comfort level is much different than just using a memory foam topper.
Best way to cut a piece of memory foam...you have the best enviroment for this task. Being that memory foam is temperature sensitive jus put your memory foam outside durring the Alaskan winter. In the morning it should be almost as stiff a Styrofoam when you cut it with your electric carving knife. I really enjoy your Utube Videos.. Thank you again.
Love this information Mark! Thank you for sharing this. Have you ever come across the memory foam that has blue dots in it? I think it may be called gel foam? That is what our foam is. Like you said it is meant to be a topper, not a mattress. What we like about this memory foam is in all temps it feels pretty much the same. In winter it does get a little more stiff, but not near as noticeable as regular memory foam. I don't know if this style of foam is still common or not. We got it from Costco about 10 years ago.
I used this trick to firm up a well loved sofa! Who says electric knives are just for meat, right?!
As for putting foam back into the case: put/squeeze the foam into a large large LARGE trash bag with the opening of the bag going into the case. Then just pull the trash bag out. Voila! No catching fabric on fabric to wrestle with. Then just squeeze the zipper shut.
P.S. I know I'm years late, but we're starting out on our camping journey (again) and reliving our Eagle & Cadette scout days. Saving for a camper, but until then, camping it is!
We're starting out w an air mattress that has the pump built in. Elevated on folding cots, popup stand up tent, sleeping mummy bags.
I'm so excited!
Love the Channel!
This is amazing, especially! The comment section, read half of the entire thing and then quqly scrolled down to the buttom when I found out exactly how an insane amount of replies you are doing to all your comments. Your replies are also well thought and often you research or look something that is mentioned. Truly appreciate it. I think you made many subscribers that will stay with you for a while thanks to that
Thank you Leo. I think on our end we are a bit selfish in that we love doing these videos because we learn so much from the comments. The videos are fun to make, but it is the comment section where our family really learns and grows. Thanks again Leo for the very positive comment. We don't get a whole lot of these :)
Having built a couple campers, we're absolutely in love with the tri-fold mattress concept. You can get them in any standard mattress size including the peculiar RV "short queen" size. They can be found with dual layer construction, fairly high density on the bottom with gel memory on the top. The part we find fascinating is how when folded a particular way, they convert to a super comfortable couch . A folded 4 inch mattress will have an 8 inch thick seat cushion with a tall (24 inch) back cushion 4 inches thick. Lots of upper back support and a couch that can be unfolded back to a bed in about 10 seconds. Unfortunately, they aren't found thicker than 4 inches. We had a dual layer 5 inch mattress (non folding) in our previous truck camper and it was an absolute glorious experience. I never wanted to get out of bed. For our current truck camper we needed a folding mattress because of the slide out bed extension so we used a 4 inch and I added an additional 1.5 inch memory foam topper to the bottom after cutting it in into three sections for the tri-fold. I use a large pair of tin snips to cut thinner pieces of foam and a hand held hacksaw blade (blade only) to cut thicker pieces of foam. Not as nice as the electric carving knife but usually can be found on hand :-) I've also used a large bread knife before.
We always wondered if the couch position of the tri-folds were actually comfortable. Love your resourcefullness Travels with Yoly!
@@PlayingwithSticks We always have a rear panel that supports the back at a 20 degree angle so it's a natural sofa position. In our Runaway Range Runner we'd just lay the panel flat against the wall when deployed as a queen mattress. The one in our current truck camper is absolutely luxurious with an 8 inch thick seat (2 - 4 inch thick sections one on top of the other ) and the third section rising up as the backrest. Most expensive travel trailers have very inexpensive 3 inch foam cushions by comparison. We've found that of the 3 brands that we've used Milliard is the best quality. As I mentioned, the thickest tri-fold we found was 4 inches but a 1 inch topper above or below makes it very comfy.
At home we have 6” foam (custom one side firm, other side medium firm) with 2” latex topper…best sleep ever! I no longer wake up with a sore back. And the chipped latex pillow fill means no more neck tension/spasms.
Our CTC has 5” firm foam - and because it’s trifold I’d love to put our topper in there.
I like that you accept that you are always trying out things to see what works
That side of me drives me crazy. But, I think in the end it really helps increase our time out camping. Each time we make micro adjustments to one of our pinch points it usually equates to an additional day or two of camping due to the comfort or convenience it brings.
I tried this air & foam mattress tip, as well as, your winter camping trick of adding down and wool blankets. And you’re right,
GAME CHANGER, I slept so much better.
Thanks so much for the tips & tricks videos they have helped a lot!
I plan on having a camping gear yard sale in the spring for all the “stuff” I bought that just didn’t work out for us. It’s accumulated over the years.
In the van I took the foam mattress off our spare room bed along with the board (plywood). When the seats were folded down the board and mattress made a perfect bed. I was able to sleep well while my wife drove on I 4 and when we arrived in Daytona area I was rested up and took over driving my wife reclined on the front seat. 73
I just became the proud owner of my first teardrop (squaredrop) after 12 years of wanting one. One of the features that drew me to this particular model was the queen size inner spring pillow top mattress. Sooo cosy. Love the channel!
Welcome to the club! And congratulations. A comfy bed makes a huge difference in your overall camping experience. You are going to love it!
8 inch foam mattress from Walmart. Fantastic bargain at $139 for a twin and about $169 for the queen in October of 2021. Cuts easy with a hot knife/electric knife if needed but I didn't need to cut mine. Easily the most comfortable mattress set up. I've slept on it for more than a year now living full time in a 17 foot Coleman Lantern travel trailer and I have zero complaints. I'll be using the same product for the teardrop I'm currently building.
Great video, I have had my Casita for 5 years and have been through many iterations of bedding including the backpack inflatable camp pads along with a tri-fold mattress from Costco which really worked for awhile. Now I have a 3" Gel Memory Foam topper with a 2" portable foam bed, all from Costco and I am sleeping in luxury. Didn't even have to cut anything 👍🌞🌞🌞🌞
Thanks for commenting Christina. The 2" portable foam bed you are referring to, is that just the regular white foam?
@@PlayingwithSticks I'll have to check the packaging. I don't have access right now because I had a catastrophic axel failure last week so it's in the shop across town. But Costco has them in stock right now & it seems typically every Spring. You're supposed to be able to roll it back up & move it around say for sleepovers and such. Has a nice durable cover kind of like outdoor cushions.
@@PlayingwithSticks No, it is memory foam. Sorry for delay in answering 🌞
@@ChristinaColoradoan Thanks Christina for getting back to us. Much appreciated!
Do you leave the memory foam topper in your trailer for the winter? I got mine from Costco too trying to figure out how to safely store it for the winter when I can't use my trailer regularly
Patio furniture cushions work great and you don't have to worry about mold build up..just wipe them down every week
That is a great idea! Especially beings you can get them at such a great price in the fall when box stores are getting rid of their excess inventory.
I used these in my van camper bed and then transferred it to my new 2019 Runaway trailer.Also put a 2” memory foam pad on top..very comfortable for me
This will make a home pull out couch bed better too!
For a week now, as a trial, I've been sleeping on a Coleman Ridgeline 3 cot topped with the accompanying 2" pad and topped on that with the Klymit Static V, that you are using, but for one person. Without the Klymit, the cot was fairly comfortable, but just needed a tad more cushion. The Klymit solved the problem and I've been really comfortable and getting a good night's sleep. But, unlike your setup, I've got it on top of the pad. I believe I tried it under the pad but found it worked for me better on top. (I think the "V" keeps me more centered on the cot and away from the side rails.) I had already had the Klymit but didn't use it much because it did not provide sufficient cushion on a hard ground or bed of a van. The cot will be part of my temporary minivan conversion for road trips this summer, and I'm now looking forward to a better setup in the van because it will allow storage under the cot, thus more floor space and ability to move about more easily, as opposed to what I had been doing, which was using an airbed that took up most of the floor which made it necessary each night to move gear to the front seats and then to the back in the morning, a very great time-consumer and strain on my bad back. I'm now really looking forward to lots of road trips this summer and being a part-time nomad!
Awesome to hear you found a great setup and you are on your way to part-time nomad status! We are going to have to try putting the Klymit on top. If you saw in our video I love the setup, but it still needs just a little tweak, maybe flipping the mats around will be the ticket! Thank you for the great info.
My favorite mattress of all time ever is the tempurpidic clowr. I want to put it in but it is 9 inches thick. I hay have to cut some thickness off. If you have never tried it well iits called the cloud for a reason. I got ot for free on Craigslist. People give them away all the time I have gotten all 4 of my tempurpidic mattresses for free. They sleep hot and that's why people give them away for free. In a tear drop trailer hot is good. Especially in the winter.
I had the exact same issues with my memory foam mattress, shoulder hitting hard floor surface. I did the two Klymit 3/4 length and used larger diameter pool noodles for the edges. So far after two years, so good. I do have to re-inflate the Klymit mattresses whenever changing altitudes, not a big deal.
That is us too! In the end we just added foam insulation (pipe insulated sleeves) to the edges and this setup has been the best for us. Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic! I was pre-thinking in pre-solving this potential problem in my mind - thank you so much!
I am preparing to go nomadic; it's going to be a while but I have decided, and am going to get my health together, downsize and go nomad before I die! Life IS too short !
Do it! We always say the same thing. What we have learned is you just have to do it. There never will be a perfect time to go nomadic!
This is EXACTLY the solution I ended up with after years and years of trying various different sleeping/bed options! Best night's sleep ever :-D I now sleep much better in my tent than I do at home X-D
Can’t wait to go camping next so I can try this out because that is the part that kills me the most is the sleeping discomfort. When you’re a kid you really don’t notice it but even in mid 30s I’m like God I have to find a solution
I really enjoy your Chanel and the comments .......and watching you both interact with your kids . You are giving them a great foundation .
The mattress thing is something I’m struggling with at this time. My memory foam has grown tired. My self inflators worked well with memory foam initially. I appreciate Thayer you too always want to ‘tweak ‘ for that next improvement. On another of your contributions on water saving I learned a lot.
I’m old now on my own and family away so I now dish wash only once a day , yesterdays rinse water becomes today’s dish and pot wash water which works well as I created a very deep sink with two compartments and I use bi carb for sterilising .....I’ll be trialing the bi carb for washing and the hot water and bicarbonate in spray for rinsing. Thankyou for your energy and family experience.
Glad you are enjoying the videos Douglas. Let us know what you find that works for you in terms of bedding. We find a lot of folks on here purchase a Futon cover/mattress. There is another name for it, sounds a bit more fancy, but when I ask them what it is they say it is basically a futon mat. Another great thing we have found is firm foam and then over it place a lot of thicker layers of blankets like fleece , down comforters, and unzipped sleeping bags. This is also a solution many people do. Great idea on recycling the rinse water. Going to have to try the bicarbonate. This would eliminate the vinegar smell for those who don't like it.
I have a little off-road teardrop... first used an air mattress, it popped, but was ok besides crazy condensation. Yesterday, we built a platform and put an amazon mattress on it. I think it’ll be good and I start a new trial expedition tonight to test it.
Great idea with the platform. No more moisture issues for you. That is half the battle. Another neat setup we have seen is the Froli sleep system, just in case you are unfamiliar with it. Mostly known as a sailboat thing, but starting to pickup momentum in the camper world.
Playing with Sticks I do know of the system as I had been thinking about a Winnebago travato for a while before this. I didn’t know you could buy it. That’s interesting! Thanks so much for these videos... I’m new to teardrops yet also being forced upon it (happily tho) so I’m trying to learn all I can in a short amount of time.
Hey guys great video, we use outdoor 5 inch furniture cushions for their durability and a memory foam pillow on top this way we get the dual functionality that we need out of it.
That is a great idea. I bet you can get those outdoor pillows at a pretty affordable cost in the fall. Glad to hear you enjoyed the video!
Playing with Sticks we did get a great price at $10 each at IKEA.
We bought two matching 6” tri-fold foam mattresses. They are surprisingly comfortable, and trimming them down with an old electric bread knife was easier than I ever imagined.
Love the unique feel of this video! The way you did it I think adds a “storytelling” aspect, and I think it really adds a lot to it.
Thanks Jake much appreciated!
We have a 17ft Casita SD and it had a custom made mattress and we put a 3" memory foam from Costco. It works great! We live in it and have for 18 months. We love having a toilet for the middle of the night. Our grand daughters go with us (9 & 11yo). One sleeps on the floor and the other the table/bed.
Sounds like a great setup. Our memory foam is from Costco as well, but about half the thickness of yours. Living in a Casita for 18 months sounds like a blast! I bet the granddaughters love hanging out in there.
Heck yeah. Can confirm! Partner and I literally just did this in our tent and loved it
Reminds me of the 1960's when we all used "Carving Knives" to cut the foam underlay for the walls and floors ... over time what was old, becomes new again. :-)
That is funny to hear. Yep, we came a bit after the 60's so it is all new to us :)
brilliant. I am amazed I didn't think of that.
@@PlayingwithSticks I went into my art supply storage room and found my old electric knife in the box... sadly I bought it in the USA (110 volt) and now I live in Australia (240 volt) ... retired teacher.
Retired teacher, hopefully that will be us some day. Glad you made it over to that side of the world. Much of our past summers were spent on Java and Bali. We can smell the air now just thinking about it.
I've always used a serrated (full blade length) steak or bread knife. Works for me. Don't need electricity. Don't need to store an extra gadget in small places. Over the years I've made a number of cushions and mattresses for campers and/or tent cots.
I got the 1 inch foam blocks 24 x 24 that you put under your weight equiptment in your house. You cN get it at lowes, acadamy sports dicks ect. Add a 4 inch memory foam pad and holy crap. Best sleep ever. Like a cloud. Yet firm and no preasure points on your hip or shoulder. Love your videos. Just got into teardrop camping. You rock sir!
We used an 6" walmart memory foam mattress in our little guy teardrop for a few years. Best sleep I've had. I'm heavy and I never hit bottom. And, cold doesn't bother it. Also, the notices of it being hot in warm weather are overrated. It was great. I cut mine with a razor knife. Just put a heavy board or slice of plywood over it, sqeeze it to the ground and cut in layers. Saves the cost of a power carving knife.
The same mattress now resides in my cargo conversion. And, we have a 12" in the house.
That is nice to hear that a 6 inch mattress works well. We were shooting for 6, but a lot of comments on here state that they have 8".
You can find electric carving knives at goodwill, value village or most any used item thrift stores for under 10.00, most are around 2.99.
I’ve had my teardrop for 8 years and have used a cot for most of those years. I took the foam off the home bed and cut it to cot size. Works great for me. I’m a single camper, so I know it wouldn’t work for y’all, but I wanted to post in case there are other single campers looking for something. PS I’m 5 ft 3 in tall.
Thanks for sharing Sandee!
My teardrop (2006, purchased 2.5 years ago) came with a foam & memory topper from the previous owner. Due to sinking in & tossing all night, I upgraded.
I found "love my mattress". They make custom sizes to fit any application. It arrives like a burrito, just place it inside & cut the plastic wrapper. They are EVERY bit as good as your home mattress! Mine way about $300. Its awesome , soooooo comfortable!!!!
That is so good to hear Raul. Thank you so much for this information. Do you happen to know how many inches thick your mattress is? We are ready to go that route, but we are torn between 6 inch and 8 inch thickness.
@@PlayingwithSticks its 7.5" thick & it will squish down 1.5" - 2" with people on it. It fills up the teardrop from the floor to the bottom of our door.
It will take up some of your foot space, but there's always a trade off.
It will be tough to move it if you're putting a bicycle inside. (Bike rack outside?)
I have the T@G. I see a some T@G owners reporting they are using 8 inch bed, but truth be told, your feet will not fit comfortably under the air conditioner with 8in. The AC is located in the the middle of the cabinets, drops a few inch's below the cabinets, and the toes will be touching the bottom of the AC with 8 inch bed. I'm 6'1", and have to sleep at angle with feet under AC in order to not reach the back of the camper. The 2015 model is 76 inch bed. So what I do is I'm using the original 4inch foam mattress that came with camper, then 2 inch memory foam over that. From my head down to knees is an additional 2 inch foam which I got at hobby lobby, then I tapper down foam to feet so under AC is only 6inches. So for about 2/3 of bed is 8in, then tapper to 6in at feet. I did this mod last summer, seems to be working in the last couple trips. I really like this video, as I can relate. I have tried some other experiments similar to you.
That is a great idea! We know having your feet touching the air conditioner or the cabinets doesn't sound like much, but it can be the difference between a decent night sleep and a great night's sleep!
Hey Drew. I just came across this video. With my build, I went big. I got a full size mattress (5’x6’) and sliced open the bottom seam about a foot in on each side and along the 6’ length. Then I cut 2 rows of springs off and reconstructed the framework and sewed it back up... we now sleep on a true 46”x6’ mattress :-).
Great video btw
We never would have thought that could be possible. I guess our worry was that we would ruin the structural integrity of the mattress by removing portions. Never thought about using wood to reinforce the areas removed. Of all the comments we have received I think you have actually found the perfect mattress for a small camper trailer. We all want our mattress comfort from home, but don't know how to purchase one that will fit. Glad you shared this David.
When I said “ reconstruct “ I actually used rebar tie wire to rewrap the wire frame inside of the mattress, before I sewed it back up. No trees 🌲 were forested in the making of this mattress or box springs.
@@davidf9630 Even easier. Thanks for clarifying David. And of course, for saving the forest :)
For over a year I live full time in my small van conversion and I love my sleeping system. I went to a mattress producer and bought myself the hardest and stiffest 4" mattress. NOT a memory foam one though. This proved to be a great choice as I get a great sleep every night to this day. As bed can turn into a bench or sofa if you like, I cut the mattress lengthwise in half, each half has it's own cover made to fit (durable, water resistant for ease of cleaning yet soft to touch fabric). As both halfs fit perfectly in the space there is no discomfort gap between them. Also it stores away easy as it's in 2 pieces.
Sounds like a great setup Joanna. We currently are sleeping in a pop-up camper for three weeks. It is a firm mattress and at first we didn't like it. We are going on week three now and we are feeling pretty darn good!
That's what I do with my tent. Best out doors sleep ever. My brother took a folding cot similar to what the army use and in cold climates you freeze all night. with an air matress and foam topper it's perfect.
We wished we would have stumbled upon this easy solution earlier. Glad to hear others are doing this as well.
My camper came with 100mm foam mattress, I put a padded mattress protector on that and topped all with a fitted sheet. The bedding on top is a winter doona (comforter??) , a summer doona and a sheet. Usually just sleep under the sheet but as it gets cooler I sleep under a lower layer. Works for me.
A padded mattress protector is a good idea. Our bed is "almost" perfect. I bet a simple little pad on top will get us right where we need to be. Thank you for this!
I have the klymit system. Its amazing!!! If youre looking for a comfy sleep pad, that is definately it. Lifetime warranty as well!
Yep, and at times they are very affordable as well. Seems the price tends to bounce around a bit from month to month. We didn't realize they were lifetime warranties. Thanks for sharing Spencer.
I’m a tent-er and LOVE my Klymit pad so much I’ll keep it for my trailer when I (finally) choose one, along with my custom Enlightened Equipment down quilt. It took me a while to find the right stuff as an insomniac, so not going to give it up. 😆
What you may want to add is a full size cut to fit ; blotter , these are useful to draw moisture into them and out of your layers of foam, air mattress. Put it under all the items and closest to the floor. Installed these under mattress in my boat and they really help reduce moisture from respiration and humidity that invades the different layers. I purchased at a west marine store, available at hobby lobby type retailers. They are what used to go on desks when ink would spill, yeah long time ago. Should last quite a while depending on your camp climate and where you live . RLH
Great advice R Horn. We haven't heard this yet from anyone. A lot of folks have mentioned moisture issues. Thanks for posting!
Oh, great tip -- I've not heard of this blotter material! Another under-mattress product, which I didn't see mentioned yet in this forum, is Aire-Flow Hypervent [$10/lin. ft. x 39"W]. It is a sheet of looped plastic mesh, laid under mattresses for air flow. It can also be purchased as Enkadrain by Colbond [as a landscaping material for drainage -- possibly cheaper this way??]. Here is one link to start with: www.mattressinsider.com/mattress-condensation-prevention.html
by the way, i have design my DIY camper with kitchen and shower with a porta potty, the one you showed. the height on the rear end has the 46" x 22" skylight that will prop up on one side and a split curtain around the opening for privacy. still got some refinement to do. will be using diamond plates to the top roof, front and rear area for added strength. I'm also using car sound/thermo adhesive blanket for inside insulation, just peel off the paperback and press it on the surface. i use it on inside my scout full cab. stays on very good.
Great design Robert. The sound insulation for the camper insulation is a great idea! A skylight would be a fun addition to a camper. After using the teardrop and the Scamp quite a bit we would definitely suggest one larger window that allows you to take in the beautiful views around you.
A hardworking man deserves a good bed to sleep. Don’t stop looking for your best sleep. Very important!
I appreciate that. I have had a few comments in this video telling me to get over it. When I was younger someone on the street in Norway told me something that has stuck with me all these years. He said the best products to put your money into are your shoes and your bed. He said something to the effect of 60% of the day you are on your feet and 33% of the day you are in your bed... unless you have a great partner and that percentage increases 😂
I'm a bit late to the show, but we got a Exped MegaWatt Duo 10 sleeping pad for car/tent camping, but we also use it in our small slide in camper now because it's as comfortable (possibly more comfortable) than our at home bed. The other nice thing is it has an R value of 10, so you stay warm even on winter nights. 🤠
We have a bushwhacker 12, and since we have storage under the bed... We went with 2 30x78 insulated king camp mattresses that are 3" thick. Works perfect for being able to still get to storage, even with someone in there if needed.
My camper fits a queen size bed, so we were able to get the exact same memory foam/pillowtop mattress cover from Amazon we have on our bed at home. Same sleep as home makes me a happy camper.
That is exactly what we want. Same setup as home. Glad to hear you found the perfect sleeping configuration Kevin.
Our pop up camper came with a hospital bed. We put memory foam topper (2”) on it and it’s perfect. The hospital bed is thin but still has descent support. Queen sheets fit it fine. It’s like sleeping at home.
I think the hospital bed sounds like a great idea. We have found the main mattress doesn't need to be very thick as long as you have the memory foam topper. Thanks for sharing your sleeping setup with us.
I reused a old leather couch,to line the side walls,foam naturally behind leather.I find the feeling and looks big improvement.
i used the cushions and foam to make mattress ,covered with thick blanket.must rise those cabinets .The back of couch leather was like new,no sun light i used for head board,
Leather sounds much better than our ugly carpet. Great idea John.
I sleep on a Tempurpedic mattress at home and a memory foam topper for my T@B was the first accessory I bought. I had one made by a company in Colorado called Mattress Insider that fits it perfectly. It’s got non-slip material underneath, two inches of memory foam and an organic cotton top. It also has elastic straps at the corners and you just let them know how deep the mattress or cushions are that you will be placing it on and they make them to fit which keeps the topper in place and also helps keep the cushions together as a single unit. They offer it in a lot of sizes and will make a custom size or shape if you need a curved edge or something else to fit a specialty mattress. I think they also offer a thicker topper as well as every size and shape of custom mattress you can imagine. Mine was about $150, it arrived within two weeks of ordering and it had almost no smell - unlike the memory foam mattress I ordered from amazon that I thought would suffocate me from the upstairs bedroom. I also had a set of custom sheets made that fit the depth of the cushions plus topper. It is definitely a luxury but really nice to have and they are 100% cotton and very well made. I’m not affiliated with them in any way but I very highly recommend them.
That sounds great and affordable. We have been surprised how many custom mattress manufacturers there are out there. Before making this video we didn't even know that was an option. Thanks again for the suggestions.
The door stopper things -- such a great idea to fill in any gaps!
Our T@Gxl came with two 4-5" twins - side by side. Then we added a 4" memory foam mattress. It's very, very comfy - but it makes getting into our under bed storage really difficult. Someone did a special hydraulic lift hack that we might try someday. As always, thanks for the great videos! ~ Maria
Thanks Maria for the feedback on your bedding situation. Your bed mattress plus memory foam sounds very similar to our home bed setup. I bet you sleep real well in that T@G. I am gathering from most people that the have roughly 8" thick beds. When we took out the scamp we had the same issue as you with the memory foam. It makes a great night's sleep but it definitely makes it more difficult to move things around.
I like the draft dodger idea as well. As far as the air mat and memory foam combo-I've been doing that for years. works great in the short to mid term but found it needs periodic removal and rotating to maintain the desired support level. Also, the air mat conducts cold, so, brrr if not factored.
@@micahmitchell517 You are right on about the cold. We find the Klymit one we use has no insulation so it doesn't stop any of the cold. We think a thermarest style would probably be better, but the Klymit was the exact size of our floor.
@@PlayingwithSticks I use a carpet remnant under the air mat for its insulative quality plus it's a a padded floor when not being bedding.
@@micahmitchell517 Thank you for the carpet idea!
I so appreciate your site and I lived in Alaska between 82 and 95 and I miss it. So it’s nice to see bits of it
Thank you Lee! Glad to hear we can bring back some good memories for you.
I'm a huge proponent of foam mattresses...and I strongly suggest skipping the 'big box' store and instead google foam factories/suppliers near you. We have one about 40 minutes away and it's always worth the visit. For the same price as the big box stores you get better foam and selection. They can cut it to fit as well.
Thank you for this. Wonder if we have any up here?
Our T@g Max XL we had 2 custom built mattresses made. They are 8-9" thick. Can be a struggle to open and access the underneath compartment but have not looked back on our decision. We sleep as well as we do at home and that was very important to us. So we are very happy campers. 🙂
Okay, we are jealous! That T@g Max XL looks amazing. We have found through these comments 8" mattresses seem to be the perfect thickness. Sleeping like you do at home means you don't ever have to go back if you don't want to. And that is a great feeling!
This is a fantastic idea. Will be looking at doing this for an upcoming minivan camper trip… with four!
Excellent idea... we got the same mattress in the insulated version for our Sportsmobile bed, and have a thick rectangular sleeping bag over it. I’ll be adding an inch or two of memory foam over the air mat. Thanks!
That sounds perfect. That is what we ended up going with as well. We kept trying new things but the trick for us was a thick sleeping bag opened up over the gel memory foam.
I'm 75 and two things I've learned about inflatable matresses!!
#1. They deflate!! Always when you least expect or want it -- like in the middle of the night?
#2. They remain at room temperature so if youre in a tent and it's freezing -- you freeze!
I have never in my lifetime been able to depend on anything inflatable for very long! Except tires🤞
Great insight you have there Toni. Thanks for sharing. Our newest thought is a firm foam on the bottom with a memory foam on top. We are still using the inflatable, which has worked, but like I said in the video still think we can take it up one notch in comfort.
For our Aliner, we originally kept the crummy factory cushions(which were of course completely unsatisfactory) and just tossed a 3 inch memory foam topper on it.
This was unsatisfactory still so we replaced the factory cushions with a 5 inch foam mattress(1 inch memory, 4 inch firm) and put the 3 inch topper on top of that.
Sleeps nice, and we really don't care about the inability to access thing under it as we have no need to.
That sounds like a good setup. Like you on 2 campers now we have left the poor quality cushions and put a memory foam topper. It is good for about a month, but then you realize it is not a "real" bed. I like the idea of just swapping it all out for a more standard style bed. I guess now that Slim Potatohead is in his new fiberglass trailer, you are going to have to be the new TH-cam face for A frame trailers. Somebody has to fill the spot! Just kidding. But, we do really love learning about those style of trailers from Slim and will miss seeing it a bit in his videos.
I have yoga mats for my base. 2 layers per person. I started out with mini foam doggie mattresses but wake up sweating with foam. Finally found a futon with cotton batting. Love the cotton but chunked the polyester cover for a cotton duvet. Great for warmer weather but going to combine with wool blanket for wicking while i sleep. The cotton gives a damp feeling in winter but i am getting older.
We got the Mega Mat Duo 10 by Exped to sleep in the tent up at Mt St Helen’s early this spring and it’s an amazing bed! Yes, it’s a bit spendy but it’s so comfortable, easy to inflate or adjust and has an R value of 9, so it never felt like the ground. I would definitely recommend this bed. There is the medium and double size but we got the medium so it will also fit perfect in the Honda Pilot. I don’t know what size your hauling car is but it may fit in that too.
Great suggestion Marlene. Quite a few years ago we tried out the Mega Mat Duo. It truly is probably the most comfortable mat out there. We weren't able to find one that fit our teardrop. But, I bet it will be a great fit for a lot of the others who watch this channel. Thanks again Marlene for reminding us about this great mattress.
I learned how to cut foam with a carving knife on "Trading Spaces" in 1999. Good to know it's still the best way.
We remember Trading Spaces :) Somebody else suggested using a hair razor blade, which we found is different than a normal razor blade.
Me too!
Drew, Any changes (upgrade) to your bedding in 3 yrs? Love your videos! Thank you for doing them.
Instead of the draft dodger for the side fillers for the gap left by the air mattress, you could roll up bath or beach towels to use as filler. You may find a use for the extra towels in an emergency, after getting soaked in the rain or an impromptu swim and after drying, they go back to work as mattress gap fillers.
Great suggestion! We love reading the tinyyellowteardrop blog. In that blog she is often mentioning how helpful spare towels can be and how she stores them almost everywhere.
Love your tear-drop.ive been using a electric carving knife for over 30 years to cut foam, it does work well.ive passed this tip on to people many times.Sandra in Oz
Love it! Why didn't you pass this on to us years ago Sandra!😂 Always fun to meet people on the other side of the equator.
you point is well taken, better ventilation too. i love your ideas to improve my DIY half teardrop and a half ??? with toilet and shower for convenience. thanks, bob
Can't wait to see your finished trailer. For us these type of projects tend to take much longer than we anticipated. We will be sending you good vibes that doesn't happen for you.
We loved it when we added the memory foam to our mattress. Perfect sleep!
We are so glad you commented about your Scamp. We were always wondering how it would work to throw a memory foam topper on the Scamp bed. Mainly we were wondering where do you put the memory foam topper when you convert the bed into the table?
I have an awesome REAL mattress in my teardrop. We have a mattress manufacturer in our city and made one the correct size.
That sounds great building a perfect mattress for your teardrop.
In my square drop adventure trailer I have a 6 inch memory foam mattress, and I love it. I am 6'1, and weight 220lbs, and I don't sink to the subfloor. I also have plenty of room for my feet in the foot box. My wife is also very happy with the comfort level too. I can't fold mine up and out of the way though to use the subfloor as a a gear hauler though. I just put a tarp over the bedding if I want to throw something on top for storage during traveling.
You sound like us with the tarp. Would love the fold up option for a quick roadside picnic every now and then, but the tarp does just fine for storing gear.
We are trying a 3” latex topper. The memory foam just had memory and we didn’t want to sink into memory divets. It rolls up nice too
I like that idea. Over here in Asia latex is pretty much the only bedding you can purchase. It’s been nesting getting to know the feeling of sleeping on latex and actually coming to appreciate it. Seems to be pretty popular in Europe as well.
Haven't ready thru comments, but the standard mattress in our T@G XL is exceptional. I was actually shocked. Pretty sure they can be ordered as an accessory. I actually have LESS aches in the morning camping than I do at home!
Now that is nice to hear. We will have to look into that. And good for T@G for doing that for their customers. That is the type of trailer manufacturing we like to see.
I LOVE Klymit. I sleep on one at home, one in the bugout bag, one in the house sitting bag.. 3/4 full of air and the first thing you notice is the mattress pops up to fill in under your neck and in the small of your back. Filled too full and it's like sleeping on a rock. My shoulders crackle and pop and wake me up at night with shooting pains, but Inflate to floppy and suddenly I can sleep the night through on my back or sides. Klymit grooves seem welded better too, because cheaper mattreses have had their cells pop open. Doesn't affect sleep, but looks bad. Not so with klymit who seem to weld their cells securely by what they say is their special method. Deflated, the mattress packs away for more room for gear while on the road.
Too close to the ground or floor? Put another one under there, even a cheaper brand. In the wild, I use two with grooves nestled together for a 4.5 inch mattress. The bottom layer takes the cold, and the top layer stay warmer. Below zero, put one inside the sleeping bag. Deflate for travel on the road to pack more stuff in a trailer.
TIP:
Washing an air mattress risks destroying its waterproof and airtight properties, and abrasion on floor boards shortens it's shelf life, so it really does need a cover to wash and buffer friction, instead. I bought klymit's mattress cover which is essentially a stretchy topper with garters underneath. It doesn't work. Every time you roll over, it pulls the speedo with it, and you wind up on the mattress AND on top of the button garters. Pricey too!
FIX: Use a synthetic zipped or sewn sided travel sheet for half that price. The ones that fit best were Hammock Bliss for single size but I have others that are a little baggy but still work well. Silky, it slides easily over the mattress when you flip sides in the night, so it doesn't matter if it rotates over the mattress. It's cool and silky in summer and retains warmth in the winter because YOU aren't inside the bag, just the mattress, but body warmth is held inside the bottom air space in winter. Plus the travel sheet can be used as a travel sheet for hotels against bed bugs. For this application in the video, a zipped sheet isn't necessary, so sewn is probably better to prevent mattress friction. Lightweight, they wash like a dream and dry in about 15 minutes in a dry breeze. I dry mine in front of the wall heater of a cabin. I don't recommend electric dryers that weaken synthetic fibers.
I put the head of the air mattress in the foot of the travel sheet and flip the sheet upside down, so the pillowcase feature doesn't wrinkle up underneath my shoulders. Two single travel sheets CAN be zipped together if they zip around the foot too AND are the same brand, but one pillowcase will be over your partner's face, not under their head, and if used on a mattress like the full klymit, will extend another 10 inches beyond the mattress foot. I just tuck the excess underneath to secure the mattress inside. In the cabin, I use two zipped together as a duvet over my opened down sleeping bag, and knot the pillowcases together to hold the down bag from slipping out and off the bed.
Upshot: Buy quality like Klymit for the surface you sleep on, and get a cheaper brand underneath if you're only using air mattresses, and invest in inexpensive travel sheets for dual and multi-purposes.
If your bag loses air in a slow leak around the valve, there is a quick fix on the road on YT removing the valve (pop it off) and then superglue before putting it back on. But check videos about it because it's a ONE TIME repair. So do it right.
My dad did this.... but he cut holes... for our beers... for the coolers. So they wouldn’t get shaken up when off-roading 🤣♥️
Your dad sounds awesome!
Playing with Sticks Thanks. He is! ☺️
What I used is carpet padding material under my mattress. I have a 4 x 8 foot 2008 silver shadow teardrop.
The silver shadows are perfect little teardrops. We really love that style. Great suggestion on the carpet padding. We never would have thought about that.
MrDennisLB that’s a good idea too!
I use a 3” tempurpedic topper on top of a 4” Thermarest Mondoking xxl with a 1” memory foam on top of everything. When it is cold I use a Biddeford Sherpa quilted ac power heated mattress cover. Spoiled😍
Spoiled is where we want to get to as well. Thanks for sharing your setup. It actually sounds quite perfect.
I just got my teardrop in Feb. It is a used Little Guy Five Wide. There previous owner gave us the bed they used in it. It folds up into a small couch.
For me, when I laid on it, it was OK, but a bit hard. My partner likes hard though. So, I put a memory foam mattress under the bed. I thought it felt a bit better. But, I will see when I spend my first night on it.
If too hard, I may cut the memory form in half and put it just on my side on top of the mattress. :)
Sounds like a good plan. You are going to have so much fun Tara taking our your Little Guy. We have a family member who has a Little Guy and loves everything about it. You are also really going to appreciate the fold up bed. Obviously the couch is nice. But the fold-ability is really nice to do things in one half of your teardrop without getting dirt or crumbs on your bed. When you have one single mattress like us everything is always done on top of the nice clean sheets.
This is wonderfully edited! Great job bud. Loved every minute of your video and very handy tips too 😍🎨🍷
Thank you. What a nice comment. We are really glad you enjoyed the video.
Since we won't be buying any kind of teardrop or Scamp until we finish paying for college chick's tuition...I told my husband that, along with our tent (we can stand up in it so it will be our changing room/rainy weather dining room/maybe bathroom) I am removing the back seats in my gen 2 Honda CRV and fitting a bed in there. I wanted to build a platform over the wheel wells so that a full sized mattress would fit in there easily. But husband was concerned about overhead height and so for now I have cut custom panels of 2 inch. foam wall insulation panels and then placed on top of it a simple full sized airbed (8 in.) that I only inflate enough to fit it snug around and over the wheel wells. Some of our storage bins fit into the foot rest area in the back to help bring the space level with the rest of the back. I am going to look into maybe using your bed suggestion as it might be comfortable without the thickness. I do have some arthritis in my knees and right hip so my only concern is whether your combo would work for someone like me. Thanks for the info. Like you, I will probably never be satisfied, ha. But great coffee and a great camping bed are two musts for me.
We used to use the same setup, meaning a combination of tent and bed in the back of the vehicle. We built our bed up to allow storage drawers below. Your husband is on to something, having the bed with drawers was nice but loosing that head room made it not the most enjoyable experience. Coffee and a good bed sounds like us as well. Thanks Robin for sharing your setup.
Try a "Bamboo" brand mattress topper.We find it very good in our CamperVan on top of the ready made foam squabs.Just roll it up when not in use.
Great suggestion. We actually have the "Bamboo" brand mattress protector for our home mattress. It is so soft and cozy. We looked up the mattress toppers last night. We didn't realize Bamboo made toppers. Definitely affordable as well. Now that May is pregnant she would like a little bit more softness to the teardrop bed. Looks like a mattress topper will be on our shopping list. Thanks again for suggesting this.
How about pool noodles or foam pipe lagging for down the sides of the thin mattress. All the best - Rab from Scotland
You are the second person to mention that. It didn't even cross our mind. Definitely a great idea. Love the username. We have a volcano that goes off here quite often called "Mt. Redoubt."
I am using an REI Camp Bed. It is good. Now using it without air. It's good!
We don't think we quite understand. You took the air out of the mattress and it works?
@@PlayingwithSticks yes, mattress has about a 6" foam pad inside. For me, just the pad alone works......at least for now. Much better than the old RV mattress!
Full size Millard 6" trifold memory foam. We tried a regular mattress, an innerspring futon mattress, an air bed, and the 6" memory foam surpasses all of them in every aspect. 😁
6" memory foam sounds just right. And the idea of a trifold sounds even better knowing you can fold it out of the way. We didn't realize they made trifold memory foam. We thought they were just regular foam. Thanks for the info.
We just ordered one of those for our minivan camper conversion. I am hoping it works well for us!
(2) $15 self inflatable camp sleeping pads from ALDI , layed side by side, covered by about 5 synthetic rectangular sleeping bags. Incredibly comfortable and snuggy warm.
We have never heard of the ALDI pads. $15 you can't beat that! May loves sleeping bags as toppers. Unfortunately ours are all mummy bags so they get bunched up. Looks like it might be time to get rectangular bags.
I did the typical thing where you put down the exercise mat puzzle piece flooring. On top of that, I use a Foamy from Hest. If my sister or my son is with me, I have a 2nd Foamy and bedding set. I actually think the exercise mat plus Foamy arrangement is easier on my old joints than my bed at home.
I also use a thin inflatable in my bus conversion, but this one looks thicker and a little more luxurious. I never thought about memory foam on top. I think I'll try it. I learned the carving knife thing in upholstery class - it's the best, isn't it?
We truly love the inflatable/memory foam combo. Our inflatable doesn't have foam in it like a thermarest. Our guess is if you combine a thermarest style mattress with memory foam you will be in schoolie heaven!
My four inch mattress was not comfy. I tried a couple things under it that didn't work, back when. I purchased a somewhat spendy, thin, self-inflating mattress for under my side because the dog's side didn't need it. But it moved some under there and left me feeling downhill. So I got the narrower, matching air mattress for the dog's side, and it stays in place. At first, it was too squishy, couldn't crawl around on it. Let out a bit of air, and it's just right. I figured this out before seeing the video, so I did good. I once tried the foam puzzle piece blocks under there, but for whatever reason, it sweat underneath those. I had looked at the Froli system, but I'm now happy with the air.
I used a feather tick mattress in my pop up 👍added it to the exhisting foam mattress.
We have heard from a few people now that feathers are the way to go. Thanks for this comment. We are going to have to look at a feather tick mattress.
Do you have any problems with mildew? I’m in the humid southeast and love down/feather bedding, but have to be careful in the summer since I rarely turn on the a/c.
You need to have a custom “cushion” made for you. Almost like a thin couch cushion. You can have a seamstress make one for you. It can even fold in half. That will be your best bet. I slept on one for the last week of college. It was about 3 inches thick and was so comfortable!
That is a good idea. Also love the idea of being able to fold it in half. Thank you.
Try putting those foam, interlocking, pieces (like you find in kids play areas). They are not very thick, but cushioned, easy to cut to fit...
this is the ticket, double or tripple lair if wanted
Thank you for this info. You are the second person to mention this. We actually have some in the house, so we will be trying it out.
I use my Klymit single for my camping cot. I use a cot inside my tent, they also have same ones with insulation but my favorite one is made by Teton, they have double ones self inflating which you can adjust as well giving you a better R value. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for sharing this. I had heard Klymit had an insulated version. The one by Teton is new to me. Thanks again Carmen.
I have and am currently using a "Relic" which is a 1987 Teardrop Trailer, with a custom bed of 6" memory foam cut down to 4 1/2'is inches, with fitted quilted sheets, and you sleep in dreamland with utter relaxation, it's the best that I have found to date, of course I have been sleeping on my creation for the better part of 4 years now :D
4 Years. Sounds like your 4'1/2 " pad has passed the test of time. Thanks for the comment Thomas.
Got a teardrop (love it). Was designed to take an IKEA memory foam double mattress. Comes with removable (zip) and washable protector/liner. We recently had a mould problem so that was a super convenient feature. Not sure on price but less than AUD200. Never looked back 🤔🧐😉 love your channel keep it up 😎
Love the idea of a washable protector/liner with a zipper. One of the hardest things for us, after installing the memory foam, is reinstalling the sheets and getting them to stay in place. Having a proper sized sheet to fit a proper size non-cut mattress would definitely alleviate that. Here in the States the IKEA Full "Double" is on sale for $259 from $329. It is the model with the zipper. Thank you for sharing this Dan!
@@PlayingwithSticks you could make your own mattress cover from sheets. Make it a little bigger than your mattress, sew up 3 sides leaving a long side open. Either put in a zipper or ties or Velcro on the open side. Or buy a regular mattress cover and sew it to the size you need.
Nice hacks you found there.
Personally, I can sleep on just about anything.
Still and all, we’ll probably upgrade the mattresses in our new Casita.
Happy Camping
The beauty of the Casita is that you have all that headroom. So you’re not concerned about mattress height like a teardrop. As long as you can find the correct mattress, size or be able to cut your mattress to size, it will work in a
Casita.
I already forgot Allen. When do you get to pick up your camper?
Sofa mattress is the way to go! We picked up two of them brand-new @ Habitat for humanity $15. each. Instead of an inflatable mattress-use a sofa mattress for the base & memory foam for the top.
I am using the bedding cushions that came with my nucamp tag xl. Not the best and they move around. I have a cot that I use when I tent camp and overnights. It will fit in there and sits up about 8 inches but like you said about feet space under the cabinets on the back side. Even tho they are about 24 inches high from floor and you take the 8 inches from it you still have 16 inches which may work but I also have a 4 inch memory tri fold mattress that I bought off of Amazon that can go on it then I’m down to 12 inches of feet space. But I am going to try that on my next camping trip. Will let you know how it was for me. I camp alone so I know it will be hard for 2 people or a family. Like 90% of things in this life, you do what’s best or works for you.
I have a 5" futon mattress with springs. More comfortable than foam - only problem is that you can't trim it to size. For my cargo trailer build, I made it fit a full-size perfectly.
Interesting. We had no idea that there were futon mattresses with springs. Our trailer is very close to a standard size. Luckily it is a bit on the small side of standard. So maybe just filling the gap with some foam pipe insulation. Thanks for sharing.
Get a 2" dense firm foam cut to size at a furniture supply store and a wool blanket with memory foam on top.
So we would put the 2" dense foam on the bottom, then wool, then memory foam? We have had other people mention the wool. How does the wool help. We would love to try this out, but wanted to understand the principles behind it a bit before trying it.
@@PlayingwithSticks Playing with Sticks A wool blanket "breathes" and moderates the body heat that notoriously cause memory foam to break down. Like a heat sink. Antibacterial & water repellent properties of wool and cold water washable. The dense foam is going to last you ten years. Also bed bugs hate foam, btw.
@@rossclark9155 Oh that is really good to know. Thank you! We have a knock off pendleton blanket that will be perfect for this.
@@PlayingwithSticks Make sure it is 100% wool. Happy trails!
@@PlayingwithSticks Also check out military surplus but be sure to read the content label as US Army blankets are rarely all wool these days. (you can do a burn test to be sure) Anyway, I found a thick Italian military blanket years ago, never wash it, just hang it out in the sun a few times a year. It’ll last a lifetime!
sounds like its a very comfortable solution. Don't you any problems with condensation?
Another idea about the slight space on each side of the bed is a pool noodle, if that is too bulky you can slice it long way so it will lie flat .
Great idea. That is exactly what we ended up with. Well, close. We used foam pipe insulation.
All of that work lol.
We bought a roof top tent mattress then added a memory foam topper and it’s unreal.
Oh we also added dynamat on the floor for sound deadening and insulation.
Exped MegaMat Duo 10 Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad is very comfortable and might work for you.
Great suggestion. Originally the Exped Mats were what we wanted as well. You are absolutely right, they are so comfortable! When we looked up the dimensions they weren't going to fit our teardrop well. However, it has been three years now since we looked them up. They probably have different sizes now. Thanks again for the reminder to check them out.
I use the exped 10 in my cargo van with built in twin size wooden frame which has under bed storage. That mattress is so comfortable. I have not had to reinflate or adjust the air since I got it. That was about 4 or 5 years ago.
I'm a cheap kinda guy.. I bought pool noodles on sale (end-of-season) and cut them to size.. as an "underbed"
That is a great idea. You are the first person to mention pool noodles as an underbed. One of our fellow camper enthusiasts mentioned pool noodles, but that was for filling the gaps on the sides.
What is the benefit of pool noodles over a standard foam matress?
My guess is there wasn't a benefit, more of a cost savings for Mr Smith. But again, that's just a guess.
Inflatables are never permanent solutions for full time sleeping, though they are comfortable. My successful cheap solution has worked for the past three years (full time every night)- I sleep on 3 large dog pillows under a thrift store queen sized cotton quilt that was tripled up for extra padding. The dog beds are easy to shake out, portable, easy to conform to whatever narrow small environments you are in and can quite inexpensive compared to comparable human mattresses.They have the same thick cushioning as any camping mattresses. Very cost effective and they come in huge sizes.
@@occipitalneuralgia2339 Love the dog pillow/cotton quilt combo. The more we tinker with a perfect bedding situation the more we lean towards something like yours. Thank you M.A. Enriquez.
We had similar sleeping problems, and we landed on two Exped Mega Mat 10 pads. we have memory foam we can add if we decided we need more cushion.
That sounds perfect. That is probably the route we should have went. We got such a good deal on the Klymit Double V at the time. But a nice insulated, padded mat like yours would probably have made this 100% as comfy as our bed at home. Thanks for sharing Jimmy.
I do the aerobed and a 1.5" memory foam topper for my tent. Looking into ordering a teardrop, I like the idea of the small inflatable, good to know. thanks!
You are most welcome! We used to do the aerobed for our tent as well. But unfortunately, ours finally gave out this summer on the seems of the air pump so it has been pretty tough keeping it sealed up. I think we used our 1 too many times.
Keith I forgot to ask. What teardrop are you looking into purchasing? We are always interested in knowing what others are using.
@@PlayingwithSticks We've narrowed it down between The "Classic" Bean and a Tag Boondock. I like the layout of the Tag a lot more, but like the 'seamless' roof concept on the bean for longevity.
The Bean is awesome. I reached out to them a few weeks ago to see if they planned on making a standup version. Unfortunately it is not in the plans for them at this point. We loved the video where they took the sledge hammer to the trailer. If they could use that design and make a standup version I think they wouldn't be competing with anyone. A light, but small standup trailer seems to be missing from the market. We agree that we like the T@g layout, but would like that layout with less weight and seamless construction.
What are the chances, I tried almost the same things that you did, and today I received a piece of memory foam to put over a sleeping pad xD, it works great, plus I have a sierra design Front country double sleeping bag, which's really comfy.
I love random coincidences.
Check out Froli System for the base layer and what the RV upholstery shops around here call a travel bed on top. Actual real mattress, not just a slab of foam. The Froli allows air circulation...no black bits in the corner under the mattress.
Thank you for this tip. We have been looking into the FROLI system since we heard comments on here. Seems like a great investment, especially if you ever decided to swap out your trailer for a different one the interchangeable pieces can just go with you. I wonder if we have any RV upholstery shops up here. WE will have to look for a travel bed.