03v8raleigh
New member
After looking through every sleeping platform thread I could find (most seemed to be for 3rd gens) I finally just went to Lowes, bought a Jigsaw, some screws, and a few pieces of wood, and tried building one.
A few hours later, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Not bad for first try. Many improvements that will eventually be made, but for only buying a 4x8 sheet of plywood, 3 sections of cheap 1"x12"x6' wood, and a couple random 1"x3" pieces, it is plenty usable. It turns into a very stable 4' wide, 6'2" long sleeping area which is comfortable for myself (6' tall) and my girlfriend as well. Plenty of storage underneath, which I just use plastic tubs for instead of a fancy drawer system. I use a ratchet strap to keep it secure while in the "storage" mode.
The 4' x 37" plywood sections just barely squeeze into the truck during storage. The top section slides forward and rests on the front supports that fit just over the rear sear bottoms, and on the rear supports which slide out from under the main section. The front supports are made so that they can fit into the main section during transportation, but it's not the cleanest system. Gets the job done and is pretty light still. The whole thing can be used while the rear seats are still in the car, and the front seats are still usable. Takes 2 minutes to set up or tear down.
Cost ~$70 in wood. If anyone wants more details I can provide them. For now, just some basic pics.
A few hours later, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Not bad for first try. Many improvements that will eventually be made, but for only buying a 4x8 sheet of plywood, 3 sections of cheap 1"x12"x6' wood, and a couple random 1"x3" pieces, it is plenty usable. It turns into a very stable 4' wide, 6'2" long sleeping area which is comfortable for myself (6' tall) and my girlfriend as well. Plenty of storage underneath, which I just use plastic tubs for instead of a fancy drawer system. I use a ratchet strap to keep it secure while in the "storage" mode.
The 4' x 37" plywood sections just barely squeeze into the truck during storage. The top section slides forward and rests on the front supports that fit just over the rear sear bottoms, and on the rear supports which slide out from under the main section. The front supports are made so that they can fit into the main section during transportation, but it's not the cleanest system. Gets the job done and is pretty light still. The whole thing can be used while the rear seats are still in the car, and the front seats are still usable. Takes 2 minutes to set up or tear down.
Cost ~$70 in wood. If anyone wants more details I can provide them. For now, just some basic pics.
