Sleep 7 in e-350 eb?? Am i nuts??

mtlangst

New member
Hello we have been camping in a popup trailer for the past 3-4 years. We have been all over pulling it with a nissan nv3500. I am thinking about selling my truck and building an e-350 eb for further out adventures off the beaten path. And figure out somehow to fit/sleep 5 kids plus two adults in it. Don’t know if that voodoo magic exists here. If there is anyone on here who has shoehorned that many people in a van would appreciate some ideas of how it was done. Thinking a poptop to sleep 2 up. Then a bed platform in back plus some form of temporary platform over two rows of foldable tahoe bench seats.
 

iggi

Ian
Depends on how tall you are. Being close to six foot I appreciate being able to sleep crosswise in my E350 ambulance. Looking at weights of fully loaded Sportsmobiles vs ambulances or box trucks and they are all in the same range. Take a look at @Abitibi builds for some family friendly inspiration.
 

Raul

Adventurer
Size maters. In my set up, if I sleep on my back, we could sleep 4 of us on the bed platform (I'm 5'7" and my wife and two daughters are 5'2"). Since I sleep on my belly, it's a little bit tight for me to sleep across so my daughters and wife sleep in the platform and I sleep in the floor, in front of the fridge. With a pop top or a high roof you should be able to put 2 or three people.

With seats for 7, you will not have the center "living room" that I have though.

IMG_5496.JPG

IMG_5480.JPG
 

mtlangst

New member
Ok so i think i am going to do a spring over acle conversion on my popup camper to put 15” geolander at tires on it to use as a base camp. Then maybe get a eb e350 and just put a bed platform in the back with 4x4 ujoint to explore in.
 

mtlangst

New member
Size maters. In my set up, if I sleep on my back, we could sleep 4 of us on the bed platform (I'm 5'7" and my wife and two daughters are 5'2"). Since I sleep on my belly, it's a little bit tight for me to sleep across so my daughters and wife sleep in the platform and I sleep in the floor, in front of the fridge. With a pop top or a high roof you should be able to put 2 or three people.

With seats for 7, you will not have the center "living room" that I have though.

View attachment 694566

View attachment 694567


So what are you using for a mattress?
 

Raul

Adventurer
So what are you using for a mattress?
The one in the picture is from an old Futon. Now I'm using a Queen size memory foam 3" topper. Neither are the best option, but I had them already. Eventually I think I'll get a 6" hard foam trifold mattress.
 

Bikersmurf

Expedition Leader
There’s a really easy way…


lots of space…


everyone gets a 8 hour sleep…


been done in the navy for decades…


?




Sleep in shifts. The most you’ll ever have is three on the bunk.


Having a type III would also help.
 

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
If you get creative, it should be doable. Folks in my family routinely slept up to 6 people in a '73 VW Westy Bay. This included using the Westfalia "Cot" that spanned over the front row seats, and one person on the floor with their feet underneath the cantilevered part of the rock-n-roll bench (plus the standard two-up, two-down on the main beds).
 

1000arms

Well-known member
Hello we have been camping in a popup trailer for the past 3-4 years. We have been all over pulling it with a nissan nv3500. I am thinking about selling my truck and building an e-350 eb for further out adventures off the beaten path. And figure out somehow to fit/sleep 5 kids plus two adults in it. Don’t know if that voodoo magic exists here. If there is anyone on here who has shoehorned that many people in a van would appreciate some ideas of how it was done. Thinking a poptop to sleep 2 up. Then a bed platform in back plus some form of temporary platform over two rows of foldable tahoe bench seats.
Maybe a pop-out on each side of the van (in addition to the pop-top you mentioned)?

Hammocks for anyone comfortable sleeping in them? Perhaps ones that are supported from the sides, rather than the ones that "turn people in to bananas"? Just create sturdy mounting points inside the van.

A tent for anyone that would like a break?
 

justbecause

perpetually lost
I have an e350 extended.
sleeping east/west we put a queen size bed in the back on top of a pair of drawers. (3 drawers actually) the passenger side slider is a fridge. It would be very uncomfortable if we didnt have a raised top. The bed platform sits just on top of all the factory plastic. I am right at 6feet tall and since our van has windows I exactly fit cross ways, but sleep at a slight angle so I dont touch the glass.
We have two rows of transit seats and there is enough room for our 2 year old to sleep between the front seats and 2nd row. and 5 year old to sleep in the path between the seats and passenger side door.
I thought I was going to hang a kids hammock from the factory seatbelt mounts for my 5 year old but haven't figured that out yet, the transit seats are too tall.

I'm removing that first row to have the "living room" like Raul is talking about. Before getting the transit seats we looked at lots of options I really wanted captain chairs and a 3 wide seat but nothing worked out. I think the sprinter seats are too wide if you get 3? and the 3 wide transit seats were actually too narrow for car seats? I dont exactly remember what the issue was.

Without a raised roof with elevated platform I dont know how you get 7 people + seats into a van. even if you go 4 deep on the queen bed. With my setup you can only do 6, and only as long as one is short enough to go east/west behind the driver next to the person going north/south behind the passenger.
 
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