2018 AI Lounge Mod - Added more usable, flexible & user friendly rear storage

[Alex AVI]

Would you like to gain more usable and/or flexible rear storage? There is one caveat - it is not free, you have to give up something. If you do not need a 70"x82" rear bed and can make do with a 70"x70" rear bed, then read on. I am a short guy, so 70" long bed is plenty long for me.

You will have to remove the 2 rear flip-down bed extensions that gives about 11" of additional bed headroom. Done, only original screws remain.


I had some extra side-panel material (pre-drilled for shelf supports) from a prior home project. It is perfect for this because it is 16" deep. My routing skills are lacking from years of lack of practice, but the simple cuts were not a problem.

The shelf can not be too deep because there needs to be enough room for the motorized bed to clear the shelf when in the down position. Besides, I use that area between shelf & bed to house my step-ladder. The shelf is permanently attached to the wooden storage pockets where the original flip-down bed extensions were installed. I will have the board permanently bolted onto it once I have decided I will not be removing it. For now, it is attached w/ silicone glue. Easily removed.


The bottom of the new shelf is supported by same pull out rail that supported the flip-down bed extensions. Again, siliconed for now. Will bolt on later.


OK, so far, so good. But other than having the additional mid-shelf, I have not really gained any storage yet. All the mid-shelf does is make stacking luggage much easier. I don't have to remove upper storage to get to the lower storage & vice versa. So, check mark for making rear storage more flexible & easier.

Here's where the added storage comes in - the flip-down bed extensions expose a cavernous cubby-hole where I can store so much. I am only limited by my imagination.



I can squeeze in 1/2 of these rolled up sleeping bags, stacked 2 high in the lower section.


The top part of that cubby hole goes up close to the ceiling and I can squeeze in a standard pillow in there.


I mounted the shelving board with the pre-drilled holes facing up. I can use metal dowels at any location so they act as either shelf dividers or edge catchers to prevent items from falling off the shelf when I open the rear doors on a steep incline. Later, I may mount a few of these dowels on the side of a 4" moulding to create a continuous edge catcher that is removable.

Brushed aluminum u-channel edge banding on front & back length of shelving give extra strength to resist sagging from any heavy weight. Plus, it just adds the Airstream alu-touch to an otherwise mundane melamine shelving unit


And what makes it all worthwhile, opening the rear doors for wife & daughter for the 1st time, to convince them this thing can really carry most of their stuff



Note 1 - Although my load test tells me the mid-shelf can support at least 150 lbs. (my weight), I plan on using it for the lightest of my load. Keeping heaviest items on floor for lower center of gravity and do not want any heavy projectiles in case of emergency braking situations.

Note 2 - Rear screen will only come down as far as midshelf. I knew that ahead of time. I dont think that would be a problem as there aren't many areas bugs can squeeze into from underneath, especially when bed is down. In a pinch, I can always use one of the black velcro rear covers supplied.

[FlyFishinRVr]

Nice job! Looks like a great way to use the space.

[Tronadora]

Alex AVI,
I like the way you think... Nice work !

Mark

[Pahaska]

Similar idea, but my shelf is mounted higher. There is room for four plastic tubs of the kind we use for storage. There is room enough under the shelf for hanging shirts and jackets.

I removed the bed extensions, turned them 90 degrees, and used them as headboards for my couch-to-twin conversion.

I mounted my MPPT solar controller in the top portion of one of the extension garages. Another holds my first-aid kit.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

Similar idea, but my shelf is mounted higher. There is room for four plastic tubs of the kind we use for storage. There is room enough under the shelf for hanging shirts and jackets.

I removed the bed extensions, turned them 90 degrees, and used them as headboards for my couch-to-twin conversion.

I thought I saw these pics before. I just could not remember which forum

I liked your design. I did vasilate between high or mid shelf for a long time. Settled on mid shelf because I am working on another add-on contraption to my mid shelf. I am an ultra-distance road bicyclist and at times (which is most of the time), I may carry 1 or 2 road racing bicycles (if I am not using AI on a family trip). So, I had to keep shelf on the down-low to accomodate the 2-bike contraption. More pics to follow when fully finished. The big black case below shelf is a custom airline approved bicycle travel container. It will sit above the shelf. As you can see, I have already dry-fitted the shelf to it prior to attaching the shelf to the AI



I also have headboard plans for the bed extensions. But I have a different take on it, if I can work out the engineering. So, just a tease for now, until I work out the kinks.

[Tronadora]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

Similar idea, but my shelf is mounted higher. There is room for four plastic tubs of the kind we use for storage. There is room enough under the shelf for hanging shirts and jackets.

I removed the bed extensions, turned them 90 degrees, and used them as headboards for my couch-to-twin conversion.

I mounted my MPPT solar controller in the top portion of one of the extension garages. Another holds my first-aid kit.

John / Pahaska:
Really like your design too. Especially the way you matched the interior wood for the MPPT controller enclosure !
****

In the spirit of teasers... stay tuned for my kitchen upgrade.
Coming soon to a forum near you.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Tronadora

John / Pahaska:
Really like your design too. Especially the way you matched the interior wood for the MPPT controller enclosure !
****

I used some pieces of plywood left over from my twin-bed conversion and some left-over laminate from the shelf. I try to make everything look as factory-original as I can.

Right now, I'm looking at doing something over the CS rear passenger chair similar to the more recent AI. When I am at Alumapalooza, I may buy a curved cabinet front and a piece of the aluminum extrusion to make it look factory original. It would be nice to have just one more upper cabinet, however small.

[Alex AVI]

PAHASKA, do you have a pic from inside and with said 4 plastic tubs and the headboard. I wanna see that set as a group to get more ideas. Little gerbels running around my head again 😁

Also, why did you mount MPPT controller there? I have not done mine yet. Was it because it was more logical to put it there or the new one does not fit old location so you were forced to use an alternate location?

[wachuko]

Lots of great ideas.

Not sure, but know that you can remove that sliding support. I took it out. You can also remove the rails if you wanted as well... just quick drilling of the rivets and those come out as well. Easy to install it all back if you ever wanted to do so...

Thank you sharing of the mods and all the photos. Keep them coming

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Alex AVI

PAHASKA, do you have a pic from inside and with said 4 plastic tubs and the headboard. I wanna see that set as a group to get more ideas. Little gerbels running around my head again 😁

Also, why did you mount MPPT controller there? I have not done mine yet. Was it because it was more logical to put it there or the new one does not fit old location so you were forced to use an alternate location?

I'll look for photos, but I am tight on time at the moment.

The original controller was the size of a pack of cards and invisible under a maze of wiring. The remote was in the panel in the overhead cabinet and linked with a cable. By putting the new controller there, I could see the display from inside the coach easily and there was great access to the batteries, below. I now have a marine trolling motor receptacle by the MPPT controller and sharing the #12 wiring to the batteries. I can run my heavy-duty air compressor from that receptical or use it to connect a 12v outside power source.

[wachuko]

You got my brain working on how to do something similar... in my case, with the ARB cooler, it needs to be so that:

1. I can open the cooler without having to empty everything. So either the shelve will have to be high enough to be able to open the cooler and still not interfere lowering the bed in place.

2. I can put the bed down without having to empty everything

3. Screen remains functional (I was already working on a way to seal, with a removable screen, the portion of the opening that is not taken by the cooler)

A shelve would be great for storing the outside screen and a few other things that we are planning on getting...

I would still like to have some visibility if I open the doors and lower the screen... Do not want to completely block the view...

As I write this, the more I think that something higher up would work better in my case.

Might be better to look into holding it from the cloth hangers already in there... hummmmm something closer to what John (Pahaska) did...

[Pahaska]

I could only find one photo with one of the plastic tubs on the shelf. The space holds 3 of these tubs with space at one end and almost a full tub space above each tub. If I had made the verticals at the ends just a 1/2 inch higher, it would hold 6 tubs. There is plenty of space above the tubs for blankets, pillows, etc.

We keep towels, washcloths and the like on the shelf in these tubs. I have about 10 of these tubs, plus a few half-size tubs. They fit 2-high in the rear overhead compartment and nest in each other. Mostly clothes and some foodstuffs in that compartment plus there is plenty of room for hand-held Dyson vac, foul-weather outfit, and the like tucked in the side cubbys.

By the way, we kept four of the Airstream throw pillows and there are two on each twin bed during the day. At night, the pillows fit very nicely on top of the tubs on the shelf. Solves the problem of where they stow.

I converted to twin beds, but if I still had the couch, it would still clear the shelf and recline.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

I could only find one photo with one of the plastic tubs on the shelf.

Your pic is much appreciated. Even w/ just one, I get a much better visual now. Definitely one I would want to do to mine, if my bike case allows room. Thanks again for this idea.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by wachuko

You got my brain working on how to do something similar... in my case, with the ARB cooler, it needs to be so that:

1. I can open the cooler without having to empty everything. So either the shelve will have to be high enough to be able to open the cooler and still not interfere lowering the bed in place.

2. I can put the bed down without having to empty everythiing ...

Yes, I agree. I saw your pic w/ the ARB cooler on R/S. If I had one, I would definitely engineer the shelf so cooler can be opened AND put bed down without emptying everything. The way I designed my shelf dimensions is to specifically clear the top of the bed by about 3/4" as bed reclines to flat (headrests removed) & without touching anything stored on shelf. Sacrificed little bit of gap space there when bed is in upright position. But that's where my step-ladder stores in transit. It always gets removed way before I ever need to recline bed.

I debated on removing the sliding support & rails. But I decided to keep it for much needed center support since my shelf is almost 70" long. I just finished bolting the shelf to the sliding support. And both ends are now bolted to the side wooden storage pockets w/ 3 bolts each side. I needed this because the front half of the shelf is cantilevered beyond the sliding support's fullest extension. So I need as many anchoring points to make sure if I put my whole 150-lbs. weight on that edge, the shelf does not flip over. I am even thinking of adding light alu crossbar spanning the opening under the shelf (just insurance in case my much more muscular son-in-law) bears down his 200-lbs on it