Which bed on rails?

[Roberts]

Hi Guys looking for a bit of advice,

Looking to put a bed (undecided at the minute) on rails for the flexibility. I've found a used set of caravelle rails but I'm unsure if it contains everything I need.

Where are you guys getting your rails and what are the recommendations? I'm looking to be able to do the following below. I have a LWB but will be able to use SWB rails I believe.

 

[t6 soon]

hi mate swb rails in lwb floor ok bigger boot as seat cant go as far back with swb rails seat fully forward leaves 2m approx.

 

[Cuprasport]

HI, I am new to this so apologies, I am in the processes of buying a one owner T6 at the moment to convert to a Campervan, I am however having trouble trying to decide on the rear bed / seat, the van is a LWB so I feel a fixed will be too far away when travelling, there is an option to have it on sliders but I do not feel that will allow the kids to move close enough when we are travelling, I have looked at the Altair Reimo RIB 3000 The bonded power rail system I feel is out of my price range and the Evolution on Rails but I am aware there are other companies out there any help would be greatly appreciated. I will not be fitting this DIY I will be paying a professional to do this for me. ISOFIX is also a must I feel as both kids will be in car seats for at least another 5 yrs.

 

[Bitterandtwisted]

I am in similar position. Seems world shortage of rib Altair’s so also looking at Fabworx /ego /captains seat co.

Anyone got the above ?

 

[Bitterandtwisted]

info@captainseat.com

 

[pdnadders]

Hi all.

Many apologies if this has been asked/answered before but I can’t seem to find the actual answer I’m looking for.

Currently planning the build of my camper when it arrives with @BognorMotors and I can’t make my mind up about the bed system I want to install. Or, indeed the different options that may or may not be available.

The van is currently booked in with Cosmic campervans in Derby for pop top, diesel heater, carpet lining etc and I’m looking at the second phase of the conversion.

Could anyone offer opinions on the Variotech 3000 sliding bed (aside from its astronomical price) vs another sliding system? Is there a far cheaper alternative to achieve the same result? And with the variotech 3000 are the 3 seats actually all useable? I like the idea of having the same number of seats as a standard car (I’ll have captain’s seats in the front) and all other bed systems seem to only have 2 useable seats.

How do people with kids find their kids get on with not having a window to look out of (boredom/travel sickness etc..) when on a standard rock n roll bed at the back of the van?

I appreciate these questions may seem a little vague and woolly but I’m trying to weigh up as many options and opinions as possible.

Many thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to reply.

 

[Loz]

Decision over Reimo variotech size 8 or size 10 bed

Rock and Roll bed recommendations

Hey everyone Anyone got any ideas please on getting a single seat R&R for a Caravelle Did a Google search but always find forum recommendations best cheers happy Saturday :waving:

www.t6forum.com

Full width bed on rails

Id like to replace our kombi seats with a full width sliding rock and roll bed in my LWB. I was planning on getting a fortywinks bed but realised once the bed is down there will be no room in the van to even get changed for bed. Main requirements are it needs to be comfy as most of the time it...

www.t6forum.com

 

[Ricardo T]

I can only comment on the Variotech which I feel is a great system. Well made and very versatile, can be completely removed for an almost empty van, bar the units, and can also be added to with additional seats.
Cant really comment on the three 'useable seats' as the need has not arisen...but is there if required, but probably not for long journeys as it may be a bit cramped for adults.

 

[Andysmee]

It's difficult to give you the answer you might want. On the boredom question of course you can have windows at the back of the van even if you do end up with a fixed bed. Our kids would be bored if all they did was look out of the windows in any case. We ended up going for a two-seater California bed as we didn't feel we needed three seats and we were prioritising comfort of sleeping and height to allow sitting up in bed which the three-seater California has trouble with and the rib beds also do. The three-seater beds and the rock and roll beds have much more pronounced contours which make it more difficult to sleep on but much nicer to sit on. Add to that the fact that your choice of furniture is constrained when you have a sliding bed, if you have a sticky out fridge then you won't be able to slide the seat that far forward and some of the drawers or cupboards might require you to slide the seat back to use them. I seem to recall that the 3000 requires you to have slim furniture which means less storage space.

That's why there's no right answer.

 

[MikeB]

I can't comment on the Variotech - we went with the 2 seater OE VW Cali seat/bed, and we're very pleased with it. It's on rails, and comes nicely forward so that a passenger can talk to the folks in the front, although as noted by Andysmee, the fridge stops it coming as far forward as we'd like. For us, the key driver was safety and other than the Variotech we couldn't find anything which had been properly crash tested, and which we liked.

The converters we used supply a neat folding mattress, which sits on the "shelf" which forms what VW call the "sleeper pack" behind the seat when the seat is in seat mode. As to overall comfort, it's more than acceptable.

We've subsequently found that a lot of the offerings on the market have significant issues in that they rattle, are hard to put up/down, are so high you can't get your feet on the floor / hit your head on the roof.

 

[DXX]

I looked at the Reimo system, it has multiple locking positions on the rails but the California system has more.
The Cali’ 2 seater drawer is excellent practical storage.
Not cheap but worth the money given the alternatives.

 

[MikeB]

The Cali’ 2 seater drawer is excellent practical storage.

Absolutely! Again, one of the things we didn't know we'd be irritated by not having, if we didn't have it.

 

[pdnadders]

I can't comment on the Variotech - we went with the 2 seater OE VW Cali seat/bed, and we're very pleased with it. It's on rails, and comes nicely forward so that a passenger can talk to the folks in the front, although as noted by Andysmee, the fridge stops it coming as far forward as we'd like. For us, the key driver was safety and other than the Variotech we couldn't find anything which had been properly crash tested, and which we liked.

The converters we used supply a neat folding mattress, which sits on the "shelf" which forms what VW call the "sleeper pack" behind the seat when the seat is in seat mode. As to overall comfort, it's more than acceptable.

We've subsequently found that a lot of the offerings on the market have significant issues in that they rattle, are hard to put up/down, are so high you can't get your feet on the floor / hit your head on the roof.

Hi Mike.

Any chance you could post a couple of pics or send some details of where you had this set up installed?

I’m not too fussed about the seat coming all the way to the front. As long as I can talk to/chastise my kids for trying to kill each other on long journeys I’ll be more than happy! I suppose my issue is that I’m not sure what’s available in terms of rail systems and, like you, I want to be certain that whatever is fitted conforms to the highest standards possible. You mention storage underneath. Is this superior to other bed systems? Obviously every square mm of storage space needs to be utilised in these vans.

Many thanks for replying

 

[MikeB]

Any chance you could post a couple of pics or send some details of where you had this set up installed?

Hi - the conversion was done by Exploria in Brighouse - their w/site has lots of info, but perhaps these pics will help a little too.



We generally have the table along the length of the van when preparing / eating. I think we were showing it to friends when this was taken, trying to show that 4 people could sit at the table to eat. We like this table set up a lot btw. How you are supposed to prep food and move around with a table mounted on the unit, with a leg mounted on the floor, baffles us.



As you see, the seat can come a little further forward for travelling. At the most rearward position, I don't like travelling on it at all. And we have windows on the rearmost passenger side too. I imagine children would find it difficult.



This would be the usual position when used as a seat when we're set up for camping. Makes access to the cupboard space easy. Pots / plates etc all live in the sliding door unit to the right of the fridge. The gas is beside that unit, below the cupboard in the tall unit. We generally use it for food etc. The electrics are all in the cupboard with the tall sliding door, and we generally use that space for bulky items like sleeping bags in their kayaking dry bags.


This is the "shelf" behind the seat / bed (the "sleeper pack"). It's perhaps a couple of feet long - as you see, lots of useful storage underneath! It's shown here with the seat / bed in the bed configuration. In terms of storage, I agree. It was a huge issue for us, having as much storage as possible as we generally have a massive amount of kayaking kit and we try not to have anything on the floor of the van when travelling.

The leisure batteries are under the side units, accessed through the foremost of two lower access panels below the bed. The gas is in a gas safe, below the tall unit, beside the sliding door. We opted for an underslung water tank as well. So all the cabin cupboard / storage space is free for food etc. The rearmost storage spaces are used for kayaking kit in transit. This said, as you see, they are also accessible without having to open the tailgate.



Rearmost cupboards - and the cunningly folded mattress on the "shelf". This with the seat in seat configuration. The table-top stows cunningly in a recess at the back of the seat. The "shelf" and seat can be taken out if necessary, I'm told! The seat will weigh a lot though, so I've never tried it.

 

[Salty Spuds]

We have the 1200mm Variotech in a LWB. I don’t think that you’d gain much benefit if it was in a SWB. The 3 seats are all useable, if a tad cosy with 3 adults, kids will be fine. The bed is very comfortable to sleep on as you’re on the flat side. We have glass all the way round, so seeing out isn’t a problem. Where the rails come into their own for us, is when we sit around the table, we can swivel the front seats, slide the bed forwards & 4 people can sit around the table in comfort. We also have the under bed sliding drawer which is a very useful space. An additional benefit is the removable panel on the offside that allows long items (skis) to be loaded in from the rear.

 

[MikeB]

We have the 1200mm Variotech in a LWB.

Good point - we opted for LWB for that little bit of extra space. With the bed down, there's not that much room in reality in a SWB and even in the LWB it's tight for two adults to get ready for bed. Assuming children are involved, and assuming they might be in the pop-top, it'll be even more amusing. At least that's what it looked like for the family who were pitched next to us on Skye a couple of weeks ago, with a rented SWB T6. I think an awning of some form would have helped them. A lot!

As it was, a large golf umbrella served well - - - - we have an awning rail and a tarp - it's well worth having. I can't imagine how a family would cope without a proper awning, but then I wonder why not just have a family size tent and be done with it!

 

[pdnadders]

Hi - the conversion was done by Exploria in Brighouse - their w/site has lots of info, but perhaps these pics will help a little too.

View attachment 135084

We generally have the table along the length of the van when preparing / eating. I think we were showing it to friends when this was taken, trying to show that 4 people could sit at the table to eat. We like this table set up a lot btw. How you are supposed to prep food and move around with a table mounted on the unit, with a leg mounted on the floor, baffles us.

View attachment 135085

As you see, the seat can come a little further forward for travelling. At the most rearward position, I don't like travelling on it at all. And we have windows on the rearmost passenger side too. I imagine children would find it difficult.

View attachment 135086

This would be the usual position when used as a seat when we're set up for camping. Makes access to the cupboard space easy. Pots / plates etc all live in the sliding door unit to the right of the fridge. The gas is beside that unit, below the cupboard in the tall unit. We generally use it for food etc. The electrics are all in the cupboard with the tall sliding door, and we generally use that space for bulky items like sleeping bags in their kayaking dry bags.
View attachment 135087

This is the "shelf" behind the seat / bed (the "sleeper pack"). It's perhaps a couple of feet long - as you see, lots of useful storage underneath! It's shown here with the seat / bed in the bed configuration. In terms of storage, I agree. It was a huge issue for us, having as much storage as possible as we generally have a massive amount of kayaking kit and we try not to have anything on the floor of the van when travelling.

The leisure batteries are under the side units, accessed through the foremost of two lower access panels below the bed. The gas is in a gas safe, below the tall unit, beside the sliding door. We opted for an underslung water tank as well. So all the cabin cupboard / storage space is free for food etc. The rearmost storage spaces are used for kayaking kit in transit. This said, as you see, they are also accessible without having to open the tailgate.

View attachment 135088

Rearmost cupboards - and the cunningly folded mattress on the "shelf". This with the seat in seat configuration. The table-top stows cunningly in a recess at the back of the seat. The "shelf" and seat can be taken out if necessary, I'm told! The seat will weigh a lot though, so I've never tried it.

Thanks so much for such comprehensive information! Really like the look of your set up. Going to give Exploria a ring on Monday and hopefully go and have a look. I reckon I’m gonna have to put in the miles and physically go and see some of the options available.

 

[MikeB]

Thanks so much for such comprehensive information! Really like the look of your set up. Going to give Exploria a ring on Monday and hopefully go and have a look. I reckon I’m gonna have to put in the miles and physically go and see some of the options available.

Enjoy the "journey" - there are so many variables, and so many differences between converters, it's unreal! Little things which may - or may not - be relevant, and often come at a price (!) are what make the difference. As an example, Exploria hide all the electrics neatly in a cupboard, and you don't see any of the wires or connections. There is a board which acts as a cover. The electrical gubbins poke through said board. And the cut edges are edged with laminate! There's no reason why they should be - you'll never touch those edges. In contrast, I was looking at the official camper conversion offered by Ford - nicely done, it has to be said. But they hadn't edged the top of one of the furniture units! I cut my finger on it - - -

Another well-known and respected converter puts the water pump in the space below the sink. No problem, but it looks naff and there is the potential for connections to get damaged. The Exploria method hides the pump right behind the sink, behind a panel, in the storage space.

I suspect that if I didn't know what I now know, I'd have been quite happy with some of those. Probably! This said, I do appreciate people work to different budgets.

 

[Bensalvage]

Just wanting to gauge the experience of you folk, I'm currently exploring the feasibility of a self conversion and think I've pretty much got the pop top sorted so now onto a sliding rail bed, I had looked at the reimo 3000 bit with the noise complaints of this I'm not so sure now, is there anything else on the market that you guys have used in your own vans ? Very keen to hear experience and see photos if possible

 

[DXX]

Have a Search with ‘sliding bed’. There is plenty of content.