I am new to E350 and while "van camping" has always intrigued me, I never really been dreaming/looking/drooling (although I wish I had!)
I'll save the story on how we ended up with an E350 Quigley for another day (let's just say it was initiall purchased as a dual purpose vehicle--towing vehicle (for a camper) and people mover, camper van idea came in later as a 'fun' idea, although a van with lift and Aluminiess bumper isn't particularly stealthy).
Nonetheless..
I started measuring my 15pas van so see how I would sleep in it, and could not figure out how folks have beds perpendicular to the van
41" between wheel wells,
66" top of wheel wells. That's 5'6"
I think you do gain max distance at window level, but barely 6 feet, and I am 6 feet tall and around 220lb
I ruled out a side-to-side bed since I couldn't gain 6ft. The math is probably different on cargo vans, although I don't see the max side-to-side distance increasing beyond 6ft).
I believe the reasons for looking at the cot were as follows:
- better than sleeping on (dirty/cold) floor
- cot's legs could get around the wheel wells (poor attention to pics, while pic below seems to show only 4 legs, other pics on site show 6)
- cot is very easy to remove from camper and reuse outside of van
- 2 cots of type I bought put together make a queen bed, so it had long term potential to sleep 2
- aluminum bed is pretty light to handle and don't add much weight to vehicle (under 20lb)
Cons included
- poor ability to utilize space underneath due to X leg configuration
- probably some awkwardness putting it away vs custom van beds
.
In retrospect, a sofabed of some sort would have probably been a better idea, although I am not sure how portable or light it would be, nor if a commercially available one could get around the wheel well (would have to have no legs in middle)
Below is the cot picked for experiment. I am curious if anybody else entertained this idea.
I think the cot can still be made to work, if put a few inches above on some frame made out of wood or angle iron/aluminum.
I'll try to post some pictures in the morning.
http://a.co/d/g521ZDE
Quote:
- Super Strong AIRCRAFT GRADE Anodized Aluminum.
- Compact Storage Pouch with Zipper, and Convenient Carry Bag with Shoulder Straps.
- Expanded Size: 80" L x 29.5" W x 17" H; Folded Size: 40" L x 9.5" W x 4" H.
- OD Black 1200 D Polyester Fabric is Washable and Mildew Resistant. Cot Weight = 14.5 Pounds.
- Velcro Adjustment Straps for Firmness: Weight Capacity = 605 lbs; Total Weight = 16 lbs.
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