Turning a truck bed into a pillow fort (yes, really)

Because I am basically 10 inside, the two things I love most in the world are awesome vehicles, and constructing forts to escape the outside world in. If my calculations are correct, I'm working with about 35 square feet of space. The budget? Around $100. Here's what I've needed so far:

-1 shag carpet ($0, lying around)

-1 sleeping bag ($0, also lying around)

-1 ratty and kinda fuzzy green blanket ($0, graciously donated by Mom and Dad)

-1 red double comforter ($3.75 each, thrift store 75% off sale)

-1 blue double comforter ($3, same thrift shop)

-1 accent pillow ($1.25, same thrift shop)

-1 body pillow ($3.60, same thrift shop)

Total: $11.60

Tomorrow I'll take some decent pics and buy some Comfort Corners pillows from Walmart. I spent the afternoon in my fort, and found that it is watertight, rather comfortable, and even a little bluetooth speaker sounds good in there because of the acoustics. I can't wait to practically live in this thing on my big summer road trip.

Add mattress and invite neighborhood girls in. Dont forget "mood lights" or at least those stick anywhere round battery powered clicky lights

In reply to chiodos:

It's more about not growing up than anything else.

chiodos wrote: Add mattress and invite neighborhood girls in. Dont forget "mood lights" or at least those stick anywhere round battery powered clicky lights

That sounds like a bad idea unless you ID them first.

Stampie wrote:

chiodos wrote: Add mattress and invite neighborhood girls in. Dont forget "mood lights" or at least those stick anywhere round battery powered clicky lights

That sounds like a bad idea unless you ID them first.

For us yes, but remember gbody man is 16, probably our youngest member so hes the only one i can recommend such stupidity to haha.

Regardless...Gbodyman, its to late to not grow up.

You're only as old as you believe you are

PS pillow forts are awesome. Reminds me of this episode from a certain TV show...

Never grow up.

I grew up, 6'2".

I just stopped maturing around 18.

I would get a second battery, battery isolation kit, and maybe even a small solar panel so you can power a 12v fan, mood lighting, and charge your phone when you're in the back.

That way when you wake up you still have full power on the main battery.

After a couple girls in the back it will cease to be a pillow fort. Your parents may still believe that but we know it's really a den of iniquity.

Bean bag chairs

Used futon mattress.

I understand that I must get older but I can be immature forever!

chiodos wrote:

Stampie wrote:

chiodos wrote: Add mattress and invite neighborhood girls in. Dont forget "mood lights" or at least those stick anywhere round battery powered clicky lights

That sounds like a bad idea unless you ID them first.

For us yes, but remember gbody man is 16, probably our youngest member so hes the only one i can recommend such stupidity to haha. Regardless...Gbodyman, its to late to not grow up.

Cause Canada:

....meaning 14- and 15-year-olds can have sex with someone who is less than five years older.

(this ensures that the entire High School population does not end up on the sexual offenders list as it potentially could as the law is written in the USA.)

Get that logic out of here.

NOHOME wrote:

chiodos wrote:

Stampie wrote:

chiodos wrote: Add mattress and invite neighborhood girls in. Dont forget "mood lights" or at least those stick anywhere round battery powered clicky lights

That sounds like a bad idea unless you ID them first.

For us yes, but remember gbody man is 16, probably our youngest member so hes the only one i can recommend such stupidity to haha. Regardless...Gbodyman, its to late to not grow up.

Cause Canada: ....meaning 14- and 15-year-olds can have sex with someone who is less than five years older. (this ensures that the entire High School population does not end up on the sexual offenders list as it potentially could as the law is written in the USA.)

Canadian teenagers > US teenagers if they are capable of doing math before having sex.

Basil Exposition wrote:

NOHOME wrote:

chiodos wrote:

Stampie wrote:

chiodos wrote: Add mattress and invite neighborhood girls in. Dont forget "mood lights" or at least those stick anywhere round battery powered clicky lights

That sounds like a bad idea unless you ID them first.

For us yes, but remember gbody man is 16, probably our youngest member so hes the only one i can recommend such stupidity to haha. Regardless...Gbodyman, its to late to not grow up.

Cause Canada: ....meaning 14- and 15-year-olds can have sex with someone who is less than five years older. (this ensures that the entire High School population does not end up on the sexual offenders list as it potentially could as the law is written in the USA.)

Canadian teenagers > US teenagers if they are capable of doing math before having sex.

You've got to love the diversity of demographics and topics on GRM.

You can discuss which Viper/R8/Porsche/etc to purchase and then turn around and build a pillow fort...

Bill Clinton just used astroturf in his El Camino.

"You don't want to know why, but I did."

My brother lived in the back of his Ranger a few nights a week when he was getting his Masters to save a few bucks. The second battery and isolater is almost a must do. He also lined the cap with some styrofoam board insulation and he had a small propane heater but you have to be careful not to melt/burn anything in the camper with it and keep some ventilation.

In reply to Wall-e:

I also knew someone who lived out of a ford ranger. But he did it full time. Tinted shell windows so you never realized it was his home..just had a matress in the back, he was a modern nomad, live and work in a place a few weeks until he got bored and had gas money and drove somewhere else. Part of me was envious of that guy. Keyword part

My brother decided he wanted to be a teacher, had no money and didn't want a mountain of bills when he graduated. He joined the National Guard and worked part time at a few jobs to go to state schools while living with our parents. The last few years his school was to far to commute every day so he stayed in his truck during the week. It took him a while to graduate because his unit was activated a couple times but when he finished he only owed a couple grand.

G-body, are the windows to the camper shell tinted? If not you may want to tackle that soon. For a multitude of reasons if you are going to be camping in it.

Is there a provision for locking the cap from the inside? Also a good idea.

It's go an 8' bed, resist the urge to convert the entire area to pillow fort. You'll need space for your luggage on the "Super American Roadtrip of Awesomeness" (trademark pending).

Well, I bought a couple of things for the fort today.

4 Blue Whale Pillows ($4.88 each, Walmart)

1 stick-on light (dollar store, $1.25)

1 pack of premium AAA batteries ($2, dollar store)

2 lengths of draft stopper ($1.25 each, dollar store)

1 roll of duct tape ($1.50, dollar store)

Previous total: $11.60

New total: $38.87

And here's how it will look most of the time. It's a bit lame now, but in a few months, it will be pretty rad .

Doesn't the ranger bed have notches for 2x6s like every other bed since the late 80's? If so, three or four 2x6s and a sheet of plywood builds you a false floor 8" or so up to put your sleeping stuff on and the rest of your stuff under. Makes it easy to keep it neat and lets you spread out while you sleep at the expense of some headroom.

And curtains are way easier than tint, and you can open a window for ventilation with curtains and they will still afford you some privacy.