Piano hinges, and leave the platform raw. Cary rolls of mattress material, or self inflating mattress(s) for easier storage and deployment. I like the low profile for maximum overhead space. How about an open ended box or shelf to be placed over the foot of the platform upon which your camping gear can rest while sleep? Your legs could safely fit under that rear shelving system. True, 1/2" ply should work, since it is, or can be easily be, well supported on the deck of the car. Great video to inspire food for thought. Getting in and out, especially when occupied by two people, would be an interesting demonstration. Those night calls might require exiting the car with minimal disturbance.
Love to you and Cath Deb! Thank you as always. Have a great weekend. By the way, Trent got a 19 Crosstrek...Its nice to work at the dealer when the discount cars on the lot. :) They got rid of their Outback and kept the Ascent.
I would sleep out of my crosstrek 3-4 days a week while going to school full time and working at night full time. I used a queen camping blowup mattress (one of the thin ones) and it worked perfectly. I would tuck some of the material with the seats to make it a perfect fit.
Perfect! I’m planning to have a road-trip to Arctic Circle and This build is really what I want for my Honda CR-V. I’m pretty sure I can sleep comfortably with this build during the trip. I’m glad I found your channel.
Thank you very much. Tried it out for one night recently and it really did work well. I would like to make it a little easy to carry around and it would be nice to have the seats up when driving, but it was solid and pretty comfortable with my camping pad on it. I plan to upgrade the foam with my next design, but overall it worked great. It sounds like you have a awesome trip coming up! Are you going to record it at all? I know I would be interesting in following along.
i bought a 4 inch high density piece of twin size foam and layed it out in the back of my crosstrek (had to cut a few inches off the short side)...it is like a real bed and once all made up, feels so incredibly comfie!!
@@AZdroptop NOPE!! it is incredibly perfect! that was a concern initially but had no issues. i also layer my foam pad with a folded king size down duvet and a few other fleece type blankets.this really makes the mattress feel like a "real" bed. also, in cold months i plug in a 12v electric blanket for a bit prior to going to bed and that warms it up nicely...oh ya, the foam pad needs to be the more expensive higher quality ones so you don't sink down too far. a worthwhile expense!!
Good stuff! I'm making my own version of this tomorrow for my 2014 Crosstrek. Going with 2 piano hinges so I can fold it up in the back and have the seats up. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you! Best of luck with it. Check out Carson's page. He has made a few platforms and it might give you some inspiration. I ended up buying a lunolife mattress and it is awesome. They have their new one coming out on May 15th if you have any interest. They are not cheap, but really well made with easy set up and tear down. HUTTON15 will get you 15% off. Best off luck with the platform and thank you for watching.
What a coincidence, I'm building a sleeping platform for my Crosstrek, too! My design is completely different though. I'm 6'2", and I've built a... Let's call it a prototype out of a cheap foam pad and cardboard. I have to have my head towards the back (bonus: I can see the stars through the rear window!) and my feet go on the center console between the seats. I don't have to move the seats forward. I also only fold down the rear passenger seat. I've slept pretty comfortably a few times (with an inflatable camping pad). However, that ridge is a literal pain, and even with the layers of foam my head is a little downhill. So, I've been designing a new platform. This new one will be made from plywood and 2 inch foam. The plan is it won't require the inflatable camping pad and will be a level surface (no downhill head). The platform will be designed to fold up entirely into the cargo area so that I can put the rear seat up when I'm not using it. I've designed a hinge that will allow for the thickness of the foam so it folds and lays flat. It will be able to be deployed without taking it out of the car. That required an additional hinge because it would have hit the roof of the car while unfolding. I'll have storage under it, and should take maybe 30 seconds to deploy. I have measurements and cardboard templates, when I have time I'm pretty much ready to start construction.
@@AZdroptop I've completed my platform. How do you want me to send the pics? You could look me up on Instagram, I've got the pictures posted there. I'm mastermarf (no space) on Instagram.
nice work! I've always wanted to setup my crosstrek to sleep but felt me being 6' tall is a challenge. I'll have to reconsider doing it for myself. thanks!
Good evening. By the way, by regard to completing my previous comment related to what I saw in your video, showing in a detailed and completely understandable way how you planned and made such a greatly clever and sophisticated sleeping platform in your crosstreck Subaru, unfortunately, I could not apply to my Sedan, that is, a Subaru Legacy. At all cases I could apply it when I could buy a hatch back or an SUV car. Best regards and greetings from Greece.
You are very kind, thank you again. Awhile after I made the platform I ended up buying a Luno life mattress and have been very pleased with it. I liked it so much actually that I became an ambassador for them. Car camping is about the only way I can get my wife to go out with me. Have a great evening.
Hi Rick, nice to see you make a bed in your Crosstrek. I see other comments mention a blow up mattress or a couple of them looped together. I have seen videos before using an Outback and more recently a guy and his girlfriend using a 2dr Jeep Wrangler. Talk about close quarters! I have also seen pop up tents on the roof mounted to the rack! Can't wait to see you go camping with it and hear about it!
I always enjoy your videos. Nice little project which, in time, I'm sure will receive improvements. I'm guessing the wheels are already turning in your head. Now, the next project needs to be how to fit a 27.5" MTB in the back standing up vertically with only the front wheel removed. As you know from our prior correspondence, that would REALLY interest me! Thanks again for the great content.
Thanks brother. Getting that to work will be an interesting endeavor for sure. I sold my 29er, but I have my son's bike at the house so I'll try to play around with it and see if I can come up with something.
I'm selling my FJ but I have a similar setup in it. Rear section is lifted so I can stow the front section (covering back seats) under it. The front section is two pieces. All carpeted and when stowed I still have storage space. Looks great and is made of pine so low weight, yet nice. I am waiting on my 2020 6speed black and I'll be doing the same with it. Keep of the vids man. 👍
I was running a similar set up in my 2014 Crosstrek, finally got frustrated by not having room because me, my climbing gear, and everything else didn’t fit well. Decided to buy a roof top tent from Tepui.
Good work Rick. But a lot of work for a night's sleeping lol. I simply have bought a tri-fold 2inch mattress. I move the drivers seat forward, put my esky behind the seat, then roll out my mattress. Works great and takes about 30 seconds. Don't even have to drop the rear passenger seat. Will try to send you pics somehow.
Very nice and easy! Thanks for the email and the pics. Looks like a great plan and I like the easy part a lot. :) Not sure where I will store my monstrosity when its not in the car.
Air mattresses are a good option, but I have never sleep well on them and I would need something to put in the wheel wells. Thank you very much for the suggestion! And for watching.
I was planning on doing something similar for my 2019 but instead of using it for a sleeping platform, I was going to make a "flat" floor that is level with the opening of the trunk to make loading and unloading lots of heavy cargo easier. I really like the leg idea. Perhaps using 1/2" thick plywood would help with the weight.
I slept in my CrossTrek last weekend. I just folded over some cardboard leftover from my tv. Once you put the padding down, you couldn't feel the ridge. I'm 6', so I have to put the passengers' seat all the way up and forward. To bridge the gap between the rear seat and front seat, I just put down a water cooler and board laying on top of it and the rear folded down seat. not pretty, but effective!
I have an REI camping pad(3’ thick) I’d use on top of that. I feel like the upholstery on top will bug you trying to slide in gear like coolers or other travel gear. Great idea though!
Why not leave the 2 x 4 blocks in the rear unattached, so that you can use them either flat or on edge to take out some rake depending on how you are parked? Possibly with Velcro pads on the different surfaces, just to keep them motionless while using the platform?
It is intensely annoying that car manufacturers can't seem to design their rear seats to fold absolutely flat with zero bumps and protrusions. There really is no good reason behind this, as I have had just one car that was configured like this. Subaru has it almost right in the Forester and Peugeot has it almost right in the 5008. As for the Crosstrek, I did think of a couple of options. One was to use one of those HDPE (Heavy-Duty PolyEthylene) folding tables. They are 1.8m long X 76cm wide (that's about 6ft long 30 inches wide). That's about the size of a camping mattress and there you have a few options. The table is super strong, folds into half that size and has a carry handle and weighs about 12kg. It can take a spread load of 150kg. So with a few strategically placed blocks of wood, it would double as a bed base at night and a table during the day and doesn't take up too much room. The second idea I came up with is to build a frame for the rear to which you attached those heavy-duty ball bearing pick-up bed drawer slides. Normally that would slide out backward, but in your case, it would just be reversed and you would slide the hybrid platform forwards with the backrests folded down and if you raised it slightly you could have drawers underneath on a second set of sliders that you could pull out to the rear in which you could store gear. A loose panel would then just slot in on top of the frame to give you your bed base.
Nice Nick. Great ideas there. Imagination is the limit I think. Mine definitely has some flaws to work out, but I think it will be comfortable at lest.
I did contemplate that a little while putting it together and think it is a great idea! It would make storage and getting it in the car a lot easier. Some kind of sleeve on the back of the two boards possibly? Like a sliding gate lock or similar?
@@AZdroptop yeah! or a rotating latch www.google.com/search?q=wooden+latch&sxsrf=ACYBGNRSd6WSrsOKc8vttgvCC4m0NtPeuQ:1570815003834&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=QSIvxhS6IY5a0M%253A%252CpRXxWk4UMFMrCM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kS8n5OsTcX3Flyth3JReIDqQC_-JQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi5vL7y3ZTlAhUmHTQIHWJxAacQ9QEwAXoECAYQBg#imgrc=QSIvxhS6IY5a0M:&vet=1
Ben, my question on using a hinge like we are discussing is that it would have to be on the back of the boards and would cause a lump if too big no? Keep the suggestions coming!
@@AZdroptop Let's use my Crosstrek as the guinea pig for other options. Once we have it perfect, we super size it for the Ascent. Pull it out and use it as a campsite table too. Rick's Swiss Army Platform.
Not bad, but it should fold two times so you can have it in the trunk without laying down the seats. Also make it from lighter material and without the foam so its easy to store.
I know it's not helpful now, but you could have either double hinged or just had it fold up to 90 degrees for cargo area separation, either way with hinges on the underside and folding only 90 deg per hinge.
Looks cool. Maybe I missed it since I skipped over a little of the beginning, but if you are not hauling a 3rd or 4th person in the back seats, why not just skip the hinge and have 1 piece of wood? I know different people have different needs for bed softness but no way could I sleep on 1 layer of foam like that. I'd have to used much thicker foam or an air mattress. Even when I was young and backpacked a lot I had to have a soft bed LOL
The big reason for the hinge if you make it as wide as I did, trying to be as comfortable as possible. :) Not a huge fan of air mattresses and camping pad's alone....At 6 feet long the driver's seat has to be pushed all the way forward for it to fit so it has to be hinged to drive. If you just made it for one side you could do one piece and just keep the passenger seat all the way forward while driving. I thought about some thicker foam and looked at some nice 2" stuff, but it was a bit pricey to use on my first try. Once I try this out I will go back to the drawing board and see if I can come up with something easier to carry and store when not in use. I have received a lot of great ideas already!
Or use a memory foam mattress from Walmart I’m thinking on doing that to my crosstrek using memory foam cuz it’s softer for my gf sleep on and put curtains around windows
Evenly space .25-.5 in holes throughout the entire piece a d you should be able to reduce your weight by almost 50% without sacrificing to much structural integrity. Also eliminate the foam and use self inflating sleep pads. You'll never feel the hinges or any of the holes
I use a Luno mattress to sleep in my Subaru and it gives me the extra length I need at 6'. I just push my seats forward and use their Base Extenders. The fabric is basically puncture-proof and thick so it can be used for camping. Check'em out- www.lunolife.com
i am pretty tall and i sleep with my head at the back near the hatchback door and if i need to stretch out, i can put both feet between the front seats. my feet kinda rest on the armrest in middle...get a piece of twin size 4 inch high density foam and trim if necessary and you will sleep like a log, hopefully :)
Thank you for watching. I ended up with a LUNO mattress and actually became an ambassador. It is pretty awesome.th-cam.com/video/NwsVQlnSrlQ/w-d-xo.html
I think you can sleep 2 as long as it isn't 2 really big people. I am 1.75 meters and my wife is 1.6 meters and it works fine. Anyone over 1.83 meters would need to sleep a little sideways to really stretch out.
I use a Luno mattress to sleep in my Subaru and it gives me the extra length I need at 6'. I just push my seats forward and use their Base Extenders. The fabric is basically puncture-proof and thick so it can be used for camping. Check'em out- www.lunolife.com - I hope this helps all!
Hi Simon, mostly because of the angle of the folded seats. Lying the other way would put my legs uphill. Otherwise I don't know. :) Does the seat angle bother you at all?
@@AZdroptop My XV (Crosstrek) is an older model I think, 2014, and the cargo floor is higher than yours for some reason. Also if I take off the rear seat head rests, I find the rear seats lie quite flat... certainly flatter than if the head rests are left on. The combination of these means the floor overall is quite flat and I don't need to place a board on it, just a pretty thick foam mattress does the job! :)
I did consider it, but didn't have extra hinges on hand. I am going to do some revisions here in the near future. Overall it worked out great when I used it a couple of nights ago! Thank you for the suggestion.
Yes sir, going to give it a try. No “real” spare at this point😬. I’ve Ben meaning to buy another wheel and tire, but haven’t yet. You might have to push me 😇😂
@@AZdroptop lol I'm in the same boat I have the factory wheels and tires as a backup... But KO2s are pretty good so... but if Slowaru has to save you, we are all done for! lol
I am 5'9"s tall. I only slept on it once and then bought a Luno Life mattress. :). I have a number of videos about the mattress on my channel if you want to check it out. They are not inexpensive, but are fantastic.
Piano hinges, and leave the platform raw. Cary rolls of mattress material, or self inflating mattress(s) for easier storage and deployment. I like the low profile for maximum overhead space. How about an open ended box or shelf to be placed over the foot of the platform upon which your camping gear can rest while sleep? Your legs could safely fit under that rear shelving system. True, 1/2" ply should work, since it is, or can be easily be, well supported on the deck of the car. Great video to inspire food for thought. Getting in and out, especially when occupied by two people, would be an interesting demonstration. Those night calls might require exiting the car with minimal disturbance.
“Rick’s Ramada Inn” or “Crosstrek Chalet”. Brilliant! Great design and detail. Your buddy is going to want one for his Ascent.
Love to you and Cath Deb! Thank you as always. Have a great weekend. By the way, Trent got a 19 Crosstrek...Its nice to work at the dealer when the discount cars on the lot. :) They got rid of their Outback and kept the Ascent.
You are absolutely right! We will be making one of these for the Ascent and maybe our new Crosstrek too!
This is the vid I didn’t know I was waiting for. Thanks for the detailed info, Rick. This project has moved to the top of my to-do list.
Thanks my friend. It was one of those things where I figured I would give it a shot and I think it will be a nice place to sleep when not in the tent.
I would sleep out of my crosstrek 3-4 days a week while going to school full time and working at night full time. I used a queen camping blowup mattress (one of the thin ones) and it worked perfectly. I would tuck some of the material with the seats to make it a perfect fit.
Awesome!
Perfect! I’m planning to have a road-trip to Arctic Circle and This build is really what I want for my Honda CR-V. I’m pretty sure I can sleep comfortably with this build during the trip. I’m glad I found your channel.
Thank you very much. Tried it out for one night recently and it really did work well. I would like to make it a little easy to carry around and it would be nice to have the seats up when driving, but it was solid and pretty comfortable with my camping pad on it. I plan to upgrade the foam with my next design, but overall it worked great. It sounds like you have a awesome trip coming up! Are you going to record it at all? I know I would be interesting in following along.
i bought a 4 inch high density piece of twin size foam and layed it out in the back of my crosstrek (had to cut a few inches off the short side)...it is like a real bed and once all made up, feels so incredibly comfie!!
Do you notice the hump in the floor at all with just the foam?
@@AZdroptop NOPE!! it is incredibly perfect! that was a concern initially but had no issues. i also layer my foam pad with a folded king size down duvet and a few other fleece type blankets.this really makes the mattress feel like a "real" bed. also, in cold months i plug in a 12v electric blanket for a bit prior to going to bed and that warms it up nicely...oh ya, the foam pad needs to be the more expensive higher quality ones so you don't sink down too far. a worthwhile expense!!
Very nice set up Dawna and thanks for the info. I like the electric blanket part. :)
Good stuff! I'm making my own version of this tomorrow for my 2014 Crosstrek. Going with 2 piano hinges so I can fold it up in the back and have the seats up. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you! Best of luck with it. Check out Carson's page. He has made a few platforms and it might give you some inspiration. I ended up buying a lunolife mattress and it is awesome. They have their new one coming out on May 15th if you have any interest. They are not cheap, but really well made with easy set up and tear down. HUTTON15 will get you 15% off. Best off luck with the platform and thank you for watching.
Jordan White, did you make one with piano hinges? Does it fold better?
Got pictures of your platform?
@@jamest7727 I do, yes! I'll try and message them to you directly.
@@MrMonalindav Yep, it folds perfectly into the back.
I camp in the back of my Impreza hatch sometimes and a foam topper with some blankets works great :)
Very nice.
Thank you very much for the wishes. By the way, now, time in Greece is thirty minutes past nine o' clock P M. Best regards
What a coincidence, I'm building a sleeping platform for my Crosstrek, too! My design is completely different though.
I'm 6'2", and I've built a... Let's call it a prototype out of a cheap foam pad and cardboard. I have to have my head towards the back (bonus: I can see the stars through the rear window!) and my feet go on the center console between the seats. I don't have to move the seats forward. I also only fold down the rear passenger seat. I've slept pretty comfortably a few times (with an inflatable camping pad). However, that ridge is a literal pain, and even with the layers of foam my head is a little downhill. So, I've been designing a new platform.
This new one will be made from plywood and 2 inch foam. The plan is it won't require the inflatable camping pad and will be a level surface (no downhill head). The platform will be designed to fold up entirely into the cargo area so that I can put the rear seat up when I'm not using it. I've designed a hinge that will allow for the thickness of the foam so it folds and lays flat. It will be able to be deployed without taking it out of the car. That required an additional hinge because it would have hit the roof of the car while unfolding. I'll have storage under it, and should take maybe 30 seconds to deploy.
I have measurements and cardboard templates, when I have time I'm pretty much ready to start construction.
Sounds great! Let me know how it goes and send me some pics. :) Have a good weekend.
@@AZdroptop I've completed my platform. How do you want me to send the pics? You could look me up on Instagram, I've got the pictures posted there. I'm mastermarf (no space) on Instagram.
I have 3" memory foam topper, and that is barely enough, add a sleeping bag on top of that, and it's just about right!
Nice Joe. I tried it out last night...video coming soon...and it worked out pretty well with my camping pad.
nice work! I've always wanted to setup my crosstrek to sleep but felt me being 6' tall is a challenge. I'll have to reconsider doing it for myself. thanks!
Thanks much! You might have to lay a bit sideways, corner to corner, but I bet you could fit.
I just pump up an air mattress and it fits juuust perfectly. But the headroom is a little bit tight
If you see this, and you drive a impreza/crosstrek, what size mattress did you get?
Another great video. Good camera angles and explanations
Thanks very much! Very appreciated
Good evening. By the way, by regard to completing my previous comment related to what I saw in your video, showing in a detailed and completely understandable way how you planned and made such a greatly clever and sophisticated sleeping platform in your crosstreck Subaru, unfortunately, I could not apply to my Sedan, that is, a Subaru Legacy. At all cases I could apply it when I could buy a hatch back or an SUV car. Best regards and greetings from Greece.
You are very kind, thank you again. Awhile after I made the platform I ended up buying a Luno life mattress and have been very pleased with it. I liked it so much actually that I became an ambassador for them. Car camping is about the only way I can get my wife to go out with me. Have a great evening.
Hi Rick, nice to see you make a bed in your Crosstrek. I see other comments mention a blow up mattress or a couple of them looped together. I have seen videos before using an Outback and more recently a guy and his girlfriend using a 2dr Jeep Wrangler. Talk about close quarters! I have also seen pop up tents on the roof mounted to the rack! Can't wait to see you go camping with it and hear about it!
Thank you Dave! I really like the look of the roof mounted tents as well...cool stuff. Hope to have a follow up soon. Happy weekend.
@@AZdroptop now you just have to Fab a little fridge for your beer and snacks!
ha ha. definitely. :)
I always enjoy your videos. Nice little project which, in time, I'm sure will receive improvements. I'm guessing the wheels are already turning in your head. Now, the next project needs to be how to fit a 27.5" MTB in the back standing up vertically with only the front wheel removed. As you know from our prior correspondence, that would REALLY interest me! Thanks again for the great content.
Thanks brother. Getting that to work will be an interesting endeavor for sure. I sold my 29er, but I have my son's bike at the house so I'll try to play around with it and see if I can come up with something.
I'm selling my FJ but I have a similar setup in it. Rear section is lifted so I can stow the front section (covering back seats) under it. The front section is two pieces. All carpeted and when stowed I still have storage space. Looks great and is made of pine so low weight, yet nice.
I am waiting on my 2020 6speed black and I'll be doing the same with it.
Keep of the vids man. 👍
I was running a similar set up in my 2014 Crosstrek, finally got frustrated by not having room because me, my climbing gear, and everything else didn’t fit well. Decided to buy a roof top tent from Tepui.
Those look awesome
Good work Rick. But a lot of work for a night's sleeping lol. I simply have bought a tri-fold 2inch mattress. I move the drivers seat forward, put my esky behind the seat, then roll out my mattress. Works great and takes about 30 seconds. Don't even have to drop the rear passenger seat. Will try to send you pics somehow.
Very nice and easy! Thanks for the email and the pics. Looks like a great plan and I like the easy part a lot. :) Not sure where I will store my monstrosity when its not in the car.
@@AZdroptop that's OK. You have a nice new big shed there lol. Good luck 🤞
An inflatable 3 to 6 inch air mattress will give you comfortable support. Folds away and you won't have a car full of wood.
Air mattresses are a good option, but I have never sleep well on them and I would need something to put in the wheel wells. Thank you very much for the suggestion! And for watching.
I was planning on doing something similar for my 2019 but instead of using it for a sleeping platform, I was going to make a "flat" floor that is level with the opening of the trunk to make loading and unloading lots of heavy cargo easier. I really like the leg idea. Perhaps using 1/2" thick plywood would help with the weight.
NIce Zach, sounds like a good idea you've got brewing. Let me know how your project works out. Trying mine out tonight.
I slept in my CrossTrek last weekend. I just folded over some cardboard leftover from my tv. Once you put the padding down, you couldn't feel the ridge. I'm 6', so I have to put the passengers' seat all the way up and forward. To bridge the gap between the rear seat and front seat, I just put down a water cooler and board laying on top of it and the rear folded down seat. not pretty, but effective!
Nice innovation bro. Love it.
Exactly what I do, plus nice thermarest mattress. Good to go
I have an REI camping pad(3’ thick) I’d use on top of that. I feel like the upholstery on top will bug you trying to slide in gear like coolers or other travel gear. Great idea though!
Thank you Corey. Going to try it out tomorrow and see how she does. :) Hope you are doing well!
Why not leave the 2 x 4 blocks in the rear unattached, so that you can use them either flat or on edge to take out some rake depending on how you are parked? Possibly with Velcro pads on the different surfaces, just to keep them motionless while using the platform?
Love the ideas brother. Ended up going with a Luno Life mattress after playing around with this for awhile. Cheers.
i found a 6 inch tri fold foam bed from milliard which im hoping works out
Nice! Thank you.
Yeah, I remember that lump.
So true 🤣
It is intensely annoying that car manufacturers can't seem to design their rear seats to fold absolutely flat with zero bumps and protrusions. There really is no good reason behind this, as I have had just one car that was configured like this. Subaru has it almost right in the Forester and Peugeot has it almost right in the 5008. As for the Crosstrek, I did think of a couple of options. One was to use one of those HDPE (Heavy-Duty PolyEthylene) folding tables. They are 1.8m long X 76cm wide (that's about 6ft long 30 inches wide). That's about the size of a camping mattress and there you have a few options. The table is super strong, folds into half that size and has a carry handle and weighs about 12kg. It can take a spread load of 150kg. So with a few strategically placed blocks of wood, it would double as a bed base at night and a table during the day and doesn't take up too much room. The second idea I came up with is to build a frame for the rear to which you attached those heavy-duty ball bearing pick-up bed drawer slides. Normally that would slide out backward, but in your case, it would just be reversed and you would slide the hybrid platform forwards with the backrests folded down and if you raised it slightly you could have drawers underneath on a second set of sliders that you could pull out to the rear in which you could store gear. A loose panel would then just slot in on top of the frame to give you your bed base.
Nice Nick. Great ideas there. Imagination is the limit I think. Mine definitely has some flaws to work out, but I think it will be comfortable at lest.
Link please
Maybe consider two pieces with no hinge. Some kind of interlocking with biscuits or dowels could be good
I did contemplate that a little while putting it together and think it is a great idea! It would make storage and getting it in the car a lot easier. Some kind of sleeve on the back of the two boards possibly? Like a sliding gate lock or similar?
@@AZdroptop yeah! or a rotating latch www.google.com/search?q=wooden+latch&sxsrf=ACYBGNRSd6WSrsOKc8vttgvCC4m0NtPeuQ:1570815003834&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=QSIvxhS6IY5a0M%253A%252CpRXxWk4UMFMrCM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kS8n5OsTcX3Flyth3JReIDqQC_-JQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi5vL7y3ZTlAhUmHTQIHWJxAacQ9QEwAXoECAYQBg#imgrc=QSIvxhS6IY5a0M:&vet=1
Ben, my question on using a hinge like we are discussing is that it would have to be on the back of the boards and would cause a lump if too big no? Keep the suggestions coming!
@@AZdroptop Let's use my Crosstrek as the guinea pig for other options. Once we have it perfect, we super size it for the Ascent. Pull it out and use it as a campsite table too. Rick's Swiss Army Platform.
@@AZdroptop if there are support rails wouldn't that allow for some depth on the hinge?
Not bad, but it should fold two times so you can have it in the trunk without laying down the seats. Also make it from lighter material and without the foam so its easy to store.
Agreed! It was decent for a first attempt, but I ended up with a Luno mattress and it works out great! Thank you for watching!
6'6" here. glad I have a forester :) I'd use a piano hinge instead of a door hinge.
Hi Chris you probably would not fit 😃. Agreed on the piano hinge! Testing it out tomorrow night so hopefully it goes well!
I know it's not helpful now, but you could have either double hinged or just had it fold up to 90 degrees for cargo area separation, either way with hinges on the underside and folding only 90 deg per hinge.
a double hinge (4 or 6 inch plywood segment between) would have allowed it to fold even over some bedding.
Good idea! Built this with what I had on hand for the most part, but I am working on a new design. Thanks much for the advice!
I'd hinge the leg supports too.
Thanks Niles, I did consider it briefly while building. Hinge with a lock pin possibly. Cheers
Now we have to get you out to use that rig!!
Thanks Kurt! That is for sure. Still trying to figure out November..busy month. Travel safe
Happy Friday Rick!!
Thank you Stanley! Have great weekend.
Looks cool. Maybe I missed it since I skipped over a little of the beginning, but if you are not hauling a 3rd or 4th person in the back seats, why not just skip the hinge and have 1 piece of wood? I know different people have different needs for bed softness but no way could I sleep on 1 layer of foam like that. I'd have to used much thicker foam or an air mattress. Even when I was young and backpacked a lot I had to have a soft bed LOL
The big reason for the hinge if you make it as wide as I did, trying to be as comfortable as possible. :) Not a huge fan of air mattresses and camping pad's alone....At 6 feet long the driver's seat has to be pushed all the way forward for it to fit so it has to be hinged to drive. If you just made it for one side you could do one piece and just keep the passenger seat all the way forward while driving. I thought about some thicker foam and looked at some nice 2" stuff, but it was a bit pricey to use on my first try. Once I try this out I will go back to the drawing board and see if I can come up with something easier to carry and store when not in use. I have received a lot of great ideas already!
Or use a memory foam mattress from Walmart I’m thinking on doing that to my crosstrek using memory foam cuz it’s softer for my gf sleep on and put curtains around windows
I almost used one of those for the cushion, but they were a bit more than I wanted to spend for this. Cheers
Evenly space .25-.5 in holes throughout the entire piece a d you should be able to reduce your weight by almost 50% without sacrificing to much structural integrity. Also eliminate the foam and use self inflating sleep pads. You'll never feel the hinges or any of the holes
Thanks Chris. Much appreciated
I would love to do this to my 2019 but I'm 6'2"...
Hi Dave, I think it might work if you lay at an angle? My set up is basically 6 feet long so if you lay at the angle it might work!
I use a Luno mattress to sleep in my Subaru and it gives me the extra length I need at 6'. I just push my seats forward and use their Base Extenders. The fabric is basically puncture-proof and thick so it can be used for camping. Check'em out- www.lunolife.com
i am pretty tall and i sleep with my head at the back near the hatchback door and if i need to stretch out, i can put both feet between the front seats. my feet kinda rest on the armrest in middle...get a piece of twin size 4 inch high density foam and trim if necessary and you will sleep like a log, hopefully :)
@@AZdroptop какой у вас рост
God I love handymen...
I think I would have a separate and more comfortable mattress, that was either a roll up or inflatable.
Thank you for watching. I ended up with a LUNO mattress and actually became an ambassador. It is pretty awesome.th-cam.com/video/NwsVQlnSrlQ/w-d-xo.html
@@AZdroptop Yes, they look cool!
Great idea!
Thank you Garry.
Don’t go crazy with leveling. When you park, use the car to orient the sleeping angle.
Good point! Thank you
That's great.
The
That' s great.
good job.
Thank you Jerry, much appreciated.
Hello. Yes I have a question. Does this car suits for 2 persons for sleeping
I think you can sleep 2 as long as it isn't 2 really big people. I am 1.75 meters and my wife is 1.6 meters and it works fine. Anyone over 1.83 meters would need to sleep a little sideways to really stretch out.
I use a Luno mattress to sleep in my Subaru and it gives me the extra length I need at 6'. I just push my seats forward and use their Base Extenders. The fabric is basically puncture-proof and thick so it can be used for camping. Check'em out- www.lunolife.com - I hope this helps all!
Hey Peter, thank you. I have a video coming out on the luno life very soon. :) I am excited to try it out.
Dude you should patent that and make variants for Jeeps and other SUV'S! 0_0
Thanks Travis. :) Still need to work out some of the flaws, but it will get there eventually.
Any reason you don't sleep with your head at the other end? At 6"1, I have to do that and feet go between the front seats when stretching out.
Hi Simon, mostly because of the angle of the folded seats. Lying the other way would put my legs uphill. Otherwise I don't know. :) Does the seat angle bother you at all?
@@AZdroptop My XV (Crosstrek) is an older model I think, 2014, and the cargo floor is higher than yours for some reason. Also if I take off the rear seat head rests, I find the rear seats lie quite flat... certainly flatter than if the head rests are left on. The combination of these means the floor overall is quite flat and I don't need to place a board on it, just a pretty thick foam mattress does the job! :)
That's great! It isn't terrible in the 18, but you definitely noticed it when lying back there. Cheers.
Why not hinges for the front legs? Nothing to assemble or get lost.
I did consider it, but didn't have extra hinges on hand. I am going to do some revisions here in the near future. Overall it worked out great when I used it a couple of nights ago! Thank you for the suggestion.
Rick, is this your setup for tomorrow? Are you going to pop your spare on top of the new sleeping rig?
Yes sir, going to give it a try. No “real” spare at this point😬. I’ve Ben meaning to buy another wheel and tire, but haven’t yet. You might have to push me 😇😂
@@AZdroptop lol I'm in the same boat I have the factory wheels and tires as a backup... But KO2s are pretty good so... but if Slowaru has to save you, we are all done for! lol
How do you get in and out after hatch is closed
Crawl out one of the back doors...It is fun when you are half asleep in the morning. :)
Piano hinge is the way to go...
Couldn't you do without the hinges ??
Yep, I think you could.
How tall are you Rick?
69 inches or 175.26 cm.
How tall are you? How do you sleep on it?
I am 5'9"s tall. I only slept on it once and then bought a Luno Life mattress. :). I have a number of videos about the mattress on my channel if you want to check it out. They are not inexpensive, but are fantastic.
Rick, what is your height?
5'9" There is room for someone up to 6' I would say. Beyond that and you would have to lie slightly sideways.
@@AZdroptop thank you!
Too much work. I'll email you pics of what I came up with. Much more simple, easy to stow.
Cool, looking forward to it.
@@AZdroptop Sent. Cheers, hope you like it. It takes about 20 minutes to whip together. The tape takes the longest.
Got it. Thank you
Why do you want to sleep in your car
More comfortable than a tent😃