Bunk Swap: Add an Office to Your Camper

As a full time digital nomad, I knew I needed an office. Having a dedicated work space was incredibly important to me. I did not want to have to convert my bed daily, or work at my dining table. I truly liked the idea, and knew it would serve me best if I had a stable and constant workspace that felt normal. A desk, a chair, a space for supplies, a monitor, my wireless keyboard, and mouse. I wanted my normal setup.

This project was one I had in mind when I purchased the camper. When I researched camper layouts, I knew I wanted a bunkhouse style camper. Early on in the conception of this journey, I saw an article where a guy swapped out the bunks in his camper for an office. I wish I could find that article now to credit the person, but I loved the idea.

I changed the orientation of the desk in the space compared to how the originator of the idea did it. This left me with more space for other things. But, more on that later.

Removal of the Bunks:

Before removing anything, I made note of how the bunks were connected to the walls. This was made easier once I took the cushions off so I could see the hinges and supports clearly. These bunks were able to lift to create storage space by the back door, so there connection points were only on three walls.

First, I removed the bottom bunk. This took a bit of grace to remove, as it fit the full width and length of the space. I ended up having to open the back door of the camper to slide the bunk out that way. I was nervous to try to navigate the main area of the camper with the bunk.

Second, I removed the top bunk, as it was smaller and easier to lift out of the space once detached. For both bunks, I removed the bunks at hinges. This was easy to do with a screwdriver, but the boards attached to the walls needed to be removed with a drill that had better torque to grip and remove the screws.

I labeled the pieces and keep the screws organized. All of these pieces and the cushions ended up in my storage unit. I wanted to ensure that the camper could be put back together as it came from the factory if I were to sell in the future.

Layout and Measurements:

Given the measurements and my desire to keep the doorway of the office space open, I decided to have my desk on the back wall of the space. This limited the size of the desk I could have, but opened up the rest of the space to storage options.

Additions / Products:

Outlet: The first thing I knew I needed to add was an outlet to power my workstation. My dad is handy and knew enough about electrical work to be able to add the outlet for me.

We were able to use the outlet in the bathroom on the other side of the wall as a way into the electrical of the camper. At the local hardware store, I purchased an outlet, a box for the outlet, wire, and a face plate for the outlet.

The box for the outlet was necessary because the wall is quite thin and the outlet would not fit flush with the wall if we tried to recess it like in a normal home outlet. The box gave the outlet extra space and stability. The wire was needed so that we could piggy back off the outlet in the bathroom and provide power to the new outlet. If you are unsure how to do electrical work, please make sure you call a professional.

Monitor Mount: My camper came with a TV mounting bracket for the wall and the attachment for the TV. I decided to purchase a second mounting bracket for the office space. For $20, it was absolutely worth it! I am able to move my TV from my office where it acts as my computer monitor to my dining area where I use it as my TV.

Product: TV Mounting Bracket

You will notice the board that the bracket is attached to. I added this board so that the TV was supported by multiple studs in the wall. Given the size and weight of the TV, I wanted to make sure there would not be a problem. This also allowed to me choose where along the wall the TV was mounted, not being stuck with just where the stud is located.

Desk: While looking into desks that would work for the space, I found that most are 40 inches or 32 inches. The space is about 39 inches, so those 40 inch desks would not work. The door frame actually made the width of the space even smaller.

I went with a 32 inch desk that feels good in the space. It has a wire basket on the far side of the desk that hold my laptop and cords. It has a cut out on the back wall so that cords can drop down while allowing the desk to be flush with the wall. There is also a shelf under the cord cutout that can hold a power strip. This have helped me organize my cords and keep things up off the floor. It’s not pretty under there, but it works well.

Product: 32” Desk

Storage: I was adamant about adding storage for food, personal care items, journaling supplies, and office supplies. I found the shelves I used online after looking at a bunch of different configurations and options. These were both cost effective and the right size. They have four shelves on one side and three on the other allowing for taller items and stacking. I really wanted to leave the doorway as open a possible and the width and depth of these units allowed for that.

You may be wondering why they don’t go all the way to the corner, and to that I would say, “Good eye!”. There is a mechanical component under a squared off box in that corner that was not worth digging into or relocating. I was able to use it as an anchor point for the shelves. Given how the shelving units come together, I am able to use that otherwise dead space for storing my yoga mat, camera tripod, and exercise bands.

Product: 7-Shelf Bookcase

Anchoring:

The desk and bookcases are anchored to the walls at multiple points. The camper is mobile and I needed to ensure that nothing would shift while driving. The desk has an added board that the legs are then anchored to using pipe straps. This keeps the desk in place without having to alter or damage the desk.

Product: 2 inch Pipe Strap

The bookcases are anchored to the wall and box on the floor using L-brackets. The bookcase on the outer wall lined up with the stud, but the one on the dinette wall did not. Given this, my dad and I mounted a boarded tightly down on the topside of the bookcase while screwing it into the studs of the wall. We then used the L-brackets to attach the bookcase to the board. Extra points of contact were made with the wall further down the side of the bookcase.

Product: 2 inch L-bracket

How is it going so far?

I love it! There are things I would change, like the height at which the TV is mounted. It is a bit too high for me, but works fine. I am more motivated to knock out my work day having a dedicated space. I can focus better, but it also allows me to change up my working space as needed. There are days where I work from my chair outside, my dining table, or a local restaurant. But, when I have customer meetings, or a heavy schedule, it is great to put my head down and get things done.

Is this a swap you will make in your camper? What kind of work space do you have?