Rock n roll (RIB) seat/bed install in a Mercedes Sprinter camper van
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- This video shows some of the steps involved in getting a European-style rock n roll (RIB) seat into a Mercedes Sprinter van. Do not take seat installation lightly--the safety of your passengers is at-stake. This was a very time consuming project and had to bring in a friend skilled in fabrication. Read more about this seat and my layout here: ourkaravan.com
These seats are now available in the US and Canada from a reputable source! (Please tell them OurKaravan sent you!)
Scopema Altair Seat Bed (2-belts):
www.vanevolve....
Scopema Altair Seat Bed (3-belts):
www.vanevolve....
Website: ourkaravan.com
Instagram: our.karavan
Music: Longing by Joakim Karud: / longing
#scopema #RIBseat #rocknrollbed
This bench is one of the best idea I've seen on all the sprinter builds!!!
Amazing execution for anybody with a family and a sprinter. Thank you for sharing all these great videos
Thanks for the comment and for watching!
Recon Campers here in the US also use this style of seat in a Nissan NV200. Not aware of any other mass manufacturer using it here. Awesome seat in my opinion.
Hi Kentube, Thanks for the great video series. I'm just starting out on dreaming up my own conversion here and your approach is great, I appreciate the extra long videos where you talk through why you chose certain options and how you changed your mind on some. Best!
That seat is awesome and like no other build I've seen.
It is unique here state-side, but it's super common overseas. I'm super happy with it!
Hi Ken, I talked to a van upfitter and he said they just put about 3 or 4 inch square 1/8 inch steel underneath to mount a seat in someones van. A few days later apparently the van was hit in the side and the seat stayed. So yes overkill but that's you :) I have two grandsons so I understand - great job!
Good to know, that's basically what I did. There is no overkill when it comes to safety. :). Thanks for the reassuring comment!
I was so happy to take my daughter for her first ride in the van after I installed the OEM bench seat in our cargo van which was no where near complicated as this.
No kidding! I couldn't really drive my van the first couple of months I had it due to the lack of rear seating. Once that seat went in we made up for lost time!
Awesome build man. Very meticulous and well thought out. If this is any indication of the rest of the build, this is going to be one of the best on the tube.
Well thought out and executed build. Great design. Looking forward to seeing a finished product.
This is spot on. Overkill is ok 👍🏻 👌🏻
The Mercedes 2 up seat that is a factory piece with legs to suit my shorter WB Sprinter 5 cylinder was relatively easy to install. The most difficult part was making sure the bolts through the floor did not hit the 25 gal tank. I made welding rod U shaped gages and drilled the holes through the frame on the drivers--left side, factory frame rails with a custom position of the seat rail and floor bolts. Take the welding rod once you have the hole in the seat quick release rail positioned correctly and use the welding rod gage to hit the frame and not the TANK. Eyeball all this for the locations before drilling. Drill from inside the van for all holes. Make a part of the gage that is actually a giant C as a straight vertical section and that way you can be sure where the gage is pointing on the floor top side and corresponds to the lower part of the C underneath the floor. You can come to approx. 1/8" accuracy in position with this gage approach. First time I put a hole through the floor and frame of the unit body van I scared myself because I crawled under the van to see the drill bit and "no bit" could be seen because the antirust coating under the floor was stretching and not being cut. I went inside the shop and changed my U pants; and, used a straight weld rod to poke through the stretched coating. My video lists the bolt sizes, etc. V Rolfe Chicago The big part of changing a cargo van into a back seat passenger (station wagon van) is the R-13 insulation I put in the lower walls along with the custom made baltic birch panels I installed with Sprinter plug in plastic stays; this really cuts down on the road noise. Get the VIN number from a windowed Sprinter and you can find all the factory parts you need without bothering the MB parts man for info.
Man this seat is my dream seat in Version two of my build. I am so curious about the process of freight forwarding. I want to get my hands on one of these so bad. Thanks for sharing!
Can you clarify who you ordered the Seat from? So you bought from Kiravans, had them ship it to UBerbus, had it modified by Uberbus, and then you did the FEedEx economy freight?
I am seriously considering ordering your exact setup. Could you send me an email at: Levi at Leftcoastlife (dot)ca evening forwarding an invoice of some kind of what part numbers you ordered and total cost, would be greatly appreciated.
kenetube ,,, where can I get just the folding seat bed part,,, I don't need it to slide forward and back on the floor. Roughly how much does one cost,,. ???
Sorry guys, my old replies were deleted when I rebranded my RUclips account a couple of years back. The seat itself is a Scopema Altair 3p and is widely available across Europe. The adaptation to the VW sliding rail system is only done by Uberbus in the UK. I have more information on the seat on my website ourkaravan.com and it’s the van build article entitled “layout planning.” Let me know if you have any other questions!
Dear Mr. Kenetube, Wow, nice work.
Very well thought out & executed
project. Keep it up & We are learning.
Thank You.
Sincerely, Kathleen.
Brilliant, glad you posted this video.
I really wish that there was a U.S. distributor for the RIB seats. They are really cool. Great job on the install. I look forward to seeing the floor video.
Yeah, I'm in the same boat as you. I have a two year old daughter and I wouldn't feel safe without her buckled up in a legitimate seat. I suppose there is the option of a standard rear seat layout, but without folding into a bed it would seem like a huge waste of space. Again, great job on your build so far.
That would be awesome. I have the 170 wb and the bench in the second row is a 3 seater. I wish I could trade it for a 2 seater. Not wanting a bed integrated, but I would be able to walk around it without stepping into the slider well area. Awesome detail Ken!
There are a ton of accessories that I can not find in Europe and I am forced to import from the US. Unfortunately that how it is.
Can you forward the video link to me please.
My dad would have been proud of you .. he over engineered everything too .. me I'm for simplicity
Very Impressive installation! Great work!
So awesome! Your over engineering got me drooling
Awesome, thanks!!
Very impressive! I wonder what your profession is? Overkill is good, very good. Thank you for sharing this outstanding build with us!
I'm an automotive engineer with a PhD in van building. Just kidding, biologist.
Maximum versatility from a seat/bed combination. Looks like plenty of room for cabinets along the side....
Awesome work! I completed a similar install a couple years ago. I chose the Cambee bed over the RIB. Having had it for some time now and seeing how slick yours looks I wish I would've went your route.
Hi Ryan, how were they to work with? Did they put the onus on you to figure it out or did they help with the import?
Cambee (owner Matthew Burgon) was exceptional to work with. He essentially set up all shipping (very expensive as I'm sure you know) and I received two large crates at my doorstep from UK. My order included Cambee Bed and he also custom made some cabinets. All quality work. But, in hindsight I would have changed design. Personally I'd never block the path out the rear doors again. Since my cabinets run the full length of the driver-side I'm not able to freely move out the back of the van with the Cambee seat/bed installed. I plan to build another one at some point in my lifetime and sure I'll have many things I want to change, once again. HAHA@@ourkaravan
That's fantastic. It seems that Uberbus, who I bought my seat from, has enough work locally that they don't seem interested in dealing with out-of-country transactions. So it's nice to know there are options.
Having a rear seat changes everything. I'm not sure how you have a bench AND your galley kitchen and everything else without blocking the ability to walk-through, as you describe. The second you turn the bench sideways, you are severely compromising the safety of those sitting in that seat. I compromised by making the rear cabinetry narrower so I can squeeze past the seat into the rear area. It isn't convenient, but again, how would one overcome this without eliminating the galley or turning the seat sideways?
I noticed you made your cabinets shallower than your galley and was going to ask you if that allows you to squeeze through. You answered my question! Smart design on that one! There are several ideas I've been tossing around on how to allow passenger seating, but still allow for open floorpan. But, idea to execution is a far cry. There is a company out of Idaho (syncvans) that installs some sliding captains chairs, but I don't believe they are DOT. Also, a company in Santa Barbara (CampoVans) that has a seat that folds up against wall (not sure of rating). There is no perfect solution, but I'll keep trying:) Awesome work with your van and the videos! That's something I wish I would have compiled. Maybe next go around. Do you use a gopro setup? @@ourkaravan
Yup, the cabinets are narrower to make it easier to get into the back. It's not ideal but works. I've seen Sync Vans setup in person. I agree, it seems like a viable option as well. You can stagger the seats to make getting around them easier and if your kids don't get along they don't have to sit next to each other, haha.
And yes, I do use 's go pro style camera. It's a knock off Yi brand. RUclips doesn't pay nearly enough for me to upgrade, even though I would like to.
I replied in a couple of other spots but after reading more comments I thought would comment with a link. These seats are available from this outfit in Quebec and Vancouver BC. They also ship out of New York.
facebook.com/pg/Travoisvans/posts/
Wow amazing job. The seat/bed looks awesome.
Thank you, it works great for us.
Very, very nice build.
Thank you!
no way! That is bad ass!
Awesome job thanks for sharing
Thank you; it has worked great for us.
Silly question but is it safe to place seats facing backwards. I would like to do your setup but was wondering if the seatbelts will work in that position. I've tried researching on the internet but I've found nothing. Thank you
Sorry if I missed this from an earlier video, but how wide is this seat? I think they come in 112, 120 and 130cm, right?
where can i buy this seat i am in the UK Great Job By the way i will follow the rest of your build JP
Hi, The Scopema seat is widely available across the UK, but I ordered mine from a company called Uberbus. Kiravans is a retailer of them in the UK as well.
Hey, love this setup, can you remember the UK company that did the custom adapation? Traveling there now and wanr to check this out. Thanks for sharing 🙏🔥
Uberbus
Mega filmik 😁👍
hi kenetube. sorry to bother you but where did you ordered the rock and roll bed from? did you asked the seller to hold the seat at their store and arranged with fedex for door to door service? how much was that? thank you.
144 ? Or 170? Curious if this seat will fit and go down in a 2nd row bench seat is present as well ?
This van is a 144. I don't have the factory bench brackets in my van so I'm not sure if they would conflict or not.
Nice. Happy to subscribe.
Thanks so much for all your videos on this build. You've done an incredible job!
2 quick questions:
- How easy is it to remove the bed and how do you do it? You've said that it's no small task in a previous video but is that because it's heavy or it requires tools to remove?
- Did you use the original VW coach style bolts through the rails? The standard VW ones are M10x28mm and they seem a bit short to go through the additional steel plates under the van but in your videos the bolt seems to come all the way through the nut.
Thank you Sam. The seat is technically removable but it's a serious pain. On a VW California, you remove some plastic covers at the front of the rails and some removable rail covers about 16-18" back and seat will lift out. On my setup the "wheelbase" of the seat is much longer, so the rear wheels don't line up with the removable section of rail cover. The rear of the seat has to be disassembled to remove it. I was able to use the VW bolts except for over the fuel tank. (They would have been too long and conflicted with the fuel tank.)
@@ourkaravan Thanks for the detailed reply! Keep up the great work you're doing. All your ideas are original and I love your attention to detail. Sam
what rails are you using? and how is the seat attached to the rails?
It’s a setup sold by Uberbus in the uk. They mate the scopema seat to a Volkswagen rail system used overseas.
Your daughter is worth "overkill" I think it's great that you caught them under the crossmembers. Spreading the load is vital to safe installation and you've done this to the best of your (or anyones') abilities
Thank you, I always appreciate the vote of confidence!
Hi mate, just wanted to know where would one find these seats? I've Google and haven't come up with anything similarly comparable in terms of quality. Cheers and nice video
Can you tell me how you like your RIB seat/bed? Is it comfortable? would you buy it again? What third party shipper did you go through?
Love your design by the way!
Since you bought this from Europe did you have to pay VAT? I am in the US trying to buy from Europe, and they want to charge me VAT saying I can get a VAT refund after the purchase. Is that the process? Seems to me if they are sending me something, they are exporting it, and it should be VAT exempt?
I did not pay VAT. As long as your shipping address is outside of the UK, they do not need to charge you. The complication may come in if you're using a courier company, as the final address the retailer sees is still in the UK.
Ken, can you explain "the captiv nut on a strap"? Thanks.
Hi. Is it legal to install the seats in van?
Hi can you link the site for the rib bed plz thx.
Love this rock n roll seat install. I have three kiddos so will be installing a bench seat picked up on CL in the second row but otherwise would have opted for this. Because Ive purchased a cargo van which does not have the receiving bolts I will need to drop the gas tank and bolt through with plate/ flatbar reinforcement. Question to you is how difficult/ easy/ time consuming was it to drop this gas tank? I have no worries about the mechanical and bracket fab/ installation just no experience dropping the a tank. Thanks in advance!
Just started looking at buying a van to convert and came across your video channel. Cargo van is good but I want to incorporate one or two extra seats with seatbelt and this is the perfect build for me. Ill be travelling solo on long weekends/vacation and I want some extra seat for family and visitors. Do you do installation?
Great video! I had been waiting for it since you mentioned something about it in a thread on dropping the fuel tank in Sprinter Source forum. I used a similar design for a bracket. It was reassuring to see you go around the cross members as well. What did you end up doing with the fuel tank clearance? Even just a bolt head and washer seems like too much. What swivels do you have the front seats on? Thanks!
+Kenetube - Any chance you have a drawing showing the underfloor frame layout and where there are access impediments like the fuel tank and frame rails? I want to mount L-track (front to rear- Crew van) to my floor and insulate then add the factory floor and coin floor on top similar to yours. I'm debating the location of the L-track and want to place it where it is functional but also where I can add structure support underneath without have to drop the fuel tank, etc. I won't need the excellent support metal you used but will use some metal of some sort. I could crawl under there and gen up a drawing but I'd thought I'd ask first. It might be a great sticky on the forums to have a simple template that one could lay on top of the floor to see where there is easy access underneath. Thanks in advance - really like your videos and looking forward to the Lizardskin one.
What was the total cost of the seat to your door?
The pricing list on Uberbus says 3,210 pounds (= $4000 USD). Did you pay that for just the bench, plus shipping and installation costs? Where can I find a less expensive alternative?
Prices have gone up a little since I purchased mine. If you want the seat with the sliding hardware, Uberbus is the only one that makes it. However the Scopema Altair seat itself is widely available across the UK and you should be able to find more competitive pricing. If you read the comments on the bottom of this article, someone provided an alternative in the US. ourkaravan.com/choosinglayout/
I still can't believe we don't have easier access to safe seats for our conversions.
ourkaravan Looks like a version now available in the USA: www.travoisusa.com/
Thanks for these videos. Your attention-to-details, meticulous planning, and considerations for safety are truly impressive. Now that the van is able to carry additional passengers, did you have to change your auto insurance coverage from cargo van to passenger van? And did the insurance company require any kind of certification that the seat installation met safety standards? And perhaps I may be taking a cynical view of the insurance industry here, but in the unfortunate event of an accident, could the insurance company possibly have an excuse to not honor a claim by saying seat installation was not certified. Thanks again for sharing your wonderful work. Much appreciated.
Thanks. If I locate any information on seat regulations in US and why we can’t easily purchase EU-certified seats, I’ll pass it along. I really like the way you chose to install the seats and the robust safety considerations. Be well and be safe.
Again, showing everyone how it's done! P.s. no such thing as overkill. Can't put a price on your child.
I think he doesn’t want to give instructions due to liability reasons. Which imo is ok given how people want to blame someone else if things go wrong. The video itself is very helpful and we should be thankful for him to post it.
There's that, but mainly the fact that only a handful of people will ever go to the trouble to do this. It will vary for every van and would be different if the seat were mounted in a different location.
Hey Ken, looks great! I think you did an excellent job mounting the seat.
Was any of that welding to the body or just tacking the brackets together in position?
Hi. Where can one buy a RIB Seat? We love it and want one for our sprinter. Thanks for sharing.
Did your driver and passenger seats come with the swivels? Where did you get them? Thanks. JC
Any reason why you didn't install aftermarket swivel? Is the factory swivel better built?
One reason is that the fixed base supports included with factory swivel are about 1.5" lower than if you ordered without swivel. So if you go aftermarket the seats will not have the normal height adjustment range. The factory option is not shown on mbvans.com, because it's a fleet-only option which means your dealer can add it in ($1025, I think) but you can't include it in your online build. The other reason is brain damage.... easier to go OEM but yes at a price premium.
Where did you purchase this folding seat bed? thanks
Hi, we wrote an article about the seat and how we obtained it on our website, ourkaravan.com
You'll find it the Van Build section in one of the first articles entitled "Layout Planning." I had written in the article that the seat was difficult to obtain, but my understanding is that the company may be offering a bit more help to overseas customers now. I had to do all the leg-work on my own. Good luck and enjoy!
That is an awesome idea! I might have to consider trying this out on my box truck. How much was the seat at rails?
Do you have a tour video?
I do! It was filmed for the Nate Murphy channel. ruclips.net/video/ZoeoozGMrMA/видео.html
Are you able to share how you were able to get this seat to the US? I'd like to order one myself and find that I need to locate a Freight Forwarder.
I would start by contacting the company you want to use and seeing if they are willing to ship overseas. Uberbus, the company I worked with, has told a few people that they have enough domestic orders to not want to bother shipping overseas. If you find a company let me know and I can share my experiences with overseas shipping. I am very pleased with the seat after 2 years in-use.
What is the model # of the chair bed
Scopema Altair 3p
where did you find the rock n roll seat?
The seat is made by Scopema and is widely available in the UK and Europe in general. Mine came from Uberbus in the UK, but the only reason to buy from them is to get the one adapted to sliding on the 8' rail system.
Hey Ken. Can you make a video on how you were able to modify the driver seat e-brake to clear for the swivels?
Thanks!
If you get the OEM swivel seat, the e brake can press down after the ebrake is on. In other words if you get the OEM swivel seat, no modification to the e brake is needed.
Exactly.
Why is the seat/bed offset to the left
?
kenetube oh I see that now. Do you think this could be mounted directly in the center? I assume the seat can be removed easily?
This is amazing. I have been binge watching conversion videos and your is one of the best! I am in a similar boat, looking to do an adventure van, but with 2 small children the classic no seatbelt conversion just won’t do. I find it sad these style seat are impossible to get reasonably in the US. I would love the exact setup but it would be prohibitive for me. I could probably afford just the seat. Any info on where to get something similar, and safe in the US would be Greatly appreciated. Thanks for your content. Keep it up
Yes, very unfortunate these are not widely available. Someone else that follows this channel emailed me and said he just got a 'smart bed' and is very pleased with it. Still international shipping but it sounds like the retailer is much more friendly about dealing with out of country transactions. Maybe take a look? www.smart-beds.com/beds/smart-bed-evolution-rail/
Thank you!!! That’s a big help!! The path seems a bit clearer
Lonk for the bed?
Hi, you can email info@vanevolve.com. Tell him ourkaravan sent you and you’re interested in a seat. He can point you in the right direction as he imports them.
Fantastic build Kenetube, thanks for sharing, I really like everything about your Sprinter. I'm in the process of ordering a brand new model VW crafter van. It's similar in size to the Sprinter and will be specific with a number of factory options including.. After doing lots of research I have also landed on the Uberbus Flux version of the RIB Altair seat. And I'm based in New Zealand, so even more geographically challenged than you! Some of the build I will do myself, but not the seat rail installation, so have contacted a local van seat installer - I am waiting on confirmation that they can do the job, and certify the rail installation.
Can I ask how do you find the height of the seat. Is it a comfortable height for an average height adult to sit on? And did you have to flatten the wheel arch to get the needed clearance of the seat? Do you think it is wide enough for two adults to sleep on comfortably?
+Kenetube, it's actually the new front wheel drive model, and is no longer based on the Sprinter platform (www.volkswagen.co.nz/new-cars/crafter/). Our choices are between front wheel drive and the four wheel driver version, and we opted for the lower cost option.
Thanks for the information on the seat height. I like the idea of a pedestal. The maximum height of the wheel arches is 400mm (roughly 15 ") above the steel floor. Do you think the RIB seat would clear this once the height of the rail is taken into account. Or do you think it would be possible to have Uberbus modify the seat height slightly?
+Kenetube - Thanks for the help, I'm going to spend a lot more time planning out the van layout and will probably end up using the RIB seat with the small amount of built in sliding adjustment. RIB can provide a higher seat with this configuration, and I'll go with your idea of the pedestal.
No need to comment how you'd do it differently? That sucked cause many ppl would have liked to learn more through your video and comments. Aw well.
Hi. Do you know if anybody sells them in the US. Nice video.
kenetube your good
Wow! 😮👏 ... You say somewhere that you're doing a "European-style" campervan. What does this mean? I’ve done some Googling re this & I’m still in the dark... Thanks for your enlightening videos! I'm fiting out my red 2009 automatic Sprinter. 😍
Thanks for that. I’d never heard of the Westfalia before. Interesting! 🙂
Estos asientos deberian del lado del volante!
Whats the width of that Scorpema seat/bed? Thank you!
The one I have is 44” wide
@@ourkaravan got it, thank you! Have you considered a bed from Travois? Look like a knock off Scorpema but use a L-track instead of those VW rails. We need a sleeping for 4... really like your layout!
Hi, I’ve had my seat for almost four years now, so there was no Travois US/Canada back then. I’m definitely excited to see more safe seating options available, and ones that are easier for those of us in the US to access. It looks like a nice setup. The L track will be a little harder on bare feet but nothing a throw rug won’t fix.
@@ourkaravan yep, that's something we were thinking to do... My only concern about this layout is the accessibility of porta potty... Essentially, you have no way of walking to the back of the van where you can use it.. right? What is your experience?
We made our rear cabinetry narrower so we can squeeze through. It’s not convenient but it’s doable. Originally the porta potty was only for my daughter, but then I came to realize how convenient it is, so it’s used way more than we expected. That said the only way to get it up front would be to move the refrigerator back, and if we did that we wouldn’t have our cold food and drinks accessible while traveling without moving the seat. So the porta potty location is just a compromise of this layout.
Well let me tell you how it would have done it.... I see some mistakes and then I see other that are even more bigger than the previous one. If you follow instructions properly
I'm just joking it's an awesome job you did.
Hi Kenetube. I found this company in Canada that is importing Scopema RIB product. Being french, i have no idea if it is easier to import from Canada rather than Europe, but my common sens say yes.
Hello, is this company in Quebec? What is the name of the company?
Unbiased Observer , nomad vanz is importing those seats, but not the railing system. They are based in Vancouver. There is also a Reimo importer in California, you can find it through their dealer locator page.
Bertrand SIX
thanks for sharing. Great info
Bertrand SIX
So to be clear. The rails are from VW? Uberbus (UK)makes a custom adapter for mounting the bench to the rails?
Is there any shorter Rail system? I do not need that much travel.
Hi Kene,
Thanks for the great videos. I really enjoy how well organized and informative your videos are. Keep up the good work. I'm looking to install a similar seat setup. The only difference is that I'm using L-tracks with Sienna seats. I would like to weld the same set up as you. First question, how much welding experience do you have? Did you use a MIG welder? Thanks in advance.
Sincerely,
Danniel Rolfe
Well done! I have been trying to get one of these seats for the past year or so, been trying to arrange import via an importer of Reimo and other european van products in canada: reimoamericas.com/index.html I have a question: I read that the RIB altair is built to clear the wheel well of the VW T4 and there is 13 inches of clearance built into the seat frame. I want to buy one of these for my promaster van, I just measured and my wheel wells are 17 inches high with a thin layer of carpet on them. Did the RIB altair seat you purchased clear the wheel wells of the sprinter or did you have to mount everything inboard a bit to clear the wheel wells? From the video it is hard to tell especially since the walls are unfinished and it looks like with the sprinter entry step in front of the sliding door you're limited to how close to the door you can mount the rails. Any other insight into the dimensions of the RIB altair seat with the uberbus flux rails would be appreciated. It doesn't seem like the dimensions between the seat rails and their relation to the seat frame are available on the uberbus website.
Thanks for the info! I am wondering if I could build a fixed padded platform along the passenger side wall in my van so that I could mount the stock T4 RIB Altair alongside further inboard. This would have an added benefit of a slightly wider bed as the 112 cm (44 inch) version is little narrow for 2 adults for sleeping. I noticed that there is a latch or mechanism on the passenger side of your seat. I wonder if those seat "controls" can be placed on the drivers side of the seat? They may not be accessible with a padded platform alongside the wall when the seat is in the rear position. I will also have to ensure that there is adequate access to the underside of the van in the area where the rails line up. In general access to the underside of the floor on the promaster is better than on the sprinter. The fuel tank and all mechanicals are located in the forward part of the van. Since it is front wheel drive there is no driveshaft. I believe it only has brake lines and exhaust running under the floor in the rear part of the van. There is a portion of the underside of the floor that is inaccessible near the walls. I may ask for a measurement of how far from the end of the bed frame the rails are located if I continue with this crazy idea.
Congratulations on being the first in the US to successfully execute this idea. The van I am currently working on (brand new 2017 promaster 159") is my third campervan. I had a VW vanagon westfalia for a number of years and replaced it with a homebuilt E-150 with hightop and VW vanagon westfalia interior. The seats available to us here in the US are awful. Like you I wouldn't be doing this if I didnt have to. Not only is mounting on rails not an option, there is no option for a full length rock n roll style seat in the US. All of the seats that come close (jacknife, tri-fold, etc) are hand built by upholstery shops on an atwood RV frame developed in the 80s. I tried one and it is a joke, 4" gaps between the cushions in bed mode, uneven cushions, a mechanism that is impossible to use for a fit adult.
It is amazing how tone deaf the RV industry is in the US. I am guessing that is why so many of them go out of business. It is sad that those of us in California can't get a California VW! I agree with you on the build quality here as well. As a furniture maker, I am disgusted by the particle board junk most companies produce. It would be cool if Hymer found a way to import more of their coaches here. I am sure they would do quite well.
Can you describe how comfortable the seat is as a bed? I ask because although extra firm is preferred, the sleeping surface appears to be almost board-hard. I would really like to see one in person before spending the $ to get one to Colorado!
Yours is 44"W x 6'1" or so? I am 6'1" tall and from the website Scopema Altair is also available 6'4" long (1940mm) and 47" wide (1200mm) www.scopema.com/produits/pdf/Altair-min.pdf
Thanks for your videos!
@Ken. Got it. Question is where in the van layout to stuff a 1-inch foam topper when not sleeping!
Kenetube - Thanks. Before I spend $$$$ on such a seat, I ought to go see one in person even it that means getting on a plane. Let me know if you host visitors! I'm a hard worker! I'm a mechanical design enginerd! (www.ascent-design.com)
Если в Бердичеве посмотрели это, уху ели бы!)