Shortening the Coil Spring Mattress

Hello and welcome to the blog.  For those friends who made it over from the old blog, please bear with me as this information appears in both places.

I'm in the process of updating the van.  Though I loved having a lengthwise bed, a new layout was desired - one where the bed is transverse (side to side across the rear of the van).  The problem was what to do for a mattress!

I really like the Simmons Beauty Rest mattress that has been used for the last few seasons of camping.  It's a twin size, thick, cushy cloud that makes sleeping a dream.  Due to the unusual construction (independent coils housed in fabric pockets), it was simple to reduce in length.  If your mattress uses coils that are connected, I would not advise this approach.

The first step was to cut a little exploratory gash to see what was inside.  Then using butcher knives, I cut a good sized chunk off the mattress - probably around 15-16 inches.

The next step was to remove unneeded coils and pockets and trim down the end piece, hollowing out the foam as needed.

Using a circular upholstery sewing needle and some upholstery thread, I sewed the the mattress back together by hand.  It took a couple of hours to complete.  The sewing process strengthened the bed.  You would never know it had been shortened (unless looking at the Frakenstein-like scar).

Here is the mattress in the house with co-pilots Jesse James (left) and Jennifer sleeping on it.  This is also the comforter that is used in the van.

At the moment I am a taking a break from working in 25 degree weather.  Yesterday the old bed frame was removed from the van and brought it into the house to modify for being reused in the new configuration.  The next step is to thoroughly clean out the van.  By next week there will be a new bedframe installed and some cool pictures.

Thanks for visiting today!

Safe and happy travels!

Brad