Welcome to the eighth entry in October’s Mega Mod Contest. One Mega Mod will be published in every Email Alert in October. At the end of the month we’ll hold a reader vote to determine October’s winner. Click here for information about the 2022 Mod Contest, including how to enter.
Barb and Scott Healy, Orem, Utah
Jack-Knife Couch With Tons of Storage
2012 Ford F-350
2011 Lance 861
The original bench dinette was so uncomfortable for us empty nesters. First, we tried to modify the table to give us more room. After a couple of times out, we knew that just wasn’t going to work.
So after measuring many, many times, a Thomas Payne 62″ couch was ordered for our camper (make sure you measure your area before ordering) and our plans began to replace the dinette.
We carefully disassembled the dinette so we could reuse as many of the materials as possible.
Then we built the frame, giving us four inches of storage on the back wall and 12-inches under the couch. We had two doors to reuse but we made three compartments with the one closest to the door being our shoe storage.
We covered the frame on the bottom and back with 1/4-inch paneling stained to match the other wood in the camper (including a sliding door in the back).
At the top of the back storage, we put compartments for paper plates, cutlery, and cups, extending all the way up the sides and above the window (which was wasted space previously).
After installing the couch, we discovered a couple of inches under it where we store our temporary table. We’re still deciding how to incorporate a table. We want something that is in the middle but can be separated into two.
For just the two of us, this couch is perfect. It converts into a bed that is the same size as the dinette but a whole lot easier. Plus, we can get in/out of the camper a lot easier now without extending the slide.
Materials Needed:
Jack Knife Couch (Amazon) $700
Paneling (Lowe’s) $30
Shelving (Lowe’s) $25
Stain/Polyurethane $25
Netting (Amazon) $10
It took me 15 hours to complete this modification and cost me $790. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is hard.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
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