Scamp Bed Uncomfortable - Any Thoughts

[Johnny M]

The Foam Factory has very good prices on high density foam and memory foam. You can custom order different thicknesses and even have them sandwich high density and memory foam together. They will even cut the curve for you if you send them a pattern template. We chose to order the high density 4" mattress, cost us about $80 including freight. It comes tightly packed in a box, when you open it you need to let it sit for about a day or so to flatten out. We cut the curve ourselves with a bread knife only because we were leaving on a planned trip, otherwise I would have send them a template and let them cut it. I like it but my wife thinks its a little too firm so we may order a 1 inch memory foam topper from them to go on top. They have different firmness levels of their high density foam so read through them all or you can call them for personal service. They will even send you samples to help you decide. Hope this help.

[Kai in Seattle]

We replaced all the 3" mattress pads with 7" mattress cut-downs from the IKEA As-Is department...I cut down the original covers, too, and stitched them back on by hand. 7" is plenty, plenty deep. They're sitting on a reworked metal futon frame with slats and are pretty comfy...but still, if I lay flat (anywhere, anymore) I am in big trouble when trying to get up and walk around. I ended up creating a kind of nest with foam bolsters (some long, some like ice cream bars --the shape, not the size) and throw pillows until I had the exact configuration that allows me to sleep and still get up and not be so cramped/stiffened up that I cannot use the porta-potty!


It took us 7 trips out, about 17 nights, before I got it right. Every night was an experiment. I found the same thing in our last rig, a GetAwayVan, it took 8 trips of 2 nights each before I got it right, so I knew there was hope.


It's not just the mattress. It's the support of the "surrounds" as well. I considered one of those half-sit-up pillow things with the side arms, but didn't get one. Instead I created a somewhat bigger version with, as I said, throw pillows and covered foam chunks leftover from cutting a queen mattress down to trailer size.


It's been great! Now I look forward to a trip...that, and getting my two pugs comfortable, too, because if they're quiet and happy, I'm a lot happier.


I wish you so much good experimenting and success with it! If you consider the curvature of the spine and need for support as we age, and think how some people (like me) can only sleep any more in a kind of sitting or semi-reclined position due to back issues, you'll start being able to picture the configuration that might work best for you.


And--a reasonable mattress to start with can't hurt!


We also decided to heck with dismantling the bed every day. So we have a settee up front that serves as Paul's night bed when we take off the bolsters and throw pillows--which all go onto MY bed in back which is a big U-shaped area--we use the ends of the U as permanent seats for a small folding table we store in the Putin (front closet) when not needed. The closed part of the U is my bed along the back of the trailer. We sleep right on the upholstery (we have mattress pads underneath, all is removable and washable) with fuzzy acrylic blankets over us--no sheets. Gave it a LOT of thought and went for simple, warm, easy. The blankets are rolled into fuzzy acrylic stuff-bags (long ones) that serve as MY settee/bed's bolsters during the day.


Anyway, I sure hear you.
Best on your trials--wishing you great success!


"Oh, sleep, it is a gentle thing, beloved from pole to pole..." Wm. Shakespeare


BEST
Kai

[likeair2me]

Kai,
Pictures,.... or it didn't happen.
Your write-up sounds like such a good idea, but if you could post some pictures, it would make everything clearer, and more enviable. Pleeeese???

[k corbin]

One thing to remember if you have short legs then an overly tall mattress can make it uncomfortable to sit on the cushions as your feet might not hit the floor. So do check the height of the base plus the height of the mattress to see if that is going to be an issue for you.

For myself as I am not a tall person and I do have short leg length (long back) I use a thinner mattress and top it with a self inflating mattress. I can roll the self inflating one up to get it out of the way if I need to or just set it up on edge against the wall behind the regular back cushion if I feel lazy.

[Kai in Seattle]

--agreed, the mattresses ARE thick enough that sitting on the seat area is toe-swining for me ...no prob. for Paul. Also we elevated the bed platform heights to be able to slide the dog nest underneath mine and the ice chest and food bin under Paul's...so it's a bit of a hop to get up anyway.

Pictures...let me see if I have anything useful. We had a tech meltdown last fall in which both our cameras and our computer quit working together.

One lousy photo--you can just see the dedicated seat on the left, the settee/bed of mine along the back wall. You can just see the long rectangular bolsters peeking between the throw pillows artfully arranged by Paul for this shot--our one "finished" interior so far.


We got the fabric in the lightweight upholstery section of WalMart, in an attempted homage to the old Scamp cushions, it seemed to me at the time. They hide a lot of doggy footprints and hot dog relish as needed, and go on like fitted sheets, even on the dedicated seat cushions.

Hope this helps a little.

[likeair2me]

Yes it does, thank you! Do you find with the added elevation, that you are accidently dragging the curtains open while sleeping? Or have you figured out a way to keep them in place?

[Kai in Seattle]

That was a big question of mine--we solved it by buying some rare-earth magnets (very strong) with holes in the center for screws (the amerigos have wood panel lined interiors--you could glue the magnets to the walls of a single-hulled FGRV if you were so inclined..) and putting them at the lower corners of the windows, then putting large metal washers into the hems of the curtains, held in place by Velcro. They "snap" down onto the magnets and stay very much in place. It pulls them against the wall nicely...and they also attach to the standard-type curtain rods (we hadn't realized they'd do that) and can make many interesting configurations with the curtains because of it--the roll, the V, the bow-tie--

You can see the "bow tie" effect on the original pic...

And some shots of the door--I made this one curtain panel months before the rest of Peanut was ready to camp...the curtains are two layers of a thin throw blanket from IKEA--The roll (tight), the bow-tie (loose & fluffy), and the deployed panel, hugged tight to the door by the magnets and washers.

Hope these pics show how it works ...the double layer fleece works surprisingly well for insulation--the windows may be ICY, but the inside fabric is as warm as the rest of the inside.


We're thinking now of trying what someone told Paul at Taidnapam Meet--hang up a heating pad and let it gently radiate heat! Quieter than a ceramic heater. so far he's tried it in the driveway and it's not half bad!


BEST
Kai

[Kai in Seattle]

PS--there's a Velcro tab sewn to the middle of the curtain top to hold the roll-up or bow-tie in place...You can see it in some places.

[likeair2me]

And it just so happens, I have a friend in the magnet business. Thanks for the great idea.

[Kai in Seattle]

You're welcome, delighted if my ideas help anyone!


Just like figuring out the bolsters and pillows to keep my back at the right angle so waking up isn't painful (or at least, "so" painful), getting the curtains to do what we needed took some figuring and new ways of looking at them.


BEST
Kai

[Herman M Parker]

We have the Scamp 19. No problem with dinette up and down but the Scamp mattress was killing us. One quick trip to Walmart and a 4" memory foam mattress cut with my electric fish fillet knife now we sleep like contented babies

[Hazel in Sk]

Another happy camper with a memory foam topper over the original cushions. We take some time to tuck it into a 'pillow case' I made of cosy flannel. We like to keep things simple if we can and instead of washing the 'pillow case' every trip I just turn it over! I made quilts to augment the worn out sleeping bags that were not very warm anymore (patched with some leftover fleece).


We only turned the bed into a sitting/eating spot once - when we got caught in a spring blizzard in northern Manitoba a few years ago.

[honda03842]

We take our bed down every morning. We use a two inch memory foam topper cut into three pieces. The two smaller pieces are stored under the dinette cushions making dinette seating more comfortable. The third, center piece is folded in half and stored behind the back of the front couch. Our front couch's back is no longer attached to the wall.

It is very comfortable.

[Vtec]

Yes, the foam memory topper will make most any camper more comfortable. We started with a cheap 1 1/2" and than added a better 3 1/2 to it as well. Bed is better than home.

There is one thing that couldn't help our comfort level in our Scamp 16, and that was bed size. The 44" bed was impossible for us to get a good night sleep. I think shoulder to shoulder we were nearly 20" each. Just didn't work out for us.

[Gilda]

In our 13' Scamp, we agree that a 44" wide bed is quite narrow for two adults sleeping shoulder to shoulder. We found a very acceptable solution by sleeping shoulder to feet, so our heads are at opposite ends of the bed. It's even easier for me to climb over my DH in the night because I only climb over his legs and not his torso.

If you do this configuration you, obviously, have to use bedding that is open all around. This is accomplished by using comforters. We layer them with added loops and buttons which keep the covers together and prevent them from shifting. (Zippers are too noisy and difficult to handle in the dark.) The covers have to be long enough so each partner has enough length to cover their feet and soft enough so the head end can be folded down. I don't remember our comforter dimensions exactly, but they are all the same at about 96" x 110" (standard full-size comforter). To make the bed we simply fold the 96" end in half and it fits perfectly on top of the bed. Another advantage of (2) layered comforters, if you've chosen differing designs on each side, is that you have four different looks for your "glamping" decor!

In our case my DH sleeps hot and I sleep cool. I usually need fewer covers than he does. This is simply accomplished by un-buttoning a layer on my side and tossing it onto him.

[Civilguy]

Wow, popular subject! I guess that's why there are so many mattress stores and whatnot.

Our experience is posted here:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ess-77081.html

This approach took the dinette out of service as that area is now a "permanent bed", and it was expensive at just under $600.

[rdickens]

Originally Posted by Vtec

Yes, the foam memory topper will make most any camper more comfortable. We started with a cheap 1 1/2" and than added a better 3 1/2 to it as well. Bed is better than home.



There is one thing that couldn't help our comfort level in our Scamp 16, and that was bed size. The 44" bed was impossible for us to get a good night sleep. I think shoulder to shoulder we were nearly 20" each. Just didn't work out for us.

Much of the reason that we ordered a Deluxe Scamp16 was to get the 54" bed.

Of course, we do also like the look of the oak interior in our Deluxe. [emoji6]
However, the larger bed was very important to us.

Ray

[Vtec]

Originally Posted by rdickens

Much of the reason that we ordered a Deluxe Scamp16 was to get the 54" bed.

Of course, we do also like the look of the oak interior in our Deluxe. [emoji6]
However, the larger bed was very important to us.

Ray

I wish they would offer the base 16 with a 54" bed. I am still baffled how or where the space is made in the deluxe. Besides bed most everything was great about our Scamp.

[redbarron55]

Modified Scamp 16 beds


Didn't want to crawl over one another in the night on the way to the bathroom.
The mattresses are 8" Walmart Spa foam dual density Cool top
I think the queen size mattress we cut in two was $300 or so

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by rdickens

Much of the reason that we ordered a Deluxe Scamp16 was to get the 54" bed.

Of course, we do also like the look of the oak interior in our Deluxe. [emoji6]
However, the larger bed was very important to us.

Ray

I hear you. We changed from an Escape 17 to a 19 a couple months before our build started because we wanted the queen bed. 2+ years in, we are SO happy we did. We spend far more time sleeping in the trailer than living in it, as most of our waking hours are usually spent outside. So why not have the best sleep possible?