Making the bed

[TransAmerica]

Hi Everyone,

We've been in our 23' 2008 Safari SE full time since adding it to our Trans-Americas Journey in June. Every morning we get up and wrestle the 300 pound bedspread off it, then begin the acrobatics required to make the bed which, as anyone who's been inside this model knows, is an odd shape wedged into a corner with only 1.5 sides accessible from the floor.

Thought about posting this issue/question on our blog, but wanted to come to the experts here first. So.....has anyone come up with an easier way to make the bed in this model????

thanks!

Karen & Eric
Trans-Americas Airstream Road Trip

[mandolindave]

Here are two options.
#1 You could invite my lady and my daughter. They will fill up every bed with clothes and make up. There will be no room for you to sleep and no bed to make.
#2 I bought an inexpensive comfy patchwork quilt. It's tucked in nice and tight. I sleep on top of the quilt. When I wake up , I throw the pillows and blankets in a cabinet.

[cameront120]

Travasak

Travasak

[3streams]

Originally Posted by cameront120

Travasak

Travasak

Great looking product- do you own one yourself? We have various sleeping arrangements depending on the trailer we are in- they would be great for the globetrotter which you have to sleep on the gauchos and make the bed each night/ morning. When we owned the 2005 International 25' the bed was a PIA to make- it was in the corner and you could only access part of it from the floor. At least in the vintage ones the beds are almost all square- maybe just not traditional sizes.

[cameront120]

No, I don't have one, but have put a bug in Santa's ear, so I can only hope. I've heard very good things about the product from my aunt and uncle who use them in their SOB. Fortunatley, the front goucho of my Tradewind is fairly easy to make and is set up as my permanent bed (i'm fulltiming right now). A travasak would make it easier to throw the bedding aside when I have people over and need the gaucho for seating.

[Foiled Again]

First thing - throw out the 300 lb bedspread - or offer it for sale on the classifieds - or cut it up and make big pillow covers for lounging on the bed or dinette - which is what I did.

Travasack seems to be a great product. If you like the look, by all means use it. I've never heard anyone say they didn't like theirs.

I bought flat hotel sheets, and made my own "airstream shaped" bottom sheets with a bit of tailoring and elastic. I made a "mattress lifting strap" for my former 22 CCD, and have the transverse queen in my 25 FB SE - which I may add the same strap to, because you can BARELY get around the side facing the front windows. Here's how it works. Get six to seven feet of nylon strapping (or steal a seatbelt from a car in a junkyard). Screw it down to the bed base on the aisle side and run it back UNDER the mattress to the side wall. You may want to sew a loop on the free end too. Keep the excess stowed next to the wall. When changing sheets or doing a really good bedmaking job grab the strap and pull it toward you until the mattress is vertical. Take off the bottom sheet, tuck a new sheet over the back corners, let the mattress down, tuck in the front corners. Put the top sheet and blankets on, tuck the front corners, lift up one more time and tuck the rear side. Done.

Customizing your interior is part of the fun of owning an Airstream. There's one member here who made three sets of slipcovers - and I think is now offering several sets for sale on the forums.

Enjoy.

Paula

[starflyte1]

We had two Travelsaks. They are a great idea, attractive, well made, solve a lot of problems, but, we found even the summer top was too much cover. We do live in Florida and don't camp in really cold weather but they were just too hot for us.

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by cameront120

Travasak

We used to call them sleeping bags

[altamont]

We had a Travasak in our old hybrid and it was a great answer on how to make up a bed and take down a bed in seconds. One side for cool weather, one side for hot. Neat idea. In fact, we kept it as our only blanket on our AS

[halimer]

We have owned one for about 8 years in 3 different campers. It is a great product and you make the bed in seconds. We keep a sheet on the mattress and the Travask on top.

[Gene]

Karen and Eric,

We got rid of the 350 lb. bulky bedspread on our queen bed (bigger bed means extra pounds) and went to the Pendleton outlet store in Lincoln City, Ore., and there was a bedspread called a blanket at 25% or so off made of 80% wool, 20% cotton. Light, warm enough since we have a lightweight but warm blanket underneath, and it looks a lot better than that 1950's bedspread they come with and my mother would like.

I see on your blog you were in the northwest 2 weeks ago and maybe still are. Check Pendleton's website (a bit confusing) for their outlet stores—one is a little east of Vancouver, Wash., has a big parking lot and is bigger than the one in Lincoln City. The outlet mall in L. City is hard to see from the highway, but does have RV parking of sort in the back. There are a couple of other outlet stores.

Gene

[tslanier]

The absolute best investment for comfort and ease we have made since Airstreaming. I wouldn't own an Airstream without it.

[P&J]

We used the 300lb bed spread only once for an AS Rally. Since then it has been packed away. Has anyone cut it up into anything useful, something more than pillows? I would love some ideas?
Judy

[Goin camping]

First thing is to dump the factory bedspread. Give it to a homeless person. After we did that we put down a sheet and zipped two sleeping bags together and have been happy since.

[cammur]

We swear by the Travasak, one side light-weight for summer the other side heavier for winter, a washable sheet liner held in by Velcro. I rarely if ever have found it too hot - I never zip my side, and just fluff it back a bit if a bit too warm, or fold it back toward the middle of the bed. I have been too cold, and we just throw on a fleece blanket.

Yes, it is expensive, but no bed-making hassles, looks good in solid light-brown color, comfortable.

[Boxite]

Travasak is out of business, but a similar product is "Superbag" :

RVSuperbag.com