New old bed for the Hawk

[alano]

Like a lot of FWC owners, we have not been thrilled with the foam mattress on our Hawk. While an improvement over sleeping on the ground, there seemed to be room for improvement. I had an idea to improve the situation when I considered that our old sofa-bed mattress was sitting under the cushions doing nothing since the trampoline and frame had been destroyed by one or the other (if not both) of my daughters and their friends over the years.

I measured this spring mattress and discovered it was too wide for the camper bed with the slider pushed in, about 4 inches too short but the thickness was just right. Figuring the mattress was useless elsewise, I cut it open to see exactly how the springs were arranged and discovered that I could remove two rows and make it fit inside the width of the bed box. So this I did and then I trimmed and sewed up the flap (see pictures). Because my sewing skills are rudimentary, I compensate by using lots of thread.

Due to condensation issues, I used some interlocking floor mats under the mattress. I almost had to burn down the camper and, just to be safe, the truck as I brought a cockroach inside along with the mats. Little bugger almost ran behind the lift panels, but I got him before that happened.

We haven't spent a night on the new set up yet, but early indications are quite positive.

Alan

 

[Timothy McGowen]

At Overland Expo last year Tom Hanagan mentioned they were looking at some better mattress options. Any update Stan?

 

[Lighthawk]

We were unhappy with the hardness of our stock FWC mattress, like so many others. You wish FWC would notice.

Susan bought a mattress topper which we added to the bed. We use sheets and a comforter on our mattress, so this might not work for folks that use sleeping bags. I'm amazed how comfortable the bed is with the additional padding of the topper. I'm happy we were able to find something that works for us, without spending a bundle.

 

[Fyreman]

What's the max thickness for the mattress?

 

[craig333]

Depends on what year you have.

 

[Fyreman]

2006

 

[alano]

I think the thickness depends on a couple of things: obviously the space from the bed base to the lift panels and helper arm when the top is down and also how "springy" the bed is. A springy bed will collapse more allowing the top to come down without undue strain. If, like we do, you want to leave bed clothes on the bed with the top down, that thickness needs to be accounted for as well.

The most important thing is to avoid clamping the roof down so hard that you distort it.

Alan

 

[sourdough]

There was a point when I was going to sell my Hawk if I couldn't figure a better night sleep. I found acceptable/better sleep with the froli system... http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/7187-froli-system-bed-springs/?hl=%2Bfroli+%2Bsystem