That would be cool! Hell, this latest prototype looks good enough for me to buy. I love the makeshift support pole.Hi Pat
This looks great so far!! I'd like to see a zippered flap as a window with bug mesh so we can see outside from the bed.
Joe
I'm interested! 2006 T1N 118Hi All,
I'm making progress and want to share some pictures of the latest prototype to get your feedback. This version is made from 1/4 diamond coated ripstop nylon. Cheaper but not as water and UV resistant as the previous polyester used in the prior prototype.
Door cover: View attachment 97529
Privacy curtain: View attachment 97530
Privacy extended: View attachment 97531
Still a lot a refinement to do and I'm continuing to work on that now. Looking forward to your initial thoughts and reactions.
Thanks,
Pat
If a slide out bed could be incorporated, imagine the interior room that would be usable when camping.
I love this idea, maybe a couch at the rear of the van that flips out into the door space to make a full bed!
Yeah, this is the best looking option I've been able to find. NCV3, and very interested. Do you have any ballpark guess on pricing and timing?Well done! I'd be interested also.[emoji106]
G'day Pat, my plan is to have a fold out floor at the rear when the doors are open to accomodate a shower and portable toilet. Having a zipper door or flap to access from the rear would be handy.Hi All - Thanks for the good feedback and additional ideas. Quick thoughts:
Privacy mode window - Cool idea, never occurred to me. Just to be clear this version isn't bug tight. So if you are sleeping with the rear doors open and the privacy screen hanging down bugs will still find their way in - so it might just be easier to pull the privacy screen to the side or leave in awning mode? Or perhaps it is just a feeling of having some privacy that is most important as the mesh window would give some view and also restrict the view into the van? I worry a little bit about the window leaking in awning mode in the rain. I'll keep thinking about this.
Fit for different van models - I've looked at factory spec dimensions for Sprinter, Transit, and Ram models and varying roof heights. I think this version could fit on most of the variants but I've only tested it on the NCV3 van so far. At worst it would require some minor modifications...I hope. Just need time with the other models to be sure.
Keeping doors open - I initially had a set of poles with rubber tips at each end that I put between the open doors near the top. I stopped using it as the doors have been holding themselves open just using the full open detent built into the door hinge. The current design doesn't put much tension in the closing direction - I've had it up on a windy day and was surprised the doors stayed open. I'm going to prototype some other door opening options that are easier to install just in case it turns out they are needed.
Slide out bed - I really like the space optimization potential...super creative. If the back doors are open to move the bed "outside" of the main van body the bug issue mentioned above may be a consideration - so keeping the ability to shut the doors and still have sleeping space might be something to consider in your design process.
Perce- Can you say more about needing access to the rear? Is there a specific feature you'd like to see?
Thanks everyone for helping refine the design.
Pat