# Modifications



## AbbeysRoad (Dec 22, 2008)

We are getting a new 250RS which has bunk beds. Just wondering what others have done in the way of ladders for the bunks. I don't really want to drill into the wood on the bunks if I don't have to. My bunks are near our bathroom and 2nd door. I was thinking of ones with the hook so it could be taken off during the day so it's not sticking out. Can anyone tell me what they use and where they found theirs.

Thanks Julie


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## amyk (Feb 13, 2009)

I will be following this thread closely, as we just got our 250rs (totally love it btw) but also have the bunk/ladder issue as well (seems like a rather large oversight on Keystone's part) and I don't want to drill in the wood----where did you find ones with a hook?


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Here is a very simply ladder that Y-Guy built for the 28RSS I bought from him. After having this for 3 years, I would highly recommend having a ladder that IS screwed into the wood on the bunks. This makes it very stable and will stand the test of time. Look close and you can tell our ladder doesn't stick out...it is flush with the bunk bed. If you really don't want to screw into the wood, then you could remove the face-board and add a temp board there (to screw into). But as yourself this...if you decide to sell in the future the person buying your Outback will more that likely have kids and would welcome the fact the ladder is already installed. I know I was very happy Y-Guy had this done on our Outback.

There are a few more picture of this mod here


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## 09OUTIE (Sep 20, 2008)

I have a 250RS and had this problem to. I purchased my bunk ladder at CAMPING WORLD for $50.00. Get the 60" ladder and cut 8" off the bottom legs and walla!! It seems that all the bunk ladders are 60" or 66" anywhere you look. I bought the 60" ladder and when we picked up our 250RS I put the ladder up and it was way too long. I read that the bottom legs of a bunk ladder should be no longer than 12" from the bunk itself. So I laid the ladder up against the top bunk and slid it up till the bottom legs measured roughly 12" from the bunk. I then measured how much was left at the top of the ladder which was 8". I then took my handy dandy hack saw and cut 8" off the bottom two legs put the rubber boots back on and presto!!! I put ours at the right side of the bed so the bathroom door doesnt hit it. Go to campingworld.com and search bunk bed ladder. Just make sure you get the one with the hooks. When I purchased ours they had one with the hooks and they had one that you screw two brackets on the top bunk and it hooks to the side of the bunk rail. I opted for the one with the hooks. I hope this helps!! GOOD LUCK...


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## AbbeysRoad (Dec 22, 2008)

09OUTIE said:


> I have a 250RS and had this problem to. I purchased my bunk ladder at CAMPING WORLD for $50.00. Get the 60" ladder and cut 8" off the bottom legs and walla!! It seems that all the bunk ladders are 60" or 66" anywhere you look. I bought the 60" ladder and when we picked up our 250RS I put the ladder up and it was way too long. I read that the bottom legs of a bunk ladder should be no longer than 12" from the bunk itself. So I laid the ladder up against the top bunk and slid it up till the bottom legs measured roughly 12" from the bunk. I then measured how much was left at the top of the ladder which was 8". I then took my handy dandy hack saw and cut 8" off the bottom two legs put the rubber boots back on and presto!!! I put ours at the right side of the bed so the bathroom door doesnt hit it. Go to campingworld.com and search bunk bed ladder. Just make sure you get the one with the hooks. When I purchased ours they had one with the hooks and they had one that you screw two brackets on the top bunk and it hooks to the side of the bunk rail. I opted for the one with the hooks. I hope this helps!! GOOD LUCK...


Is your ladder the aluminum one? I saw that one at Campers World on line but it only shows the one with out the hooks that needs to be screwed in. If they also come with the hooks then I will check them out for sure. We are planning a trip to Buffalo and will be stopping in a Campers World. We could pick one up then.

Julie


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## 09OUTIE (Sep 20, 2008)

Yes, it is the aluminum one. When you get to Camping World make sure they open the box and check if it has the hooks because, the one I first bought said it was the hook style but when I opened the box it was the bracket style. The Camping World I went to in Michigan didnt display them. You had to ask customer service to get you one from the back. They have a store locator on campingworld.com. Call the one in the area your going to be to make sure they have one. I hope it works out for you! I didnt want to mount brackets on the bunks either. Safety first for my "LITTLE ONES"


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I built mine for the SOB. Most bunk construction involves a flat surface and then a 1x4 on the edge to keep the matress from falling off. I simply replaced that 1x4 with one that had attachments for bed rails. I made the bed rails and bunk ladder so they all matched. The top step is acutally set back a little further so it sits on top of that 1x4. The "hooks" to keep it from sliding off are a pair of angle brackets hooked to the underside of the top step. Here's a picture:


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## AbbeysRoad (Dec 22, 2008)

Nathan said:


> I built mine for the SOB. Most bunk construction involves a flat surface and then a 1x4 on the edge to keep the matress from falling off. I simply replaced that 1x4 with one that had attachments for bed rails. I made the bed rails and bunk ladder so they all matched. The top step is acutally set back a little further so it sits on top of that 1x4. The "hooks" to keep it from sliding off are a pair of angle brackets hooked to the underside of the top step. Here's a picture:


What a nice job! Can you come over in April? Ha Ha.
We will keep this in mind for sure it really looks nice.

Julie


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Thanks. Hmm April huh? Better get in line behind the DW.








I think she has the next 6 months booked up with other assignments.


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## Rob_G (Feb 16, 2006)

Ah... gotta love the honeydew lists!


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## 9251 (Mar 17, 2009)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Here is a very simply ladder that Y-Guy built for the 28RSS I bought from him. After having this for 3 years, I would highly recommend having a ladder that IS screwed into the wood on the bunks. This makes it very stable and will stand the test of time. Look close and you can tell our ladder doesn't stick out...it is flush with the bunk bed. If you really don't want to screw into the wood, then you could remove the face-board and add a temp board there (to screw into). But as yourself this...if you decide to sell in the future the person buying your Outback will more that likely have kids and would welcome the fact the ladder is already installed. I know I was very happy Y-Guy had this done on our Outback.
> 
> There are a few more picture of this mod here


This is exactly what I need for our 28RSS. The ladder and the bed rail! Do you use sleeping bags or sheets on the top bunk? We usually use sleeping bags, but I was thinking of using sheets and blankets, but I'm wondering if the bed rail will make it difficult to make the bed.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Jody said:


> This is exactly what I need for our 28RSS. The ladder and the bed rail! Do you use sleeping bags or sheets on the top bunk? We usually use sleeping bags, but I was thinking of using sheets and blankets, but I'm wondering if the bed rail will make it difficult to make the bed.


The rails are pretty tall, so we are able to have the foam mattress...then a layer of 3" memory foam (wrapped in a fitted sheet)...then the sleeping bags. Our kids kick off the sleeping bags all night long, so having the memory foam in a fitted sheet is really nice.


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## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

Nathon,

Very nice job on the bunk ladder and rails!









Julie,

When we first bought our Outback our girls were 4 and 7 years old and I went through the same thought process as you,
trying to decide how to buy/install bunk rails and a ladder. What I found was that my girls, inlcuding the little one, could climb 
right up into the bunks without a ladder and never missed not having one. What I do think is very important are the bunk rails
because it is very possible for the kids to roll out of the top bunks and it's a long way down to the floor. I ended up making
my own set of bunk rails based on someone else's design here on the forum. I never did get the ladder and the kids climb
right up without any issues.

Mark


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## H2oSprayer (Aug 5, 2006)

Nathan said:


> I built mine for the SOB. Most bunk construction involves a flat surface and then a 1x4 on the edge to keep the matress from falling off. I simply replaced that 1x4 with one that had attachments for bed rails. I made the bed rails and bunk ladder so they all matched. The top step is acutally set back a little further so it sits on top of that 1x4. The "hooks" to keep it from sliding off are a pair of angle brackets hooked to the underside of the top step. Here's a picture:


Nathan, the job looks very nice. One question though, do I see three beds in that photo with bed rails? Is there something that you have neglected to tell us?


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## AbbeysRoad (Dec 22, 2008)

Fanatical1 said:


> Nathon,
> 
> Very nice job on the bunk ladder and rails!
> 
> ...


I was wondering if the kids would be able to manage on their own. Our kids are 4 and 6, so I think it might be worth a try to go without. The kids haven't even been in the TT to know if this is possible yet so we will see in April. Our 6 year old son will be on top and he is quite tall for his age so he may be able to manage just fine. He's also your average boy that loves to climb anyways. I was just worried that all the pull and pressure on the wood at the edge of the bunk might cause damage. I guess I also was just thinking ahead and dreading the sound of help at 7am when he needed to go to the bathroom and he couldn't get down. But I'm sure you're right and he will manage just fine. Thanks for the heads up on the bunk rails, I have a friend who offered me some that I will try out. The large bang of someone hitting the floor in the middle of the night is also a sound I choose to avoid.

Thanks,

Julie


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

This is something I did immediately when we got the Outback and has worked well for us ever since.

We chose the aluminum ladder from Camping World because of this......"Hey you kids! Stop messing around on that top bunk! Somebody's gonna get..(THUMP - WAAAAAHHHHHHH !) hurt". Sound familiar?

We like being able to toss the ladder on the top bunk and keep it "closed" all day long until bedtime so nobody is messing around and falling.

We cut the aluminum ladder to size as mentioned and have the style that has black plastic "hooks" on the top. However this style ladder will slide side-to-side (1 kid fell) causing a falling hazard. The simple, non invasive, non-hole drilling way to fix this was by gluing two small blocks of plywood with a groove cut in them to the bunk underlayment.

The hooks on top of the ladder drop right into the grooves in the wood and hold the ladder very steady. But with one simple push up the ladder comes right out and can be tossed on the bunk.

My monkeys have been trying to break this set-up for 5 years to no avail. It works well if this style works for your particular needs.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

H2oSprayer said:


> ...
> Nathan, the job looks very nice. One question though, do I see three beds in that photo with bed rails? Is there something that you have neglected to tell us?


Very funny....









No, that third bunk is a weird one. First it is up high above the dresser, and second, it is 54" long.









As soon as we saw it, we realized the perfect use however. It will be carrying the 6" Dobsonian telescope we got for DS last year (They aren't small). We had put it on the top bunk of the OB, but now it has it's own dedicated bed (complete with rails!)








We strap it to the bed base with 2 2" wide luggage straps


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