2024 Update: I made a video all about the design and how to put it together. Check it out ---> czcams.com/video/VVQEba77dA4/video.htmlsi=U2k0EXQgSeB3mrud
:) WOW! Brilliant idea indeed! I can see using this with PVC for less weight, and even in a full size Van to go up the wall for shelves too! THANKS MUCH and ALL the BEST! Cheers :)!!
Great idea where you made the openings for the slideout. A person could mark a couple of the sliding pipes near the end at the center of the bed so can see it if you were worried about sliding it out too far. This turned out nice...it's great!👍
I'm not gonna lie. I just finished my bed that is simular but a 3 part bed to make the length of my van. I made mine with 500 lbs drawer slides, wood, PVC, 3/4' conduit and maker pipe T joints. Alas, I was working on mine prior to the 1" launch. I'm feeling mighty jealous of this set up you made! Great Job.
Nice Astro my friend. Just drove mine to the Arctic Circle from key west. I got all kinds of good comments on my maker pipe roof rack. Thanks for a great product
Wow, that turned out really nice. I don’t know what conduit is I want PVC I think because I know how to work with that and it doesn’t rust. Thank you thank you. 💜🦋💕
That’s awesome! I think I would put a bar of 3/4 directly under the whole length of the middle (so where it retracts would be resting on top). Then have a couple legs going to ground. I just think having having that many breaks on one side would weaken it a bit. Overall, awesome idea!
Thanks Rock! I think you're right about the number of breaks weakening it. We had to postpone our trip until the end of April so that gives me a couple of weeks to test and modify if need be.
Thanks for this video - Im in a developing nation and they are not creative so my hunt for a welder has been futile - This is a life saver for the slider design I have in mind
@@MakerPipe - Thanks for the response - I recently placed my order - Kinda pricey - I'm sure it'll be worth it - Now to hold on international delivery, sourcing & prepping stock material & tools, locally - Looking forward to this DIY project - I wonder if I'll be your 1st customer in this particular region & country - TBD - Thanks again
Oh my god! Somehow I missed the video introducing the new 1” connectors from a month ago. I’m most of the way into the video before I start to realize these aren’t just 1” t-connectors, he’s using. Holy crap! Great design btw! This really needed to be built and awesome job!
@@MakerPipe nothing specific, but I love the idea that there are more options. When the multi angled connectors become available, I will definitely be using the puzzle pieces to mount rack rails to 1” emt
The build looks great and you did a great job explaining. The only thing I didn't see you do is sit on the bed between the verical support and test out the strength and rigidity of the connectors.
Thanks for the comment. I was so focused on showing the slider solution that I forgot to include some footage of me testing it out. It held up just fine, but definitely needs a thick mattress so you don't feel the metal cross bars.
Next time you do something like this, check out Steeltek fittings. They're amazing. I build my entire desk and shelving unit out of galvanized fence post and Steeltek fittings from Lowes.
I just researched steel tek and that system looks great. I might use it to build out the interior of my truck camper with those fittings and this type of bed
I like it. I'm certain there are teflon sleeves that will make it smooth titer and reduce the inevitable rattle as you go down the road. I'm going t build one that fits my double inflatable mattress.
Pretty great technically. Now you might want to consider comfort & functional use for sleeping. Depending upon what foam you will be using to make the mattress, you will feel every piece of pipe - especially if there are height differences in the pipes/connectors of the frame (it's like camping on rocky ground). The mattress may sag between the pipes if they are too far apart. A flat sleeping surface is a purposeful design of the wooden built ones. A hinged piece of plywood over the pipe frame would work. You'll need something to keep the 2 piece mattress together as well. For a one piece mattress you could use an air mattress but they are COLD & more so if they are laid atop metal pipe. For either, you'll also need to prevent the mattress from sliding out of place on the frame. Someone else mentioned rattle. A few short hours of that while driving will quickly convince you to address it but it sounds like that's already on your list.
Wish I could build with conduit and maker pipe all day every day…… anyhoo my two cents: Replace legs (height) to go over wheel well, add a support leg to the right and left of wheel well and remove the bottom rail between them. Curious if a wood slat top would be “lighter” though.
This is fantastic. I'm looking at making my extendable van bed function as a chaise lounge as well, to allow for side door access in my minivan. My thought is to create two separate frames, one for the larger, fixed bed portion and another for the upper, mobile portion. It needs to sit up at an angle and I need a way to keep it locked in that position. I love the idea of using metal as opposed to wood. Do you have recommendations on the type of coupler I would use to join the two portions, how it would lock in the vertical position, etc? I would love so much to pick your brain, I have such a fun challenge!
Hey Ali! I apologize for just now seeing this! That sounds like a cool idea for a bed. I was actually thinking about something similar myself to have a true couch mode. One idea I had was making the slider portion pull all the way out and then rest at an angle inside the main part of the bed. We are working on 45 degree angle connector for 1" EMT. When those are ready I think they will allow us to do something like that.
@@MakerPipe ahhhh that sounds so cool! My next bed attempt, whether that comes in 6 months in my current minivan or a couple years, will definitely be maker's pipe. This wood stuff is just too heavy!
This is genius! I was looking around for a materials list; can you please tell me exactly what I would need to build this? In other words, what are the part names? Thank you so much for this really great post.
I couldn't find your remarks for the sleeping results in the community site, so I'll ask here. How did you find the 8" spacing for support for sleeping? Im building a slide bed for my camper and found these products. Love the end results! I'll have more questions later, on your site tho. Btw, would replacing 1" conduit with 3/4", and the 3/4" with 1/2" still function as well? Would there be a weight restriction related to length? Thanks for the video!
I ended up having a lot of issues with the van and had to sell it unfortunately. I never got to sleep a full night on the bed so I can't say for sure how comfortable it was long term. I would recommend getting some coroplast or something to put on top of the frame. I think that will help a lot with the comfort level and minimize any spacing issues with the slats. Thanks for the comment!
I ended up having a lot of issues with the van and sold it a few months back unfortunately. My next step was going to be adding corrugated plastic on top of the frame to support the mattress better.
Can you build a bed or a camper van that slides in and out from the back of the van so that a handicapped person could be put in and that it would be pushed back up into the camper van with me on it. Do you think that that’s a possibility? I need to find somebody that can do.
Thanks for the comment. I don't know exactly how much it weighed. If I had to guess, I would say about 100 ish pounds. I was able to take it out and put it in by myself.
This is great! Does anyone know what limitations emt has as far as condensation or rust or how it could be protected? Also, I would be extremely interested to know what kind of weight something like this could hold? Great job!
Hey Mark thanks for the comment and questions. The outside of EMT is galvanized so no rust should develop. I’m about 260 pounds and it holds me up just fine. There’s plenty of space on the bars for more supports though if need be.
Hi Jake, can I ask how long is your platform and what is the spacing between your 180 connectors? This is exactly what I want for my Element, but I do need to make a modification.
Hi Darice, I apologize for such a delayed response! I just measured and the pipes between the 180's are 4" long. The measurement from where one of the connectors ends and the next one starts is 2-3/4". Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
@@MakerPipe Ok, I am ready to build your bed project. Do you know what parts you used so that I can order them? I need to add 4 adjustable angle hinge connectors also.
I did notice some rattle when driving. I have a couple of ideas to reduce the rattle. I think adding some shrink wrap in strategic places will be effective.
Hey guys I just found this video. I was wondering if you have a parts list and also dimensions. I have an Astro myself and may look into doing something like this. Has anyone created a rock and roll bed out of Maker Pipe and Conduit?
Hi there, did you see the recent video I made with the parts/cut list and tips for building? czcams.com/video/VVQEba77dA4/video.htmlsi=Z7qOGr87B5VUvZwk
Neat project and it looks cool but it's over-engineered. The spacers are too far apart so you wind up having to put something on top to bridge the gap or sleep on an uneven surface, one rail has a bunch of breaks in it and because there's the same dimension material everywhere you have slats that are overkill. The bottom rails along the floor are overkill too and too much of an obstruction for sliding things out from under the bed. Seems to me that the issues stemmed from the question: -how can i use this piping for everything? vs -what's the most suitable material to make each part of the bed? Tim's design made more sense in that regard. I'm sure it can function and it's a nice interesting thing but it could be simpler, quicker to build, more convenient and lighter. Not to rain on your parade of course and kudos as it's still a cool thing.
Thanks for the comment, Russell. It was definitely over-engineered but that was kind of the whole point. I wanted to test out the idea of creating the slider bed all from one material with a combination of sliding solutions from the community. I'd definitely do it differently in V2 but that's the way things go. I really want to try creating a bed frame pretty similar to the basic rectangle and then use nylon webbing straps to create the slats. Seems like that would work pretty well and eliminate a lot of cost and discomfort.
You can find EMT Conduit locally in places like Lowes or Home Depot. Our connectors are sold online and shipped from our shop in South Carolina. Here is a link to our website ----> makerpipe.com/collections/modular-pipe-fittings
Hey Dan, thanks for asking. My sister came down with a sinus infection so we had to reschedule. We are going next weekend. I am going to take some advice from the community to make it more comfortable before the trip. I am excited to try it out.
Correct. We make connectors that fit off the shelf electrical conduit. We ship the connectors to you and you can find EMT at places like Ace and Home Depot.
You’re right, it’s gonna add some extra wear and tear to the van. It’s not much different than any other van conversion with wood etc. just the nature of doing something like this 🤷🏻♂️
2024 Update: I made a video all about the design and how to put it together. Check it out ---> czcams.com/video/VVQEba77dA4/video.htmlsi=U2k0EXQgSeB3mrud
Great one 👍
Dude, that is the Best homemade bed I've ever seen in a camper van.. Inspiring my friend
I love this especially when considering the weight difference between this and wood. Great job!
:) WOW! Brilliant idea indeed! I can see using this with PVC for less weight, and even in a full size Van to go up the wall for shelves too! THANKS MUCH and ALL the BEST! Cheers :)!!
Love the build! Took a tour of Maker Pipe.
Moving forward I will refer to that page.
Thanks!
That is amazing !!! Thank you for sharing!!
Great idea where you made the openings for the slideout. A person could mark a couple of the sliding pipes near the end at the center of the bed so can see it if you were worried about sliding it out too far. This turned out nice...it's great!👍
LOVE van life content! I'm considering replicating this in my ambulance build soon!
Nice! That would be awesome!
Way to go! Can’t wait to see the progress
Thanks for watching Eloine!
Honestly this was great. I love all your other videos and weekly stuff but this is even better... even just build timelapses.
Thanks for your feedback Christopher! It means a lot
Great job! I love it!!! You did an awesome job presenting it to us too. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much Darron! Glad you liked it
I'm not gonna lie. I just finished my bed that is simular but a 3 part bed to make the length of my van. I made mine with 500 lbs drawer slides, wood, PVC, 3/4' conduit and maker pipe T joints. Alas, I was working on mine prior to the 1" launch. I'm feeling mighty jealous of this set up you made! Great Job.
Thanks Erika, I'd love to see your setup! It sounds really awesome. I think it's cool that we all have different setups and solutions in our van.
Excellent , lightweight , clever!
Thanks Robin! I am glad you liked it
Great idea!
Great job, my viewers will enjoy it too!
Thanks ThundersGarage!
Amazing !!
Nice Astro my friend. Just drove mine to the Arctic Circle from key west. I got all kinds of good comments on my maker pipe roof rack. Thanks for a great product
Thanks! I am glad you like the connectors and are enjoying your trip. Safe travels to you!
Cool! Thank you for sharing.
My pleasure! Thanks for the comment
Very clever!
Thanks Emmie!
Wow, that turned out really nice. I don’t know what conduit is I want PVC I think because I know how to work with that and it doesn’t rust. Thank you thank you. 💜🦋💕
That’s awesome! I think I would put a bar of 3/4 directly under the whole length of the middle (so where it retracts would be resting on top). Then have a couple legs going to ground. I just think having having that many breaks on one side would weaken it a bit. Overall, awesome idea!
Thanks Rock! I think you're right about the number of breaks weakening it. We had to postpone our trip until the end of April so that gives me a couple of weeks to test and modify if need be.
I love this idea!
Glad you like it!
Brilliant! 👏🏾
Thanks for the comment!
Great vid, thank you! I love astro vans!
Thanks for the comment Luci!
Thanks for this video - Im in a developing nation and they are not creative so my hunt for a welder has been futile - This is a life saver for the slider design I have in mind
Awesome! I am glad you found us. Let us know if you have any questions or need anything in the future!
@@MakerPipe - Thanks for the response - I recently placed my order - Kinda pricey - I'm sure it'll be worth it - Now to hold on international delivery, sourcing & prepping stock material & tools, locally - Looking forward to this DIY project - I wonder if I'll be your 1st customer in this particular region & country - TBD - Thanks again
I recommend a solid beam in the middle, for example a 2x8 wood. Drill holes for the large emt.
Oh my god! Somehow I missed the video introducing the new 1” connectors from a month ago. I’m most of the way into the video before I start to realize these aren’t just 1” t-connectors, he’s using. Holy crap!
Great design btw! This really needed to be built and awesome job!
Thanks Dan! We just started shipping the new 1" parts not too long ago so you didn't miss too much. Do you have plans for the bigger connectors?
@@MakerPipe nothing specific, but I love the idea that there are more options. When the multi angled connectors become available, I will definitely be using the puzzle pieces to mount rack rails to 1” emt
If you use the 3/4 to 1" shims on the 3/4", you'll have a more stable structure and a set stop point.
Cool weight safer and storage room for RV, Van's, and Campers
Thanks for watching Jay!
The build looks great and you did a great job explaining. The only thing I didn't see you do is sit on the bed between the verical support and test out the strength and rigidity of the connectors.
Thanks for the comment. I was so focused on showing the slider solution that I forgot to include some footage of me testing it out. It held up just fine, but definitely needs a thick mattress so you don't feel the metal cross bars.
Next time you do something like this, check out Steeltek fittings. They're amazing. I build my entire desk and shelving unit out of galvanized fence post and Steeltek fittings from Lowes.
I just researched steel tek and that system looks great. I might use it to build out the interior of my truck camper with those fittings and this type of bed
Awesome. Much cheaper than using 80/20.
Thanks for watching Johnny!
Nice video!!! Easy to follow you .. when you make the adjustment, please make video too !
Thanks for watching and commenting Teresa!
I like it. I'm certain there are teflon sleeves that will make it smooth titer and reduce the inevitable rattle as you go down the road. I'm going t build one that fits my double inflatable mattress.
Teflon is a great idea. I hadn't thought of that. Can't wait to see how yours comes out! Thanks for the comment
Pretty great technically. Now you might want to consider comfort & functional use for sleeping. Depending upon what foam you will be using to make the mattress, you will feel every piece of pipe - especially if there are height differences in the pipes/connectors of the frame (it's like camping on rocky ground). The mattress may sag between the pipes if they are too far apart. A flat sleeping surface is a purposeful design of the wooden built ones. A hinged piece of plywood over the pipe frame would work. You'll need something to keep the 2 piece mattress together as well. For a one piece mattress you could use an air mattress but they are COLD & more so if they are laid atop metal pipe. For either, you'll also need to prevent the mattress from sliding out of place on the frame. Someone else mentioned rattle. A few short hours of that while driving will quickly convince you to address it but it sounds like that's already on your list.
I intend to wrap mine in Tshirt yarn
I like that idea! How'd it turn out?
Wish I could build with conduit and maker pipe all day every day…… anyhoo my two cents: Replace legs (height) to go over wheel well, add a support leg to the right and left of wheel well and remove the bottom rail between them. Curious if a wood slat top would be “lighter” though.
I had this Idea. I was told it wouldn't work. Yet here you are and it works. I think ill steel your design( bad pun warning from the punny one)
Haha nice pun! Let me know if you have any questions while designing/building
This is fantastic. I'm looking at making my extendable van bed function as a chaise lounge as well, to allow for side door access in my minivan. My thought is to create two separate frames, one for the larger, fixed bed portion and another for the upper, mobile portion. It needs to sit up at an angle and I need a way to keep it locked in that position. I love the idea of using metal as opposed to wood. Do you have recommendations on the type of coupler I would use to join the two portions, how it would lock in the vertical position, etc? I would love so much to pick your brain, I have such a fun challenge!
Hey Ali! I apologize for just now seeing this! That sounds like a cool idea for a bed. I was actually thinking about something similar myself to have a true couch mode. One idea I had was making the slider portion pull all the way out and then rest at an angle inside the main part of the bed. We are working on 45 degree angle connector for 1" EMT. When those are ready I think they will allow us to do something like that.
@@MakerPipe ahhhh that sounds so cool! My next bed attempt, whether that comes in 6 months in my current minivan or a couple years, will definitely be maker's pipe. This wood stuff is just too heavy!
This is genius! I was looking around for a materials list; can you please tell me exactly what I would need to build this? In other words, what are the part names? Thank you so much for this really great post.
Hi there, thanks for the comment! I don't have all the info right this second but I will get it together and share it with you asap.
Good job must better than wood.
Each material has it's pros and cons, but thanks! Appreciate the comment
I couldn't find your remarks for the sleeping results in the community site, so I'll ask here. How did you find the 8" spacing for support for sleeping? Im building a slide bed for my camper and found these products. Love the end results! I'll have more questions later, on your site tho. Btw, would replacing 1" conduit with 3/4", and the 3/4" with 1/2" still function as well? Would there be a weight restriction related to length? Thanks for the
video!
I ended up having a lot of issues with the van and had to sell it unfortunately. I never got to sleep a full night on the bed so I can't say for sure how comfortable it was long term. I would recommend getting some coroplast or something to put on top of the frame. I think that will help a lot with the comfort level and minimize any spacing issues with the slats. Thanks for the comment!
Hey thanks for the video! Any updates?
I ended up having a lot of issues with the van and sold it a few months back unfortunately. My next step was going to be adding corrugated plastic on top of the frame to support the mattress better.
Genius! Wondering what would be the material cost of this contraption
It was about $380 when I added it up recently. Thanks for the comment!
Do you have a cut list, I like to make one for my boat.
Can you build a bed or a camper van that slides in and out from the back of the van so that a handicapped person could be put in and that it would be pushed back up into the camper van with me on it. Do you think that that’s a possibility? I need to find somebody that can do.
Great idea. How much it weights though? Thanks
Thanks for the comment. I don't know exactly how much it weighed. If I had to guess, I would say about 100 ish pounds. I was able to take it out and put it in by myself.
Oh wow. Too much weight for me. I'm going to try it with PVC. Great idea though. Thanks
This is great! Does anyone know what limitations emt has as far as condensation or rust or how it could be protected?
Also, I would be extremely interested to know what kind of weight something like this could hold? Great job!
Hey Mark thanks for the comment and questions. The outside of EMT is galvanized so no rust should develop. I’m about 260 pounds and it holds me up just fine. There’s plenty of space on the bars for more supports though if need be.
@@MakerPipe thank you for the information! I hope the camping trip is going well and look forward to everything else you come up! =]
roughly how many feet of 1" and 3/4" did you use?
Hi Jake, can I ask how long is your platform and what is the spacing between your 180 connectors? This is exactly what I want for my Element, but I do need to make a modification.
Hi Darice, I apologize for such a delayed response! I just measured and the pipes between the 180's are 4" long. The measurement from where one of the connectors ends and the next one starts is 2-3/4". Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
@@MakerPipe Ok, I am ready to build your bed project. Do you know what parts you used so that I can order them? I need to add 4 adjustable angle hinge connectors also.
Where do you buy the clamps ?
You can get those at makerpipe.com/collections/modular-pipe-fittings
Take a test drive with it. Might be a bit of a rattle going down the road?
I did notice some rattle when driving. I have a couple of ideas to reduce the rattle. I think adding some shrink wrap in strategic places will be effective.
Hey guys I just found this video. I was wondering if you have a parts list and also dimensions. I have an Astro myself and may look into doing something like this. Has anyone created a rock and roll bed out of Maker Pipe and Conduit?
Hi there, thanks for the comment! I don't have all the info right this second but I will get it together and share it with you asap.
Hi there, did you see the recent video I made with the parts/cut list and tips for building? czcams.com/video/VVQEba77dA4/video.htmlsi=Z7qOGr87B5VUvZwk
Did you happen to weight it? Curious how much it weighs?
I did not unfortunately. I could move the whole thing by myself. If I had to guess I would say 75 ish pounds
Ok but I wanna see u lay on it. The middle looks weak. Maybe it’s just me.
I’ll post an update under the community tab when I get the mattress figured out 👌 thanks for the comment!
what if you have an accident and the conduit punch through the driver seat?
That would not be a fun day. It definitely needs to be secured in some way before actual travel.
Neat project and it looks cool but it's over-engineered.
The spacers are too far apart so you wind up having to put something on top to bridge the gap or sleep on an uneven surface, one rail has a bunch of breaks in it and because there's the same dimension material everywhere you have slats that are overkill. The bottom rails along the floor are overkill too and too much of an obstruction for sliding things out from under the bed.
Seems to me that the issues stemmed from the question:
-how can i use this piping for everything?
vs
-what's the most suitable material to make each part of the bed?
Tim's design made more sense in that regard.
I'm sure it can function and it's a nice interesting thing but it could be simpler, quicker to build, more convenient and lighter.
Not to rain on your parade of course and kudos as it's still a cool thing.
Thanks for the comment, Russell. It was definitely over-engineered but that was kind of the whole point. I wanted to test out the idea of creating the slider bed all from one material with a combination of sliding solutions from the community. I'd definitely do it differently in V2 but that's the way things go. I really want to try creating a bed frame pretty similar to the basic rectangle and then use nylon webbing straps to create the slats. Seems like that would work pretty well and eliminate a lot of cost and discomfort.
So how much did this cost to build?
I don't have a total cost breakdown but if I remember correctly it's about $350 or so.
Where to buy this material?
You can find EMT Conduit locally in places like Lowes or Home Depot. Our connectors are sold online and shipped from our shop in South Carolina. Here is a link to our website ----> makerpipe.com/collections/modular-pipe-fittings
So how'd the bed feel over the weekend?
Hey Dan, thanks for asking. My sister came down with a sinus infection so we had to reschedule. We are going next weekend. I am going to take some advice from the community to make it more comfortable before the trip. I am excited to try it out.
I haven't seen pipes in the website, only connectors
Correct. We make connectors that fit off the shelf electrical conduit. We ship the connectors to you and you can find EMT at places like Ace and Home Depot.
@@MakerPipe got it, do you this pipe build is chepear then the wood one?
Build cost?
I've been thinking pvc pipes , wood is to heavy .
I think a combination of conduit and PVC would work well and be lightweight. Maybe that will be the next prototype
so you've created metal spears to impale yourself with in an accident. Good luck with that.
You’re correct. I refuse to strap it down or secure it in any way.
I stand corrected. Straps will hold it in place in a car crash
Yes, as long as you pull it and say “that’s not going anywhere”.
lol...
At least you've got a sense of humor
Way too heavy!
It's really not too bad when compared to other options. One person could lift it alone.
Waste of gas money using heavy metal….
Got money? Pushing the engine to wear out faster.
You’re right, it’s gonna add some extra wear and tear to the van. It’s not much different than any other van conversion with wood etc. just the nature of doing something like this 🤷🏻♂️
way over thinking a bed
That's what I was going for. Thanks for the comment