Anything you'd do different?

[pvstoy]

I have a 2001 Ranger FWC and the bed pads are super thin. Where the two meet is where I seem to have the most weight. There is no room when the top is down to get anything thicker. I have been using a blue thin insolite pad to cover this interface. The pad that was provided is not much support and has flattened because it's at the ends.

Would a higher density foam pad replacement be what I need?

It would have to be the same thickness. And the front pad is slightly thicker to match elevation.

 

[Brian]

Pads...

We used ensolite pads under the old 1.5" mattress until I bought some new higher density foam to replace the old. It is still not the best bed that I have ever slept in but it is satisfactory considering how thin it is.....4" would be absolute heaven compared! I have slept for years and still do quite regularly on a Thermorest pad on the ground when tenting on motorcycle trips and it takes me a couple of nights to get used to it. I find I like to sleep in my Hennessey hammock when I can though.

 

[bluefly]

I find I like to sleep in my Hennessey hammock when I can though.

Brian, that is cool. I sleep like a baby in my Hennessey.

Did you install that hardware yourself? Is it bolted through? What's that bracket called and any idea where might I find one similar?

It would be nice to have that option on some trips.

 

[Brian]

Hammock...

Hi Bluefly....
I don't know what they are called.....I think you can get them at a good hardware store. I bought a half dozen at a garage sale once upon a time. Yes they are through bolted to the camper and I have one on each side, front and rear so that if we park near one tree or post, we can put up both hammocks to the one tree.....used them extensively in Central America and Mexico. A word of caution though...my wife came up and rocked my hammock one time and I hit the ground really hard! The hook had pulled out of the bracket....some have a much more positive locking setup than others...I happened to be hooked to the bad one....that's why I don't gamble much! Several other of the hooks have either a circlip holding the hooh or a couple of ears forged into the hook....the one I was on just had a couple of small ears peened into it.....live and learn...Brian

 

[Brian]

Hammock...

Hi Bluefly....
I don't know what they are called.....I think you can get them at a good hardware store. I bought a half dozen at a garage sale once upon a time. Yes they are through-bolted to the camper and I have four, one on each side front and rear so that if we park near only one tree or post, we can put up both hammocks to the one tree.....used them extensively in Central America and Mexico. A word of caution though...my wife came up and rocked my hammock one time and I hit the ground really hard! Fortunately right NEXT to a big old tree root! The hook had pulled out of the bracket....some have a much more positive locking setup than others...I happened to be hooked to the bad one....that's why I don't gamble much! Several other of the hooks have either a circlip holding the hook or a couple of ears forged into it....the one I was on just had a couple of small ears peened into it.....live and learn...when I could breathe again, I put it back together and peened the crap out of it....Brian

 

[Brian]

oooops....B

 

[Hayduke]

pvstoy, I accidentally said in my last post that I added 1.5 inch memory foam pads to my bed. Actually, they are 1 inch memory foam pads. I know what you mean about not much room left to close the top of the camper. I found the 1" pads would work, I just have to manually pull the lid down a little when hooking the clips. I think I'd be hosed with anything thicker. Besides, the memory foam compresses really well. Something to consider. Just FYI.
Hayduke

 

[Hayduke]

Brian, that hennessey hammock setup rocks. I have a couple hammocks from trips to the Yucatan. Are the Hennessey's more comfortable? I saw on a web site that some come with no seeum netting and a rainfly. Any comparisons from personal experience? I know I've rolled out of my hammocks on occasion (too many coronas/pacificos?). Seems like if there was a mosquito net/tent built in, you would be safe from that type of middle of the night aggrivation. I might have to get one of them.
Hayduke

 

[Brian]

Hammock...

Hayduke...I absolutely love my Hennesey! I have about 6 different hammocks, all of the Mayan style and the Hennessey is the one I use 99% of the time. The quality is amazing, the netting is great, the rain fly is easy to use and the entry being from underneath it is very easy to get into. Not a problem for you young bucks but an increasing problem for us old farts. I have a friend who literally lives in his, it is the first thing he does when he gets somewhere....hangs his hammock! We were in Peru together last year and he hung it everywhere....while cruising the Amazon in a boat he had his hennessey up and we had to use the stuffy staterooms....man was I jealous! I had also given him a bunch of grief about taking it and had to eat my words.
Brian

 

[craig333]

That sounds like a great idea. I've used other peoples and love it. Why I don't own one I don't know. I think I'm going to go outside a put a couple eye bolts in the camper. Might come in handy for tying off who knows what too.

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

Any updates on the bed mods people have made? My wife and I just completed the first overnight in our new (to us) Hawk and wouldn't mind a more comfortable bed one bit... Is the memory foam working well for people? We have some on our bed at home and it has been wonderful.

 

[simimike]

In my opinion there are two things that keep these campers from being perfect. One is the roof lifting and the other is the cab over bed. On my first camper ('98) there was no extended bed option. When we pulled the slider out the foam was pretty thin. If I was camping solo I'd leave the slider in and sleep on the double foam. But with the wife this wasn't possible. Even now with the extended cab and thicker foam we're wishing for more padding. This season we're going to try out a Thermalrest sleeping pad with the factory foam underneath. I've camped with just the pad in a tent and have gotten a good nights sleep. We'll see what the wife thinks. Good luck finding a solution and keep us posted on what you do.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[DLN]

CJ,

We've had the same issue since we got our camper and have tried 1 1/2" of extra foam for most of last year with fairly good results. This year we're going to try adding another 1 1/2" and see how it works and packs etc. What I'd really like is an additional 4" of height in the camper in order to carry foam and bedding with the top down. An expensive proposition at best and I'm not sure we'll ever follow through with it.

 

[SunMan]

I've been using a down feather bed which I can fold in half (leaving the thicker rounded end hanging off the bed a little) and still close the top. Makes a world of difference. Also, securing it that way doesn't take up any much needed space.

 

[bobg333]

Regarding the bed thing

Has anybody tried a combo of the standard foam with some sort of inflatable mattress underneath? Seems like the deflation could be handled by just opening the valve and dropping the roof. Just thinking out loud.

 

[Alex]

I've been using a down feather bed which I can fold in half (leaving the thicker rounded end hanging off the bed a little) and still close the top. Makes a world of difference. Also, securing it that way doesn't take up any much needed space.

Did you remove the original foam mattress? Or use the down feather bed on top of the foam mattress? Which down feather bed did you use? Thanks for the info I'm thinking about doing exactly what you did.

 

[silverstriketim]

memory foam

I have a 2007 Hawk and I use a queen size memory foam matress topper on top of the original pad, I paid approx. $100 at Costco for it. Not only is it very comfortable but it seems to make the bed warmer in the cold. I also have an Arctic pack and I can fold my top down still!

 

[SunMan]

Did you remove the original foam mattress? Or use the down feather bed on top of the foam mattress? Which down feather bed did you use? Thanks for the info I'm thinking about doing exactly what you did.

Alex,
I use it on top of the existing foam mattress. It is a queen size Ralph Lauren and is not super thick as some feather beds are. Initially I tried one my girlfriend had and it was way too thick to use, no way was the top closing. If you already have one at home, give it a try and that should give you some indication of how much room you have to play with. Good luck.

 

[Alex]

Alex,
I use it on top of the existing foam mattress. It is a queen size Ralph Lauren and is not super thick as some feather beds are. Initially I tried one my girlfriend had and it was way too thick to use, no way was the top closing. If you already have one at home, give it a try and that should give you some indication of how much room you have to play with. Good luck.

Thanks, I'll try that.

 

[DLN]

Bob,
We tried an 8" air mattress w/out the factory pads and the sleeping was excellent, we could inflate or deflate with the same pump and fold our sleeping bags and the mattress and leave them in place for top down mode.
The big problem and the reason we only used that set up on one trip was that it was very cold under the mattress. The factory pads provide very good insulation for the cab over portion of the bed.