I thought it would be great to to make a bed in back for camping. I thought of just throwing an air mattress down, but the only problem with that is where do you put all yer stuff when you are sleeping??

I thought of making something that will raise the mattress off the floor by about 20 inches. This way you can store anything from the stock seats to gear under the bed and it will still be there when you wake up :)

It could be made out of sections of PVC pipe and be designed to tear down into modular sections that can be easily stored in a bag. with a nice air mattress on top. Its really tough going on a camping trip in the E as once you fill it up with gear, you have to leave it all outside if there is any hope of sleeping inside.

Any bright ideas??

I thought your idea of raising the bed was cool. I camp a lot, so I bought a tent. The car is the storage/kitchen area.

Remove the back seats and slide in a couple of cots!

I'm contemplating the purchase of a couple of these @ $46.75 ea.:

http://store4.yimg.com/I/campingrus_1747_23132732

Or possibly a couple of these for more daytime versatility @ $35.50 ea.:

http://store4.yimg.com/I/campingrus_1746_1326006

Check em' all out at:
http://www.campingstation.net/chairscots.html

I wish someone would come up with a tightly woven bungee net that could lay flat along the roof headliner for even more storage up top.

I wish someone would come up with a tightly woven bungee net that could lay flat along the roof headliner for even more storage up top.

I have done that with some bungee cords -- I have ordered a net to replace them. There are places all around the top to hook the bungees. I keep lightweight stuff up there. It keeps the heat from the sunroof out, too.

well, those beds are ok for one person, but I want it wall to wall bed with no gaps inbetween.
Also, if you measure those above cots you are considering buying you will find out that they are too long and will not fit

[quote:0212edbcb0="pookSter"]well, those beds are ok for one person, but I want it wall to wall bed with no gaps inbetween.
Also, if you measure those above cots you are considering buying you will find out that they are too long and will not fit[/quote:0212edbcb0]

Not if you have the tailgate down and a cabana on.

Not if you have the tailgate down and a cabana on.

Lol Emass, u got me on that one

I sometimes camp in the middle of a city...don't think that would go over too well. I prefer a STEEL tent anyways :)

on our trip from dalllas to san diego we had the honda roof box and the cabanna and a tent. first we took the back seats out completley(very easy to do) and laid down a large cut to fit piece of that thick foam that looks like egg cartons, then we put down a thick comfortor. we put all the lite stuff in the roof box and the rest in the back. we soon found that the cabbanna is nice but you cant drive to town for ice or what not without taking it off , so that was used only once. but what really worked was , set the tent up and store all the junk in it and sleep in the car, it was my wife, me and our 40lb dog , we were all comfortable even with the tailgait shut. the front seats slide way forward , so unless you are over 6ft tall it should be ok. yoga matts look like they might work also.

[quote:ab98c832c1="pookSter"]I sometimes camp in the middle of a city[/quote:ab98c832c1]

Isn't the technical term for camping in a city "homeless"? :lol: :lol: :lol: (j/k)

How could any of us be homeless.
....Home is where the E is!

[quote:f6819b54ef="pookSter"]How could any of us be homeless.
....Home is where the E is![/quote:f6819b54ef]

Heh, rock on Pook. :lol:

I haven't tried this yet....but this was my idea.....leave the seats in.....lay them flat like Honda shows.....store your smaller stuff in the front foot wells and under the back seats....then plop your air mattress on top....and presto chango....bed and cargo and people happily live as one in the E!

I have already bought the mattress, but just haven't had the opportunity to try it out on a trip yet *sigh*

Hopefully soon there will be a break in my life so I can go away for at least a weekend camping trip!

I tried this. I found the comfort ok, but I still prefer the mattress off the seats. It has an unstable feel. Also, there is not enough storrage under the seats so they have to go.

Good thought...hope if works for some.
I still think I am going to have to make something.

My 2 cents...

My wife and I have slept right on top of the "flattened" seats a couple of times, not ideal but we actually slept pretty well (might even be better after some tequila...).

We are going to try an air mattress/aerobed right on top of the flattened seats next time. We have found that we can actually store a lot of gear under the seats...maybe we just have a lot of low-profile gear, floor pump, camelbacks, etc. Putting a mattress right on top of the cleared out floor would work but for us it would be a pain clearing out all of our "crap". Cots would work but that would entail hauling more bulky "gear"....moving further away from a more simple system which we crave.

just a thought-- what if you only inflated the air mattress about 50 or 75%? the bottom would contour to the unevenness of the folded down seats. i dunno, just thinking out loud here.

Has anyone tried this. Flipping the seats up, and then inflatting a the air matress in the back. I have heard of people just removing them. But I am wondering if there is enough room for two grown adults to sleep and....maneuver :wink: :wink:

I guess it just depends on how much you like the other full grown adult :wink: :wink: :lol: :lol: :wink: :wink: :lol: :lol:

I'm thinking that the air mattress with the seats taken out seems like the best idea, but like a few people have said, where would you put your stuff?

I guess if you wanna sleep and "manuever" in the E, you gotta pack light!


Happy manuevering, I mean, Motoring!,

Chris
Western MA E guy

You put your stuff on the front seat floor, the front seat an on the dash. The seats still push and lean forward. We camped with 2 foam cushions on the flat floor. We have a tent that goes over the back hatch and tail gate. We put a pad on the hump that the front seats leave when pushed forward for the 2 big dogs and we camped for 4 nights that way. The cooler stayed on the ground BTW :P

[quote:d023427849="Macromonkey"]Has anyone tried this. Flipping the seats up, and then inflatting a the air matress in the back. I have heard of people just removing them. But I am wondering if there is enough room for two grown adults to sleep and....maneuver :wink: :wink:[/quote:d023427849]

Yes, there's another whole thread in this section with a picture. Looks like a perfect fit too.

Re the comments about not having room for stuff with the mattress on the floor, how about this: 1) get a roof rack attached storage box, and 2) cargo nets! I have one in the regular place just inside the rear hatch for those small grab items, but it seems it would hold alot of bigger items too. But, I was also thinking that the two hooks at the top inside of the hatch (they are under sliding covers and I think are used to anchor child carseats in the back) might be perfect to add another larger cargo net. This could be a good temp storage spot for when the air matteress is occupying the floor. Obviously you shouldn't leave things in it when driving, due to the obstructed rear view.

Good one Pookster...
Home is where the E is....:O)




How could any of us be homeless.
....Home is where the E is!

Heh, rock on Pook. :lol:

If you don't mind standardizing on some containers and a little bit a woodwork, here's a link to some pics of something that has worked well for me. Note: this really only works by removing the rear seats but that shouldn't be a problem if you camping with a single passenger.

http://www.hondaelement.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2342

I ended up making a wooden platform for the back of the E. It requires the removal of the rear seats, but it works great for camping. Then I purchased a 4" thick full size foam mattress at a fabric store (I cut it to fit around the wheel wells), and then covered it with a futon cover. I'm 6'2" and my wife is 5'11", and we both can sleep comfortably in there.


http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/3f0e3425_ab3f/bc/Element/tailgate+open.jpg?bcBjjD_AkqDaPmXi

another pic

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/3f0e3425_ab3f/bc/Element/closed.jpg?bcBjjD_ACfCWJzHa

The platform is actually two pieces. Slide the front section back on top of the rear section, and then slide the seats back for driving. Now I need to paint the platform.


http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/3f0e3425_ab3f/bc/Element/folded.jpg?bcBjjD_A96FtxrSM

Can you submit the pictures again. They don't seem to be there now.

Thanks.

Fweem.

I'm not sure what happened to the pics. Here's a link

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/3f0e3425_ab3f/bc/Element/tailgate+open.jpg?bchu1F_ARFjaPmXi

another pic

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/3f0e3425_ab3f/bc/Element/closed.jpg?bcO31F_ACSsKJzHa

folded for driving

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/3f0e3425_ab3f/bc/Element/folded.jpg?bchu1F_AZDRYxrSM

We tried to fit the air mattress in the E last weekend. We layed the seats flat, inflated out double-size aerobed and laid it on top of the seats. I let some of the air out so it was not too full and it was so comfortable. Fit just fine also.

Did anyone find a way to do something to the back hatch to open from the inside? I think that would be so cool to be able up lift up the top from inside to let air in or ba able to open it all up from inside to get out, instead of going through the front doors.

Also, anyone have a screen that fits in the back sunroof? I checked the instructions for the ELement one and can not figure how that works. Is it permanently fixed in there or is it something that you have to put on and take out all the time? Sure wish I could pop it up automatically. Sure lets good airflow in, especially when the back side windows are open also.

Take care all! Love my E. Would not trade it for the world...

I give up. Apparently I don't know how to post pics. If anyone is interested in seeing the pictures, I'll email them.

Has anyone considered a hammock? I noticed there are convenient clips on the inside roof near the back hatch that appear stout enough. Not sure where in the front I would attach the other end. Will have to look at it more closely. Hammocks offer comfort, take up nearly zero space, and allow sleeping above "stuff" stowed in the back.

For the hammock idea, maybe you could run a cable and clip it to the shoulder harness on either side. Seems to me that would hold the weight..Good idea!

Some thoughts from my weekend camping trip to the Delaware rive water gap in upstate NY. 1st night I tried sleeping on front passenger seat/rear passenger side seat flattened down to stretch the length of the E from front to back. Sleeping on the bare seats is uncomfortable (still better then sleeping on the ground). They are definately not perfectly flat and those damn seat belt receivers. The second night I slept on a partially deflated full sized air mattress on top of the flattened seats. Air mattress made it much more comfortable. Gear (coolers, beer, food, clothes, toys-inflatable boats, beer, assorted other outdoor gear, did I mention beer?)
plus
one person sleeping gets really tight really fast. If the wifey came along, gear would have to stay outside vehicle

Set-up and breakdown takes about 15 minutes each time. I relaxed while all of my friends had to set-up and break down their tents. My friends vehicles besides my E were 2- GM Suburbans, 1- BMW M5, 1-Ford Explorer, 1-Dodge Durango and 1-Honda mini-van.

I, too, was searching for the ultimate solution for sleeping quarters in the E. After much looking around and exhausting all kids of ideas, I stumbled across a Coleman SUV Air Mattress at WalMart. It cost me less than 30 bucks and some the good customer reviews were from E owners. It just came in but I have yet to try it out. I hope it works well.

here are some specs:
* Works with Tahoe, Suburban, Xterra, Explorer, Trailblazer and more
* Adjusts to fit most SUV's
* Easy adjustability with 2 separate chambers
* Can also be used inside tent
* Double lock valve
* Wrap 'n Roll storage system
* Maximum user weight: 600 lbs.