Hacks for simplifying setup and breakdown

[Tiger6761]

We have a 2003 Roo. I have some pretty serious back problems and we are looking for ways to simplify and speed up setup and breakdown in regards to the ends. One major problem we have is making beds. It is an absolute PIA even with me being 6'5" standing outside helping. The time and effort required for setup and breakdown is stopping us from taking longer trips that require one night stops along the way. I know "Buy a new trailer" will come up and that just isn't in the cards yet. So we are looking for any hints, hacks, tips you folks have for...


1. Making beds. We use a memory foam topper in addition to the mattress.
2. Speeding up the process for deploying and putting up the ends (remember this is an older model).

Thanks so much!

[ebcobra93]

For putting up the beds, one trick that works is to turn on all exhaust fans (we have two maxxair fans in our 2015) full blast and close the door. Then, when you lift the bed all of the canvas pretty much sucks in on its own and the beds practically close themselves once you lift them halfway.

I'll be following this thread to learn any other tricks people have.

[Tiger6761]

Unfortunately that doesn't necessarily work on the older ones. You have to unsnap, disconnect the canvas in order to stow it. Thanks though!

[ebcobra93]

Originally Posted by Tiger6761

Unfortunately that doesn't necessarily work on the older ones. You have to unsnap, disconnect the canvas in order to stow it. Thanks though!

Ugh, sorry. I'm not familiar with the older models.

For making the beds, we make "bed rolls" that have the sheets and blankets all rolled together. You just put the roll at one end and unroll. You still have the PIA part of tucking everything in.

[NMWildcat]

This is one of the reasons we got rid of ours, long ago.

I can't think of anything realistic to lessen the manual labor involved, other than getting someone else to do it

[Iwritecode]

My parents had an older Shamrock at one time and as much as I hate to say it, I don't think there are really any tricks to make it easier. It simply takes the amount of time that it takes.

For full setup and breakdown it probably took them about an hour but that was typically for a full weekend of camping. For just the bed ends I can't imagine it taking more than 15 or 20 minutes tops.

And if it's just for a quick overnight stop, why not just pull down one end? Or leave them both up and sleep on the dinette or sofa bed inside? (assuming that's an option).

[5picker]

I've not seen anything to make the manual part of moving the beds easier.

Years ago when we had our PUP, we never 'made the beds.'
We used sleeping bags. Big ones, little ones and everything in between.

[GalsofEscape]

Leave the bottom sheet on the bed. It stays when you fold up the bed. Then use an open sleeping bag for the top, no tucking needed or just throw a flat sheet on top and you only need to tuck the one end.

[hotzfamily]

Not sure if this will work or not - not super familiar with Roo's... but when we had our pop-up, I would keep a fitted sheet on the mattress all the time. Kids would use sleeping bags, sometimes closed, sometimes open with a sheet (loose) to cover up. Hubby and I attached two sleeping bags together (one on top, one on bottom) to make a large 2-person bag. We then used old WATERBED sheets (that were attached at the FOOT) slipped INSIDE the sleeping bag. At the HEAD of the bed, I would Loop the "bottom" sheet of the Waterbed sheet over the Back Corners of the mattress. We would leave the sheets/sleeping bags on the beds for multiple uses (several weekends) - unless it was a particularly dirty/sweaty one (no AC). You wouldn't change your home sheets ever 2 days... so why would you do that in your camper? My 2 cents.

[dwolff]

We had a 21ss, make sure mattress weight is not on doors, tie light rope to folding canvas brace and run it back to inside, once u have pulled mattress to inside wall, tug rope , down comes brace, go outside, push canvas toward hard side section, brace should not be on top of canvas, then you are only lifting weight of door, once it's up tuck in canvas at edges, at this point door will stay up on its own and latch door. I am 65 plus, and I could setup and take down on my own, which was necessary until hubby retired and was there to help. Hope this helps oops forgot another good mod to help lighten the load, bought air mattresses with built in inflate, easy to leave sheets in place

[Tiger6761]

Originally Posted by dwolff

We had a 21ss, make sure mattress weight is not on doors, tie light rope to folding canvas brace and run it back to inside, once u have pulled mattress to inside wall, tug rope , down comes brace, go outside, push canvas toward hard side section, brace should not be on top of canvas, then you are only lifting weight of door, once it's up tuck in canvas at edges, at this point door will stay up on its own and latch door. I am 65 plus, and I could setup and take down on my own, which was necessary until hubby retired and was there to help. Hope this helps oops forgot another good mod to help lighten the load, bought air mattresses with built in inflate, easy to leave sheets in place

Thanks for the reply. So you replaced the existing mattresses with air mattresses. That could help.

[dwolff]

Originally Posted by Tiger6761

Thanks for the reply. So you replaced the existing mattresses with air mattresses. That could help.

Yes, you just switch to deflate and it sucks all the air out, makes it easy to roll up, and super comfortable.
https://www.amazon.com/Intex-Pillow-Classic-Airbed-Electric/dp/B002PLM54Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_27?crid=VGU8T3TWVIDW&keywords=air+mat tress+with+built+in+pump&qid=1554761412&s=gateway& sprefix=air+mattress&sr=8-27

[Bluepill]

At age 75, with a number of problems created by motorcycle crashes, I have had to adjust a few activities in the past 15 years.

Rather than fighting with beds and canvass, I have gone to a solid wall A Frame camper. It sets up and knocks down in 30 seconds. So much easier than a traditional popup.

It may be time for you to consider a switch.

[Tiger6761]

It is on the list. We will eventually be getting a larger traditional travel trailer. We have to buy a bigger truck first. So it is a multi year process. We bought this from a friend to make sure the family would enjoy. Well we’ve had fun.

[jnbghldn]

We just use a double sleeping bag. Zip the sides, smooth out a wrinkle or two with your hand and, voila, bed made.

[jimmoore13]

A few things come to mind:

Sheet Suspenders. These will hold the fitted sheet in place. We use them on both our mattress topper and our fitted sheet.

Since your bed tilts up and wants to dump the sheets and blankets when the bed end is "folded" (as opposed to a popup that slides in level), something else will help...learned because I'm tall and sheets and blankets are always coming apart...extend the bottom (foot of the bed) and top/front/far side of your blankets and top sheet with portions of old or new-inexpensive FITTED sheets. Add more sheet suspenders to keep them secure. When the bed is tilted up, the fitted section on what becomes the top edge of the mattress will hold the top-sheet and blankets from falling off the bed, and when the bed is down, the "fitted-sheet-modification" (FSM) will keep the far edge of the bed "made." The FSM should only go about half the length of the sheet/blankets or the person on the far side of the bed will feel trapped.

Many new rigs have "Murphy Beds," and they have similar issues with the bed falling apart when folded up. They use retention straps to hold the covers in place. Your trailer may have them...or not.

Since your tent end unsnaps from the bed floor....a real advantage for setting up the bed in the first place...consider getting matching snaps on elastic that fit your tent-side snaps. A sewing supply or boat canvas supply can provide snaps that can be attached to the ends of elastic bands or bungies. These can stretch over the bed and join the two released sides of the tent ends and pull them together as you raise the bed end. Boat canvas shops can be very creative. I'd have them make short snap-on straps with an eyelet that can hold a common bungee.

I don't think this was part of the question, but you mentioned back problems. The time may come when raising and lowering the bed is a challenge. A light-duty block and tackle, could be temporarily hung from a stainless U-bolt on the roof. The block and tackle would be stored for travel and installed on site using a light weight aluminum step ladder (you probably already have one.) With the bed setup, the block and tackle can simply be draped over the street side of the bed end and snugged down to the frame to keep it from flapping in the breeze. With this, you could easily raise and lower the bed end.

All illustrations are just that....not recommended products. Hopefully some of these ideas inspire solutions you can use.

[c3prret]

I had one for 3 years, best trick for the sheet is just to get the far corners in then unfold the mattress.

To close the bed ends, undo the tent end snaps and bungee, fold the mattress and slide to hinge and secure the mattress retainers. Collapse the support. Tuck the hoop between the folded mattress. You want the top part of the canvas to lay on the bed like a sliding board and the end window tucked under that. Fold the sides in where they are on top and folded from the trailer to the end wall like making the corners on a bed. All should be flat.

Like someone said have the fan on and windows closed, it helps push up and if the canvas was folded good, should be almost closed. Takes a bit of practice.

[Chuck_S]

Lowering and raising the bed doors and connecting the tentage can be helped if the trailer hasn't been leveled fore and aft beforehand. Either end can be tipped down to a more convenient height for snapping the tent ends on the earlier models (like my '06 23SS) and especially closing the doors and getting all the tentage and cords properly tucked in and the door latches closed. Finish leveling and stabilizing once the tents are secure.

"Bed making" -- Whats that? We just roll out a king-size sleeping bag on each bed and toss a pillow or two on top. Putting the a clean case on the pillows is the toughest part of the job. We're using the same sleeping bags we got with our 2002 Coleman Bayside popup. (Easy to wash periodically in that giantic washer at the laundromat.)

-- Chuck

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by c3prret

Like someone said have the fan on and windows closed, it helps push up and if the canvas was folded good, should be almost closed. Takes a bit of practice.

As was said in a previous post, the OP has an older Roo without the pre-attached canvas. It has bungee and snaps to attach to the bunk door.
So this trick won't work.

[njfishing]

We don't put sheets on our bed.... We simply zip 2 sleeping bags together, works for us and no sheets to wash...