Reverse Pop layout - Storage idea's

[Newadventurer]

Our T6 has reverse pop roof with 2.5 double mattress , and a rear loo and kitchen layout , two captain seats in front and 2 RIB seats ( both make into single beds) our question is with space being at a premium ( obviously lol ) what do other owners of this layout use by way of bedding and where do you find its best to store it when travelling and during the daytime in a reverse layout ?
Also general question - do you use anything additional on top of the RIB singles , same question re the roof bed - we have a 2.5 mattress up there currently but nothing yet for the singles below , but wondered about more softness padding to use on it for softness/comfort on any of them -but obviously with no rear shelf storage like front pop layout thinking too about storage space , would welcome your idea's please, as trying to plan for our first try out , thanks

 

[CAB]

Duvalays in a Towbox.



Don't have RIB seats, but I needed the full 5cm Duvalay mattress on ours.

Lack of big storage is one of the compromises with a Rear Kitchen Layout.

 

[Irvine101]

For mattresses we looked at Duvulay's but they looked too bulky to store in the van. Therefore we bought a piece of memory foam mattress to cut into two mattresses. We only bought a long enough piece to go under the torso, we didn't bother with it being long enough to go under the legs. This helped to keep the size to the minimum. We then cut a double duvet into two, with a bit of re sewing we were able to make two mattress covers

We store the mattresses and individual sleeping bags in the storage cupboards under the two rear seats

 

[Newadventurer]

Duvalays in a Towbox.

View attachment 212465

Don't have RIB seats, but I needed the full 5cm Duvalay mattress on ours.

Lack of big storage is one of the compromises with a Rear Kitchen Layout.

that looks fantastic , what is that at the back looks very interesting !

Duvalays in a Towbox.

View attachment 212465

Don't have RIB seats, but I needed the full 5cm Duvalay mattress on ours.

Lack of big storage is one of the compromises with a Rear Kitchen Layout.

yes we are getting canny and trying to be imaginative in finding and making space ...

For mattresses we looked at Duvulay's but they looked too bulky to store in the van. Therefore we bought a piece of memory foam mattress to cut into two mattresses. We only bought a long enough piece to go under the torso, we didn't bother with it being long enough to go under the legs. This helped to keep the size to the minimum. We then cut a double duvet into two, with a bit of re sewing we were able to make two mattress covers

We store the mattresses and individual sleeping bags in the storage cupboards under the two rear seats

thanks for the tips - where did you get your memory foam from to cut up ? I am trying to picture what you mean with the duvets - did you cut a double duvet into two singles and then have you sewn them to the memory foam , and then did you make a cover to fit over the whole thing ? do you then roll it up ? With your rear seats what sort of access do you have when they are flipped open as ours have bars across so we will have to sort of post things in and under to use the space -so i don't think bigger things will fit under ours ?

 

[CAB]

that looks fantastic , what is that at the back looks very interesting !

Towbox V3

TowBox V3 towball-mounted 400L luggage box, grey, TV3XGG0

A top quality, stylish and aerodynamic rear luggage box that not only tilts, but slides away from the boot to allow for easy boot access. The TowBox V3 is bulky to move about, so use the built-in trolley-style wheels to move it, loaded or empty, from its storage location to the vehicle tow...

www.roofbox.co.uk

Not sure I would recommend it generally, you would need to have a very specific end-use for it.

thanks for the tips - where did you get your memory foam from to cut up ? I am trying to picture what you mean with the duvets - did you cut a double duvet into two singles and then have you sewn them to the memory foam , and then did you make a cover to fit over the whole thing ? do you then roll it up ? With your rear seats what sort of access do you have when they are flipped open as ours have bars across so we will have to sort of post things in and under to use the space -so i don't think bigger things will fit under ours ?

Duvalay come ready made. Expensive though. If you are handy with a sewing machine there are instructions for homemade versions.

Access to our seat storage is from the front, so we use Sistema tubs, the 5.25 litre ones. Also brilliant as a salad / veg drawer in the fridge.

There's a thousand things you didn't know you needed! Some of them will be a waste of money, and some of them will be the best thing since sliced bread, trouble I'd you don't often know until you have bought and used it!

 

[Newadventurer]

For mattresses we looked at Duvulay's but they looked too bulky to store in the van. Therefore we bought a piece of memory foam mattress to cut into two mattresses. We only bought a long enough piece to go under the torso, we didn't bother with it being long enough to go under the legs. This helped to keep the size to the minimum. We then cut a double duvet into two, with a bit of re sewing we were able to make two mattress covers

We store the mattresses and individual sleeping bags in the storage cupboards under the two rear seats

where did you get you memory foam from please ? and do you mean you also then cut a duvet in half and joined it / sew it to the memory foam as a sort of topper and then made a cover to go over the whole thing ? and if so how small does it roll into and your rear seats - are they open spaces underneath to put your bedding in then ? as ours has mechanism bars across so we are limited in size of what we can pass through to get to the space underneath the bars if you see what I mean - so I am not sure anything large will pass through the limited gap we have there ?

Towbox V3

TowBox V3 towball-mounted 400L luggage box, grey, TV3XGG0

A top quality, stylish and aerodynamic rear luggage box that not only tilts, but slides away from the boot to allow for easy boot access. The TowBox V3 is bulky to move about, so use the built-in trolley-style wheels to move it, loaded or empty, from its storage location to the vehicle tow...

www.roofbox.co.uk

Not sure I would recommend it generally, you would need to have a very specific end-use for it.

ah thank you

Duvalay come ready made. Expensive though. If you are handy with a sewing machine there are instructions for homemade versions.

Access to our seat storage is from the front, so we use Sistema tubs, the 5.25 litre ones. Also brilliant as a salad / veg drawer in the fridge.

There's a thousand things you didn't know you needed! Some of them will be a waste of money, and some of them will be the best thing since sliced bread, trouble I'd you don't often know until you have bought and used it!

ah I see , our access is from when the seat is flipped from the top , hence it being limited access , thanks for the tips for the systema tubs it things like that that really helps and is worth thinking about, yes we went to a camper show and saw lots of gadgets we thought hmmm doubt we will need that or use that ....so just got a few things and will see how we go as time goes on ....

 

[Irvine101]

We bought the memory foam off the internet, probably from ebay. Yes, we cut a double duvet cover in two and sewed up the cut length. The original duvet closure buttons still exist on one end of each duvet side so we ended up with two individual covers into which we can insert the two foam lengths. This therefore makes 2 mattresses each with their own cover.

To store them we roll them up and secure them with elastic bungees. Our rear seats have front access doors on the storage into each of which we can shove one sleeping bag and one mattress (see the photo)

 

[Newadventurer]

We bought the memory foam off the internet, probably from ebay. Yes, we cut a double duvet cover in two and sewed up the cut length. The original duvet closure buttons still exist on one end of each duvet side so we ended up with two individual covers into which we can insert the two foam lengths. This therefore makes 2 mattresses each with their own cover.

To store them we roll them up and secure them with elastic bungees. Our rear seats have front access doors on the storage into each of which we can shove one sleeping bag and one mattress (see the photo)

View attachment 212476

ah I see now what you mean re front access , your van looks great , is it LWB ?

 

[cgtmiles]

We don’t have the rear kitchen setup but we have used the thin memory foam mattress from the poptop on top of the rib bed to help with comfort almost from day one. This was better but we then added a thin self inflating mattress (2.5cm) between the bed and the foam and this combo is perfect and packs away easily to a small pack size so I’d recommend trialing one and see what you think (we often over-inflate the SIM to give a good cushion and the thin mattress layer takes away the lilo feel). The overall package is much small than an equivalent duralay mattress.

 

[Irvine101]

ah I see now what you mean re front access , your van looks great , is it LWB ?

Yes we have a lwb

 

[Newadventurer]

hi there we have a reverse pop up with kitchen in rear and some storage in the rear seats , wondering what clever ideas other people have for making /inventing more storage on board , in particular we have a circular steering lock that goes around the steering wheel but not sure where to safely store it when driving the van , any ideas please , and another query where do you store your bedding on board ? many thanks for any hints /tips

 

[Bav]

If you have twin captain seats, then the steering lock fits well between and pushed slightly under the 2 seats. Works well for us - it doesn't move around when driving and doesn't get in the way/ under the feet at all.

 

[Newadventurer]

If you have twin captain seats, then the steering lock fits well between and pushed slightly under the 2 seats. Works well for us - it doesn't move around when driving and doesn't get in the way/ under the feet at all.

thanks we tried that and its perfect , great tip ! cheers

 

[MrsH]

We are just about to order a steering wheel lock for our new van, which one do you have that fits under the seats please?

 

[Newadventurer]

We are just about to order a steering wheel lock for our new van, which one do you have that fits under the seats please?

Ours is a disklok and it works well for us and as advised by a fellow T6 forumite it stores really well if pushed in flat in between the two front seats under the handbrake hope that helps

 

[MrsH]

We are just about to order a steering wheel lock for our new van, which one do you have that fits under the seats please?

Ours is a disklok and it works well for us and as advised by a fellow T6 forumite it stores really well if pushed in flat in between the two front seats under the handbrake hope that helps

Brilliant, I will have a look at those thank you!

 

[Bav]

Ours is a disklok and it works well for us and as advised by a fellow T6 forumite it stores really well if pushed in flat in between the two front seats under the handbrake hope that helps

Brilliant, I will have a look at those thank you!

You'll need a small Disklok for a Transporter. Also, between the seats works well if you have 2x captains seats, but probably won't fit there if you have a double passenger seat.

 

[Newadventurer]

that is totally true , we have captains seats and it sits in between under the handbrake very well there