Basecamp Bed Improvemants

[SchuHouse]

Hello fellow ‘Streamers.
After taking a few year hiatus from exploring the roads via our airstream we are back. After selling our ‘28 FC Airstream five years ago to explore boating and some international travel we are back to the roads in the US with a soon to be acquired Basecamp 16X this coming October.
My question is on the bedding. All the above mods look like good ideas. Does anyone have updates or other mattress mods that have worked?
Thank you all for all the sharing you do as a community.

[LaRoze]

We have a double ExPed inflatable that we use for tent camping that would probably work, but it's a little squishy for sitting upright on. We sleep on a futon so I'm really really hoping just the cushions will be fine for us, so I don't have to fuss. Has anyone tried putting sheets on the cushions (My first newbie post--I wont get mine until March 2021!).

[ColoradoBCer]

Originally Posted by LaRoze

We have a double ExPed inflatable that we use for tent camping that would probably work, but it's a little squishy for sitting upright on. We sleep on a futon so I'm really really hoping just the cushions will be fine for us, so I don't have to fuss. Has anyone tried putting sheets on the cushions (My first newbie post--I wont get mine until March 2021!).

I’m 6,2, 228 lbs, 56 yo avid mountain biker, hiker, etc., I usually go to bed sore. The stock cushions have been fine for sleeping. My wife thinks the bed is comfy. She’s 5’9 125 lbs. We read this thread when we first got our BC and brought our Thermarest tent pads with us. They were more hassle than they were worth.

[SchuHouse]

I’m strongly considering adding a Froli Sleep System to our Basecamp as soon as we have it in October. The Froli is the same system used in NuCamp TAB 400 and Winnebago Travato.
I will assemble it in 8 compartments to mar]tech the modified bed configuration. Curious if anyone else has tried this system in a Basecamp?

[SchuHouse]

Originally Posted by Rg416

We are hoping the cushions will be good but our fallback is to use our Exped MegaMat 10's. We got 2 of these for our last couple of tent camping trips and they are just fantastic. Just about as comfortable as a real bed. They are a combination of self inflating closed cell foam like a Thermarest and some added air. Exped sell a thing called a Schnozzel Bag that is like a large stuff sack. It attaches to the inflation valve of the pad and you just hold it open, then quickly close it up and press the large volume of air into the mattress. 2-3 of these and its full. It's ingenious. Like, 15 seconds.
They should fit sideways (squeezed in) in the Basecamp and will make it super comfortable. We'll probably just partially deflate and throw them into the back of the SUV during the day.

Rj, I know this is old post but did the Exped fit?

[Rg416]

Originally Posted by SchuHouse

Rj, I know this is old post but did the Exped fit?

Hi, back then a lot of people were having problems with their new Basecamps, so we changed our order to the 22 Sport and are very happy with the real bed which is very comfortable. Still love the Basecamp and wish everyone well that has one. I’m sure the MegaMat would fit (maybe squeezed in the corners) and would be comfortable, but was not looking forward to breaking it all down daily, and rolling the MegaMats up to store in the car. I didn’t want to lose the space in the back keeping it set up bed style. That’s another reason for the change to the Sport with its dedicated bed. Good luck!
Rich

[Davidvan]

We just purchased a 2017 Basecamp last week, the Cushions were not soft enough for my wife We went to REI and purchased a self inflating mattress that is 55 inches wide x 77 inches long and 4inches tall. Problem solved and with the sale they had going on we ended up spending $180. It’s a little long but the extra length was rolled up a under our feet, didn’t even notice it.

[JoanAnnette]

I'm still looking for the perfect solution for sleeping in Basecamp. This this futon move around? I tried several camping "mattresses" under a sleeping bag and they're all "slippper" and by am bed is a mess and so am I. Help!
Basecamp only model that doesn't feature fitted sheets we can buy.
Has anyone tried a "short king" (72 x 75)?
Thanks...

[RVinwoods]

We got an exped megamat double self inflating mattress which is like sleeping on a home mattress. When done deflate and store till next night. May take an extra 10 minutes but comfort worth it for husband and me. Weighs about 13 lbs and can inflate to 6”

[Mercerme]

I am contemplating a tempurpedic 3” topper with cooling gel. It can be trimmed to fit. Thoughts or experience with this?

[RG9999]

I have a 2019 Basecamp, and I recently added a 3" Tempur-Pedic Supreme mattress topper. Purchased at Bed Bath & Beyond with a coupon but it still cost just under $400. In just a few words, it was a fantastic investment and has made for many comfortable nights of sleeping. I'm not sure about the cooling version, as I am a cool and cold weather camper only. What I can say is this... Among the Tempurpedic 3" topper options, this was the most expensive, but also was the most dense and supportive. Absolutely no regrets for the money spent. I also created a template out of butcher paper for the trim process. All in all, from my personal experience, this was the best mattress topper I believe I could have selected and it is fantastic.

[Mercerme]

RG9999, thank you for the insight.

[RG9999]

You bet..... Happy trails!

[Al Denty]

Originally Posted by RG9999

I recently added a 3" Tempur-Pedic Supreme mattress topper.

RG9999: We just got our Basecamp and are looking for the best solution to this issue. We tried the Thermarest pads, but they move around a lot, make noise when you roll over, and they're just a little inconvenient to use.

Where do you store your mattress topper during the day when you're not using it? If you store it in the Basecamp, do you have any photos showing how much room it takes up? Or do you just leave the bed made all day?

Thanks for letting us gain the benefit of your experience!

[SchuHouse]

Originally Posted by BasecampCouple

RG9999: We just got our Basecamp and are looking for the best solution to this issue. We tried the Thermarest pads, but they move around a lot, make noise when you roll over, and they're just a little inconvenient to use.

Where do you store your mattress topper during the day when you're not using it? If you store it in the Basecamp, do you have any photos showing how much room it takes up? Or do you just leave the bed made all day?

Thanks for letting us gain the benefit of your experience!

We tried 3” tempurpedic...takes up too much room and was a hassle. We purchase two Sea-to-Summit Comfort plus mattresses from REI. Fits perfect..can adjust firmness. We placed them east-west and they fit snug and don’t move. We place one on top of the other during the day and set up just one table. I can send pic..

[SchuHouse]

Picture of bed ready for sleep. We use The large shams to store pillows extra blankets And sleep ware. It works perfect for us. We each have two Rumples. One lite weight and one heavy. Having twins allows us to each choose our own weights.

[Rolind]

We have two common scenarios. Just the wife and I, or the wife and I and one or more kids and their spouses and pups. We purchased two twin 1.5” toppers and a giant duffel bag. When the kids don’t come we just roll up the toppers and the bed clothes and leave them against the back door and only set up one table. When the kids and the pups come, we roll everything up and put it in a giant duffel and set it outside or in the truck if it is wet. Your will be surprised how many people can sit comfortably in the basecamp 16 with both tables set up.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Al Denty]

Originally Posted by SchuHouse

Picture of bed ready for sleep. We use The large shams to store pillows extra blankets And sleep ware. It works perfect for us. We each have two Rumples. One lite weight and one heavy. Having twins allows us to each choose our own weights.

I like this set-up, especially how you stow everything during the day. We are both 5'10", and I don't think that the shape of the Basecamp would be conducive to being able to stretch out in an east-west orientation. That said, we will give it a try when we go out on a trip this week and see if that would work. Thanks!

[Al Denty]

Originally Posted by Rolind

We purchased two twin 1.5” toppers and a giant duffel bag.

That is an interesting set-up, and those mattress toppers seem to be a perfect size. If we go in that direction, I would either stow them in the truck during the day or look into installing a cargo net slung between the rear ceiling storage compartments. Thanks!

[Rolind]

Sorry about the hijack, but... we looked into a cargo net across the rear but there is not a lot of head room back there and we thought it wouldn’t work. But we did hang a cargo net in the front which is amazing for light storage above the stove.