Sleeping at a diagonal to optimize space.
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2019 T-350 HR 148 Extended 3.5 EB, Full time 2 person build, Chinese Heater, Victron, 525 AH Lithium
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I’d consider a hammock if I were you. War bonnet makes a really nice design with a foot pocket. It’s primarily for outdoor so an indoor version or something with a pocket and no bug screen might be better. (It makes a lot of difference so you don’t have to sleep like a banana. There are a few good places to attach and a few threads I remember seeing on the forums about this. Good luck.
I just fit the length of the N-S bed at the back of our van. I need to sleep at a slight diagonal to make room for a pillow and to have room to stretch out. I'm only talking about 6" or 12" diagonal. But that makes all the difference to get a really comfortable sleep. I designed the bed this way and would do it again because it works so well. My wife is shorter and doesn't have this issue.
It gets mentioned quite a bit (search "diagonal sleep") and the feedback from those that did it longer-term seems to have been that it wasn't great. But there's not a whole lot of follow-up for it - mostly design questions. Like yours. 😁
Might also look for the fold-down bunk options. Seems like those might be an ideal space-saver for a single bed. Fold up out of the way - some of them movable up and down the wall.
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I am guessing you are thinking of a rear bed with "garage" underneath configuration. One option for a longer bed be to have a slide out extension. For beds along a side wall that approach is also used to make a narrow couch that extends widthwise for use as a bed. There are plenty of examples on this forum and YT.
FWIW my design for N-S in a 148 non EL has a flip up/down extension but that is because I want the bottom of the bed over the garage to be lower that the tops of my galleys, so a slide out won't work. The mattress on the extension will be thinner to make up for the height difference. Have never seen that approach used before. My reason for this approach is to maximize the headroom over the bed.
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Just park at the supplementary angle?Sleeping at too much of a diagonal could mess with the Feng Shui of your van and you will never get a good night of sleep in your van.
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Sleeping at too much of a diagonal could mess with the Feng Shui of your van and you will never get a good night of sleep in your van.
In my van, I built a removable elevated E-W bed that is queen size. (I can sleep at an angle when alone and flat on my back.)
When the bed is installed, I can fold up 2 feet of the bed on both the front and the back when I have requirements to fit stuff inside the back doors or need more room on the front side of the van.
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When the bed is installed, I can fold up 2 feet of the bed on both the front and the back when I have requirements to fit stuff inside the back doors or need more room on the front side of the van.
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An here I was thinking that my design with a front section that folds up was novel.
Well at least my reason for might be.
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Obviously you'd do that feet down so the blood doesn't all go to your head.
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When you are both too tall and married, I have a 80 inch by 65 in mattress in my transit. Being a LWB not extended it takes up two thirds of the van floor space.
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