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Old 04-07-2016, 08:58 AM   #1
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Permanent bed in a 17B?

Hello,

Flatlandreader and I are excited about our January 3, 2017 build date for our new 17B. It should be a bit bigger and a lot easier to maintain than our 13' 1979 Trillium.

We've selected the 17B on account of the interior privy, but there was some wrestling over the issue of the permanent bed in the 17A. The PITA factor for the Trillium is having to change from table to bed regularly. This precludes midday naps for one while the other continues to work at the table.

Has anyone tried to covert the 17B 4-person table/bed combination into a permanent 52" wide bed? A full mattress has got to be more comfortable than cushions. We would entertain getting a custom mattress made, if we didn't like what ETI might come up with.

I anticipate issues with access and storage, to the space below the bed. Has anyone dealt with this? I don't have a strong memory of the 17B internal layout, having seen one just once.

It will just be the two of us using the camper. We're not quite crippled by extreme introversion ... but we're not buying a trailer to entertain 50 of our closest friends. A permanent bed and a two person table will be just fine for us ...

Stephen
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Old 04-07-2016, 09:04 AM   #2
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Stephen, my guess would be that a LOT of us with 17's use that area as a permanent bed. We bought a high density, (expensive) foam topper and others have just replaced the cushions with mattresses as you mention.
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Old 04-07-2016, 09:11 AM   #3
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I removed the table hardware to make it easier to use the storage area under it & replaced the ETI cushions with a gym mat & tapered mattress topper (I have acid reflux). The only problem has been getting to the converter to replace blown fuses (it is a bit of a crawl). 3/4 sized sheets are a good fit for the permanent bed.

While I don't do it often, I can still get at the under bench storage since the gym mat is made of sections so it can be folded out of the way.

I also replaced the front cushions with far more comfortable chairs - Photos of both are at my trailer modifications page.
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Old 04-07-2016, 09:41 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by FlatlandFlyFisher View Post
Hello,

Flatlandreader and I are excited about our January 3, 2017 build date for our new 17B. It should be a bit bigger and a lot easier to maintain than our 13' 1979 Trillium.

We've selected the 17B on account of the interior privy, but there was some wrestling over the issue of the permanent bed in the 17A. The PITA factor for the Trillium is having to change from table to bed regularly. This precludes midday naps for one while the other continues to work at the table.

Has anyone tried to covert the 17B 4-person table/bed combination into a permanent 52" wide bed? A full mattress has got to be more comfortable than cushions. We would entertain getting a custom mattress made, if we didn't like what ETI might come up with.

I anticipate issues with access and storage, to the space below the bed. Has anyone dealt with this? I don't have a strong memory of the 17B internal layout, having seen one just once.

It will just be the two of us using the camper. We're not quite crippled by extreme introversion ... but we're not buying a trailer to entertain 50 of our closest friends. A permanent bed and a two person table will be just fine for us ...

Stephen
Stephen,
We have a 17A, precisely because we get a full-time queen bed in the front that we don't have to convert during the day. We elected to forego the bath, and just use a porta-potty (we've camped with one for years, mostly for the nightime). We love the 8" queen mattress.
Storage under our full-time bed is reached through a pair of cabinet doors.
For a full time 17B two-person bed, your storage will be shared with the electrical, and the water pump, under the drivers side rear. I'm not sure what ETI's reconfiguration would be, there.
Here are some of ETI's build photos of our 17.

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/me...albums163.html

One shows the very nice 8" permanent mattress. Under is the twin cabinet doors for access. (The door on the right is the porta-potty storage.) The dinette view shows where the electrical panel normally resides, under the drivers side dinette bench.

Hope this aids your planning.
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Old 04-07-2016, 09:52 AM   #5
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Has anyone tried to covert the 17B 4-person table/bed combination into a permanent 52" wide bed? A full mattress has got to be more comfortable than cushions. We would entertain getting a custom mattress made, if we didn't like what ETI might come up with

The rear dinette in the 17b is restricted to 49x77 if that makes a difference to you. The 17 brochure at ETI states that a 52x77 permanent bed is available at the front in a 17a. Because of the cabinetry, any bed is going to be restricted to a 49" width unless there has been some major design change. To many, 3" doesn't matter but to some it might.
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Old 04-07-2016, 10:02 AM   #6
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17B permanant bed

We have a 15A and had a custom mattress made ($400) for the rear bed. The mattress is super comfortable compared to the original cushions (in storage). The rear table hardware was removed and the space under the bed is used for storage. We will will do the same with our new 17B (on order) that will have the rear access hatch to add more storage.
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Old 04-07-2016, 10:26 AM   #7
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You guys are fantastic! Flatlandreader has promised to weigh in shortly ...
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Old 04-07-2016, 10:34 AM   #8
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Bed width

Quote:
Originally Posted by techfan View Post
The rear dinette in the 17b is restricted to 49x77 if that makes a difference to you. The 17 brochure at ETI states that a 52x77 permanent bed is available at the front in a 17a. Because of the cabinetry, any bed is going to be restricted to a 49" width unless there has been some major design change. To many, 3" doesn't matter but to some it might.
Heh. I'm used to that. On the Trillium, the bed width reduces from 45" wide at the top and bottom, to 42" wide in the centre. So, if an extended camping trip doesn't bring you close to paramour, the bed will! 49" wide is almost like a King bed in comparison

thanks, y'all!
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Old 04-07-2016, 11:03 AM   #9
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When we had our 17B I removed the table and made the dinette into a permanent bed and ordered a custom mattress from Escape that fit like a glove. I think they charged me $300 for the mattress but that was back in 2009 ........................ I then made a large roll out drawer for storage under the bed area.

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Old 04-07-2016, 01:12 PM   #10
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Barry, I like the idea of roll out drawers under the bed.

Useful thoughts to compare to up-sizing to the 19!
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Old 04-07-2016, 01:21 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by flatlandreader View Post
Barry, I like the idea of roll out drawers under the bed.

Useful thoughts to compare to up-sizing to the 19!
I used a piece of 3/4" plywood, screwed down, to bridge the area where the table would have been and then hung the drawer on large full extension drawer guides. The drawer was so large that I ended up putting dividers in it to keep things organised.

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Old 04-07-2016, 01:27 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by barry View Post
I used a piece of 3/4" plywood, screwed down, to bridge the area where the table would have been and then hung the drawer on large full extension drawer guides. The drawer was so large that I ended up putting dividers in it to keep things organised.

Barry
If you didn't move it (or Escape put it in a different location than in the face of the rear drivers side bench) does the drawer present problems getting at the converter?
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Old 04-07-2016, 01:30 PM   #13
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My version of drawers under the bed in the 17B required little more than a debit card. Found these at Lordco. No identifying brand on the containers, that I can find.
They adjust up and down to fit your requirements. Four of them fit perfectly.
Attached Thumbnails
Storage.jpg  
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Old 04-07-2016, 01:35 PM   #14
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Our underbed storage usually consists of a duffle bag full of dirty clothes that grows larger the longer we travel.
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Old 04-07-2016, 06:29 PM   #15
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I just ordered a 17B on Monday and asked Sarah about the permanent bed. This was her reply:
There are 2 different options for a permanent bed in a 17B. One option is $200 and includes us fully enclosing the dinette into a permanent bed, including the mattress. The other option is no charge -
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Old 04-07-2016, 06:33 PM   #16
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Oops - hit submit too soon!

- the dinette benches would remain standard, however, we would swap the cushions for a mattress. That way, you could easily change it back into a dinette at any time."
Sounded like a pretty good deal to me! Not sure which way I'll go. I like the idea of the long rolling drawers - I'd just have to figure out how to install them.
Hope this helps!
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Old 04-07-2016, 08:37 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by blhvet View Post
I just ordered a 17B on Monday and asked Sarah about the permanent bed. This was her reply:
There are 2 different options for a permanent bed in a 17B. One option is $200 and includes us fully enclosing the dinette into a permanent bed, including the mattress. The other option is no charge -
Ain't that called service... Escape Custom Service.
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Old 04-07-2016, 09:33 PM   #18
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Many thanks, all.

My inclination is the first option in bihvet's note "fully enclosing the dinette into a permanent bed, including the mattress", but the real questions come into access to the space below, including the fuze blowing machine, I mean, inverter.
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Old 04-08-2016, 05:49 AM   #19
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Yep, need to maintain access to the electronics. You can purchase plastic tubs with wheels that will give you the same storage capacity as a drawer and be easier to remove to get to fuse box. You will also want to purchase an adjustable curtain rod to put across the face of these tubs to secure them going down the road. Works well. I wish we had a permanent bed there with a softer mattress.
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Old 04-08-2016, 09:33 PM   #20
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Yard sale, that's a great idea about the curtain rod.

So, if you get the permanent bed with the enclosed dinette, I have 2 questions - 1)i. Is the entire area under the bed open for storage, or just the part that would have been under the table (not the benches)? 2)can anybody tell me how large the doors are? (Could you get a decent sized storage tub through it?). If anybody has any pics, that would be awesome! Thanks! Brenda
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