Step Stool Upgrade

[mjlaupp]

I replaced the factory supplied plastic step stool with a wooden one that I found at Wally World. It's 12 in. tall with a handle opening on top. That's 2 1/2 in. taller than the plastic one @ 9 1/2 in. This stool makes it just a little easier to climb into the rear bed and the built in handle makes it easier to move when you need to get into the cabinets and drawers.
MJL

Sure looks better too!

What an improvement! It looks great. Hope the folks at TM take notice of ideas like this.

Camperboy

[Bill]

It does look great - but TM probably can't / won't adopt it. The sharp corners on the underside of the top are a no-no in today's litigious society, especially where kids are expected to be present. It's the hot-coffee-at-McDonald's syndrome - a company can't make its products fully idiot-proof, but it must be able to show evidence that it tried.

Bill

You know, Bill, if I were a TM designer, I would have given thought to making the bottom third of that storage cabinet's door a foldout step. This would require moving the door's lower hinge up and then designing the lower third as a sturdy flap that hinged out to serve as a stair tread. A folding support or legs could be mounted on the rear of that lower third. Its corners also could be rounded slightly to comply with your suggestion. Now this folding step would obstruct the lowermost drawer from opening, but, hey, most things are a compromise. A fixed step has an advantage over a stool in that the latter is prone to tipping over when a half-asleep person tries to get down from the bed at night. Another option would be for TM to provide a removable step that simply hooks on to the sides of the cabinet at night. During the day the step is folded up and stored in the storage cabinet.

Come to think of it I might build a removable step one of these days. We've been using a plastic stool at night to get up into our king bed. It's not the steadiest of steps up to the high bed. If I ever build a removable step, I'll put some pictures of it up on this board.
Larry

[G-V_Driver]

What Mike didn't say--and I learned only after blank stares from store employees and some serious scrounging--is that the wooden stools are kept on the far back wall on the bottom shelf at Wally World.

Took a lot longer than it should have to find it, but now have one in the trailer. Worth noting that there are no pads on the leg bottoms, so some care might be in order if your trailer has all vinyl floors (as does ours.) Like Larry, I have considered incorporating a fold-down panel on the storage cabinet door, but for $10 Mike's solution just seemed way too easy.

Wayne

We found a Rubbermaid Two-Step folding stool that is just a little narrower than the width of the hallway, which when opened in it's A-frame position, has an 18" high top step. It is 24" tall when folded, and is about 5" thick at the base. We had it in the house and found it fit so well in the TM that we got another one for the house. The cost is under $20 here in Montana. Found them at Ace Hardware stores, as well as one of our local grocery stores. You can check it out at the Rubbermaid site. Search for "step stool" and it will take you to those choices.

(All rounded edges for safety's sake!)

This may sound crazy to some but I guess we are. One of the reasons we got our TM was that we wnted to take our small 20 yr.old cat with us. (not enough room in the slide in). Although she is verry agile its a long jump in and out of the bed. Thinking of some way to build a ramp or landing spot about half way for her that won't be in the way. Any ideas? (NO cat jokes please)

Although she is verry agile its a long jump in and out of the bed. Thinking of some way to build a ramp or landing spot about half way for her that won't be in the way. Any ideas? (NO cat jokes please)

Try the Rubbermaid 2-step stool that Pirkups mentioned. I found one on sale (maybe 6 bucks? - same price as the regular step stool) at Home Depot and bought it for my dogs (and us!) to use. While my dogs are VERY agile (we compete in dog agility trials), the bed is higher than any of them jump in competition and my oldest (10.5 yrs) was having to really work to get up on the bed. What I liked about this stool was the double step so the dogs could actually use it like a set of stairs. The one thing I still have to do is cover the steps with something (i/o carpet perhaps?) to provide additional traction. Sure wouldn't do for a dog to slip and get hung up in it!

This stool is a bit bulky but it's very light weight and easy to move if you need to get into the back cabinet or drawers. And, it doesn't block the bathroom door

[Bill]

Hmmm. We also camp with an old cat (and an old dog), but we face the opposite problem. We don't want the cat on the bed. My wife's allergies kick up too badly.

Anyway, how about building a narrow ramp? Get a piece of 1x4 or 1x6 board, maybe 4 feet long. Glue a strip of carpet to the top. Screw a small metal L-bracket to the underside of one end. In use, set the board against the bathroom wall, with one end on the floor and the bracket end up on the bed frame. Hook the end of the L-bracket over the edge of the bed frame, against the mattress.

If the ramp is narrow enough, it won't interfere with the under-bed cabinet door, and it's easy to store while travelling.

Just a thought.

Bill