Greetings! I'm here pondering the usability of hammocks in a tall roof van converion

[accrete]

Hi all, well the title says it all in a sentence

My wife and i are in the planning stages of designing our second van conversion. Most likely it will be based on a long wheel base, long body, hi-roof (7ft) Ford Transit van most likely with the passenger-wagon-look full wrap-around window treatment. In our current rig (due to interior size limitations) we have a traditional bed platform with storage under. For van 2's interior I will be experimenting at home as to the usability of that basic area and always open to input or if even doable. I found your site while doing some research on hammock stands and use. I spent the afternoon/evening devouring several really big threads (understatement...100+ pages each! lots of great info!).

Anywhoo, i look forward to all the fun reads and chats.

Happy Trails,
Thom

Below is a photo of our current Chevy AWD Van conversion setup (non hammock interior) and Parkliner 15ft fiberglass trailer.
We jokingly call this our "34 foot articulated motorhome". We camp mostly on BLM/Forestry Land and off pavement in the trees. Lots of places to _hang_ outside too.
_TCLawdChevyPL2014.jpg

tags... indoor, vehicle, van, fulltimer

[ntxkayakr]

If these are the correct specs my major concern would be the length 87.3"?? not as much the height, 5' would be enough. But this length should be enough with some basic modifications for the Ford Transit van. The 15 ft trailer should be much easier. The great thing about a hammock is that it can be rolled or stuffed up out of the way when not needed into a small space and works well as a seat for at least 2 people per hammock. Several methods to created a stronger stud and mount/anchor on the walls to hold it. Volume of 2 hammocks and quilts most likely less than bed mattress and it's bedding blankets etc. Also easier to take hammocks outside when the weather is comfortable and dry. Hope it works for you.

http://www.ford.com/trucks/transitco...ions/interior/

I have never modified a travel trailer, but a friend of mine has modified his a lot, probably more than I do my house. Same thing for van is my guess.

[2ply]

Welcome to HF from Georgia. Nice looking articulated rig to explore the country in. Could hammock hooks be installed for and aft to clip the hammocks into when you want to use them? Good luck with the design of your new rig.

[jbritely]

I like the idea. When I need a new truck in a year or two, I've been leaning toward the Dodge Sprinter: http://www.dodge.com/pdf/sprinter/complete.pdf

Apparently they don't make them currently but they seem like a good deal. It looks like the cargo model has about a 170 to 180 inch back area. Some have lots of windows.

[accrete]

Greetings and thx for the welcome & comments this morning.

Yuppers on cargo trailer. That could certainly be doable. Just around camp i'm going to try going off the back of trailer as it has a nice area for line (w/pad under ends to protect fiberglass finish) over the top of roof up from front hitch and back to a tree just for doodling hang-sense. Not that there is ever a shortage of trees in the areas we typically camp!

On rig; to clarify, we are looking at the new full size Transit (looks like a sprinter) and found _here_. In the version we are pondering, there is 169" on the floor behind the cab. It is 74" wide, and 84" tall. The interior looks amazingly stout for securing both ends of the hammocks (as seen in the attachment).

In our current rig i think we could do it, though there is only 9 feet from the back of cab to the rear wall and we have overhead storage in the rear that would make it IMO not doable without removal...then...there is the bathroom at nite that would be in the way also...so onto Van 2 Hey, it's only money, right?

On "Dodge Sprinter"... have you seen the new Dodge Promaster (again, it looks like the Sprinter) that was designed by Fiat? Very nice and roomy FWD van. Several sizes...High top is 6'4" H x 78" W x up to 13' on floor behind cab.

Thom

...as i post i'm reading the various reviews here of manufactures. A fun day of reading.

[ntxkayakr]

On rig; to clarify, we are looking at the new full size Transit (looks like a sprinter) and found _here_. In the version we are pondering, there is 169" on the floor behind the cab. It is 74" wide, and 84" tall. The interior looks amazingly stout for securing both ends of the hammocks (as seen in the attachment).

In our current rig i think we could do it, though there is only 9 feet from the back of cab to the rear wall and we have overhead storage in the rear that would make it IMO not doable without removal...then...there is the bathroom at nite that would be in the way also...so onto Van 2 Hey, it's only money, right?

169" is much more than enough length, typically 120" works well, 9' can work OK. On your current rig I wonder if you could configure a bracket or metal stud with hammock anchor/hooks or eye bolts that would hinge down in front of the overhead storage at night when you wanted to hang/sleep. Suspend this bar or bracket from mounts in the wall or from ceiling. Just brainstorming here, difficult for me to think this out clearly without seeing your rig. Many decades ago I designed huge open pit mining equipment, front end loaders and trucks. We just welded stuff up wherever it was needed. (Used CAD to document it after typically) You may be a little more particular with your rig. But if not grab the old arc welder and have some fun… Remembering good times, once a guy in the factory got an almost symmetrical part in wrong and used double/triple welding rods to make it fit, OH those were the good old days, it took me a while to figure it out. Told him "I'll redesign it so there is no doubt that it is NOT symmetrical." Blah Blah, point is the only limitations are your imagination.

[accrete]

169" is much more than enough length, typically 120" works well, 9' can work OK. On your current rig I wonder if... Just brainstorming here, difficult for me to think this out clearly without seeing your rig..

THX for the thoughts/comments...though i know that our current rig would only _maybe_ work for one person in a hammock. There's just to much stuff in it! But with the next rig we will start with a blank canvas



Above is the inside our current rig looking back to the rear doors, there is ~30" from top of platform to underside of the overhead ledge, and the front edge of that ledge is ~7ft from front cab.

[accrete]

This is just a hammock update ramble...since i had this little corner of the forum i might as well add to it

So, my wife and i are enjoying our first hammock purchases as stated above...the ENO SN and DN. What will probably happen with these two is they will be for lounging/day use around the camp. I went ahead an purchased the packable BoonDOX stand and i can hang either of the ENOs on it with their ~95" ridgelines in place and can nap comfortably without hitting the ground. So now i have a way to use the hammocks in paid-parks that have a ban on tree use. I have a photo of it in camp here with the SN and no ridgeline:

Hsammocks at SSF 201408.jpg

My wife really liked the naps in the SN we picked up for her at REI. And she did _nap_ restfully...BUT...those darn flying insects and ants dropping from above prompted her (without my knowledge or prompting) to begin researching something she could call her own in the _woods_ and not have to deal with the pests. Our original thought was to simply utilize the ENOs for lounging around camp, but she liked the idea so much she wanted to experiment with something beyond what the stock ENOs can provide.

About a week of reading here at the forum and she asked me if it would be ok for her to order a Hennessy. I was sort of taken by surprise in a good way... Of course you can! A couple days later we were near an REI south of Seattle (up there on fun-business) and we purchased her Hennessy Expeditions Asymmetrical in time to leave that weekend for a week out in the sticks. The photo above was taken after she hung it for the first time. She's really into it now.

And soooo....i asked her if i could order a WB BB as that is what my research suggested would be a good _fit_ for my 5'8" 140 self. So at some point soon we will have both netted hangs up in the trees. She is open to the idea of testing them out overnight too, which is actually more than i expected so soon as it is hard to bead the apparent safety & security of sleeping in our Van conversion out in the middle of stick-ville. We are both kinda spoiled _glampers_ at this point in our life, but i'm up to it.

Cheers,
Thom

[accrete]

Happiness is...

Getting an email from WarBonnet that your order has shipped.

It will look nice next to my wife's Hennessy next trip out.

I'm going to do the research on what it would take to do a double hammock stand once we have them both and do some measurements. Our initial thought is to snug them up close enough to be comfortable with ~12 or so inches separating the two at the widest point and have both exit out the sides so we are facing each other in a conversational lounge style. I've got the tarps.com page bookmarked for the 1 3/8" fittings.

Thom

[ckmaui]

just curious if you are on expo at all ?
http://www.expeditionportal.com

lots of great vehicle based folks over there who like getting off the beaten path

I want something like a sprinter with both inside and outside hammock setup