7 man caravan

[tyndall]

Back in what must have been the early eighties I was invited to stay aboard HMS Yarmouth by a family friend, a crew member, Brian Jones.I was about 10 or 11. It was a family open day type of thing but we got to stay a couple of nights on board the ship. I remember vaguely most of it-there was some kind of display with a helicopter winching crew members from the ship to the chopper,also one of the deck machine guns firing tracer. I remember other bits more clearly- firing a rifle at an empty oil barrel being towed 100 yards behind the ship was very memorable. Most memorable was the ‘dorm/bunkroom’ ?? we stayed in. We were in with members of the crew-the lights stayed on all night and it was hot. The bunk itself was about 2 feet wide with maybe 2 feet of headroom- I recall even as a small child it felt like a small area to sleep. I understand submarines have even smaller bunks?? Fast forward the best part of 45 years and I am the proud owner of 5 children aged between 4months and 13 years and one wife. I am designing in my head a camp trailer capable of housing aforementioned tribe internally with sleeping arrangements for all. Bunks would be the solution for the children.

My question is - how small can a bunk get for an adult before it becomes a bookshelf?

 

[grubworm]

I understand submarines have even smaller bunks??

My question is - how small can a bunk get for an adult before it becomes a bookshelf?

i was on old fast attack subs and yes, the racks were pretty tight. i remember being in bunks that were so close stacked that if i slept on my side, my shoulder would be hitting the bottom of the rack above me. i was just out of high school and still a teenager, so it didnt bother me. now that im pushing 60...there is no way i would put myself thru that. i just built a cargo trailer conversion and ended up lowering the bed because i wanted more headroom even if it cost me storage space underneath. i guess it really depends more on age? seems like the younger folk might be ok with a tighter space.

submarines were built with the equipment first and people second, so a lot of the bunks were stuck in weird places...basically install the equipment and then worry about bunk space later. people like to roll over in their sleep, so i would say that as long as you can roll over and not tag your shoulder on the bunk above you, it should be tolerable...i guess try it and see if youre ok with it. what some people call "cramped"...others would call "cozy"

one cool design with the bunk was the bedpan. basically, the bunk was a long box about 4-5" deep with a hinged lid. the mattress sat on top of the lid, so when you got up, you would lift the lid with the mattress on it and access the bedpan where you and your bunkmate (most enlisted had to share bunks with someone) stored clothes and toiletries. excellent storage. we didnt carry much personal stuff on deployment, so that one pan was enough for both our gear. not a bad idea for making bunks in a camp trailer or small house/cabin. you can see in the pic that there is a lid the mattress sits on and there is a drawer in the middle you can access without having to lift the lid. good place to put books since you could open it and get what you need even if someone was sleeping in there