ouR escaPOD mods

Why do you need a slide out cover? I'm a new owner and assume it is water proof....   is it to keep leaves and debris out? 

Originally posted by sailor323 Very nice awning!  I may steal this

No need to steal. I posted it in the hopes that it would be useful to others. If you do use the idea, please let me know and post pictures. I have benefited from what others have done before me. I am just trying to contribute something that will be useful to others also.

The awning material part is based on memories of an awning my parents had when I was young. The support system is my idea though, especially the idea of using the bottom rail and the pins I made to hold the support poles. I'll be giving it a good test this summer so I will be able to see how it works during our planned trips.

Edit: My wife said that part of it is "creative recycling." Examples are turning the material of the bedspread into new curtains and using the fiber/foam from the original mattress to replace the soft foam in the cushions.

I envy you your energy and creativity! Enjoy reading your posts, and maybe I'll be inspired to actually do some modifications -- like replacing the overly soft seat cushions and modifying the bathroom lavatory -- one of these days.

The last time I took our R-Pod out, I realized that even with a pretty good mattress topper, the original mattress that came with our R-Pod was not going to be something that either my wife or I would want to use much longer. I ordered a new mattress from Amazon. It is this one:   Sleep Master Ultima Comfort Memory Foam 10 Inch Mattress, Short Queen. The difference is amazing, even though I have not had the opportunity to sleep on it yet. Just lying down on it is enough to know it is a world of difference.

The new mattress:


The old mattress was three layers of polyester fiber-foam. There was a thick, denser  middle layer and two thin outer layers of a fiber/foam that was a little softer. These three layers were held together with short straps and the cover seems to be a polypropylene, non-woven material. It is no wonder that this just does not hold up very long. I expect the new one to provide long and satisfying service.



This is a shot of the middle layer. I figured out a use for it and the thinner layers. I was never pleased with the two end cushions for the dinette. The foam there was too soft. When we sat on it, we sank way too much. When I saw how the old mattress was constructed, I had the idea to replace the foam in those two cushions with material from the mattress. I used one thick layer and three thin layers. One thin layer is on bottom, next the thick layer and another thin layer. These got put into a plastic bag. The last thin layer got placed inside the cushion to be the top. I used our vacuum to remove the air and compress the foam sandwich so that I could slide it in to the cushion. Once it was in, I removed the vacuum and let the foam return to full size. I repeated that for the other cushion.

The improved cushions provide much more support, and yet should still be comfortable if someone should need to sleep on them. I need to check the other dinette cushions to see if they could be similarly improved. I have enough fiber-foam to do so if I think it is worthwhile.

The latest mod: Making replacement curtains for the kitchen window and making a curtain for the door window. The original curtains were a bit too tight to fit the curtain rods I used to replace the plastic track. The door did not have one since it was a mod (listed above).

Forest River did not have fabric available. However, one of the things that came with the R-Pod was a bedspread/quilt that had one panel with the same fabric as the window and another fabric that harmonized. Since we had purchased a replacement quilt that we liked better, I went ahead and deconstructed the bedspread.

The matching fabric was on insufficient quantity to be useful. However, the harmonizing fabric had plenty. The rest was measuring, cutting, serging, and sewing the new curtains. My wife has multiple machines and tools that make it easier. For the door, I purchased small curtain rods. Anyway, here are the pictures: