Choice of bed

[Paladin]

Ok here's the deal. I have a really bad back. I fell 2 stories and landed on my head (I know, safest place and explains a lot) when I was a teenager.
I had compression fractures all down my spine and in my neck, about 5 fractures all told, I'm lucky I got up off the ground walking that day.
Now that I'm old...or headed there I'm feeling that fall all the time and can't sleep well on most beds. This is part of the reason for having the bus, so I don't have to suffer on hotel mattresses (Dallas Hilton - best I've had!!). I've tried $500 mattresses and $2000 mattresses. I've tried memory foam which is great but believe it or not still isn't the best for me. I've even tried the air beds but didn't really like them.
My favorite bed in the house is my softside flotation bed, the kind of bed that looks like a regular mattress but are filled with bladders and I put a 2" memory foam pad on top.
My question is can I reasonably put in a queen softside flotation in my bus? My king has 9 bladders and are each filled with about 55 pounds of water making a total of 495 pounds. The rest of the frame is maybe 100 to 150 pounds including the box spring section which I wouldn't even use in the bus so maybe 75 pounds. I figure this is like 3 or 4 average sized guys in the back row of a bus only spread out over a much larger area. It seems like there would be at least that much weight in the back several rows of a bus anyway.  There would be no significant sloshing since everything is contained in bladders inside the mattress. It's just a weight issue as I see it and a good steel frame could easily handle that and have some space under for whatever.

Am I thinking this out wrong? I'd really like to get a flotation bed in there. I know many will tell me to go with a memory foam and they are light but I have tried them and for me they aren't the same.

-Dave

[Tenor]

There is nothing like getting a good night sleep in something you take pride in.  The weight should not be a factor.  Using a steel frame/containment structure should do fine.  If your bus carried 45 people at an average of 180 (HA HA HA!) you'd have a lot more weight.  I'd go for it.  Just remember to really make sure the whole bed structure could not move forward in an emergency braking situation.  A 500lb bullet is big!

[grantgoold]

Dave, included securing the unit, I would also build an external bladder that would have the ability to hold the water should you have catastrophic failure. This bladder could also have an open drain to the exterior of the bus. I would hate to have a flood of that size in a bus.

I too have a broken neck and back and will but whatever bed I need to enjoy my sleep.

Let us know how it goes!

Grant

[RJ]

Dave -

I slept on a floatation waterbed for over 30 years - loved it!  Especially loved getting into a warm bed in the winter - much better than an electric blanket.

I hate the standard, pillow-top CA King I'm sleeping on now. . .

IMHO, the weight is a non-issue.  No worse than 8 - 10 adults in the rear of the coach.  Supplying electrical to the bed heaters is something you should look into, too.

Which reminds me - waterbed heaters are a good way to keep your tanks warm in the winter.

Oh, and something else.  You might want to try a Tempur-Pedic Neck pillow.  I just got one recently, and it sure made a difference for me.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[Paladin]

I don't use a heater, never have since I switched from a regular waterbed years ago. Since the bladders are under about 3-4" of padding plus the 2" memory foam I don't feel any sort of thermal transfer from the bladders. My sister got one with her bed but she never uses it.

I have thought of using one of the heaters for the tanks though.

As for the mention of leakage, one of the things that I like on this type of flotation with the multiple bladders is that each bladder is independent and if you rupture one you lose about 6 gallons of water which mostly can be contained by the rubber dam that surrounds the bladders. however, it might be a good idea to build in a failsafe of some sort.
My sisters bed has two large bladders and if you rupture one you have major problems!

Yep, unless someone can give me a real strong argument against the idea I think this is the type of bed we'll go with.

[tekebird]

no reason at all not to use any variety waterbed.

I would build a Box around the mattress....like a std waterbed.  Seal the corners and put a drain hose though the floor

[Don4107]

I too have a bit of a problem with the back.  Did to much crazy stuff when young and bullet proof. Have tried many types of beds.  The one that works the best for me is a six chambered air bed with a separate memory foam pad just under the sheet.   Has three chambers on each side.  Lets you adjust your torso independently from the head/shoulders and legs.  Other half can have their's any way they like it too.  With single chambered you only have the choice of bowed up, bowed down or level at some pressure that may not suit you.

Found them about six or seven years ago when I had a bone spur poking a nerve in my shoulder. Had something to do with a dirt bike!!!  Just soften the upper chamber and took the pressure off.  Got the spur whittled  down to size and found the mattress is still great.  Have a sore spot, no problemo, just adjust until it feels better. 

Over the years I think I have learned that having a mattress that you can change now and then helps too.  Some of the mattress we have tried feel great for a while and then seem to make you feel all stiff and sore just like the others did.  With the multichambered set up you can change to what feels better that week and not fall into the same old rut.

On a side note, if you use memory type foam, Be sure you have either very loose or stretchy sheets.  Otherwise it defeats the whole thing if you can't 'sink' into it.  Tight sheets will work like a drum head and hold you up like regular foam.  You also don't want it built into the mattress because my experience is that memory foam breaks down relatively fast and the top cover of the mattress will defeat most of the good it can do just like tight sheets.

And best of all for busin, they are the lightest thing going unless you are in to hammocks. 

Heres to a good nights sleep and not waking up feeling like an old man.  Wait a minute, I am old, Oh well.

Don 4107

[JohnEd]

Russ,

I have had two water beds fail (read burst here) and the cause was the heater.  I had expensive heaters and a thermostat and all the bells and whistles.  The heaters, both of them different brands, developed a break in the element and that point went so hot it melted thru the safety containment liner and through the mattress itself.  Serious missfortune in a two story condo.  I can imagine a plastic tank being harder to melt thru BUT!!!!!!!  Higher compression loads, vibration, extremes in temp......  I wouldn't use a heater for the water tanks but I have no doubt that you can find a hundred of us that have used them with no bad luck at all.

All that talk about securing a 1,000 pound mass in the event that you bump into a berm or bank or? only going 20 MPH.  How many G's, or Richter scale points,  is that and what does that 1,000 pounds represent at that moment.  10,000, 20,000???  I know that you can get enough structure in there to handle the load and make it look really good at the same time.  During the Oakland quake the water bed frames didn't fail but the mattress left the bed frame by sloshing over the sides.  Getting hit with a rolling 1,000 pound water balloon would ruin your day.  I think you should also "capture" the mattress with cargo straps or a net while you are under way.  I loved my water bed and I have neck and back issues that are not as severe or pervasive as yours.  Lost sleep is lost sleep, however. 

Hope you will post your actions and experience for us all.

My two cents and my best wishes for your success,

John

[Danny]

Hey,

Good idea!  What ever works...  My MCI has a hatch to access the engine under the rear of the bus.  My queen size bed is over this hatch and can be easily moved if needed.  A thought - place the bed in a location where you can get to the access (if you have one) or think about how to move the bed if you need to in case of a break down. 

Danny

[NewbeeMC9]

while your building it, would still be a good idea to make provisions for keeping it thawed

[JohnEd]

Nawh...just fill er up with 50/50 mix.  150 gallons?