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Sometimes, my mods work out perfectly the first time. And sometimes, they’re so horribly uncomfortable, I’m left scrambling for how to fix it.
This video shows one of the latter.
I’ve previously removed a Froli Sheet Snagger System (FSSS) and added bed slats to our old RV, Lance. That went just fine, and it was plenty comfortable. But in our Winnebago EKKO, there was something about the foam mattress that just didn’t want to play nice with the slats. I don’t know what it was, but our EKKO’s mattress felt WAY WORSE with the slats than it did with the FSSS. Combine that with the fact that I’m a stomach sleeper, and I was pretty close to reversing my mod entirely.
RV mattresses are usually weird sizes, so this led me on a quest to find a mattress that would fit our EKKO’s twin beds. I found one from Mattress Insider. I paid full retail for the mattress, and I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about the folks at Mattress Insider. (Full Disclosure: we have no relationship at all with Mattress Insider – other than being a customer.)
The mattress is exactly the size advertised (30″ x 76″). It’s exactly as firm as they represented. They even phoned me before making it because I had filled in a little comment field on their order page saying I wanted a really firm mattress. (I didn’t think anyone actually read that stuff, but apparently they do!) They had options for making the mattress even firmer, but after they explained things to me, I decided to go with their “off the shelf” firmness of 8/10.
Because folks will want to know, here are a few links:
- Mattress Insider 8″ PARK MEADOW POCKETED COIL MATTRESS II: This is the exact mattress I bought, in 30″ x 76″
- IKEA LURÖY Slatted bed base, Queen: These are the right width for the EKKO beds. And if you buy them in the queen size, it’s like a two-fer!
- Pro-Dec Snap Cap Screw Covers: Been using these for years. They dress up a #8 screw perfectly.
And that’s about it. The rest of it, well, you can see it in the video. Even if you don’t plan to mod your bed, it’s a fun one to watch. (At least, I think so!)
Cheers!
I think I get that one of the early problems was that the slats bottomed out on you. But it seems you had extra slats (or not, but I thought I saw cutting some off.) Couldn’t you just space them closer together?
The two slats I cut off were for the very (foot) end of the bed. I reinstalled them.
I do have a second set of slats, so I could have doubled up on them. But the problem was more than the slats simply bending and hitting the decking. The problem was also that I could *feel* the slats through the foam mattress. It was very uncomfortable. I’ve also heard from others who have tried it that just removing the FSSS and putting the mattress on the deck is actually quite uncomfortable. That foam mattress just works best with the Froli underneath it.
My 2 cents:
Wow. Make sure Seph doesn’t put a pea under you mattress. Actually, maybe you were feeling the little progs from the Froll, and that was the problem!!
Actually I think you just wanted a mattress higher than Steph’s, and if you just put your new one on the floor in your shop, you would be quite happy with it!!!
(I’ve actually thought about sleeping out there…)
Someone in the Travato group covered the Froli springs with mesh a few years back. Ever see that in action?
Never saw that. Did they like it?
Don’t recall ever following up. I’ll see if I can find it. Looking at some fabric to try that in my EKKO.
Hey, Were did you get those shades. Were they part of the original Ekko?
I am not a fan of the box blind I have.
Those shades are a prototype we’re testing out with another company for eventual production. They’re not quite ready yet, but when they are, you’ll see an announcement here on The Fit RV!
You have such a cool workshop! I loved the way this turned out!
Thanks!
Uh oh… does Stef now have mattress envy?
To be honest, I was expecting the clacking of the slats to drive you bonkers.
The slats don’t seem to clack much under this new mattress. At least not that I’ve noticed yet.
Stef likes the softer mattress and isn’t interested in replacing hers yet. Over time, if that mattress wears in, I expect she might change her mind.
I must be missing something. Why not just drill holes in the platform under the mattress (for ventilation). Then no slats needed.
Interesting idea. But that would have been a LOT of holes! I would have worried about things falling down into them, never to be seen again…
The queen sized mattress that came with our rig was way too thin, so we visited a local family owned mattress store that makes their own mattresses specifically for boats and RVs. Rather than have one mattress, we chose to have two separate twins made, each with the unique firmness that each of us wanted.
Our bed is an odd size with 45 degree corners in back. The mattress folks made a paper template to make sure they got it right. We are very pleased with their work.
Another up-vote for custom mattresses!!
Your workshop is cleaner than my kitchen. (That’s a good thing.)
Ha!
The clean workshop is a bit of a thing for me… I’d go bonkers if it wasn’t.