Kids Bunk Beds, pros & cons?

[Travel Bug]

Hi All,
Does anybody use the Oztrail Bunk Beds or similar?
We are looking at upgrading the kids from a double mattress on the ground to bunks, now they are getting bigger they dont want to sleep next to each other anymore! We have 3 children so 2 would be in the bunk & 1 on a normal stretcher, I think it would be too crowed to put 3 stretchers on floor & I'm not a fan of blow up matresses.
Are the bunks relatively easy to put up & down? Pros? Cons? Alternitaves?
Thanks in advance for advice

[Socks]

We bought them , put them together, carried them to a camp site, carried them home again, dismantled them , then sold them and bought the 3 kids, ages 12, 10 & 10, a swag each. We don't always put up our annexe so that one was issue with bunks. The second was they too awhile to set up. We read on a thread here that some people leave the stretcher part erected and just connect the bits on arrival. We tried it but carrying them was t easy. So they're gone and the kids are super happy in their swags. I'm sure others like them , we didn't though


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[dazzler]

Are the bunks relatively easy to put up & down? Pros? Cons? Alternitaves?

Hated every goddam minute of setting these stinking sons of bitches of things up and pulling them down. 

Other than that - 3 thumbs up!

Sadly I have no alternative to offer. 

[ozbogwam]

We have them and the boys love them. We leave the stretchers setup and put them under the CT mattress with the legs. Take about two
Minutes to setup. We only have a small camper tent so the extra floor space we get from using the bunks is valuable

[Black Diamond]

Just another thing you have to set up and pack

[dazzler]

We have them and the boys love them. We leave the stretchers setup and put them under the CT mattress with the legs. Take about two
Minutes to setup. We only have a small camper tent so the extra floor space we get from using the bunks is valuable

Oh, thinking outside the square are we.  Fine. 





Wish I had thought of that.......bugger

[ozbogwam]

Oh, thinking outside the square are we.  Fine. 





Wish I had thought of that.......bugger

Yeah first couple of times having to
Set up and pull them down I hated them but now just leave them setup, rotate the four wY connectors side ways and all we have to do now is put the two bottom legs, connect the down poles and the top side bars and we are done.

[westvic]

Yeah first couple of times having to
Set up and pull them down I hated them but now just leave them setup, rotate the four wY connectors side ways and all we have to do now is put the two bottom legs, connect the down poles and the top side bars and we are done.

yep, us too

we use them as two singles as we found the double (2 level) setup was just tippy/unstable

as 2 singles that we leave step up (apart from the legs) they work well

[Travel Bug]

Thanks all, I was hoping the kids could set them up themselves but that will properly last 1 trip! Yep defiantly don't need another thing to pack up & down. Like the swag idea, might look into that. 

[FZJ]

.

[SteveandViv]

Hated every goddam minute of setting these stinking sons of bitches of things up and pulling them down. 

Other than that - 3 thumbs up!

Sadly I have no alternative to offer.

Make that 100,000 times agreed.

[swanny]

Make that 100,000 times agreed.

same same, just adds more time to set up, chucked em and bought 2 swags, kids now sort there own sleeping stuff, best thing I have done.

Swanny

[discoteddy]

Yeah first couple of times having to
Set up and pull them down I hated them but now just leave them setup, rotate the four wY connectors side ways and all we have to do now is put the two bottom legs, connect the down poles and the top side bars and we are done.

You are a legend, hated setting them up, will certainly giving this a try

Cheers

Disco teddy.

[Danea13]

We have a set, think their good. 2.5year old in bottom on self inflating mattress and the top gets used as a change table for the 6month old.

Like others have said come pack up time the U shaped sections come off from underneath and the rest just swivels to sit almost flat. It then goes on top of the queen sized mattress and the soft floor folds up over it. Set up is in reverse, takes about 30secs and the eldest has somewhere to sit and play while everything else gets setup.

[dooguss]

We have a set, think their good. 2.5year old in bottom on self inflating mattress and the top gets used as a change table for the 6month old.

Like others have said come pack up time the U shaped sections come off from underneath and the rest just swivels to sit almost flat. It then goes on top of the queen sized mattress and the soft floor folds up over it. Set up is in reverse, takes about 30secs and the eldest has somewhere to sit and play while everything else gets setup.


To add to this we have girls sheets and blankets on a self inflated mattress and then ocky strapped together. So when we pull up it's just through the u bar on the bottom and pull of the strap 30 seconds  done.

[Swogjb]

We wanted to go for a set of bunks so headed into our local camping shop to test run putting them up and down.

We soon discovered that they were all pains in the arse to set up and pack away, some  much quicker than others. To much hassle for us.

Ended up getting the kids kulkyne swags  that we lay flat on top of our bed on pack up. We also purchased kookaburra single camp stretchers that we use for 2 night stops or more.
They fold out really quickly and pack up even quicker.

 

[Brucer]

I agree with others, that they are a b!tch to setup/take down and bl00dy heavy to boot! also as bunks, the kid climbing to top has to be an acrobat to get up there without tipping the whole shebang over.
I might try ozbogwam's method as a last resort before I give up.

[#jonesy]

Love them, now

Absolute PITA until I stumbled on this idea

http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=27881.msg456391#msg456391

No tipping issues (ages 6 and 8 )
Kids love them

Folded flat.  Less than 1 minute to set up / pack

[jtraf]

We use them and yes they are a pain to setup and pack up but we no longer pack them. We leave them setup and remove the bottom u and lay them on top of the queen bed of the camper.

11 year old on the bottom bunk......8 year old on the top and the 4 year old on the single stretcher.....

Area under single stretcher is used to store our bags......heaps of space inside and everyone sleeps comfortably...

I am sure in a few years time they will want there own space but now I like the idea of everyone sleeping together and being able to keep an eye on them.  Over protective parent..........

[chetty]

We have the disc.o.cot  or disc o bunks. They are super heavy duty, not real hard to set up and I can sit on the edge with out them falling over.
I don't fold the bed bases up so just clip the ends on and its done. They can also be used as single beds.

I would not like to set them up every day but for a week bunks are tops, we put self inflating matresses on them so the princesses sleep well.

[jimc1]

yeah..we have the oztrails and take off the feet and flat pack them on the bed. Suggest you cover the hard edges tubing with rubber chair feet in case it cuts the canvas.
 
for kiddo # 3, we have another set outdoor connection bunks. These dont flat pack like the oztrails and are more prone to wobble when kids are getting into top bunk.
 
for road trips we leave the top bunk behind..for extended stays we take the top bunk and use it for storage of kids clothes etc.

[jeb1900]

These have been around for a long time in America, but recently came to Australia.  They're called the Disco Cam-O-Bunk, a fair bit more expensive than the OZtrail, but having played with them at the shop the other day they're much easier to use & assemble.

Link Here:  http://www.tentworld.com.au/products/bedding/item/disco-bed-cam-o-bunk.aspx

[chetty]

These have been around for a long time in America, but recently came to Australia.  They're called the Disco Cam-O-Bunk, a fair bit more expensive than the OZtrail, but having played with them at the shop the other day they're much easier to use & assemble.

Link Here:  http://www.tentworld.com.au/products/bedding/item/disco-bed-cam-o-bunk.aspx

Yep thats the ones i have, knew it was something like disc o bed or something. They are very good quality and strong, rated at something like 220kgs. I dont pack up the long poles and canvas sling, just roll them up and stick them under the main mattress. I just put the cams on and slip them into the head and foot. It takes about 5-10mins including the self inflatable matresses.