The Perfect Minivan Camper Bed Build (So Far)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
- This bed frame with a mattress is excellent for solo long-term minivan camper travel. One change made it perfect! This is my 2014 Toyota Sienna No Build Minivan Camper. I've had this bed setup for four years trouble free, except that occasionally, the legs fall off of the back while I’m squirming around. Now I no longer have to worry about that.
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Check out the bed and mattress on Amazon:
Steel Bed Frame: amzn.to/3onSxMc
Mattress: amzn.to/41BT2EN
Fitted Sheet: amzn.to/3i2rAMz
For inquiries please contact us at: contact@offgridadventure.net
#minivancamper
#vanlife
Music featured in this video in order of appearance courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com.
ARTIST / SONG TITLE
Dylan Sitts / Twenty Ten
Dylan Sitts / About to Head Out
Marc Torch / Sunset Road
Tigerblood Jewel / Behind the Line
Fasion / Hold Up
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:17 The Problem With this Bed
1:26 Minivan Camper Bed and Mattress
2:40 Measuring the Bed 30"x70"
3:24 Home Depot
4:22 The Solution! - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Check out why Minivan Campers are BETTER THAN SUV RVs!
th-cam.com/video/JamWec2aKj0/w-d-xo.html
PVC tubing to extend the legs the length you want.
I appreciate your approach to this. I am looking for a no-build, easily installed/removed setup to do weekends,, and occasional longer trips. Too many other channels only focus on full-time van life for my goals. Thanks for showing how you do what you do.
I’m glad you enjoyed this. I recently traded the minivan for a Jeep, and am now in the journey of building it out for camping. Space is much more limited in the Jeep.
Thanks for the memory foam mattress tip. Will make it more comfy indeed
I’m glad that this might help!
How do 👋
I saw your first video on the two cots that you talked about. I can remember you actually did the video in the rain. Well, just to let you know, I've been using the metal frame cot for 2 years now. I have it set up just like you do. Man, it's wide enough, long enough, and comfortable enough. I travel with my cat, who hogs the bed because it's just perfect for the both of us. The left leg I use a shim. The right leg I use a 2×4 with no problems. Thank you for making my cat and I comfortable. 👋
That’s awesome. I’m glad it has worked out for you. Thank you so much for letting me know about how it works for you and your cat. I feel like it is a perfect size bed, and that bar made it a perfect frame.
Oooh that's a very pretty pink tree in the background!!!
I need to hire someone to do my mini van built
Awesome idea. I was thinking a board to set it on, but your idea is perfect!
Thank you. Have you had trouble with your bed slipping off as well?
@OffGridAdventure fortunately, I have been lucky, and it has not. You can give it a good look at the interview.
Good hack on bed, smoother edges on floor too.
Hi Aurora, thanks for stopping in! This has improved my sleep in the van, because I’m not worried about the bed sliding down at night.
That’s a clever idea. I’m sure that aluminum is going to hold up just fine. You could take a grinder or belt sander and round off those edges and also spray paint it dark gray or black.
If it ends up breaking, I’ll go with the steel and bend it.
I have a 2012 Honda Odyssey and the same bed / seat setup. I solved the legs falling into the cracks with a length of angle iron with holes in it. I thought the holes would be helpful to zip tie around the bed legs but the angle iron itself has worked great without attaching it. It was easy to cut to length with a hack saw.
They had some angle iron next to the bar that I got. I was worried it would be too tough to bend. I’m glad it worked out for you.
I just bought a 2010 Honda Odyssey for the express purpose of going Van Camping. The bed frame and tri-fold mattress I have ordered is the same as yours. I'll take the middle seats out and stow the 3rd row seat. I have two dogs, so I need all the space I can get. My problem is going to be leveling out the bed. I think I will just use a couple of 1x6's glued together to use on the floor up by driver seat to level it out. Thanks for your channel. Yours and others have been very helpful to me! Can't wait for my first trip!!
Having the extra room under this bed comes in handy, but it’s hard for me to sit up in the bed. That’s why I left that back seat in. Have you been out camping in yet?
@@OffGridAdventure Not yet. I know where I'm going to go (Cave in the Rock in Southern Illinois,) bed frame and mattress should be here in a couple of days.
@@mac4fun57 enjoy! And stay safe.
Amazing advice for newbie like me, who is interested in a no-build build for Toyota Sienna that I want to buy!! I wanted to ask if I can fit the twin frame without removing the second row seat? From what I have gathered the twin bed (75” length) may not fit if I keep the second row seat (best case 72” of available length). Would love to hear your perspective! I may go for another van if the sienna can’t fit a twin metal bed without removing the second row seats…Thank you!
Use pvc pipe. Was on a bob wells video. I have the same bed, thanks to you. Used different sizes for each leg of the bed.
That’s interesting. I’m planning to take that seat out later this summer to get back some more space. Thanks for sharing this idea.
This is exactly what I did as well. What I did was add two sheets of 1/4" Plywood on the metal frame so that the foam mattress would feel even undervme. I drilled 1/4" holes 4" apart on the Plywood so that me mattress still breathes.
Good job! 👍 having an uneven platform is the worst. So, it’s great that you got it sorted out.
much better than wood
No splinters!
Some people use pvc pipe cut to size, then slid over the leg.
I’ve never thought of using PVC pipe for this purpose. Thanks for bringing it up.
@@OffGridAdventure you're welcome. Thank you for posting.
Other option? Shoulda bought a camp bed that has a bar running all along the bottom of leg supports rather than individual legs. They're out there and at good prices with no bar under the stretcher etc.
I'm more interested in how much room you would have between head and ceiling if you had a *much* thinner mattress.
I like the idea of this bed frame for easy, versatile, no-build build; but I'd want to be able to sit upright on the bed, and given I'm shorter than you I'm looking to see if I could make that happen (I don't need a soft mattress, don't even like that)
Hi Susie, check out one of my older videos where I show a standard cot in there with the bar. The frame is a little wider, and a little lower. I had plenty of headroom in that setup and used it for about 5 years. I’m 5’9” if that helps. But, sitting in there, I’d always use the third row chair. It’s very comfortable to sit on.
@@OffGridAdventure thanks hon, I do vaguely recall your old set-up but I'll go take another look. And thanks for the height reference - I'm definitely shorter and I'd rather not keep the extra seat (2 front only)
@@susie9893 i understand. By the way, if you put the frame on the passenger side, then the legs are not an issue. But, you might also want to remove the back seats altogether. In that case, you get a lot of extra storage space.
@@OffGridAdventure that's my plan! 😊
Also, I'm a little vague on other storage options in the sienna - I know there's a huge basement boot if you get rid of the rear seats but I think there's also some cubbies under the back (ie middle) seats?
Ok I see people living in their vans cars campers where do you sleep and park at night that you don’t get run off or bothered with cops or people? Would love to do this .
I mostly do this while traveling, so I don’t stay at the same places often. I also stay at a lot of campgrounds. The farther west you go, the easier it is to find places that won’t bother you.
Do a TH-cam search on where to park overnight vanlife. People have done really good videos on safe places to sleep. Two of the videos I really like are "15 BEST Places to Park Overnight when you NEED to Rest and Recharge" by the channel Travel Snacks in 2023 and "25 Best Places to Sleep When Living in Your Car!" by the channel Timothy Ward in 2020. There are also great videos on how to find free boondocking campsites, which is camping for free on government land.
HAH makes sense that i didn't guess the problem, i had no idea that mattresses firm up in the cold!
I'll have to post a funny lil short looking at my current half-effort attempt at Van-Life-If-Needed XD
It’s a lot of fun. Except, tonight it’s 80 degrees in here, and I’m sweating. So, not the most comfortable, pleasant experience.
@@OffGridAdventure oh no!! That sucks!!
@@neurodivergentlily No worries. I’ll use a small air conditioner next time. These are the things we can use in 2023. Tech is always getting better.
Has anyone tried this frame and matrices in a Honda Odyssey?
How did the Aluminum bar work out? I think I'm going to buy the same setup for my 2007 Sienna. Was it strong enough or do you wish you'd gone with the steel bar?
No problems at all with it. I’m glad I did this, because I’m no longer worried about the bed slipping at night.
@@OffGridAdventure Yeah, I saw the first video and was like....I bet that's going to slip off. Thanks for the follow up video.
@@joej164 it wasn’t a huge problem, but it did occasionally slip. Still, I’m very happy with how well the frame has held up over the years.
Use a piece of plywood braced by a 2x4 in the trunk.
Use your hitch to bend
That would have been too easy. That’s why I didn’t think of it.
Thanks for the advice, Steven!
Pre-video guess on what you changed: i bet you changed the sheets to be Owl House related! ;) Jk jk
I bet you made underneath the bed even more accessible
I have a two thousand and seventeen pacifica that has the hide & go seats, I push the front passenger side up as far as it will go. But my eyes chest and reclining pillow 2nd row. I make myself a recliner because I have a herniaan. Di have to sleep setting up and for me as perfbitch. I leave my vaccine app and put my stuff in the very back and that way. I can stay stealth because I'm in the city Phoenix area. I like to stay more than the East Mesa beautiful area. Calm peaceful As a senior woman I feel much safer
Hi Lela, it sounds like it might be a little uncomfortable to have to sleep like that. It’s great that you can stealth camp in that area. Does it get hot there? Also, I hope that you’re able to get treatment for your hernia. Thanks for sharing your experience.
@@OffGridAdventure I've gotten used to it I've had to sleep like this for almost 10 years. It's a hyena hernia and because of my height it's perfect Sorry I talked into the phone and I should have checked that it understood what I was saying
What year model is your Toyota sienna ?
2014 LE FWD.
I would have gone with angle iron
That’s a good idea for long term. I’ll update if this one falls.