Five clever camping beds you can build for a custom sleeping space

By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, the team from Maker Pipe showcases their products to make five clever van lifer beds. Building your own camping bed can be a game-changer. It lets you create a comfortable and custom sleeping space that perfectly fits your needs and vehicle. And the best part? You can do it yourself using affordable and easy-to-work materials like EMT conduit and Maker Pipe fittings.

What are EMT conduit and Maker Pipe fittings?

So, what exactly are these materials we’re talking about?

• EMT conduit: This is a type of steel tubing that’s readily available at most hardware stores. It’s a popular choice for DIY projects because it’s strong, lightweight, and easy to manipulate. You can bend it with a handheld pipe and tube bender, and cut it with a handheld rotating pipe and tube cutter.

• Maker Pipe fittings: These are connectors designed to work specifically with EMT conduit. They allow you to easily join pieces of conduit together to create all sorts of structures, from greenhouses to furniture.

Five DIY camping bed ideas

Be sure to watch the video to see how these five clever camper beds went together.

#1. Tim’s extendable RV bed: Tim came up with a clever way to extend the existing bed frame in his RV. He used EMT conduit and Maker Pipe connectors to create a sliding extension that could be easily pulled out when needed. The result is a bed that can be easily extended for sleeping and retracted for more space during the day. You can find out more by checking out the original forum post with Tim.

#2. Rob’s simple Honda Pilot bed frame: Rob built a simple yet effective bed frame for his Honda Pilot that’s all about ease of use and portability. To use the bed, Rob simply removes the second- and third-row seating in his Honda Pilot and places the bed frame inside. The one-hole straps and paracord help keep the slats in place while driving.

#3. Custom couch slide-out bed: This design takes versatility to the next level. This bed can be used as a couch during the day, then slide out into a full bed at night. It can even be folded up against the wall to create more space.

#4. Jim’s fold-away bed for DIY toy hauler: Jim needed a bed for his DIY toy hauler, but it also needed to fold away when he was transporting ATVs. His solution? A fold-away bed made with EMT conduit and Maker Pipe connectors. The bed folds in half, making it easy to store when not in use.

#5. Jason’s slide-out Honda Element bed: Jason from Element DIY created a slide-out bed for his Honda Element that maximizes space and functionality. This bed slides out for sleeping and retracts for more space during the day.

These are just a few examples of what you can do with EMT conduit and Maker Pipe connectors. The possibilities are endless, and you can customize your bed to perfectly fit your needs and vehicle size.

MORE LIKE THIS:

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• Video: Transform RV bedroom into office. No tools or screws needed
• Ingenious folding bed platform disappears into the trunk in seconds!

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