Although we gave it a minute or so, we knew pretty early on that the seating in the back of our 1975 GMC Motorhome Eleganza 2 was going to become a bed. Because we will be living in the motorhome, not weekend camping, we need the bed to be comfortable. Before we decided on the mattress, and the equally important sheeting, we did significant restomod-ing to the back area. We replaced the water pump and removed the heater hose that diverts heat from the engine to the water tank while driving. While we appreciated the concept of having warm water when you arrive at your destination, we were concerned if the hose were to malfunction we would have a mess of anti freeze and water for the length of the home in hard to reach and clean out places. We have installed a tankless hot water heater so getting hot water quick will not be an issue.
When we removed the pink (tutti fruity) seating that converted into a rather uncomfortable bed, we created storage areas for a toolbox and hard sided storage containers. Once that was completed we built the frame and pedestal for the mattress. We wanted the mattress to be level with the bottom of the windows and fill the entire 54″ wide by 90″ long space. An XL fullsize mattress fits perfectly width-wise and gives us 10 inches at the foot of the bed to toss the decorative pillows at night.
After reading many people complain about the difficulty of making the bed in an RV bedroom, even those with space to walk around, it was important to find the perfect bedding. We chose Quickzip sheets. The fitted sheet works as a traditional sheet EXCEPT the top of the sheet zips off for easy removal for washing! While there is another popular bedding choice for RV-er’s, that one is more of a sleeping bag and you still have to strip the bed to wash the sheet you lay on. I am very happy with the Quickzip sheet and would recommend it for RV’s with bunks too, as I imagine it is hard to reach and tuck the sheet every time you replace it after washing.
We ordered a Lucid 10″ gel memory foam mattress from Amazon. The mattress arrives in a box and when you start to release the plastic it is tightly wrapped in, it begins to unroll and expand. Caution – Be sure it is on or near the area you want it to be. Be SURE it unfolds in the direction you want and know which side is up. It made us laugh out loud at how fast it started to go! Within 15 minutes it had expanded to 8 1/2 inches thick and within 48 hours it was at the full 10 inches. There was a slight odor for the first day but it is long gone. The mattress weighs 50 pounds, something to keep in mind as every ounce counts.
Just writing about the work involved in prepping for the bed makes me want to crawl onto it right now and take a nap! Oh, and yes, that is a footstool for me to get up on the bed!
#GMCMotorhome #Eleganza2 @quickzipsheets @lucidgel #DIY #RVNomad #retirement #storage #letsgo
Our New Neighborhood 2023 
It really looks nice, did you find a instant hot water heater. I’m hoping someday we get ours to look as good as yours Does LOL
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