Memory Foam Weight

[ILUVTHEBEACH]

Calling all owners of memory foam pads. I am still working on the cushion issues I have with my PU and plan to git r done this winter. I have found something on ebay that I think may work but I know you have to be careful with weight issues with the memory foam. Below is a description of what I am looking at. Can someone tell me if they think this would add a significant amount of weight to the PU. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The Ultimate 6.0 Sleep System comes with a unique combination of three layers of foam. The top layer is two inches of 100% visco-elastic memory foam that offers comfort and support while providing pressure relief for a restful night sleep. Two layers of high density support foam. One layer is four inchs and the other layer is two inches.

This is an 8" mattress and I believe I have enough room when I close the "lid" . The price is right and it comes with a cover.

Thanks for your input. Sherry

[Cheryl]

Hi Sherry,
Are you redoing the cushions of the dinette seats? If so, 8 inches may be sort of deep for cushions. Will there be enough clearance for your legs between the cushions and the table top? If you are only redoing cushions for a sofa or guacho seat then the only concern would be for the clearance needed when the bedends slide in. I'm sure you've already done all those measurements. As far as weight goes, memory foam is pretty heavy. We use a 3 inch thick king size piece of foam on our bed end and it takes DH and I both to move it from the dinette to the bed. Not all of this is weight tho...it is also a little awkward (SP?) to handle. I feel that an 8 inch thick piece would be even denser and heavier. Although, cushion sized pieces would of course be easier to handle than one large piece. Good luck on your project and I wish I could have helped you a little more.
Cheryl

[ILUVTHEBEACH]

Hi Sherry,
Are you redoing the cushions of the dinette seats? If so, 8 inches may be sort of deep for cushions. Will there be enough clearance for your legs between the cushions and the table top? If you are only redoing cushions for a sofa or guacho seat then the only concern would be for the clearance needed when the bedends slide in.

I am redoing all the cushions but the 8 inches will just be for the bunkends.  The Dinette and gaucho will only be 4 inches as no one really sleeps on them.

I feel that an 8 inch thick piece would be even denser and heavier. Although, cushion sized pieces would of course be easier to handle than one large piece. Good luck on your project and I wish I could have helped you a little more.

The total size of the mattress is 8 inches but the memory foam is only 2 inches with the other 2 layers being high density foam.

[wavery]

Calling all owners of memory foam pads. I am still working on the cushion issues I have with my PU and plan to git r done this winter. I have found something on ebay that I think may work but I know you have to be careful with weight issues with the memory foam. Below is a description of what I am looking at. Can someone tell me if they think this would add a significant amount of weight to the PU. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The Ultimate 6.0 Sleep System comes with a unique combination of three layers of foam. The top layer is two inches of 100% visco-elastic memory foam that offers comfort and support while providing pressure relief for a restful night sleep. Two layers of high density support foam. One layer is four inchs and the other layer is two inches.

This is an 8" mattress and I believe I have enough room when I close the "lid" . The price is right and it comes with a cover.

Thanks for your input. Sherry

I KNOW that I could not put a 8" thick mattress on our platforms and get the roof down. We used to have 4" mattresses and it was hard to get the roof closed when we left the deflated air mattress (1/4" thick) and bedding (1 1/2" thick) That's less than 2" extra.

We took our foam mattress out and just use the air mattress. It saves a lot of weight and gives us additional storage room for chairs etc. We love the air mattress (I realize that some people don't like them). We used to just blow it up on top of the foam. After a while, we realized how silly that was.

Your PU may have a lot deeper roof. I don't know but I doubt that it would be that much deeper. Remember, you have all of the canvas and framing in there too. That takes up a LOT of space.

[mike4947]

As expensive as the material is it's time to measure and not guess if the 8"s will clear the roof when down. Use the old tissue box trick. An empty tissue box or anything crushable that will retain it's crushed height so you can measure it is placed in the center of a bunk end before closing. After opening you'll know for sure if 8" will clear.

[wavery]

As expensive as the material is it's time to measure and not guess if the 8"s will clear the roof when down. Use the old tissue box trick. An empty tissue box or anything crushable that will retain it's crushed height so you can measure it is placed in the center of a bunk end before closing. After opening you'll know for sure if 8" will clear.

I would think that you would need a lot more clearance on the sides than you would in the middle. Your frame and the bulk of your tenting will be on the sides of the bunk.

I just can't imagine any PU manufacturer designing in an extra 4" of closed space. Maybe 1 or 2" max. 4" would be hard to comprehend. That would add more cost and weight to the construction and a higher profile to the overall trailer while towing. The whole concept of a PU is low profile and low weight for towing and storage. I would be really surprised it that works. Please keep us posted.

[ILUVTHEBEACH]

Hmmmmmmmmm..........

I didn't think about the canvas aspect of it.  I will definitely have to check out the clearance and let you know.   Now that I look at it 8" is a bit high.  Maybe I measured my existing cushions wrong and now I have to recheck that.

We are currently using air mattresses on top of the cushions.  If I can replace the cushions (a very ugly red and black 70's plaid) and not have to use the air mattresses that would be great.  (These cushions are the original cushions and 32 years old. It's time for them to go.

[AustinBoston]

I just can't imagine any PU manufacturer designing in an extra 4" of closed space.

Today, I would agree with you.  But the OP's camper is a '74 (unless they own a very large 32 year old cat), and they may have done things quite a bit differently back then.

I know the pop-up my folks borrowed (belonged to my uncle) had a canvas roof when opened, and had bed ends that hinged over to form a top when closed.  Nobody I know of does that today.  I could believe there were other roof arrangements back then as well.

Austin

[wavery]

Today, I would agree with you.  But the OP's camper is a '74 (unless they own a very large 32 year old cat), and they may have done things quite a bit differently back then.

I know the pop-up my folks borrowed (belonged to my uncle) had a canvas roof when opened, and had bed ends that hinged over to form a top when closed.  Nobody I know of does that today.  I could believe there were other roof arrangements back then as well.

Austin

I thought of that too but I looked at his pics and the bunk-ends slide in and the roof seems to close like ours do. They just seem to be hinged, as apposed to cable & pulley lifts.

It looks like the roof comes down as you push the bunks in. It looks kinda cool. Can't tell how strong the support arms are. They don't look to be very hefty.

I still can't imagine them purposely designing in an extra 4" of empty space. That would be about a 15% increase in total cubic inches of the closed PU. That's no small thing. In fact, that would be down-right negligent of some (or several) designer. Those guys get big bucks to design these things "SMALL". That has always been the entire concept of the PU camper. You get a BIG camper out of a SMALL package. Empty space is a no-brainer. I can't believe that they did that.

Hey, that thing was designed long after the Boeing 747 was designed and around the time that they were building the Space Shuttle (1st flown in 1977). They had tape measures and everything back then.

[mike4947]

Hmmm, guess I should read entire posts. The Puma was made by Vanguard Industries was orphaned in 1980. In other words production was just stopped and little is available as to information on them.
Question of ryou Sherry is the Puma a "standard" style PU with a one piece roof or a fold out type with a canvas top. Either way the box test will work. I'd just like to know to add to my knowledge base.
 
Also Waverly makes a good point, newer roofs ,not to mention more curved sections in roofs conpared to the old square box designs make checking at the corners and edges more important that ever.

[flyfisherman]

The shape & dimentions of my particular model Starcraft have been just about the same now for a few years, perhaps going back to the early 90's. On cross country trips and some fishing trips where we are maybe subject to move campsites up or down river, I can leave the sleeping bags laid out on the 4" foam bunk-ends, but that's about all. The pillows have to be stowed as that's just too much to close-up.


Fly

[AustinBoston]

I still can't imagine them purposely designing in an extra 4" of empty space. That would be about a 15% increase in total cubic inches of the closed PU. That's no small thing.

Pictures? I didn't see any pictures  :confused:

In fact, that would be down-right negligent of some (or several) designer. Those guys get big bucks to design these things "SMALL". That has always been the entire concept of the PU camper. You get a BIG camper out of a SMALL package. Empty space is a no-brainer. I can't believe that they did that.

I'm sure you are correct; I just didn't think you should *assume* there was no space just because there wouldn't be any on today's pop-ups.

Hey, that thing was designed long after the Boeing 747 was designed and around the time that they were building the Space Shuttle (1st flown in 1977). They had tape measures and everything back then.

OOps! Shuttle first flew in 1981:

NASA's Shuttle Missions Page
Shuttle Mission STS-1 Page

Austin (pretending his brain isn't aging)

[ILUVTHEBEACH]

I thought of that too but I looked at his pics and the bunk-ends slide in and the roof seems to close like ours do. They just seem to be hinged, as apposed to cable & pulley lifts.

It looks like the roof comes down as you push the bunks in. It looks kinda cool. Can't tell how strong the support arms are. They don't look to be very hefty.

You are correct wavery.  We don't have cables and pulleys to lift the room.  You have to start with the back bunkend and pull it out to raise the roof.  Once you get it past a little metal piece in the slide, it locks into place with a pin.  Then you go to the other side and pull out that bunk end to raise the roof completely.  I am not sure what type of system this is but its the only one we got.

Question of you Sherry is the Puma a "standard" style PU with a one piece roof or a fold out type with a canvas top. Either way the box test will work. I'd just like to know to add to my knowledge base.

I guess you would call mine a "standard" pu.  My roof is one solid piece.

Pictures? I didn't see any pictures

I have some pics on my webshots of my only mod (new floor and interior paint).  You must be able to see some of the bunkends.