ZoomRoom Sleeper Berth

So with my job (Hotshotting if you didn't already know), I don't really have a place to sleep unless I pay for a hotel room. I do sleep in the drivers seat because I am just too tall to sleep in the back seat comfortably. There are products out there that you can gut the back doors on your truck to gain a few inches of space or you can find a used berth from a semi truck and add it to your truck or you can lay down the money for a purpose built rig.

So I was looking online at different berth setups and this picture popped up:

I looked into it and it's a company called ZoomRoom and it's and expandable sleeper berth on top of the cab. It doesn't take up any bed space and you access it through the factory sunroof or sunroof size hole in the roof of the truck.

Their website has a couple of videos, but they don't have a lot of info past the basic stuff. I'm interested in what the price is on one of these units.

ZoomRoom

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Their website has a couple of videos, but they don't have a lot of info past the basic stuff. I'm interested in what the price is on one of these units. ZoomRoom

Really cool idea and has a lot more room than the old cab extension things that cowboys used back in my time. Looks like they'll be about $6k Seems a little pricey, but has a lot of advantage over other options.

-Rob

Seems like a neat thing that could carry over as you continue on your journey to a newer truck. How does heating and cooling work, vents to the cab?

In reply to rob_lewis:

Thanks for posting that. I didn't dip that far into the Googles.

mndsm wrote: Seems like a neat thing that could carry over as you continue on your journey to a newer truck. How does heating and cooling work, vents to the cab?

Don't know, wish they had a little more info on their site. I'm going to join up the site that Rob posted and ask that guy some questions.

I'm trying to picture a tall man crawling through a sunroof every night to sleep.

SVreX wrote: I'm trying to picture a tall man crawling through a sunroof every night to sleep.

I imagine it's a bit like trying to shimmy into a crawlspace, hopefully without all the dirt & spiders though.

mndsm wrote: Seems like a neat thing that could carry over as you continue on your journey to a newer truck.

Agreed, as long as you were using the factory sunroof hole and could reinstall. If you're sawing a big hole in a non-sunroof truck you're going to have a lot of bodywork to do before selling the outgoing ride.

Neat concept though. I'm surprised these haven't popped up in the expedition vehicle world. Seems like you could basically build an in-bed toy hauler.

Are they specific to a particular truck brand? I can see real value to this if it's going to go from truck to truck. The real question is how many nights a year do you spend in a hotel? And how many of those can you cut out? Even if you're only gone 50 nights a year I can see it paying for itself in quality of sleep and cost fairly quickly.

petegossett wrote:

SVreX wrote: I'm trying to picture a tall man crawling through a sunroof every night to sleep.

I imagine it's a bit like trying to shimmy into a crawlspace, hopefully without all the dirt & spiders though.

Was thinking the same thing. I can't see how contorting yourself into this little roof fairing could be an improvement over sleeping in one of the reclined front seats.

In reply to GameboyRMH:

It looks like there's quite a bit of room when it's in the raised position. Enough to sit up in the bed.

Heat could probably be handled by either the cab heater with the engine running or a small ceramic heater. It's not like it's a big space. Cooling could be another matter. Not sure what you'd do if you end up parking in a "no idle" area.

Regardless, it a neat idea. I've always wondered why "sleeper caps" aren't more common.

In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:

The website says they are made in Elkhart. No surprise but that also means you are in the neighborhood often.

If I owned this company, I would set up a sample pulling a mobile office trailer and park it as close as possible to the CW and Horizon lots.

Is CW a seller of these?

My main concern is what kind of seal is there between the sunroof and the camper? How do you keep this weather tight and or insulated?

I hate the idea of having to cut the roof to accommodate an aftermarket sunroof. I know this was popular in the 80s but there is also a reason it is no longer popular.

OK after watching the videos on the site, it looks like it could be a decent idea if you're going with the double cab version and can put up with the ingress/egress...which to be fair should be compared to the trouble of hauling stuff in and out of a motel room. The single cab version though, looks so cramped that I don't think it's worth it.

Given the DIY nature of this forum, wouldn't one also be able to take a good in-bed camper and shorten it just to include the sleeping part?

Take just the last few feet of this in the bed, and include the over cab part?

One other thing- the question of access... when you are working, is there no way to get into the bed of the truck?

If you could, then a rear door would work...

Find a POS pop up camper, adapt to an "in bed" application where you can sleep over the cab.

In reply to alfadriver:

Our man here delivers travel trailers from the manufacturer (in N. Indiana) to the dealerships anywhere in the US and Canada.
Some loads may be bumper pull. Others are 5th wheel. This means he must have a free truck bed at all times.

In addition, what he has on his truck needs to be DOT compliant which is another reason your self modified camper would not work.

In reply to JohnRW1621:

I understand the first part, and it seems to me that most 5th wheel set ups still have room to climb up into the bed to the front part of the bed.

However, I was not aware of the second part. Thanks for pointing that out.

Because I was curious, I tried to search for the DOT regulation in the ad. Doesn't exist.

In fact, the code is 393.76- and is found here- http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&ty=HTML&h=L&mc=true&=PART&n=pt49.5.393#se49.5.393_176

(hope that links correctly)

The important part is this

393.76 Sleeper berths. (a) Dimensions—(1) Size. A sleeper berth must be at least the following size: Date of installation on motor vehicle Length measured on centerline of longitudinal axis (inches) Width measured on centerline of transverse axis (inches) Height measured from highest point of top of mattress (inches)1 Before January 1, 1953 72 18 18 After December 31, 1952, and before October 1, 1975 75 21 21 After September 30, 1975 75 24 24 1In the case of a sleeper berth which utilizes an adjustable mechanical suspension system, the required clearance can be measured when the suspension system is adjusted to the height to which it would settle when occupied by a driver. (2) Shape. A sleeper berth installed on a motor vehicle on or after January 1, 1953 must be of generally rectangular shape, except that the horizontal corners and the roof corners may be rounded to radii not exceeding 101⁄2 inches. (3) Access. A sleeper berth must be constructed so that an occupant's ready entrance to, and exit from, the sleeper berth is not unduly hindered. (b) Location. (1) A sleeper berth must not be installed in or on a semitrailer or a full trailer other than a house trailer. (2) A sleeper berth located within the cargo space of a motor vehicle must be securely compartmentalized from the remainder of the cargo space. A sleeper berth installed on or after January 1, 1953 must be located in the cab or immediately adjacent to the cab and must be securely fixed with relation to the cab. (c) Exit from the berth. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, there must be a direct and ready means of exit from a sleeper berth into the driver's seat or compartment. If the sleeper berth was installed on or after January 1, 1963, the exit must be a doorway or opening at least 18 inches high and 36 inches wide. If the sleeper berth was installed before January 1, 1963, the exit must have sufficient area to contain an ellipse having a major axis of 24 inches and a minor axis of 16 inches. (2) A sleeper berth installed before January 1, 1953 must either: (i) Conform to the requirements of paragraph (c)(1) of this section; or (ii) Have at least two exits, each of which is at least 18 inches high and 21 inches wide, located at opposite ends of the vehicle and useable by the occupant without the assistance of any other person. (d) Communication with the driver. A sleeper berth which is not located within the driver's compartment and has no direct entrance into the driver's compartment must be equipped with a means of communication between the occupant and the driver. The means of communication may consist of a telephone, speaker tube, buzzer, pull cord, or other mechanical or electrical device. (e) Equipment. A sleeper berth must be properly equipped for sleeping. Its equipment must include: (1) Adequate bedclothing and blankets; and (2) Either: (i) Springs and a mattress; or (ii) An innerspring mattress; or (iii) A cellular rubber or flexible foam mattress at least four inches thick; or (iv) A mattress filled with a fluid and of sufficient thickness when filled to prevent “bottoming-out” when occupied while the vehicle is in motion. (f) Ventilation. A sleeper berth must have louvers or other means of providing adequate ventilation. A sleeper berth must be reasonably tight against dust and rain. (g) Protection against exhaust and fuel leaks and exhaust heat. A sleeper berth must be located so that leaks in the vehicle's exhaust system or fuel system do not permit fuel, fuel system gases, or exhaust gases to enter the sleeper berth. A sleeper berth must be located so that it will not be overheated or damaged by reason of its proximity to the vehicle's exhaust system. (h) Occupant restraint. A motor vehicle manufactured on or after July 1, 1971, and equipped with a sleeper berth must be equipped with a means of preventing ejection of the occupant of the sleeper berth during deceleration of the vehicle. The restraint system must be designed, installed, and maintained to withstand a minimum total force of 6,000 pounds applied toward the front of the vehicle and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. [39 FR 14711, Apr. 26, 1974; 39 FR 17233, May 14, 1974, as amended at 53 FR 49401, Dec. 7, 1988]

When I read that, it seems to me that a berth can still be diy. As long as the modified camper had the correct space, communication, etc- it would be ok.

How does hotshotting work? No scasles or logbook? Up here you can't drive commercially more than 100 miles from home without an approved sleeper berth.

Yes, scales and logbook.
Some of this is dependent on if the load is sizeable enough.

No, the US does not have this sleeper required rule but if there is a sleeper then it must be a proper sleeper.

This seems like a lot of investment to get something that is still a lot of hassle (not counting the tax deductions though).

I'm assuming you're on these trips solo, and I'm assuming you don't drive this vehicle much outside of work. Would it be possible to remove the passenger seat and build a platform that covers that area, then lay a mattress diagonally from the passenger seat to behind the drivers seat? That seems easily DIYable for not much investment, and would potentially be a lot easier to actually use.

Is there a shower and toilet up there?

alfadriver wrote: Given the DIY nature of this forum, wouldn't one also be able to take a good in-bed camper and shorten it just to include the sleeping part? Take just the last few feet of this in the bed, and include the over cab part?

Well I'm not that DIY. I have been contemplating running an ultralight slide in bed camper, but I do have an auxiliary 100 gal fuel tank in my bed and while I don't have a 5th wheel yet, I'm still planning on getting one at some point. Most of the ultralight slide ins are rather new as well, so finding a cheap one is out of the cards. This thing is $6000 new, so it's rather affordable and can double as a wind deflector as well as leave the bed open for my tank and any future additions to my bed.

I honestly can't really see myself buying a used, top heavy slide in camper to butcher it for the bed part only and find a way to mount it to the roof of my truck.

mtn wrote: This seems like a lot of investment to get something that is still a lot of hassle (not counting the tax deductions though). I'm assuming you're on these trips solo, and I'm assuming you don't drive this vehicle much outside of work. Would it be possible to remove the passenger seat and build a platform that covers that area, then lay a mattress diagonally from the passenger seat to behind the drivers seat? That seems easily DIYable for not much investment, and would potentially be a lot easier to actually use.

Well I'm not always solo. Sometimes I bring the wife or my dad with, but that guarantees me getting a hotel room for the night.

Also, a sleeper berth has to be DOT compliant and a there's only a couple configurations within the cab of a pickup that meet that compliance.

In reply to Woody: Every truck has a toilet in it. V