# Bunkbed Rails and ladder



## Y-Guy

We have 8 and 6 year old boys who squirm a lot in bed. Seems the camper manufacturers don't worry about bed rails and even ladders to make it easy to get in and out of bed at night. Anyone here created one? I made a bed rail for my Kiwi, but I'm not sure how I'm going to make them for the Outback yet.


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## Castle Rock Outbackers

Good point. We have 10, 7, and 4 year olds, and I know the 4 year old is going to want to sleep on the top bunk in the 26 rs. Maybe something like this would work:

http://www.allkidsstuff.com/details.php?sku=601

Randy


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## KellerJames

Hey everybody,
We thought, because our daughter( who was 6 at the time) had never fallen out of bed in her life, that she would be ok on the top bunk. After the very first night in our Outback, at about 630 am, I heard my little girl hit the floor hard. I instantly knew what the sound was and flew out of bed, calling her name as I approached her. She was face down on the floor and did not respond immediately. My heart dropped. I was certain she was injured badly. She finally rolled over with a startled look and began to cry as she reached for me. I carefully picked her up and carried her to the couch and laid her there to ckeck her out. All this in a matter of about 15 seconds that felt like 15 minutes. She didn't cry much at all. Her spirits were good, she was OK. She only had a very small scrape on one knee from landing on the heater vent when she hit the floor. She wasn't ready to get up yet so she went back to sleep on the couch for another couple of hours only after I was comfortable that she was truely OK. I was an absolute wreck. I went outside and walked around the campground for a while with shaky knees. I asked her later in the day if she could tell me why she didn't answer me right away when she fell and I was calling to her. She said that she was trying to figure out what happened. Thank GOD she was not hurt.

The morral of the story is,, make sure you put rails up. Do not think "oh one night will be ok". It only takes once. I know. Ladders may be somewhat opptional, but the bunk rails ARE NOT. I'm a little missty just posting this. I'll never forget the sound of her hitting the floor that morning. Please keep your little ones safe.


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## NDJollyMon

Excellent advice from KellerJames!
I'm glad she was ok.

~Safe camping everyone!~

I don't understand why bunk safety rails are not an options in most trailers?


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## Y-Guy

KellerJames wow I'm glad she's okay, that would freak me out too.

I swung by Lowe's today and picked up some hardwood 1"x2" to work with, still not sure exactly how I'm going to create the rails and ladder, but I'll keep folks posted.


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## KellerJames

Y-Guy,
It was a scary moment.








As for the rails, I thought about getting some small metal brackets with a "U" shaped channel or groove cut in them and screw holes for mounting. The groove is the same size as the shank portion of whatever size bolt or pan head screw would be required while the head on the bolt or pan head scr' could not pass through the groove. Make my rails the size needed and mount these grooved brackets where needed on the walls and the bolts or pan head scr's where needed on the bed rails. Position the rails and slide the panheads down into the brackets and it's secured for protection and could be easily be removed when need be. I hope I've explained this in an understandable manner. A good hardware store with a "specialty hardware" isle should have the brackets. Since my little sweetheart







no longer wishes to sleep on the top bunk (for obvious reasons) I've put this mod' on the back burner for now. Though I do need to get it done for when one of her friends goes with us this summer. Hope this helped and good luck.


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## Y-Guy

Bunk Bed Rails & Ladder Design

I started on the bunk rail & ladder this afternoon, using 1"x2" Poplar I've cut the steps, main post and rail and the end support. I'm routing the pieces now so they fit together. I also plan on using liquid nails and probably some type of bolt washer and nut combination. Need to go to my toy store, Lowe's and look to see what would work best.

I positioned the main post so the cabinet door won't hit it. Steps are 10" and 20" above the carpeted section. I need to round off the corners still and do some more tweaking, but so far its coming together pretty good. I think I'm going to stain the wood to match the counter rather than paint it. I think with little hands and feet going up and down it will last longer and stay looking good.

Here is an image of my plan, I can't manage to hold the pieces and snap a photo yet, but this gives an idea.

Any suggestions or thoughts are more than welcome... and appreciated.


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## ctsoderq

My daughter also fell out of the top bunk. We just don't have them use the top one anymore, and we use it for storage. They prefer sleeping on the couch anyway. Rails would be a good idea


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## hatcityhosehauler

Y-Guy
Looks good to me. I 'd definately like to see the finished product. We are still considering the 26 RS. I don't know how much the partially protected bunks on the 28 BHS (the other considered model). I will have to make that determination when the time comes.

Tim


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## arlingtoncamper

I bought a metal ladder from camping world. I cut 3" off the bottom and re-applied the plastic bottoms and walla....bunk ladders for the bunkhouse. The ladder is also removable; it has two hooks on the backside that fit into the brackets that are mounted to the molding on the top bunk.


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## hatcityhosehauler

Y-Guy,

Well, since my last post to this thead, I purchased the 26 RS, and was looking at the bunk thinking about your predicament, and how I share the same problem, as my 2 1/2 yo daughter couldn't get enough of the top bunk. Are you planning on replacing the trim piece that forms the edge of the bunk?

I was thinking that maybe if that trim strip was replaced with a piece of 1x4 or 1x6, with a entry way routed into it, might provide the same coverage. Of course I still need to think about the ladder problem. Let me know how yours turns out.

Tim


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## California Jim

OK I better check in on this one too as we had an experience just this weekend.

Our 28BHS has almost 2/3 of the bunks enclosed as they are in the back and cornered in by the bathroom. So we have the girls sleep head first and they can't roll out. HOWEVER.....I thought I had the perfect ladder solution when I found a nice aluminum one at camping world that had square U shaped hooks on the top that simply latched on over the top bunk rail.

The ladder was too long, but being lightweight aluminum it was easy to cut 10" off the bottom to make it the perfect length. I was really proud of myself and thought I had it licked. Even my 2 year old could go up and down with ease, although she sleeps in the bottom bunk only.

On Saturday the kids (4 and 2 year old girls) were playing in the trailer and got up on the top bunk. They had been up and down the ladder many times while I carefully supervised and was convinced they were quite good at it. And they were! But without warning while they were being ruff up there in the top bunk the ladder clip came off the bunk and was just leaning against it. Naturally it was at that moment that my 2 year old decided to get down. When she put her weight on the ladder it slid to the side and she fell to the floor flat on her right cheek. Fortunately she was fine, but I stopped breathing for about a minute it seemed.

Since then we have instituted a no top bunk policy except for bedtime, and only my 4yr old can sleep there. During the day we put the ladder up in the top bunk to keep them out.

I do have a fix for the ladder slipping problem too. I used my Dremmel tool and a spiral cutting bit to gouge out 2 slots in the bunk underlayment that the ladder bracket can slip into. Now it doesnt move at all. However, the slots I cut were only about 1/4" deep as I hit the aluminum frame under the plywood and didn't want to cut it as well. To resolve this and make it even stronger I am going to cut two 1x1.5" squares of 5/8" plywood, slot them as well, then glue them over the existing slots to make the overall ladder slot much deeper. The result will be a very secure ladder that can be easily removed when needed.










Also, as to bedrails. We have one for home use that should work fine for your full length bunks. $25 at toys R us.

Sorry to be so long winded.


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## Y-Guy

Well I am making progress. I picked up some brass screws and brass bolts, washers and nuts at Lowe's today. I need to still figure out the best way to mount all the pieces together with a minimum of things intruding into the lower bunk area.

I temporarily hooked things together on one of the bunks to see how it looked. After checking it out I may add another cross rail and verticle post along the railing to make sure heads couldn't get stuck between the mattress and rail. Though my boys are beyond that stage i would rather be safe than sorry.

Pics are up on my Modification Page at the bottom

Any wood workers here have any thoughts? Is Poplar a good hard wood to work with?


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## NDJollyMon

Y-Guy...
You have a nice site with mod pics! Keep the pics coming!


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## KellerJames

ctsoberq, 
Cal'Jim,
Happy to here your little ones were ok as well. It is kind of a heart stopper at the moment. I'm also in the proccess of the same mod'.


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## hatcityhosehauler

Happy to hear everyone is ok CalJim.

Y-Guy,
Poplar should be ok, as they make beds out of it. I would wonder though, what dimensions of poplar are you using. from the pic's on your web site, I'd guess 1x2. That should be strong enough for the little ones, but I don't think you would want to use it too much.

Everything looks good so far, and I think I will plan on doing something similar when we pick ours up.

How do you plan on joining the ladder rungs to the beams?

Tim


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## Y-Guy

Tim thanks for the feed back. Yes I was using 1x2, since only the kids will be going up and down the ladder and once the oldest gets a bit bigger he should be able to go up without it.

Right now I've notched the main post about 3/8" and the same from the ladder rung. Then I thought I would use liquid nails and either a brass wood screw or brass bolt and rounded head nut. Does that sound like enough? I was keeping the ladder runs vertical for strength, going to smooth them out, and if needed add a horizontal topper.

Its been a while since I've had the chance to do work like this. Dad gave me a hardly used Makita Router and that sure was sweet to create the notches with.


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## hatcityhosehauler

The wood screws or bolts sound like a good idea. I don't know about the liquid nails. I personally think a good strong carpenter's glue would probably do the trick, with less mess. You might also think about using that router to make some half lap joints were the rungs meet the beams. This will make a stronger joint, though it is a bit more work.

Are you going to paint the poplar? It is usually a wood that is used for painted projects. I have never tried staining it before.

I was thinking about using some hard maple, or oak for my ladders, and staining to match the trim in the bunkroom. Let me know what you decide.

Tim


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## Y-Guy

Tim thanks for the feedback once again. I have notched the wood, or as you called it "half lap joints" as you can tell I'm not an expert woodworker... but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once!







I was leaning to staining the wood too, but if its not a good stain wood I may swap out the rungs, stain those and paint the support portions. I want to keep things light in the bunkhouse since it seems a bit dark unless all 6 lights are on (can somebody say over kill)


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## hatcityhosehauler

Just try the stain on a scrap first to see how it takes, and go from there. Good Luck.

Tim


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## matt33maka

hey everyone, i just found this page and it is great. I just added rails to our bunk beds and we took it out last weekend and it worked perfectly. I used a piece of 1 x12 oak, cut out a 18 notch for the kids to climb in by the step up then routered and stained it. I removed the existing fake wood panels and nailed directly into the aluminum frame then L bracketed the backside. My kids were so excited to get to sleep on the top bunk for the first time. Ill trey to put some pictures on here that will show the rails.


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## Y-Guy

Thanks Matt and welcome! I'd love to see your photos.

I had to take a 5 hour drive Friday to check on my Dad and I got to rethinking the rail situation. I like you your idea too.


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## hatcityhosehauler

Welcome Matt.

I like that idea. It is similar to what I was envisioning doing with our 26RS as soon as we take delivery

Tim


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## California Jim

I finished my ladder upgrade this weekend. I took some 1/2 plywood that I had in the garage and cut out two 1 1/2 x 2" squares. I then slotted them in the middle to accept the holder on top of my Camping World aluminum ladder. After that I used carpenters wood glue and attached them to the top bunk underlayment right over the original slots I made that were too shallow.

Now the ladder is rock solid and won't even budge up top. However, with a little force I can push it straight up and remove it if needed. Even with the improvement I think I will still put the ladder on the top bunk during the day to keep the kids off for safety.

Good luck to all with your own modifications.


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## California Jim

I just uploaded a picture of this simple mod to my member album if you want to take a look. Gotta keep them kiddies safe


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## Y-Guy

Well guys I am nearly done, made some changes to the plan. I went with a 12" piece of pine, covered with batting and fabric. One large piece covers most of the bunk, then another covers the frame. I wanted to keep the original wood piece for when I want to take the rails down. Everything is very solid, though I'll add a small piece of wood behind the rail on the wall to be extra safe. Here are a few pictures, I still need to paint the rails but the kids wanted to sleep in the camper tonight and who I am to complain so after this post I'm off to bed... in the Outback!



























and of course its kid tested and approved!


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## California Jim

Nice work Steve! Really looks clean.


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## hatcityhosehauler

Looks good Steve. I like the padding. And it looks like the customers are satified with their new ladder.

Tim


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## Y-Guy

Thanks guys. I only finished one side, thus only one boy got to sleep on top last night. Boy of boy did i hear about it too. Need to finish the other side tomorrow.


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## TimP

We have a 28BHS with 3 young children and had the same bunk problem. My wife solved this pretty easly with adjustable bunk rails, that slide under the matress when lifted up. They are available at any baby store or walmart. I think they are made by "Safety First". She has the adjustable model, that has each end slide into one another, down to around two feet wide. This is the perfect width for the bunk end. When not in use it folds for easy storage. 
As for the ladder I constructed one from wood myself that fits between the bath door and the bunk and is mounted to the upperbunk so it will not move.
Hope this helps and prevents any more children from ever falling off the upper bunk.


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## WayOutback

Hey folks, New member and my first post.

We solved the top bunk rail problem in our BH by using closet material. Go to any decent lumer yard/hardware store and look in the closet section. You can tick up a set of plastic braclets for a closet rod for about $1.00/pair, a piece of vinyl rod cover for about $10.00 and a length of 1 1/4" doweling for about $1.00/ft. I attached the brackets with a combination of 2 sided tape plus a short screw and plug.

One of the two brackets makes allowances to slide the rod in and out. I installed this bracket at the head of the beds and the kids can easily put the railing in on their own and take it out when they want to get down. The rods are left out when no one is sleeping and they are simply stored against the wall till the rugrats climb into bed.

Nice thing about this mod is that everythinmg is white and looks like it should be there.

Last summer my girls (7&9 at the time) spent 59 nights in our Outback, everyone of them on the top bunk. No accidents other than a rail falling on the dog once. ooops.









Added benifit: bedding stored on top bunks doesn't slide off during transport.

Our unit is in hybernation mode right now but I will try to post a picture once spring comes to the north.


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## 3reds

I have pictured what you have said and I think it is a great idea. I am currently using the "slide under the mattress" set up that you can purchase at any Wal-Mart only because I already had one. I am looking forward to some pics.


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## Y-Guy

Well I completed the Bunk Rail & Ladder mod tonight before our trip tomorrow. Overall I'm happy with how it turned out, I'll add a clear coat after this weekend so the paint holds up longer. I'll sleep a whole lot better knowing the boys won't be rolling out of bed at night.


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## Phil

Y-Guy said:


> Well I completed the Bunk Rail & Ladder mod tonight before our trip tomorrow. Overall I'm happy with how it turned out, I'll add a clear coat after this weekend so the paint holds up longer. I'll sleep a whole lot better knowing the boys won't be rolling out of bed at night.


Nice job on the rail and ladder Steve. Great mod.

Phil


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## hatcityhosehauler

Steve,

Looks great. I'm actually looking forward to doing the ladder/rail thing in the 26RS when we get it. Did you end up using poplar? Did you replace the existing trim piece that runs the length of the bunk?

Tim


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## California Jim

Very nice work Steve. Looks great


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## Ritter

Hey Guys and Gals,

I did things a little differently. I bought a pre-made brushed nickel shelf at Lowe's for $19, modified the brackets, presto! instant bunk rail, and it matches the bunk ladder and the rest of the brushed nickel in the TT.









Gary

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P.S. you can see a couple more pictures in my poto album.


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## Y-Guy

Thanks for the feedback. We went camping this weekend and the setup worked great, boys were able to get in and out of bed anytime of night without my help, and the rails made it so I could sleep knowing they were safe!

Tim, I did stick with the Poplar, notched the pieces with my router, wood glue and a brass bolt/nut and made it very solid. My oldest of course had to go up with legs on either ladder like spider man, even that much pressure they held up rock solid. The enamel paint is even holding up to their shoes too! Tim, I did remove the laminate board that came with the Outback, put both of them in bubble wrap and put them in storage.

Ritter, setup looks good too!


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## Ritter

Thanks Steve, Looking at your photo it looks like you put alot thought and time into your setup it looks great







I do not think my setup would work on the 28 since your bunk opening is so long. Have a great summer.

Gary


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## stfd79

To keep the kiddies from rolling out, we use the Fisher-Price portable bed rails. They fold up & stow under the bunk when not in use. They have a mesh thats run between to rails with legs that go under the mattress. they work great for us.


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