Here is something I did prior to our recent journey from Cleveland, OH to Soda Springs, ID and back as I was concerned with our sleep situation on the trip.
We keep the "bed setup" in place permanently - we do not use the rear dinette setup.
As most of us know, the Roadtrek Versatile sleeps "across" the rear of the van on a twin size bed. This seems to be a real negative for folks looking to purchase a Roadtrek. Initially I subscribed to that thought as well.
That being said, my wife and I are not tall individuals and the Versatile bed size is completely adequate for our needs. However, as many have stated and are aware, this type of sleeping has the disadvantage of disturbances due to one or both sleeping partners having a need to get up in the middle of the night for one reason or another. This could be a potential issue with regards to our sleeping experience, so I began investigating.
There are a few articles on the internet that address this issue by building a "bed extension" which is a platform extending forward of the middle of the bed utilizing the small square cushion that is not used when the twin bed is setup. Here is the one that caught my eye:
https://sites.google.com/site/roadtrekersite/modifications/bed-extension
I took this idea - which is great and kudos to the author of the site - and instead of building the platform as described in the article, I bought a 1/2" x "24" x 48" piece of plywood from Lowe's and sanded the edges with 40 grit sandpaper to the width of the table that fits between the seating areas. This was convenient that the size was just about perfect. You need to sand it enough so that the plywood slides easily between the two seating areas. It took me quite a few tries before I got it perfect where it slides effortlessly. It will rest on the "ledges" that the table rests on when using the bed. I also drilled two holes in the end of the plywood for using my fingers to pull the plywood forward. In essence it is a longer version of the "table" that is stored under the driver side seat when not in use. This piece of plywood is stored in the location between the seating areas and pulled forward like a drawer when it is needed for the bed. When the plywood is pulled forward it will drop down onto the ledges and you will feel the drop. Once it drops it will be at the correct level for the bed. The extended end of the plywood that overhangs out towards the front of the van is supported by a plastic milk crate - which happens to be just the correct height when resting on the higher carpeted edge of the floor - which is stored under the bed while not in use. The nice thing is that the milk crate is also used for storage - just keep the stored items below the top level of the crate where the plywood rests. The square cushion from the dinette setup that is not needed is placed on the end of the plywood platform in the same manner as shown in the above link. I just placed the cushion on there with no lip added to the end of the plywood and it remained in place nicely. When morning comes and we are ready to hit the road, I simply put the square cushion on the bed under the overhang from the TV cabinet, push down on the plywood to get it over the hump and then push it back under the bed like a drawer until it is even with the front of the bed. Then I push the plastic milk crate back under the bed. The whole process takes literally 30 seconds and adds a whole new dimension to the Versatile living experience as we now enjoy sleeping "down" the van as opposed to "across" and get to enjoy the vast living room that exists in the Versatile. This is the best of both worlds to us.
With this setup, I am able to sleep better than I do at home - we have a memory foam pad on the Roadtrek bed - on the driver side of the bed with no restraints and no differently than I do at home. Ditto for my wife who sleeps on the passenger side. Like I stated, this may not work for everyone - I am 5'7 and my wife is 4'11" - but I can see it working for folks who are a bit taller than this as well.
I will shoot a few pics when I get a chance.
Something for you Versatile owners to think about.
We keep the "bed setup" in place permanently - we do not use the rear dinette setup.
As most of us know, the Roadtrek Versatile sleeps "across" the rear of the van on a twin size bed. This seems to be a real negative for folks looking to purchase a Roadtrek. Initially I subscribed to that thought as well.
That being said, my wife and I are not tall individuals and the Versatile bed size is completely adequate for our needs. However, as many have stated and are aware, this type of sleeping has the disadvantage of disturbances due to one or both sleeping partners having a need to get up in the middle of the night for one reason or another. This could be a potential issue with regards to our sleeping experience, so I began investigating.
There are a few articles on the internet that address this issue by building a "bed extension" which is a platform extending forward of the middle of the bed utilizing the small square cushion that is not used when the twin bed is setup. Here is the one that caught my eye:
https://sites.google.com/site/roadtrekersite/modifications/bed-extension
I took this idea - which is great and kudos to the author of the site - and instead of building the platform as described in the article, I bought a 1/2" x "24" x 48" piece of plywood from Lowe's and sanded the edges with 40 grit sandpaper to the width of the table that fits between the seating areas. This was convenient that the size was just about perfect. You need to sand it enough so that the plywood slides easily between the two seating areas. It took me quite a few tries before I got it perfect where it slides effortlessly. It will rest on the "ledges" that the table rests on when using the bed. I also drilled two holes in the end of the plywood for using my fingers to pull the plywood forward. In essence it is a longer version of the "table" that is stored under the driver side seat when not in use. This piece of plywood is stored in the location between the seating areas and pulled forward like a drawer when it is needed for the bed. When the plywood is pulled forward it will drop down onto the ledges and you will feel the drop. Once it drops it will be at the correct level for the bed. The extended end of the plywood that overhangs out towards the front of the van is supported by a plastic milk crate - which happens to be just the correct height when resting on the higher carpeted edge of the floor - which is stored under the bed while not in use. The nice thing is that the milk crate is also used for storage - just keep the stored items below the top level of the crate where the plywood rests. The square cushion from the dinette setup that is not needed is placed on the end of the plywood platform in the same manner as shown in the above link. I just placed the cushion on there with no lip added to the end of the plywood and it remained in place nicely. When morning comes and we are ready to hit the road, I simply put the square cushion on the bed under the overhang from the TV cabinet, push down on the plywood to get it over the hump and then push it back under the bed like a drawer until it is even with the front of the bed. Then I push the plastic milk crate back under the bed. The whole process takes literally 30 seconds and adds a whole new dimension to the Versatile living experience as we now enjoy sleeping "down" the van as opposed to "across" and get to enjoy the vast living room that exists in the Versatile. This is the best of both worlds to us.
With this setup, I am able to sleep better than I do at home - we have a memory foam pad on the Roadtrek bed - on the driver side of the bed with no restraints and no differently than I do at home. Ditto for my wife who sleeps on the passenger side. Like I stated, this may not work for everyone - I am 5'7 and my wife is 4'11" - but I can see it working for folks who are a bit taller than this as well.
I will shoot a few pics when I get a chance.
Something for you Versatile owners to think about.
Last edited:
