I know it isn't a hard hitting technical issue, but I solved a small peeve
about our Westy, and thought I should share.

The Lovely and Talented Suzanne & I are both tall. We like the upper bunk
in the Westy far more than the lower. The lower bunk, while more thickly
padded, is narrower. Suzanne is not like many women who, while sleeping,
are chilly, heat absorbing masses. She generates heat like a tokamac
deuterium furnace, making a small bed an unbearable inferno in all but
arctic conditions. I'm not complaining, but I digress...

The top bunk was too short for us, though; our heads almost dangled off the
edge. I kept envisioning creating a sock-like canvas protrusion for the end
of the canvas tent to accommodate our feet. That would be a lot of trouble
though.

This past weekend, while camped off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linn Cove
Viaduct, it dawned on me that a 48" x 10.4" board, topped with a 2" pad and
some woolen upholstery cloth would fill the gap between the end of the
mattress head and the vertical Westy-top support. Neither one of us get up
in the middle of the night, so having a small gap to below is a-okay with
us.

I used 5/8" finish-sand grade 7-layer plywood. Bought at Home Deep-oh for
$8, cut to size for free. Foam pad was $2.00 for a 24" x 24" x 2" piece at
a local fabric and home store. Woolen material was $9.00 for a yard at same
store. Matches upper mattress (tan cover) almost exactly. My staple gun and
Spray adhesive (stick the foam to the board) were in the work shed.

Works like a charm.  I can't take the time for a nap today, but I made it
last night, and put it in this a.m. Perfect. The bed is plenty long, and
should fit the "hot chick" and me just fine.

G. Matthew Bulley
Principal
Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
Communications for Organizational Development
www.bulley-hewlett.com
(888) 468-4880 toll free