Looking for a better way to sleep.

[Daisylady]

Our travel trailer is stationary, set up forever in one spot. Our bed is awful, we’ve replaced the mattress but frankly I think the problem is that the mattress is sitting on the boxed storage compartment. I am considering removing that and putting a regular bed with a frame and box spring, providing I can find that in a queen short. Has anyone done this?

We have also found that the slide out isn’t level so we have to pull the slide out in some so we don’t feel like we are sleeping with our heads down. I can’t seem to find stabilizer slide out jacks to fit- they are all too tall for our space. I am also worried that if I use regular jacks that I will damage the slide out by lifting it. The slide outs stay out for three seasons and just go in in the winter.

Basically, we have an uncomfortable sleeping situation and I am trying to find advice on making it better.

Thanks!

[chuckster57]

What type of slide outs? It should be level if the trailer is level. The only drawback I see in removing the bed base is resale value.

[Daisylady]

I guess I don’t know enough to answer that question the right way. There’s two slide outs, one in the main living area and one in the bedroom. The trailer is on a level concrete pad with a deck and roof built around it, basically on the side of a hill, so the only way this thing is moving is in pieces. I will check to make sure it’s still level in the spring when we get back to it. It just seems that when the slide outs are out, they dip some. I didn’t think about it being the overall trailer with the issue and not just the slide outs.

Thank you!

[SummitPond]

Re: the bed, some are made to go on box springs or webbing and some are made to go on a non-flexible surface, such as what we find in our TTs. You may have purchased a mattress that was meant for the former whereas you are using it for the latter.

Is the issue the bed is too firm, or that you can feel the hinge and there is no side support do the mattress sags over the edges?

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Daisylady

I guess I don’t know enough to answer that question the right way. There’s two slide outs, one in the main living area and one in the bedroom. The trailer is on a level concrete pad with a deck and roof built around it, basically on the side of a hill, so the only way this thing is moving is in pieces. I will check to make sure it’s still level in the spring when we get back to it. It just seems that when the slide outs are out, they dip some. I didn’t think about it being the overall trailer with the issue and not just the slide outs.

Thank you!

If the trailer is out of level on the centerline (side to side) then the slideouts will accentuate the issue. If you're lying with your head on the "low end" then it's even more noticeable. Check the level with a long level, the longer the level the more accurate. Check on the floor in 2 directions i.e. front to back and side to side.

It would help if you listed the year and model of your camper. We don't know if you're unit has a 6 point auto leveling or not. I'm guessing from you're description that you bought it used. Take a look under the camper and see how it's supported. If you are set up as a "permanent site" then it's best to have concrete blocks under the frame in 6 or 8 places depending on length.

If the trailer is supported by only the stabilizers you could have a flat tire or the axle springs may have settled causing the "out of level" condition.

More information would help us help you.

[Logan X]

We put a memory foam mattress topper on our stock mattress and it made a big difference.

[sourdough]

Age and condition of trailer would be a big help along with type of slide. I've seen many trailers with "drooping" slides; usually attributed to level, lack of mtce. or lack of adjustment. If you're on a level concrete pad look to the trailer for issues from the suspension/tires to the slide itself.

I'm not a proponent of slide "supports" but my neighbor uses them on his Big Horn w/6 point self leveling and he likes them. They just sit under the slide with extension that run along the outside edge (memory) to distribute the weight.

[notanlines]

Manufacturers recommend not using slide supports. They were simply invented to fatten the pockets of accessory manufacturers.

[wiredgeorge]

When we bought our current camper it had the original 2002 inner spring RV mattress on the storage box. The mattress was probably miserable when new but after all the time it was in there became a torture device. I gave it away before trying to sleep on it and headed down to Billy Bob's Beds in San Antonio and bought a full size queen which was almost 3 times thicker (pillow top) than the original. The pillow top matches the one we use nightly in our stick and brick bedroom. I put a piece of plywood across the end of the storage box under the mattress so there is no sag. Access around the bed is a tad more limited (was poor to begin with in a low height 5th wheel) so we just jump onto the bed from the end. The mattress sleeps like the one in our house and is one of the best modifications we have done out of many.

[Snoking]

From other posts it is a 2017 Keystone Springdale 38FL.

[FlyingAroundRV]

I could be wrong, but from the OPs description of their slideout arrangement, it sounds like they've got the same TT as ours. We have an Outback 272UFL with a bedroom slide and a living area slide. I know there are 5ers with that combination of slideouts, but generally they have the bedroom in the part that sits over the truck bed and so the statement about the bedroom slideout being too low wouldn't apply to those. In the pull behinds, I haven't seen many with a similar configuration to ours at all.
We love our unit but I guess they weren't very popular because Keystone don't seem to make them anymore.
Also, our bedroom slide does tilt down a little when extended, but it doesn't trouble us, so the OPs slide may need adjusting.
I would also suggest having a look at the pulleys and cables to make sure everything is tight and in its proper place. We were advised to keep an eye on the cable tensions and I regularly check on the security of all the pulleys.

[Snoking]

38FL