Those pesky beds in the back or where did I put my glasses?

[Caryl]

Calling all Bambi owners and others with the bed jammed in the back.

Has anyone added a shelf for a little night time storage for glasses, water glass/bottle/magazine/book/etc. on the walls around the bed? I am looking for ideas. A small hammock (like in a tent for storage), one of those suction cup wire shower holder thingys??

The egress window should not be obstructed. It can't stick out so a head is banged.

Ideas????

Caryl

[overlander63]

Even though we don't have a Bambi, I built a small folding shelf to hold an alarm clock and a pair of glasses for the bed area of our trailer. It's about 6 inches (out from the wall) by 12 inches. You could add a piece of trim around the edge to keep things from rolling off it and smacking you in the head in the middle of the night. The shelf folds down out of the way when not needed. When folded down, it sticks out about an inch or so.

[Johnco]

I made a small removable shelf that hangs from two small hooks that I put in the bottom of the cabinet above. I'll try to post a picture in the next day or two if I can get out to the trailer.

[Caryl]

Ooh, pictures would be delicious. I was thinking about purchasing a small square or rectangular container of some sort (wire mesh maybe) and attaching velcro to it and the wall.

Did either of you, Overlander 63 or Johnco attach to an aluminum wall? I have an International and would like a little shelf on the bath side and the wall (aluminum) on the other side.

thanks,

Caryl

[richinny]

a dishwasher utensil basket might work well. it has compartments and a handle! you could put it on the floor and reach it from the bed.

[Lily&Me]

We are in a rear-sleeper Interstate, which contained no magazine or other racks of any kind. In order to match our interior, we had a carpenter make two magazine racks with a small attached shelf to mount at the foot of the bed. (head being the rear door) Look great, were exactly what we needed.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Caryl

Ooh, pictures would be delicious. I was thinking about purchasing a small square or rectangular container of some sort (wire mesh maybe) and attaching velcro to it and the wall.

Did either of you, Overlander 63 or Johnco attach to an aluminum wall? I have an International and would like a little shelf on the bath side and the wall (aluminum) on the other side.

thanks,

Caryl

I attached ours to the ersatz wood wall, but there is no reason you can't put it on the aluminum wall. Do I understand you correctly, that you want to put a shelf on the wall in the bedroom, and use the same mounting holes for a shelf in the bathroom? I don't see why it wouldn't work, you'd just have to be careful of your measurements, so the holes would line up.

[Johnco]

Sorry it took so long, but here are a couple of pictures showing the shelf itself and how it looks installed. The hooks make it easy to take down for when the trailer in motion. It's big enough to hold a water bottle, flashlight and my reading glasses, yet small enough to stay out of the way.

[CreekPeople]

You mentioned a small hammock gizzy...you might find this in a boat shop. We had these in our small sail boat some time back...However that shelf posted with the two pictures is pretty spiffy...CreekPeople

[Snowey BC]

Our International has a stock magazine rack, we had it moved up 6 inches as to not hit your elbow on it. We tend to put our glasses on the mirror shelf that is across from the closet, again stock, we reinforce that unit with mirror clips and short stainless screws . We have our clock affixed to the aluminum wall by velcro and it has yet to fall off, we have logged many miles and some not to friendly ones as well. Lots of options for you to look into, the stock ones would be available at your dealer, if your unit doesn't have them.

Jackie

[Caryl]

These are great ideas. Thanks so much. Johnco, the shelf you made is really great. Since I have a glass/cup of water at night, I need something with 4 sides in case we are slightly off level. Cold water on my head in the middle of the night would truly be shocking.

I looked at the wire shelving gizmos for home shower use at Bed Bath and Beyond. They are designed to hold shampoo bottles and the like. I found one that was inexpensive with two powerful suction cups on the back. I bought it and used it on our trip last weekend. Very successful. The suction held even while traveling. It can be positioned anywhere and that feature is useful since the unit is about 4 inches deep. It is made of wire which looks good with the aluminum walls, but the wire spacing is wide leaving large gaps. It is not a perfect solution, but it did hold a glass, my glasses case and the tv remote. I will be searching for the ideal solution, but this worked well enough. I still think there is a better solution out there, so I will keep looking.

I don't have the building skills of Johnco, so I will be looking at purchased solutions that can be modified by Velcro.

Thanks so much for the ideas. I am exploring all of them.

All the best,
Caryl

[Phantom]

Hi Caryl.... You've probably already found better solutions... but here are my simplistic ones. We have a 19' Bambi Safari with padded, knobby white fabric walls. We are on our 2nd winter of full-timing. We are very simple and minimalist folks. For Donna's glasses at night we installed a little stick-on hook which goes on the very bottom of the side wall of the overhead storage bin. The little hook hangs just below the bottom edge.... nothing to hit your head on when you sit up. I took an extra fabric/vinyl type glasses case... basic slide in style... and put a tiny slit in it with a knife. It hangs perfectly on the little hook. Donna's happy. Her little maglite flashlight goes behind the window shade. My flashlight sits in the crease between mattress and shower wall. The mattress fit is so tight it won't fall down . My clock is a small thin travel clock. It goes under my pillow... has a push button light in it... Told you I was simple
Phamtom

[BigPlay]

Originally Posted by Caryl

Calling all Bambi owners and others with the bed jammed in the back.

Has anyone added a shelf for a little night time storage for glasses, water glass/bottle/magazine/book/etc. on the walls around the bed? I am looking for ideas. A small hammock (like in a tent for storage), one of those suction cup wire shower holder thingys??

The egress window should not be obstructed. It can't stick out so a head is banged.

Ideas????

Caryl

Check Lowes or Home Depot for a chrome or stainless steel shower head tray. You know, the one that slip over your shower head to hold things like a bar of soap and wash cloths.There generally have 2-3 levels. I bought 2 and cut the levels separate with a hacksaw. I then mounted the wire tray with aluminum tubing mounts to the side of the storage above the bed. It has just enough room for the tray with the soap holder along with the attached hook rings below it that can hold you watch and glasses. I put the TV controls in the tray when I decide to go to sleep after watching TV. I have also used the cut off sections for next to the sink. I put a sponge in the soap holder and hung hot pads and a small splatter screen for my frying pan below. I also purchased a chrome wire magazine rack on the wall of the bathroom to hold reading material.

[wxbuoy]

One of the tricks we do on ships is to attach a binnocular box (availible at any marine store in either plastic or teak) to the wall with Velcro. Works like a champ! I put my book and glasses with no problem. There is even room for you ipod.

[Caryl]

After a few trips, I found that the solution using suction cup shower holders was unsatisfactory. They slipped and were too cumbersome to be useful. I did, however, find a better solution at The Container Store in the kitchen section. The have a product called Magic Loc that has modular sections. Some on rails, some are very high quality suction. They are shiny stainless steel. We love them. I have two of them. The rail system units were too long and required some drilling. Here is a picture from the Container Store website of what I bought. This problem is solved. You can see more units on-line at the Container Store site.

[BigPlay]

Originally Posted by Caryl

After a few trips, I found that the solution using suction cup shower holders was unsatisfactory. They slipped and were too cumbersome to be useful. I did, however, find a better solution at The Container Store in the kitchen section. The have a product called Magic Loc that has modular sections. Some on rails, some are very high quality suction. They are shiny stainless steel. We love them. I have two of them. The rail system units were too long and required some drilling. Here is a picture from the Container Store website of what I bought. This problem is solved. You can see more units on-line at the Container Store site.

I took some pictures of my approach to the problem. I can email you the photos if you would like.

[Bellah]

Our 2007 Bambi came with 2 book/magazine racks mounted on the bathroom wall right by the bed. The plastic parts slip off the metal racks. My wife replaced them with some little plastic basket she got at the dollar store and they fit perfectly. (3 for a dollar).
Perfect for glasses, pocket change, little flashlight, etc.