Cabover space alternatives

[uglymug]

Has anyone converted the cab over area to a second living space? Eagle Cap campers in particular are so tall that it would seem a sofa/futon could fit in the space, and with maybe a folding coffee table, would create a nice hang out alternative that converts to a bedroom at night. I am looking for that perfect convertible bed now.

[uglymug]

In these multi-slides, putting the floor above the truck bed was great idea, but it had the ancillary benefit of increasing the height in the cabover, and making the step-up to the cabover much shorter. I feel the manufacturer are not taking advantage of this. Host and Lance lost some of this benefit by increasing the taper in the cabover to improve wind resistance, and Eagle Cap in their 1200 lost space by putting storage under the bed. But the Eagle Cap 1160 and 1165 are huge up there, so much so, that I feel like it is wasting space, being an ex-class B user. Even an adult would have head room on a somewhat short sofa. I am going to give it a try with that memory foam couchbed link I posted earlier in this chat.

[Bedlam]

ajriding wrote:
That conversion sounds like a great idea - a place for the kids to be able to sit at a table and be inside without crowding everyone around one table, and for the kids to have their own area also. Maybe they will need to sit on the floor to have headroom. If you had 4 bed cushions, like a dinette, instead of one big mattress, then they cold stack 2 high side by side and make a cushion table in the center.

One large or two small trifold mattresses would work better than a chair.

[Bedlam]

uglymug wrote:
Bedlam -- The Host is just as tall as the Eagle Cap but the Host ceiling on the cabover is more tapered so there is not as much headroom. Also the Eagle Cap has more square footage in the cabover.

I need 4.5' of height to sit upright in a normal chair and not have my head against the ceiling. It needs to be about 5' or more in height to be a practical loft like you see in park model or tiny home trailers. When we sit outside, my camper slide outs are 5' above the ground and allow me to sit under them. I am very comfortable sitting upright on the mattress with my back supported by pillows but would not clear if I was 1.5' higher in a typical chair. A low beach chair or bean bag may work but now you have your legs stretched out in front of you taking up valuable floor space. Perhaps your family is not 6'+ like me? The idea is not unique: Some fifth wheels now have a forward living room over the king pin, but their ceilings are taller in this area - Gooseneck trailers with living quarters are closer to a truck camper dimensions and I have not found one with a living loft except for plus height and stacker models.

[d3500ram]

RickW wrote:
So, what if your hard side TC became a "pop up"? You could gain an extra 2 foot of head space in the cabover area. Cushions and/or table from below could be transferred to above. This would also provide wall space for additional portable storage in the TC.

Maybe something for a custom TC.

Or use the cabover area to access the roof deck as has been done before:

[ajriding]

Lots of people who have never though of or done this conversion seem to have an opinion for you, the consensus of the great-they is that you are wrong! You are wrong to consider spending time in your camper, rain or not. You are wrong to make it more livable. You are wrong in all of your thinking.

Haha, Im just having fun. Don't take this seriously.

That conversion sounds like a great idea - a place for the kids to be able to sit at a table and be inside without crowding everyone around one table, and for the kids to have their own area also. Maybe they will need to sit on the floor to have headroom. If you had 4 bed cushions, like a dinette, instead of one big mattress, then they cold stack 2 high side by side and make a cushion table in the center.

[RickW]

So, what if your hard side TC became a "pop up"? You could gain an extra 2 foot of head space in the cabover area. Cushions and/or table from below could be transferred to above. This would also provide wall space for additional portable storage in the TC.

Maybe something for a custom TC.

[uglymug]

I think what mountainkowboy was trying to say is why have a TC when you are using it like a Class A, C, or trailer, which are cheaper. A truck camper allows you to go deep into the woods, where these other types are precluded and, as such, you should be outside and not worry about living space on the inside. So why convert the inside to being more livable with respect to adding a second living space in the cabover.

However, personally, I do go deep into the woods in the Summer, but in the winter, after skiing, we are living in the RV like a "condo in the woods." You are not going to sit outside and freeze your butt off, so making it more livable is nice.

But I agree with you burningman, some people get a TC because they a pulling, or want to fit in a standard parking space, or want a separate vehicle without pulling one. In my opinion, asking the Forum for help in making the vehicle better for whatever reason is helpful for many even if a few find it a waste.

[burningman]

People use truck campers for different things. Parking it in the woods and staying outside isn’t the only right way to use one.
I used mine as my home base at Burning Man, in the middle of a desert. I needed to be able to pull a 10,000 trailer also, so a camper on a dually made sense.
I hung out inside quite a bit, escaping the dust storms and daytime desert heat and went out more at night. Personally I think anyone who makes a big deal about being a real camper in the woods but brings an RV is slightly contradicting themselves.

[mountainkowboy]

uglymug wrote:
It becomes a lot more of an "apartment in the woods" when you winter camp or it is raining.

We don't spend much time in the TC even then, and some of our best adventures have been in bad weather. It's your TC do what you like with it, it just seems to defeat the purpose of a TC to me. Good luck in your endeavor.

[uglymug]

It becomes a lot more of an "apartment in the woods" when you winter camp or it is raining. Really, just because someone wants to make the inside of their camper nicer or more convenient, means they are not using it properly. I also have a huge battery bank and a large inverter so I can run the A/C when I go to the desert. That probably also bothers you. I mountain bike, hike, kayak, mountain run, ski, snowshoe etc.. Now that I am a bit older I can afford a camper so I can get rid of the tent. But like you I also bought the truck camper to get deep, and I know how to use it.

[SidecarFlip]

My 'living area' is outside the camper, not inside. Why it's a camper and not a house.

[mountainkowboy]

To us the whole idea of "camping" is to be outside with nature, and a TC makes it easier to get out farther than other RV's. Our TC is a place to eat and sleep out of the elements and is a base camp for exploration, not an apartment in the woods.

[toedtoes]

uglymug wrote:
Toedtoes -- I see this as alternative living area. It would would be kept as a bed when it is just my wife and me, but I have teens that like to get away to there own space and this would provide the separate area.

With teens, why do that much work? They tend to sprawl anyways, so just throw some pillows up there and let them have at it.

[uglymug]

Toedtoes -- I see this as alternative living area. It would would be kept as a bed when it is just my wife and me, but I have teens that like to get away to there own space and this would provide the separate area.

Bedlam -- The Host is just as tall as the Eagle Cap but the Host ceiling on the cabover is more tapered so there is not as much headroom. Also the Eagle Cap has more square footage in the cabover.

In my opinion these truck camper spaces are small even in the largest models, so any ability to have any space be multi use is an improvement. Wouldn't it be nice if the created a fourth slide that popped up the top of the cabover?