Bunk rail or netting

[saltcreek]

I own a 75 trillium and am trying to come up with some sort of removable bunk netting or railing. I have had no luck with online searches or at a local RV parts dealer. Any thoughts or proven system would be welcomed and appreciated. My daughters will be sleeping on the bunks and they are pretty wiggly during their sleep. The upper bunk that folds into the sofa back is my concern.

[saltcreek]

It seems that there is wood at the walls at the end of the bunk and I'm leaning toward a net with a sliding latch/button system so it is more comfortable than a hard railing and easy to remove or install.

[Byron Kinnaman]

This question comes up from time to time. I've used PVC pipe to construct a railing. I wanted something that would keep my young granddaughter from rolling our the top bunk. I also wanted something that would allow her to get in and out the bed if she desired. I don't like the idea of something that an adult has to remove to allow a child get out of bed. When we had her with us we would at times sit outside with her inside.

So with that in mind the PC railing was designed to be about 2" above the upper bunk mattress so she could get over the top. Figuring that was high enough that it would NOT be real easy to roll over while sleeping.
I also didn't feel the need for the railing to be completely wall to wall. Again for the same reason, an avenue for escape if necessary.

The railing was make to fit over the pipe supports using 1" PVC pipe and 2 Ts. There's pictures on this site someplace that shows it including it in use.

[Donna D.]

There's a bunch of different methods, here's one I just posted for someone else... you could use PVC if you wanted to: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ail-25311.html

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

There's a bunch of different methods, here's one I just posted for someone else... you could use PVC if you wanted to: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ail-25311.html

Wow! At current copper prices, that is a $200 bunk guard.

[knighth001]

Not sure how the Trillium bunks work so this may not help. In our little Uhaul, we have a 2yr old on the bottom and a 4yr old on the top bunk. My creative wife got material for doing the curtains on the front window where the bunk is and then took some of it and sewed a piece to slide over the support rods when the bunk is up and fill the gap between them to keep the 2yr old in the bottom. For the top, I just used some L brackets I had and screwed them into the wood and then attached a white board I had laying around with wingnuts. The wingnuts allow me to take it off with the bunk down and I measured the L brackets so they'd fit flush under the cushion when the top is down so I don't have to take them off; just the board.

pics attached for reference.

[David Tilston]

I like Trilliums optional bunk bar. It is just a spring loaded shower curtain rod with shower curtain rod brackets attached to the wall. Trillium attaches them to blocks of wood glued to the fibreglass before they put on the elephant hide.

The picture is from an old Trillium sales brochure.

[Thomas G.]

I wonder if you could use something like this:
Ratcheting Cargo Bar

Basically a heavy duty spring loaded shower curtain rod.

[knighth001]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

I wonder if you could use something like this:
Ratcheting Cargo Bar

Basically a heavy duty spring loaded shower curtain rod.

those things work great. used one for years in my truck; back when I had it. just be careful you don't over do it against the fiberglass sides or you may find it bowing the sides out. (I also used one to pop a dent out once on my truck fender.)

[Byron Kinnaman]

The distance between any bar and the mattress needs to be small enough the child's head can't get through. Child hanging my neck is not good.

[ericw]

Here is what I did with just PVC painted white. Note that their is a thinner piece of PVC that goes into the poles holding up the bunk. It has been simple and effective at holding both my daughter and luggage where they belong.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Here's my earlier posting.

[chris loewen]

Here is what I just did and we used it all summer with my 4 year old daughter. Works like a charm, super easy to make and really easy to put up and down. You will need someone who can do some very simple welding for you. Follow this link

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...e-53465-3.html

If it doesn't take you right there then it is on the 2nd page of this forum. Good luck.

Chris

[saltcreek]

I had to think about and look at some hardware but I am happy with the results. A 10$ piece of 1 X 4 pine to match the cabinets, 4 eye screws, and 4 hook screws that screw in about 2.5 inches with about a 1 inch straight hook. Its tight enough that it won't pop out easily but is very easy to remove and stores nicely behind the upper bunk when folded down. Not to brag but I think it also looks a lot nicer than anything I have seen so far. Also very light weight and sturdy.

[Byron Kinnaman]

I'm sorry, but it really looks like some of the pictures that barrier is NOT close enough the mattress. It looks like a small child can get their body out under and their head get caught. There's been a lot of children killed with improper spacing on beds and railings meant to keep them safe. According to this there should be less than 6" between the top of mattress and bottom of rail. (Gaurd Rail paragraph (6) and Figure 2.
Some of the things in that document don't apply because of the nature of the bed. There's some good safety information there.

[saltcreek]

I think its the angle of the photo, it is less than six inches but my girls are also a little older. My youngest is six, but I absolutely agree, with a younger child I would have moved it down a little. My youngest rolls, tosses, and turns more than anything so I intentionally set the the rail to the higher end of the limit.

[Donna D.]

Please don't forget it's not the distance from the mattress when you install the rail, it's the distance after the mattress is compressed by body weight.

Safety first!

[saltcreek]

Just to clarify I took one more photo. I am very safety conscious, especially concerning my kids. The railing sits roughly 3.5 inches above the mattress and they are quite firm, might compress an inch when my girls are laying on it. The railing is safe by the guidelines I've seen. I love the comments though and I think its great that there are so many people active on this board and willing to respond to all my newbie questions. Keep em' coming.

[JaneEA]

I made mine out of copper pipe. Proven to work with a 7 year old using top bulk and greyhound uses bottom bunk. The bunk supports have wood inserted to make them stronger. The horizontal kid keeper inner is removable so during the day we take it out so the kid can come and go from his beloved nest more easily. A couple inches front the top of each support is a 90 degree elbow to receive the kid keeper inner. and I made a slip over cozy for the top part to match the curtains and pillows. It takes up very little space when not in use. No edges to catch fingers or rip fabric. Nothing is done to change the trailer. We plan to powder coat it to match our interior. Can copper be powder coated? Sweating pipes and sewing skills needed. Let me know if you want pictures!

[Mimi Lee]

We were going to fabricate a railing but were short on time so we decided that the standard bed railings at the big box stores would meet safety glide lines out of the box.

22 bucks and change. We currently have it stored under the bottom bunk/couch with a couple poles that are not completely hidden. We could have also disassembled the unit and stored it in the closet, but this seems reasonable compromise for rapid deployment and breakdown.