Twin Beds Retro

[Bjkj Mason]

Has anyone come with a good way to get two twin beds into a 16 foot Scamp or Casita? We want to get rid of the big bed and somehow fit two 30' twins into it without completely tearing it apart.

Thanks

[redbarron55]

It ain't easy but it can be done.
Search for my photo albums on my rework of a 1985 16ft Scamp.
I am on my phone now and i don't know how to put in a link to it.

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

It ain't easy but it can be done.
Search for my photo albums on my rework of a 1985 16ft Scamp.
I am on my phone now and i don't know how to put in a link to it.

Here's the link: Fiberglass RV - redbarron55's Album: Rebuild updates

[Jon in AZ]

Most obvious plan is to start with a Casita Liberty and add extensions to get the desired width. There's no place to eat, of course, except to sit on the beds.

With Scamp you'd probably be better off starting with a side dinette layout.and doing one twin across the back and the other using the side dinette (again with an extension to get the desired width). In this set-up, you'd have enough of the rear dinette left to have a small "table for two." You could do the same with a Casita Spirit.

No rule says twins have to be side by side, right?

[thrifty bill]

As John pointed out a Casita Liberty is a good place to start. Stock twins are about 22 to 23 inches wide, I called them cot size not twins. Can give up most of the aisleway and get them up to 28 to 30 inches or so. At that point the aisle is very narrow.

A standard twin mattress is 39 inches wide. Math just doesn’t work side by side in most FG trailers that are around 75 to 78 inches wide inside (2 real twins would be 78 inches plus you would need a center aisle for access).

We got rid of our Liberty and went with an Escape 19 instead as we didn’t like not having a dinette.

If one person can handle narrow, then one option is using the bottom bunk up front (like a Scamp 13) and then the other person gets the regular bed .

[Jon in AZ]

With cantilevered extensions of 5" on each bench in a Liberty (76" inside width), you would end up with 2-28" twins and 20" clearance between the beds (and a full 30" between the benches under the beds). I'm thinking 28" would be pretty roomy for most adults.

A full 30" leaves about 15-16" in between. The narrow aisle is one complaint I've heard about the Independence model (benches are a full 30" wide all the way to the floor). I've often thought cantilevered twins makes more sense- that's what Oliver does in the Elite II.

It would pay to do some testing to see what you really need to be comfortable. Every inch counts in these smaller trailers.

Bill's Scamp solution has advantages over side-by-side twins. You can both be in the larger bed when you want couple time, and one can take the front bunk when you want separate space (it's actually 26" wide in the middle with upper bunk removed). Being on opposite ends helps if one is a snorer. No wasted aisle space. Best of all, no modification required other than unscrewing and storing the upper bunk. It works well for us, and a Scamp side bath would be our choice if we ever upsize. Bonus is the extra galley space!

[bookernoe]

Our twins are 32in long, and we have filler strips or we can still make it a king size. We don't feel we gave up the dinette as we built a round table that swivels around offset to allow us to come and go more comfortably. It does Pace you uncomfortably further from the wall, but the filler strips make a good backing pillow for one side. We love the flexibility of the Liberty. It was our primary reason for buying that model, and would likely only select an Independence if we ever changed.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by bookernoe

Our twins are 32in long, and we have filler strips or we can still make it a king size. We don't feel we gave up the dinette as we built a round table that swivels around offset to allow us to come and go more comfortably. It does Pace you uncomfortably further from the wall, but the filler strips make a good backing pillow for one side. We love the flexibility of the Liberty. It was our primary reason for buying that model, and would likely only select an Independence if we ever changed.

I assume you mean 32" wide... and I'd love to see a photo of your set-up.

[Kip in Ga.]

We put a 30"er across the back and a 24" replaced the side dinette. That leaves 24" on either side , in front of the rear bed, for seats. A small TV folding table serves there if we absolutely have to have a table. Which is extremely rare. Lots of storage under each bed, and can easily get to all enclosed storage. Also can seat a bunch of folks.

24" doesn't sound like much, but our sofa at home is 22" from the front of the cushions to the backrest, and either of us can sleep on that sofa fine. So the 24" side bed works fine. Also keep in mind that a full size bed is about 48 inches or so. Two people sleeping there have 24" each.

If you want it wider, put a piece of plywood, with legs under it for stability, under the mattress that can be slidden out 6" at night and that would still leave a 18" walkway for potty breaks. That would require some cloth covered foam to fill in the space between the mattress and wall when the bed is expanded. But in reality just 2-3 inches from the wall, and no need to fill it in because you can't cant get that close to the wall anyway.

Biggest problem we have with our Casita is the narrow aisle. So maybe try the 24" width a few nights before narrowing the aisle.

kip

[Bjkj Mason]

Thank you.

[thrifty bill]

Our plan with our Liberty (two 23 inch beds as I recall) was to increase one to 26 inches and the other to 30 inches. That would have left us 9 inches or so between the two beds, still tight, but better than 5 inches. 23 inches was too narrow for us.

Ultimately we sold the Casita and moved on to the Escape.


A full bed BTW is 54 inches wide, not 48 inches (depending on the source). Some sources list it at 53 inches. A twin bed is listed anywhere from 38 to 39 inches. So the "twins" in the Casita are not twin sized.

RV manufacturers regularly exaggerate bed size, calling 44 a double, 54 a big bed, 22 inch a twin, etc.

https://www.mattressfirm.com/mattres...imensions.html

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Kip in Ga.

If you want it wider, put a piece of plywood, with legs under it for stability, under the mattress that can be slidden out 6" at night and that would still leave a 18" walkway for potty breaks. That would require some cloth covered foam to fill in the space between the mattress and wall when the bed is expanded. But in reality just 2-3 inches from the wall, and no need to fill it in because you can't cant get that close to the wall anyway.
kip

I added a 6" extension to the side dinette. T nuts are flush in the plywood for no scratching the FG or fabric. I cut the panel wide enough to use the finger holes to accept short pins to keep it from moving. The pins are just 1/4-20 bolts with rubber fuel line. We really don't use the side table set up so storing the panel under the cushions keeps it out of the way. I did think of making up some filler cushions like the seats but a microfiber blanket fills the void well and folds up small.

[Kip in Ga.]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Our plan with our Liberty (two 23 inch beds as I recall) was to increase one to 26 inches and the other to 30 inches. That would have left us 9 inches or so between the two beds, still tight, but better than 5 inches. 23 inches was too narrow for us.

Ultimately we sold the Casita and moved on to the Escape.


A full bed BTW is 54 inches wide, not 48 inches (depending on the source). Some sources list it at 53 inches. A twin bed is listed anywhere from 38 to 39 inches. So the "twins" in the Casita are not twin sized.

RV manufacturers regularly exaggerate bed size, calling 44 a double, 54 a big bed, 22 inch a twin, etc.

https://www.mattressfirm.com/mattres...imensions.html

Thanks Bill. Something didn't feel right when I was writing that. So half of a full would be 27" rather than 24".

[Kip in Ga.]

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

I added a 6" extension to the side dinette. T nuts are flush in the plywood for no scratching the FG or fabric. I cut the panel wide enough to use the finger holes to accept short pins to keep it from moving. The pins are just 1/4-20 bolts with rubber fuel line. We really don't use the side table set up so storing the panel under the cushions keeps it out of the way. I did think of making up some filler cushions like the seats but a microfiber blanket fills the void well and folds up small.

Well there ya go! That should work.I like the leg removal idea, and the use of "T Nuts" so the panel can be slidden completely out of the aisle.

kip