I appreciate the kind comment, Brad!

Thanks, Brad, I appreciate it!

I wish I had but it was a build-as-you-go project with no plans to speak of.

Thanks Bruce. I have watched your measurements video. Can you let me know the dimensions on the elevated side cubbies. And the plenum. Excellent touch. Thanks and happy travels.

Hey Greg, the main part of the upper main cabinets are 39" long, 13" tall, and 10" deep (at the base). The shapes of the backside are complicated due to my effort to get the cabinet to closely follow the profiles of the interior trim pieces - probably not necessary but I enjoyed the challenge. There is a small cabinet in front of each upper cabinet that tapers between the main cabinet and the side doors - these were intended as a transition from the side openings to the bulky main cabinets. Not sure if that explanation makes any sense but I will say they were difficult to make with all of the angles involved. Regarding the plenums (intake and distribution), their cross-sectional size is approximately 3" x 6" and 3" x 4", respectively. Let me know if you need more detail.

@ thanks Bruce. I inherited my mom’s 2010 Sienna. I plan to start on my build soon. Thanks again.

Hey Bruce. I saw where you use the Baltic birch plywood. Do you use 3/4” throughout? I’ve gotten some 4 x 8 cardboard I plan to make some templates with. Thanks.

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words!

You're welcome, I hope it helps with your Rav4 removal!

A solo build would offer so many more design options. My objective was to optimize space and comfort for two people - while this helped to force some decisions in a certain direction, it also threw many constraints into the project. A solo build would be fun to do.

I'm glad you found it helpful!

Great question. Since the upper cabinets are open and don't have backs, I'd expect the airbags to be able to deploy and push through the open space (though the contents (e.g. clothing) in the cabinets will get forced out). The plenum I've got above the driver-side 2nd row window is made of thin ¼" plywood and would probably break apart as the bag opens. Even if the bags were fully obstructed by camper components, it would be as if the van was completely filled with cargo and would open only partially. I'm not sure that would be an issue. The concern about insurance companies has not been on my radar.

That is correct. None of them have loosened after 6 years and 50K miles.

Good question. The current (amps) available from the factory USB port is controlled by the circuitry in the assembly so to increase the amount of current you'd need to change the circuitry. Some aftermarket options might work, like this amzn.to/3CfqlpZ. Or you could plug in a high power charger into the 12V cigarette lighter port amzn.to/4an8LNe.

Thanks! It's been a fun and rewarding project.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your Sienna but glad you found some inspiration in my build. We've found the open access to our clothes and other things in the upper cabinets make life much easier. We're pretty religious about using packing cubes for belongings that are stored up there and the single bungee across the opening is fairly effective at keeping everything from tumbling out.

I made the brackets for mounting the solar panel from 1.5" aluminum angle stock (from Home Depot).

Thanks for the feedback. I hope your effort to remove your rear seat goes well.

Thanks for the nice comment!

The upper side cabinets are about 10" deep at the base, measured from the face of the cabinet to the 3rd row seat window glass. The glass tapers in towards the top of the vehicle so the cabinet depth is around 6" deep near the roof.

You can see how things are laid out inside the metal box in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2GpfZyladB7i6csi=8lALWTOCtzFgRkMz

You’d need to have levelers in that case right? Since the back is higher than front

No, it’s better to be slighter higher to prevent bedtime acid reflux. My headroom is 42”

@@Joseph-cy3ns interesting, no harm in giving that a shot before build. Thanks

I'm really glad the video helped. Odd about your rear legs not folding all the way since they must have folded all the way when they were installed in your van. My guess is something might be obstructing the motion and may be easily remedied.

Thanks for the nice compliment. The mattress brand is Milliard. amzn.to/3Vh4Awl

You may be right. I think a 2004 Sienna needs the factory roof rails in order for aftermarket racks to attach to.

Thanks for the kind words and well wishes!

Thanks for the kind words, I wish you the best of luck on your build.

I'm glad I could help! You're welcome.

Thanks for the kind words! Wiring schematic is here: drive.google.com/file/d/1fsA9p105Io5ptH0xJ4CIpoKax-lhJUwx/view?usp=sharing

I wish I could say yes but I haven't gotten around to drawing up plans for any part of this build. You've got me thinking about doing the bed platform though since it's the most straightforward part of the entire design. If this happens, I'll let you know. Thanks for asking.

@@BruceParks Thanks for the response Bruce. I'll try to synthesize as much of the videos as I can to at least make an envelope drawing as I seek out a carpenter. Much appreciation for your video on rear seat removal - all the information I needed to successfully and painlessly take them out. Makes one believe in the power of the internet for good!

One thing I can offer is a diagram of the sleeping platform dimensions. It's just the top surface dimensions. Take a look and let me know if you have any questions. One note, I originally built the headboard to be full width (48") but later narrowed it so it could pivot up between the upper cabinets that I added later. If you are not going to build upper cabinets, you can keep the board at 48" wide. drive.google.com/file/d/1RtzO4wyPmfZ4FD63Trk7zu7Akjm1ZrSo/view?usp=sharing

@@BruceParks Once again - thank you Bruce. I have the drawing open and it's my starting point for discussions with potential contractors.

I agree, they are one of my favorite parts of the build. Thanks for commenting!

Glad you liked it! Thanks for commenting.

I'm 5' 11" tall. My wife is 5' 6" tall. The mattress is 4" thick x 75" long x 52" wide (amzn.to/3UjUGJP). We both find it surprisingly comfortable.

Thanks for commenting, much appreciated!

Your welcome!

Great question. I start with construction paper, with pieces taped together to form the whole. Then I transfer the final paper template to a big-enough piece of cardboard. Nothing fancy.

A lot of us are converting our Siennas into campervans. Every cubic inch of space is precious. The extra space in the trunk is super valuable in this instance.

Oh, I see. I was just planning on stowing my third row when I want to camp that’s why I was asking. I have a 2010 sienna limited.

Thanks for the nice comment. I used Baltic birch plywood for almost every part of my build. Different thicknesses, depending on the strength needed. This plywood was easy to get before the pandemic supply chain issues but is very difficult to obtain now since most of the plywood mills that produced it are Russian.

So sorry about the mishap in your trunk! I'm glad my video was useful for you in getting the van back to where you needed it. Thanks for writing and sharing your story!

I wish I could say yes, Christina, but all I’m able to offer are my videos and replies to everyone’s comments. I appreciate your checking in with me.

Yes, it should work. Worth a try, at least, and if there’s an issue you can get some 1” later.

Short answer is no, I'm sorry to say. All I can offer at the moment is a load of videos that explain different aspects of the build.

Darn. Lol

You're welcome! I'm really glad you found it useful.

Hi Ken, sorry, plans/patterns are not available. All I have for you are the videos. If that changes, I'll be sure to let everyone know. Thanks for asking.

Thanks for the uplifting comment! Since I don't have any plans to offer, I'm hoping the videos on my channel will be a useful source of ideas and inspiration for anyone thinking about building out there minivan.

Glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know.

Yeah, we're more of a fair-weather traveling couple and wouldn't use the rear hatch kitchen unless conditions were right. We do have a tailgate awning (amzn.to/3ZsGQZ5) we can setup for protection if needed. Thanks for commenting!