Twin Bed Configuration. Easy 5.5” wider bed extensions mod.

MadCityJack

GigHarborTom said:

We would like to find someone who might be able to do the twin bed mod for us. We are located in Gig Harbor WA...Long in the tooth here at 82. Downsized, no shop or area to do the project. 

I would try to help if I lived in the area but I live in Wisconsin.  Good Luck with getting some help.  Showing a handyman this thread of posts (and others) might be sufficient to get you what you want.

Like @CharlieRN I used foam inserts that push out the bed by 5.5" and basically followed Bill and Roxy's approach.  We ordered the inserts by phone from https://www.foambymail.com;  Haley was our salesperson and might remember the purchase.   In any case, this is what we went with for two foam inserts and they work great.

ESTIMATE :

(2) LUX-R 31” X 5-1/2” X 4” = $13.00 EA = $26.00

(1) ONE YARD OF SUEDE FABRIC = $12.99

                BLACK COLOR

(2) CUSTOM COVER W/ ZIPPER = $39.00 EA = $78.00

SHIPPING = $12.99

TOTAL BEFORE TAX = $129.98

scott14

@charlieRN, did you separate the seat cushion from the back cushion in order to make this work?  If so, do the seat back cushions fit beneath the extended slats for storage when set-up in the twin sleeping configuration?  My wife and I have been back and forth with sleeping arrangements.  The latest seems to be full queen configuration, sleeping north/south, heads to the front.  We have tried the twin arrangement but without a cushion filler to supplement the extension.  I really like what you have done and it is causing me to rethink things!  Thanks for sharing.

CharlieRN

@scott14 - yes, you have to separate the back and seat cushions. We cut the straps with pinking shears which appears to have worked in preventing the fabric from fraying where cut; it would probably be better to stitch them however. The back cushions fit underneath the extended bench but you have to find somewhere to put the lagun table. In our case, we have a shade wing and a folding aluminum table, so just put it outside most times. We ordered the foam custom cut (I don't recall where, but it may have been the same supplier as referenced by @MadCityJack) and had a friend who is handy with a sewing machine make the fabric covering.

As far as sleeping arrangements, we have twin-bed mattress toppers to bridge the gap between the seat cushion and the insert. You can see one rolled up with its cover in place at the rear in my photo. I sleep on the passenger side with my head near the door; my wife is comfortable with her head under the cabinet on the other side. The mattress toppers make things quite comfortable, and it's a real bonus to be able to relatively easily get to the toilet, something that requires a fair amount of acrobatic ability if you use the queen bed arrangement.

Edit: If it's not obvious, this is a very simple modification for 2021 and beyond 320's as no carpentry is needed. Each of the benches has its own pair of legs to support the bed/sleeping configuration when pulled out, so all you need are the cushions.

GigHarborTom

Thanks every one. My Child bride of 40 years has taken over doing the twin bed mod. I'm installing two new boxes up front. Final sale of our 2017 T@G yesterday. Loved it, but hard for me to dismount in the middle of the night.

GigHarborTom

Yay. Thanks to excellent instructions from Bill@ndRox and helpful tips from MadCityJack and other posters, we completed our twin bed mod. Added a couple of diamond plate boxes to the front rack based on another post and we're just about ready for our maiden voyage this weekend!

GigHarborTom

Bill@ndRox

Good going Tom.  I really hope you love the mod!

Bill@ndRox

fstop32

Looks nice @GigHarborTom!  That's what we did in ours, complete with the Lagun table that swivels to from dining to bedside table.

GigHarborTom

Dena procured the material, had Home Depot cut to size, brought home and put the twin bed configration together. All I did was screw the things together and Mount the additional diamond plate boxes out front. She is a winner. After 40 years, we think we'll stick together.

GigHarborTom

Just got back this afternoon from our first outing with the 2020 TAB 320S Boondock. We camped at Washington Campground Ft Flagler, next to Indian Island and across the way from Port Townsend.The twin bed mod turned out really comfortable. Trailer towed nicely. We really liked the heat system.  Really unhappy with ungodly excuse for indoor plumbing. Hard to get through door, no headroom. I should have paid attention before purchase.  Best to go for full hookup, with facilities within screaming distance. 

Bill@ndRox

Dear Tom,
I'm glad to see your post and that your beds were good.  Yes, the Alde heater is really nice too.  

Sorry you had trouble in the powder room.  I suggest that you give it another go.  For the amount of time you spend in there cramped or not, it just may be something you could get use to a bit more.  I think it is still very handy at night especially and when traveling for a quick pullover.  I do feel your pain though, so there's that.  The rest of the T@b is mostly wonderful.  It will be interesting if you care to post again after a few more trips to see if things ease up a bit for you.  Some people have taken the shower door off but then there's no privacy.  Going in sideways is a thing. Adding a grab handle or just using the door frame for support in getting up can help. The T@b ceiling is 5'9" but the bathroom ceiling is shorter as you know.

We have been to Flagler many years ago for annual church campouts.  Many fond memories and thoughts of taking a roll of quarters with us to use the 3 minute showers.  Beautiful location though.

Bill@ndRox

GigHarborTom

Bill& Rox..Thanks
State parks now require the use of their coins for the showers. Have for a few years. But like you, we have a jar of quarters stashed. As for the pull off for relief, I'm going to have to work that out.
Looking over at Indian Island brought back memories from long ago. I had a manager, and a couple supervisors, who took care of most of the Facilities and the Roads and Grounds many years ago. Back when I was the Utilities Manager at the Submarine Base Bangor.

scott14

CharlieRN said:

@scott14 - yes, you have to separate the back and seat cushions. We cut the straps with pinking shears which appears to have worked in preventing the fabric from fraying where cut; it would probably be better to stitch them however. The back cushions fit underneath the extended bench but you have to find somewhere to put the lagun table. In our case, we have a shade wing and a folding aluminum table, so just put it outside most times. We ordered the foam custom cut (I don't recall where, but it may have been the same supplier as referenced by @MadCityJack) and had a friend who is handy with a sewing machine make the fabric covering.

As far as sleeping arrangements, we have twin-bed mattress toppers to bridge the gap between the seat cushion and the insert. You can see one rolled up with its cover in place at the rear in my photo. I sleep on the passenger side with my head near the door; my wife is comfortable with her head under the cabinet on the other side. The mattress toppers make things quite comfortable, and it's a real bonus to be able to relatively easily get to the toilet, something that requires a fair amount of acrobatic ability if you use the queen bed arrangement.

Edit: If it's not obvious, this is a very simple modification for 2021 and beyond 320's as no carpentry is needed. Each of the benches has its own pair of legs to support the bed/sleeping configuration when pulled out, so all you need are the cushions.

I am still looking into this modification.   Do you find that the cushion on top of the dinette seating (in other words the sliding extension) is softer than the back more permanent  cushions?  I do and believe it is due in part to the lack of full support under the cushion.  When the extension is pulled out, the support under the cushion is cut by up to 50%.  To me it creates soft spots.  I wonder if anyone has placed 1/4" plywood or other material to help provide more support.  Not much can be added otherwise the cushions front to back would not be level.  Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Scott

Yoshi_TAB

@scott14, Hi, We have a 2021 320 and the cushions under the dinette portion are definately softer.  We just spent 8 weeks straight in ours and it was very noticable.  The other cushions seem thicker...maybe it's the plywood support.  Have to look closer.  I also bought a 4 inch thick piece of foam (5 inches wide x 29" ) to use for our twin bed set up and it also seemed thicker and more firmer.  We are planning another 8 week trip early fall and I planned to replace our dinettee cushions with the same grade foam as our 5 inch piece we bought on our own.  You probably know..but there was a long thread on cushions...some got theirs replaced under warranty, but I'm not sure if the quality improved.  Others just replaced on their own.

CharlieRN

scott14 said:

I am still looking into this modification.   Do you find that the cushion on top of the dinette seating (in other words the sliding extension) is softer than the back more permanent  cushions?  I do and believe it is due in part to the lack of full support under the cushion.  When the extension is pulled out, the support under the cushion is cut by up to 50%.  To me it creates soft spots.  I wonder if anyone has placed 1/4" plywood or other material to help provide more support.  Not much can be added otherwise the cushions front to back would not be level.  Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Scott

We did not find the OEM T@B cushions to be very comfortable once on the extensions, and quickly opted for mattress toppers. In our case, we went with the cotton ones from Mattress Insider, and have been very happy with them. In addition to providing much-need support, the toppers bridge the small gap (and difference in firmness) between the extender and the larger OEM cushions.

GigHarborTom

We sold our T@G a couple weeks ago. It had a full size memory foam topper and was really comfortable. On our new (to us) 2020 TAB 320 Boondock, wifey cut down that to fit her Twin Bed Mod. She ordered a twin size duvet cover, cut in half and sewed into two mattress covers for the memory foam. Very comfy on our maiden trip a week ago.

MadCityJack

GigHarborTom said:

We sold our T@G a couple weeks ago. It had a full size memory foam topper and was really comfortable. On our new (to us) 2020 TAB 320 Boondock, wifey cut down that to fit her Twin Bed Mod. She ordered a twin size duvet cover, cut in half and sewed into two mattress covers for the memory foam. Very comfy on our maiden trip a week ago.

So glad to hear the twin bed mod is working for you two.  We’ve been out twice in our twin bed mod and appreciate the flexibility it affords.   

scott14

We decided to try the twin bed modification, so today I ordered the extra cushions from the source listed above.  Thank you MadCityJack for providing that to the group!

scott14

The cushions arrived.  We think the modification will work well.  What do others do for bedding when sleeping in the twin configuration?

Thanks!

fstop32

@scott14, I cut a "myPillow" full topper down to 24.5" x 72.5" and re-sewed the factory cover.  Then I made two "topper cases" (like a pillowcase) out of a couple of top sheets to act as the bottom sheet on a bed.  Then took one more sheet to make new "top sheets".  I sewed a pocket at the foot end of each so it could slip over the topper and the seat cushion keeping the foot in place during sleeping.
We don't use the back bench in the up position much so we just roll the toppers up against the headboard under the cabinets during the day.  Top and bottom sheets of course are removable and washable...easy peasy.

scott14

@fstop32, Thank you for the information!

SarahEllen

@CharlieRN or others with 2021 or newer 320S - Do you know the exact measurements for the foam pieces for your twin bed mod, and where you obtained the foam? Did you add any batting or padding? My husband and I sleep side to side, but I am camping with a friend next month and want to do a set up like yours. We are in a 320S Boondock 2021.

Yoshi_TAB

Hi, 

We have a 2021 320S.  We sleep with twin beds with about a 7" aisle way in between (slats pulled to leave gap).  Just wide enough to get up at night.  We bought two pieces (one on each side , 32 1/2" x 6 1/2" x 4"  (l x w x h) HD 36 foam-High quality with Dacron wrap from the Foam Factory in MI.  You make your own homemade covers.  Here's a picture (don't know why it posted sideways) to make sure it's what your looking for.  You can barely see the added piece in white on the left.  We also cut our toppers ( to leave the gap) as we bought them  to fit the full size bed.  We also replaced the orignal OEM front cushions with the same foam.  Like many we leave the OEM side cushions at home.  (we remove the table nightly)

SarahEllen

@Yoshi_TAB Thank you so much! I will call Foam Factory tomorrow to order two cushions with the Dacron wrap and go from there on figuring out the cover.

Yoshi_TAB

Hi @SarahEllen , Excellant. 

Just double check the dimensions will be the same for you.  

nettles

King size zippered pillow cases (20" by 36") are excellent, inexpensive covers for the 5.5" cushion inserts.  I just fold over the extra fabric.  $15 for a set of 2 on Amazon.

I also found that mini-crib/play yard fitted, quilted waterproof sheets work great on the dinette bench cushions.  One of these sheets will cover both the bench cushion and the insert if you don't mind looking at the skirting fabric on the front of the cushion.  

Since all the bed cushions are covered with sheets and pillowcases, I don't need a bottom sheet unless I'm using a mattress topper.  Great for quick naps at rest stops.

KAR

Really clever. Great photos! We had already made our mods before I saw this darn it! We built little boxes 7 inches wide and now store our shoes under the extension. It was fun to work it out and the twin does really help us move about in the am:) K