Show us your truck bed sleeping platform/drawer/storage systems

Have you tested your Mr. Buddy heater in that location yet? I have the Big Buddy heater and the Lil Buddy heater and both get stupid hot above them really quick. I don't trust them within a foot of something directly above them.

 

That is a great point to make and something to be aware of especially if camping in the Fall, Winter, or where I go, even early Spring. I have concerns about the composite bed and setting anything hot on it or on the tailgate. I have a wooden slide out table for my stove and a stuff compartment in mine that works nicely for our little catalytic heater. But it has enough space on all sides and I use an insulated metal tray on the bottom so nothing overheats or poses a risk of fire.

 

This is freaking sweet, dude. I really appreciate the utility in being able to split the platform for larger items (cooler, firewood, camp chairs, etc) and then be able to replace the second half of the platform for sleeping two people. Kudos on a well thought out setup!

 

Yes, and i agree with you. It did get hot. Not hot enough for any damage, but it made me a bit uncomfortable just the same. I now have insulation between the heater and the topper, and I also have mounted an aluminum shovel with the bucket right above the heater to deflect the heat. Tested it out and felt little to no heat on the outside of the topper. I also only run Mr. BUDDY for short periods to warm up overnight, and then I shut it off.

 

Tried the Mr. Buddy heater but it was just too hot for such a small space. We run the jet boil to heat some water for the hot water bottles, toss those in the sleeping bag and have no problems in -5C

 

Roast your Build: You asked so here it is... You spent the extra money on the hardwood for sturdiness but you notched out wood from the bottom 1/3 of all the horizontal support members on one end. While yes, that gives you more head room, it does diminish the structural integrity and has the cost of extra weight, maybe you did that on purpose to compensate for your cardinal sin in structural engineering. Honestly though, its fine considering how low the loads are, just try to keep the live loads in the middle of the bed if you know what I mean.

The set up is awesome though, I'm currently trying to figure out how I'm going to build my sleeping set up and I really like how versatile yours is. I'm currently stuck in no mans land between versatility and specificity.

 

Nice work! looks like a good set-up.

 

Nice simple option for a one-person bivy with storage underneath.

 

Very impressive!

 

No, I totally see that. To be honest, in my head the 1x's would have worked just fine but the guy who helped me urged me to go the 2x route. So, we compromised by notching them. Haha. Yes, it was a lot of work for half an inch of extra headroom and yes it does somewhat compromise the structural integrity. But, it's a short 2x with a small notch. It's damned stout and I have no fear that it will not be able to hold me and my 120lb wife! I appreciate your feedback. I will definitely be working on some weight loss renovations with my setup.

 

Considering how extra beefy those two 2x8s are and the relatively short distance the supports are spanned 1xs would have been fine. Plus the plywood. Plus the fact you’re using hardwood which is considerably better than pine. Lots of beef! Don’t get me wrong though; if I use wood it will be hardwood. Well worth the money!

 

Are you an engineer? I’d bet no. Because “diminish structural integrity” is so overstated. His build could hold so much more weight than two people. I have been running 2 notched 2x6s, 3/4” plywood and no center support for 4 years with zero issues. That’s with 2 people sleeping (roughly 340 lbs)

 

I have a masters degree in CE so yeah, you’re wrong. I never said how much it could hold. In my courses on wood design, we are taught to avoid cutting support members on the bottom 1/3, it’s basically the last option. The bottom of your beam is where there is the highest amount of tension. The top of the beam is under compression. So however far up you’ve notched, that segment of wood becomes relatively useless. For example, if you notch 1 inch out of a 2x you’ll have a 1x that essentially has the weight of a 2x. It also creates a path for a tension crack to follow, and depending on how the grain of the wood is orientated, it could be very detrimental. Me saying that it “diminishes structural integrity” is not an overstatement at all. It’s a fact. Again, I never said it wouldn’t hold, I was just “roasting” his design because he asked, and to be honest there is always a better way to do things. Don’t get your panties all up in a bunch.

 

I’ll eat my words then but I think your courses have you over thinking this(I have also taken a course on wood design although I’m ME), and even if you remove the center support and place a point load in the center of a single cross beam it would stand up to a pretty large force before failure. I understand it causes tension at a focal point but you also have to take in account the strength of the plywood, it having contact points on both sides of the bed for the length of bed as it rest on the lip. That helps a ton for the weight distribution. So if you don’t notch the wood then the plywood would t rest on that at all. I’m not arguing cutting a notch does not reduce the strength of the board and create a place for cracking or failure because it does. But in the context of this design it simply is fine to do.

 

I agree, as I’ve stated in two of my previous posts. It is already over designed. I couldn’t help myself but to point out the flaw in notching the wood when a 1x would do just fine and not require any notching at all (less fabrication effort). You might be right when you say I’m overthinking it, but as engineers that’s kind of what we do. In reality, if your system works then that’s great, but if it’s over designed you likely spent too much while taking up more space than needed. Maybe I’m just particular about efficiency, to me it’s worth the extra thought.

 

unless i misunderstand the pictures 'n' prose, it is PT SYP - the P being Pine.

https://www.woodworkingtrade.com/hardwood-vs-softwood


ps: even with ACQ treatment, i would not sleep in an enclosed space with anything "pressure treated".

 

I agree about pressure treated wood.

 

Where did you get the Carpet from? im trying to find some like that.

 

Home depot had it in precut rolls for dirt cheap.