ZoomRoom Sleeper Berth

In reply to mtn:

That looks interesting. If you go that route I would look at pricing a couple used doors for when you go to sell the truck. It looks like the cut the inner doors off and when you sell it you may want working rear windows.

mtn wrote: Has this one been mentioned? https://www.woodhouse.com/sleeper_berth

It hasn't, but I know about this. The local truck accessory businesses out in Elkhart have displays. I don't really love the inoperable rear windows, gutting of the doors, and still the fact that you have to remove the front passenger seat.

It may be a possible option, but I'm just not digging it.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote:

mtn wrote: Has this one been mentioned? https://www.woodhouse.com/sleeper_berth

It hasn't, but I know about this. The local truck accessory businesses out in Elkhart have displays. I don't really love the inoperable rear windows, gutting of the doors, and still the fact that you have to remove the front passenger seat. It may be a possible option, but I'm just not digging it.

Find some used doors to do it to then. How often do you use your rear windows? And it looks like you can put the front seat back in--it just doesn't meet DOT regulations then. If that is the case, then put the front seat in when you have wifey or your dad along.

In reply to mtn:

I actually use the windows quite often, especially when the weather is good.

But yeah I could probably find and extra set of doors. Still not loving it, but could end up being what works in the end.

It sounded like there was a cowboy sleeper shell offered up for cheap earlier. Would it be possible to either modify your auxiliary fuel tank or trade it for a compatible one?

If the issue is the filler neck being on top, get that sealed up and install a filler neck on the side/back.

Just a thought.

If you can get past the outside setup, a rooftop hardside is the bomb. My buddy had one on his Hummer.

For inside access, its hard to beat a real berth between the cab and bed, but it does mean lots of customization.

I had an idea to fab a hinged 60/40 bench that I could modify to slide all the way forward and then fold back flat with the back seat. That would make an L shaped bed and I could spread out diagonally. I scrapped the idea because I couldn't find a 60/40 that wasn't "bucketed" for the seating. Laying across the bolstered cushions wasn't comfy, and having flat cushions like from a 70s car made driving uncomfortable.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to SVreX: I can't just gut my interior. You're not technically allowed to sleep in the truck unless it has a DOT approved sleeper berth. You can't just throw a bed in it and call it good. Too many guys are playing Russian Roulette with the DOT enforcement officers doing it that way. I'm already pushing my luck sleeping in my truck, that's why I'm looking for DOT compliant options. Every state is different and so is every officer. I want to be as compliant as possible.

The rules were posted earlier in this thread. Doesn't look like a gutted interior would break those rules. Am I missing something?

SVreX wrote:

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to SVreX: I can't just gut my interior. You're not technically allowed to sleep in the truck unless it has a DOT approved sleeper berth. You can't just throw a bed in it and call it good. Too many guys are playing Russian Roulette with the DOT enforcement officers doing it that way. I'm already pushing my luck sleeping in my truck, that's why I'm looking for DOT compliant options. Every state is different and so is every officer. I want to be as compliant as possible.

The rules were posted earlier in this thread. Doesn't look like a gutted interior would break those rules. Am I missing something?

Look at the link that mtn posted for the Woodhouse setup. That is what makes it DOT compliant.

In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:

That's a cool set up.

One thing I would ask them- could they design a "captain's chair" for the passenger side that you could rotate 180 deg so that when you are using the sleeper, it complies with the oval and door access. That way, the seat can stay, but be able to move out of the way.

For that matter- it would be interesting to see if you could rotate it so that you can have a seat in the living space. Or both.

If I read the compliance- there's the unhindered access to the drivers seat/compartment AND space to get out- which has definitions. Surely, the Woodhouse set up exceeds that by quite a bit without the passenger seat.

As for usefulness to YOU- how many bolts hold down the passenger seat? Is that a feasible way of turning it on and off (in terms of usage for you).

It's interesting to see the rules basically are there assuming that there's someone sleeping WHILE the vehicle is moving from another driver. If you ask me, you drivers need to set up a lobby to alter the rules so that they apply to one driver only (no moving while someone is sleeping), as well.

Alfa's right.

The Woodhouse setup is what I meant when I said "gut the interior".

You keep using the phrase "DOT compliant berth". There's really no such thing. There are berths compliant with a specific DOT regulation. You really need to know what ref you are trying to meet. If you don't, you won't be able to buy anything from a vendor (because they will all say things like "Compliant with DOT 49-393.76", which may or may not be applicable to you. As already noted in this thread, at least 1 vendor is using a trumped up DOT reg number.

For example, is a true "berth" required for single drivers?

I am confident the Zoom Room is not compliant with the DOT regs that have been posted here.

In reply to SVreX:

Paul, you can say Eric... People know me here.

On the rest of the note- going with the idea of "DOT compliant Berth"- since there's not a process of certification of the requirements- there seems to be some leeway in inspectors- so IF you had the berth that Woodhouse sells, plus a captain's chair that turns 180 deg, which then allows for the access to the driver's area and two egress paths- well then the inspector will have to tell you yes or no. What is great about the Woodhouse set up is they did the testing for the harnessing of the sleeper as well as the size.

Other than that, there's room for making it more livable.

I would discuss it with the DOT.

If you get a courtesy "pre-inspection", it should go a long way in discussions at check points.

This may be a dumb question, but: If you're hauling travel trailers, couldn't you just get in the trailer when it's time to sleep?

In reply to stuart in mn:

And exactly half the time he is not hauling a travel trailer.

But, I agree, when possible I would sleep inside, leaving no trace.

In reply to stuart in mn:

He discussed this already.