Dude you need a bunk bed.

The front seat idea isn't worthwhile.

> On Apr 3, 2015, at 9:43 AM, Poppie Jagersand <poppie.jagersand@YAHOO.CA> wrote:
> 
> Here are some pictures of a 180cm (6' thermarest) put in different hypothetical "bed" positions in the front of the vanagon.
> 
> Across the seats: With doors closed there's about 150cm (5') between the doors, so this only works for short people.
> http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~jag/Pictures/IMG_20150403_100000_sm.JPG 
> 
> Diagonally: Still doesn't fit the whole 6' thermarest, but gives a bit more space. Would be a more complex to build a bed base for..
> http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~jag/Pictures/IMG_20150403_095638_sm.JPG
> 
> Front-to-back. Here the full thermarest fits. 
> http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~jag/Pictures/IMG_20150403_094633_sm.JPG
> 
> As I mentioned before another family take out the front seat and made a plywood bed to put here. Then the front seat has to be stored during night, and the plywood bed during trips.
> 
> I hope there's some intermediate modification, so that it is quick to put in the bed, and no bulky parts to store.
> 
> Thanks for the tip that the Eurovan seat folds flat. Does it fold flat without a "bump"/ridge between the seatback and bottom? Anyone tried if that fits well in a vanagon? (same rail system? Or requires cutting and welding?)
> 
> I agree that messing with the Vanagon seatback mechanism could be dangerous. What I had thought of was if there was a way to keep the cam mechanism for driving, but look for a way that the seatback could be popped out of the cam mechanism for folding, them put back for driving. (So not inventing a new mechanism) During assembly, disassembly obviously the seatback is put in place.
> 
> Martin
> 
> 
>     On Friday, April 3, 2015 9:42 AM, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Don't mess with the seat back tilt, that mechanism is structural for safety in a rear end collision.  You don't want that seat breaking and launching a passenger backwards.  The seat is easy to remove, it just slides off the front of the swivel, so you could build a folding plywood platform with folding legs to put over the swivel. It could run from the glove box to the end of the seat bed if you want.
> 
> Put the seat outside under a tarp and you have your bed solution.
> 
> The hammock over the seats can also work if you roll down the window and let your feet extend.  A friend did that for his son until he was about 14, at least when it wasn't raining!
> 
> Stuart
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Poppie Jagersand
> Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2015 8:27 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Pass front seat bed or other 3rd bed ideas?
> 
>> My daughter currently sleeps in a hammock across the front seats:
>> 
>> http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~jag/Pictures/1406GerSwedenSelect/IMG_20
>> 140605_074726_sm.JPG That works for a kid up to about 150cm.
>> 
>> Does anyone have suggestions for how to create a longer 3rd bed up front?
>> 
>> I saw a family who each night took out the passenger front seat and 
>> put in a plywood bed extending backwards partway across the sliding 
>> door. However, taking out the seat is tedious and creates a storage problem for it.
>> 
>> If the back of the passenger seat could be made to fold all the way 
>> back flat I was thinking a small extension in the front could make it 
>> a bed. (Or swirvel the seat and make an extension towards the rear)
>> 
>> Something like appears to have been done here in a small station wagon
>> (Mini)
>> 
>> http://caravanlounge.de/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/17d66970-d27c-0130-
>> f62a-00163e2e85a5.jpg
>> 
>> So would it be possible to modify the vanagon seat so it folds more 
>> than 30degrees? The cam mechanism looks non-trivial. Is the seatback 
>> tilting mechanism the same for 82-84 and 85+?
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Martin
>>