Sleeping platform for my 4runner.

I built a small platform to level the back. For winter camping I'll remove the seat bottoms (takes 4 bolts) and sleep in the rig. It's surprisingly comfortable.
Reinstall when I get back into town.

I prefer my Gazzelle t4 tent in during moderate weather though.

 

The Megamat is the pad I use and it is phenomenal. Well worth the pricy cost. I sleep nearly as well on it as I do my real mattress at home. I keep a fitted "cot" sheet on it, and it makes it even better.

I usually keep the 60% rear seat side removed, and have the 40% side still in seat configuration, that way if I needed to drive myself plus two pax, I can. Currently, I have the entire back (60 and 40) still in it, and just removed the seat bottom on the 60 side. Removing the bottom is an absolute must, and only takes 2 bolts and about 5 minutes. I'm only 5'10", and I don't fit and neither does my pad if at least the seat bottom is not removed.

 

Sorry OP for hijacking the thread, but thanks to all that replied.

 

Not offering experience here, but another forum member who does this a lot said a while back the that lowest comfortable option is best. He explained that the inability to sit upright on the sleep surface eventually made camping trips miserable. Had to scoot to get in or out, etc. Made sense to me.

 

I’ve was toying with the idea of removing all the seats in the back and making a load bearing floor, but didn’t like the idea of loosing my all my options regarding passenger space. So I split the difference and made a load bearing floor on the drivers side, which still leaves the potential for two rear seat passengers.

What really made my mind up was that I sleep on the drivers side, with my head towards the hatch. I get inside through the drivers side passenger door, and it was starting to bug me how much the seat-back would deflect with all my weight everytime I got in, or when sitting on it as I move around in the mornings.

I ended up complicating things completely with unreasonable goals of sturdiness and additional space. So I made a subframe that mounts on the seat mounting points on the floor, the pivot where the seat-back mounted. The frame is level with the plywood sleeping platform I made for the back. I now have decent space underneath it, and enough space to sit comfortably in the morning using the footwell area. I can also use the structure as another hardpoint if I need to lash anything down.

And I still have full use of two passenger seat positions.

 

Nice fabricating!

 

I agree with this. I have tried both ways. When I was living out of my 4Runner for a few months I began with having some large Pelican storage cases under my sleeping pad, to optimize cargo capacity, and it was brutal. Not being able to sit straight, and when climbing in and out, changing, etc. was brutal. I now have nothing beneath the pad, and I store large, bulky things like bedding in a couple waterproof duffels that I lay on top of the pad during the day. It's a small hassle to have to unpack the bedding at night, but the added living space is very worth it. I would never do a raised platform for this exact reason.

 

Thanks, I can glue things together well enough to get an appreciation for what the pros do. Wish I was good enough to have done this in a reasonable amount of time though. Took me way too long.

It would have been better if somebody sold something along these lines for each of the rear seats. That way you could easily reconfigure one or the other side, or both sides if you want the equivalent of a covered pickup truck.

 

I think I have posted this before somewhere, but here is the cheapest, easiest way to level out the back of the 4R for sleeping. It is 1.5 or 1.75 inch thick foam insulation cut to fit behind the lowered seat backs with the seat bottoms removed. This stuff is light as a feather (won't add to load weight) and will not compress. Put your favorite sleeping pad on top. You will have to fill in the space between the lowered rear seat back and the back of front seat, but I think we all carry enough junk camping to fill that space. I put my emergency stuff in there and likely will not have to access it.

Only caveat: Don't let your dog with pointy claws jump around on it. That's why mine has many patches

 

That slight slope of the back seats and transition from pad to seat backs would murder my back.

 

With a decent sleeping pad, and even with a twice operated lower back and once operated neck, I find it very comfortable. But everyone is different.