Let’s see some non-van builds!

Fritz :-) wrote:

Affirmative. Here’s 675 miles of mixed city/highway. I get low fifties on climbing trips. Calculating the old-fashioned way yields the same results.

Wow. That's much higher than the published mileage. I have to keep that in mind. It's been hard to replace my Nissan 4cyl pickup for the combination of great mileage and ability to hold at least a half sheet of plywood.

Jim Schloemer wrote:

Mini builds are so legit. I had a dodge caravan for a while.... 4x8 sleeping platform w/ storage and 4wd! Also, way incognito for sleepers vs. a sprinter.

I just built a table for my stove that overhangs the foot of my bed so I can cook inside (windows open) in my town and country. Does anyone have a good idea for cabinetry in the rear window wells? I feel like there's a bunch of space I'm wasting

nice rig, Eric

I honestly wish people would stop building these "sleeping platforms" have fun army crawling around your car...being able to actually sit up is nice. 

Ryan Surface wrote: I honestly wish people would stop building these "sleeping platforms" have fun army crawling around your car...being able to actually sit up is nice. 

Why do you care what people build in their vehicles? 

Does this count? (1963 Greyhound bus)

We have some great bouldering here only accessible by boat.
I think this qualifies

20' sailboat for weekend excursions. 

Kevin Mokracek wrote: I opted for a non van base camp. 

This is amazing and most practical long term. Prevents a solid setup being ruined by vehicle  issues-- biggest downfall of the vans. And, much less of a homeles look.  Bravo, Kevin. 

Ryan Surface wrote: I honestly wish people would stop building these "sleeping platforms" have fun army crawling around your car...being able to actually sit up is nice.

Indeed! If you're after the storage space beneath the platform, a simple roof box or tow hitch rack will cover it. I've been using a thick pad to deal with the slightly non-level surface in my old model Forester and I'm comfortable.

Can't really sit up in the cargo area, wasn't interested in thick padding away the 3" of back seat rise, so attack it with a nuke:

CAD at https://a360.co/2OwHb6i if anyone wants the interior of a 2017 Forester or the plans that weren't updated as the war went on.

Spaggett, Gotcha! wrote:

This is amazing and most practical long term. Prevents a solid setup being ruined by vehicle  issues-- biggest downfall of the vans. And, much less of a homeles look.  Bravo, Kevin. 

I like the homeless look. 

H Lue wrote:

Why do you care what people build in their vehicles? 

It would seem that this is the entire point of this topic, caring about other people's builds   .

I think a lot of people see these platforms online and get enamored with the idea of building one. However if you spend more than a weekend in your "crawl space" I think you'll quickly realize that vertical space is premium.

Ryan Surface wrote: It would seem that this is the entire point of this topic, caring about other people's builds   .

I think a lot of people see these platforms online and get enamored with the idea of building one. However if you spend more than a weekend in your "crawl space" I think you'll quickly realize that vertical space is premium.

The real question is why are you spending so much time in your car.. 

Ryan Surface wrote:

You sound like a guy that has spent one too many nights in crawl space....

This topic is for people that care about what is in their vehicle   

Do you have any advice on a build? 

Less caring about whether people care about caring, more build pics/details.

NegativeK wrote:

Less caring about whether people care about caring, more build pics/details.

NegativeK wrote:

Less caring about whether people care about caring, more build pics/details.

Alright Alright, I agree. 

Here is my second "build" it's just two boxes, so much room for storage, and interior space conserved for sleeping or passengers. 

I built a very basic sleeping platform for the Taco. I looked at a lot of the common designs with plywood but realized the bottom of the mattress (Ikea foam topper first, now inflatable queen size) was always humid in the morning and didn't dry well without ventilation underneath. It's especially bad on ski trips when humid gear goes in the back and cold nights turn the whole shell into an ice box that happily thaws in the morning.
The back 3 slats are fixed, all the other ones pop off and stack for storage. Most are 1x6 with a couple of 2x6 in the middle to limit sag when I'm in there with wife & dog. It gives me full use of the bed for packing and setting up the platform and mattress only takes a few minutes. I'm 5'11" and don't need to sleep diagonally with the tailgate closed. Gear/cookware/etc all go in wide and shallow bins that I push under the slats. The ones in the far back are tied to 3mm utility cord so I can pull them out easily. I find that method to be as as functional as building elaborate drawers but it comes out much lighter, cheaper, and simpler to build (or not to build in this case).
It took me an hour to put together using scrap lumber I had sitting around the house. If "army crawling" in the back is a concern you should probably buy an RV and stick to established campgrounds, getting in and out of the back is the least physically demanding part of a day out.

Ryan Surface wrote: It would seem that this is the entire point of this topic, caring about other people's builds   .

@Josh Gates, if you Google "what can you fit in a Fit?" there are some pretty amusing pictures. I can fit a 26x4 fatbike with both wheels on without adjusting the passenger seat.

The worst mileage I've gotten in my Fit was driving I-70 to Moab at 85mph (car handles pretty well at that speed). That trip was 34mpg. The closest I get to proper hypermiling tactics is unbolting the rear bench seat, coasting whenever possible, and driving on a half tank of gas.

@NegativeK, that's a nice looking platform. 

Boissal . wrote:

I really like the removable/stackable slats. But I like your avatar even more. BLEAT.

Fritz :-) wrote: Post up some cool vehicular living quarters of the non-van persuasion. Cars, trucks, SUV’s, goatorcycles, whatever.

Here’s my Honda Fit sleep/store/cook platform that A5 Cole has now.

You sleep in/on that?