Convert a bed in Casita SD

[Steve Hammel]

Not too long ago we acquired a 2010 Casita 17 SD. We would have preferred the Liberty as we like sleeping lengthwise so we don't have to crawl over one another to get up in the night. Has anyone ever heard of removing or altering the brace which separates the rear bed from the dinette? My wife is short and fits ok on the bed lengthwise however I can use a few more inches. Removing or altering the wooden brace to extend the bed into the dinette would be awesome.

[CASITA BANANA]

I have an SD. That brace keeps the ceiling from bowing from the weight of the overhead cupboards. You can modify it a bit but probably not enough to accomplish what you want. I would strongly advise against removing it.

[dblcola]

It has been done many time and it doesn't contribute any structural value as the ID and LD don't have that piece.
Good luck

[SMSample]

Ours was removed by a previous owner.

[dmad1]

My 17' LD doesn't seem to have any problems not having that support. And it has storage down both sides.

[CASITA BANANA]

Here's my experience: My SD popped the rivets supporting the divider from the sidewall. I let it go for a year or so thinking the same ... it doesn't support anything. All of a sudden last month the side rear seat pedestal collapsed. Taking things apart I discovered the partition was being partially supported by screws into the seat pedestal. The added weight caused by the missing rivets made the sidewall pedestal support break off where it had been fiberglassed in at the factory. I had to jack the partition up half an inch to get it back in place so I could reinstall the sidewall rivets and re-glue the side support.

So ... where did that half inch come from? The only place I can think of is the ceiling.

There have been plenty of others who have experienced bowed ceiling supports after removing the partition. I was not making stuff up. If I remember correctly years ago someone from the factory advised against it.

You want to take the chance ... go for it.

[thrifty bill]

Had a Liberty. The "twin" beds did not work for us at all. First, they are VERY narrow, like 22 inches wide, maybe 23 inches max. A standard twin bed is 39 inches wide.

Secondly, you lose the dinette. Part of your bed functions as a dinette.

All in all, we could not wait to get rid of it.

[GatorCasita]

I have a Casita 17 FD that has the partition brace cut back as an option by the factory. The size of the brace would still not allow the mattress to be extended.

However, what about this as a hopefully helpful suggestion? If were in your situation, I think I would buy a sheet of thick, nice wood veneer plywood, and cut it to match the shape of the top, bottom and trailer wall sides. Then I would bond two such pieces to the existing brace with screws and glue. Then I would cut back the brace much narrower than about 12 inches that the factory did for our option. I am almost sure that a brace reinforced like that would be as strong as ours even if it was only about 3 inches wide. If you want a mattress to extend a little beyond the new narrow brace, you could cut a notch into a foam mattress (although making the bed with the bottom sheet might be a little complicated). I suggest that you lie on the bed and consider if having a narrow brace of 3" would do what you want.

[alan H]

Originally Posted by GatorCasita

I have a Casita 17 FD that has the partition brace cut back as an option by the factory. The size of the brace would still not allow the mattress to be extended.

However, what about this as a hopefully helpful suggestion? If were in your situation, I think I would buy a sheet of thick, nice wood veneer plywood, and cut it to match the shape of the top, bottom and trailer wall sides. Then I would bond two such pieces to the existing brace with screws and glue. Then I would cut back the brace much narrower than about 12 inches that the factory did for our option. I am almost sure that a brace reinforced like that would be as strong as ours even if it was only about 3 inches wide. If you want a mattress to extend a little beyond the new narrow brace, you could cut a notch into a foam mattress (although making the bed with the bottom sheet might be a little complicated). I suggest that you lie on the bed and consider if having a narrow brace of 3" would do what you want.

If you go on the casitas forum

https://www.casitaforum.com/invboard/

Do a search.... many folks have either modified or removed the partion as it supposedly isn’t supporting the roof ( per others)

[GatorCasita]

Originally Posted by alan H

If you go on the casitas forum

https://www.casitaforum.com/invboard/

Do a search.... many folks have either modified or removed the partion as it supposedly isn’t supporting the roof ( per others)

It might be a matter of whether or not the Casita has a roof-top AC. The partition is the same distance back as the roof-top AC unit and would provide at least a little support. On the other side of the Casita 17FD there are cabinets that provide some suppoort to the roof/AC on that side.

[Steve Hammel]

I do have rooftop air and I hate modifying anything especially a rig as nice as this one. However I've tried experiencing quite a few different brands of molded fiberglass campers and we just can't find exactly what we want. I guess we'll just keep looking.

[JaxDan]

Without changing the partitions etc I found that a half of a full futon will be a proper mattress for the side dinette and the other half across the rear. Dimensions are 27 by 75 inches - I made slatted bed boards for both 'cots'. OK, what it does is leaves just enough space behind the partition and stove side for the side dinette cushions. I made a removable table thet is 24" round that stores under the rear cot. Had the mattresses made by a company in Michigan - it all works. My wife is 5'5 " and I am 6' so it is not like on your California King at home.
I stored the rear cushions and table in a mattress envelope in the attic and can convert back to a regular Spirit at any time. Also, since the side dinette table and cushions are in the trailer I can move that cot to the rear and restore the side dinette when it is just me using the trailer.
One caution, with the side cot at 27" wide the fridge door will open about three quarters of the way making full access to the freezer difficult. The bathroom door will open 90 degrees though.
I posted pictures of this in the modifications section of the casitaclub forum.

[Guide Guy]

We removed the partition in our 17’ SD (with roof AC) more than 5 years ago and love it! I actually called Casita and they told me how to do it. We make templates of the top of the partition that is anchored to the cabinets, as well as the partition bottom that’s anchored to the bench seat. We used the templates to cut and nicely finish plywood that fits in both spots and anchored them to the top cabinets and bench seat. That then allowed us to install a full-sized memory mattress on the rear table. We then bought a foldable step that fits in the walkway between the stove and bench, placed a piece of finished plywood on the step to fill the space and then placed the rear seat cushions on the plywood. Finally, we bought 2 custom pieces of memory foam that bring the cushions and seat to the level of the mattress. This allows us to sleep sideways (with our heads at the back window and feet facing the bathroom) in a “king-sized” bed that’s a bit short only where the stove is. My wife is 5’9” and I’m 6’ and the mod has been a lifesaver and sleep saver, plus no more dreaded crawl over! Added benefit: We screwed hooks into the top piece of plywood and use them for hanging clothes, packs, stuff, etc. BTW: During the day we remove the cushions and plywood and place them on the seat with the back on the outside wall and neatly fold back the bedding to allow access to the stove and drawer, and we reset the bed at night. Give it a try!

[JShock]

I KNEW there had to be someone out there who has done this bed mod I've been thinking about! Do you happen to have any photos?

Happy Camping,
Jen

[JaxDan]

Originally Posted by JShock

I KNEW there had to be someone out there who has done this bed mod I've been thinking about! Do you happen to have any photos?

Happy Camping,
Jen

Can't get pics up easily, but the wood support for the mattresses needs to be strips with breathing space and well attached. I used 1 x 2's toward the wall and 1 x 6 on the outer edge. A full bed futon is 2 pieces 27 by 75 inches. Now we have 3 inch memory foam toppers. The system works well unless you need space for a laptop then ditching the dinette has its downside. Before you call it done be sure the foundation for the side bed will fit over into the back if you need to go back to the Spirit setup.