When your acquire an Escape 21 trailer, you get a permanent bed as a wide as a ‘standard’ or ‘double’ bed, but as long as ‘queen’ bed. The mattress is missing one of the corners at the foot of things… this enhances trailer ingress/egress but might discourage a few pro basketball-size people from sleeping on that side of the bed.
It’s a mattress with a mattress pad. This is why people look at blogs — for the creativity, the originality, the photographic excellence.
Let’s discuss the bed, at length. Here’s the thing: it’s a little firm. Not by a lot, but by a bit. If you’re a long-time member of AARP, and you sleep on your side, your hips and knees and shoulders and possibly several ribs are going to whisper “memory foam topper” to you, all night long.
We got one of those and tried it. It did add comfort, but it also dramatically increased the difficulty of getting in and out of the bed; and of fetching or storing anything in the cabinets above the bed, which were probably designed for creatures with levitation skills.
After our 11-day California trip in early Spring, we returned the memory foam topper to the leering-but-courteous clerk behind the Costco returns desk. Why? I had come across a better idea, on another blog. If I haven’t recommended Winnie Views, I’m sorry, but I’m recommending it now. Pictures… narrative… pathos. It has it all. Plus a great suggestion to try a self-inflating ‘camping’ mattress pad atop a too-firm mattress or cushion.
This is the story of our experiment with said pads.
First, we tried using some old Therm-A-Rest pads we had from our kayak camping days. (Those days are behind us now, mostly because our sleeping-on-the-ground days are behind us.) Their narrowness, having been ideal for squeezing into kayaks, left some empty real estate on Toto’s mattress. But we used them, and we found them to be quite comfortable.
So we ordered some wider ones. The old ones will go on craigslist any day now.
But let’s start at the beginning. Underneath Toto’s mattress, and on the sides where it meets outer walls, we have placed this stuff called HyperVent. This layer of weird-looking stuff creates an air space between exterior and mattress. If, on a cold night, I breathe too heavily and overly moisten the interior air, condensation could occur on the cold outer surfaces. We don’t want that condensation seeping into the mattress. That would result in stinky mold. So we have HyperVent, another of the purchases which will surely have us retiring in, well, possibly a large cardboard box under the Viaduct in Seattle.
Under the bed. Maybe not even necessary, because the space under the bed is insulated on all sides. I think. But we have it under the bed, and if there was any chance of condensation happening here, we have just said no.
HyperVent protects Toto’s mattress from those cold exterior walls. Not sure they get all that cold, but WHAT IF THEY DID????? Toto’s mattress is safe.
A luxury mattress pad from Costco protects Toto’s faux-sateen cover from the likes of us, and from the potentially insulting Therma-A-Rest pads.
Our sleep number is 2. We have two Therma-Rest pads. We can each inflate them as we see fit, and then we can assign whatever number to that we like. Number of breaths?
Next up: a flannel fitted sheet, to cover the T-Rest pads and hold them in place (we thought). The is just different enough in color to clash with everything else. Note that one corner of the rightmost pad extends beyond the beveled Toto mattress corner. Too bad. We’re already over it.
For those of you taking notes: The brand, model and size. Works for us.
Now, our foundation is complete. Mattress, mattress pad, Therm-a-Rest pads, and fitted, color-coordinated sheet. Looks kinda bumpy and wrinkly here and there, but it’s okay, we’re not finished yet.
Behold, a Travasak. It’s a sleeping bag with sheets that fit inside, attached with hook-and-loop stuff. The sheets are of the same quality as the toilet paper at Automatic Data Processing, Bay Area Office, Palo Alto, California, in the mid-1970s. But they are SHEETS! So there’s that.
Now, with pillows, shams and a throw, our lives are complete.
I did mention an experiment. We had, on a previous trip, placed the Therm-A-Rest pads underneath the mattress pad. It was fine, but, each morning, the pads had crept down toward the mattress foot by three inches or so. It didn’t affect our comfort or our sleep, but it was Just Wrong.
So for our last trip — photos and drivel forthcoming — we arranged things as above, with the T-pads above the mattress pad but beneath the fitted sheet. Did it help? No. Same south-slithering pads.
Whatever will we do? We have a couple of options. We can get a Therm-A-Rest ‘Down Coupler’ that holds the two pads together. Its fabric might have more traction with the other fabrics in play. But it costs more money, and maybe it won’t help.
Our other option: some kind of hook-and-loop approach. More work, but perhaps less costly and with more certainty of success.
I’m not sure what we’ll try next. What I am sure of is: I owe you photos from our recent trip to the beach. Okay. Soon.
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Try those rubber shelf liners! A roll is pretty inexpensive. I have found it helpful in keeping crate pads from sliding on the pans of the crate. Might just help with your creeping thermal pads!
Excellent idea, Val! I think we have a half-roll around here somewhere — we used some of it in Toto’s cabinets (it stopped things from sliding — instead they just fall over). We’ll try it.
One thing I can guarantee you (as a long time RVer) is that you’ll never be done. It’s always a work in progress. But you’ll enjoy the whole ride! And they have that shelf liner stuff at Dollar Tree. I use it under throw rugs too!
Linda, that seems certain. That’s good. It will give me a reason to live. Otherwise… well, I guess there’s chocolate. (Just kidding Team Toto!). Dollar store… we don’t have one in Gig Harbor. Business opportunity!