One of the things you learn pretty quickly, when you own an RV, is that space is valuable. Every cabinet, drawer and countertop needs to fit as much as possible in a limited amount of space. Yet, the designers clearly do not always keeping in mind how you really live in a RV.
Our 2016 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40 AP is a big motorhome; but apparently, nobody told the person who designed the bedside tables.
They are only a few inches deep.
Game of Tetris
When you first purchase the RV, you may not notice an issue. However, when you actually go to bed and start stacking everything you want within reach, it is apparent.. Phone. Eyeglasses. TV remote. Earbuds. Bottle of water or mug of coffee.
Pretty soon our little bedside ledges looked like we were playing a nightly game of Tetris.
So what to do?
We bought the standard cheap plastic baskets for our stuff, thinking that would help.
Finally, my wife looked at me one morning and said, “Hon, I dropped my glasses under the bed again and almost spilled my coffee. You design things. Can’t you come up with something better?“
This simple statement turned out to be the beginning of a much bigger project than either of us expected.
There Had to Be a Better Way
During my career in the construction industry, I used 3D CAD. At home, I liked to play with my 3D printer. Thus, my first thought wasn’t to buy another organizer. I decided to design something specifically for the space.
The challenge was to maximize the limited depth of the bedside table and the width between the wood valances. Whatever I designed had to be more than a simple box sitting on the ledge.
Logic told me to make more usable space by storing items vertically. The current basket held them all horizontally and that wasn’t much better than our game of Tetris. I also didn’t want to drill holes or permanently modify the cabinetry in the coach.
Ideation and Measurement
I started by measuring the area and sketching out ideas on paper. Then I measured all the items we kept by the bed. I wanted parameters for storage sizes. Then I measured more and sketched different arrangements.
This eventually moved over to the computer. I started drawing with a 2D concept so I could precisely play with my dimensions. Satisfied I had the perfect solution, I converted it to 3D… problem solved, right?
The First Version Wasn’t the Last Version
One of the advantages of 3D printing is that you can turn an idea on the computer into a physical item. Something you can actually touch and test. One of the disadvantages is that it points out all the flaws in your design.
Somewhere in my career I learned about the term “MVP” Minimum Viable Product. Do the least possible to get to market. Well, version one it was minima, it was viable, and it was a product.
We accomplished what we wanted:
- Create an organizer that attaches to the existing bedside ledge
- Extends outward enough to be usable but not impede the bed space
- Gain considerably more usable storage without modifying the coach.
But once we got our hands on it, the questions started:
- Why did you put the phone there?
- Should it lay on its side or stand up?
- Is the cup holder really big enough?
- What about a handle for a coffee mug?
- Is it far enough away from the blind so I can still easily open and close it?
- Hmmm … how tall can it be to keep away from the window frame?
- Which side is the plug for my phone charger coming from?
- How tall does a compartment have to be to hold stuff or is it too deep for me to get things out of it?
- Which TV remote fits, and what if I need the other for the soundbar?
- Etc., etc., etc.
And just because we both needed an organizer, we did not use them the same. What were the common spaces we both used? What are the unique spaces that we could both still use on each side of the bed?
Trial and Error
Thus started Phase 2 — more 3D design, 3D printing, input from the head of end user approval, a.k.a. my wife, Terri. Additional testing on the sides of our bed at home. Then identify improvements and start again.
Each time it was too big, too small, had too many compartments, etc. Why is that there? My head of end user approval was tough, but I agreed with her assessments.
The process of 3D Design, 3D Print, and testing at home went through at least 4 or 5 versions before it even made it into the coach to try out.
After our next RV trip, we both used it and came up with more ideas and issues. Resulting in more at-home versions to fine-tune. More requests for changes, resulting in a return to the computer and printing more versions.
Then the color. Who would have thought it would be so hard to find the right warm gray or beige 3D printer filament? After buying and testing 3 different rolls of filament, we finally agreed on the color.
More Input From Other RV Owners
Eventually we had something we were happy with and liked. I decided to share pictures on Facebook pages for RVers.
That’s when the project became more interesting.
People started telling us what they kept next to their beds.
Some cared more about their phone and an opening for their charging cord. Some wanted more room for a Yeti cup. Some did not need room for a drink, but wanted a spot for their iPad or Kindle.
We continued to fine tune OUR design but kept in mind the feedback. It was obvious there wasn’t necessarily one perfect bedside organizer for everyone. And, everyone had an opinion.
RVs Create Some Interesting Design Problems
This project also made me look differently at storage inside an RV.
There are lots of spaces that aren’t really large enough for conventional storage products but are still valuable. A few inches next to a bed doesn’t sound like much. Neither does the space around a cup holder, beside a seat or along the edge of a console. But when you’re traveling in an RV, those small spaces can make a big difference if they’re used well.
The trick isn’t necessarily adding more storage. The key is to make better use of the space that’s already there.
For our bedside problem, extending the organizer outward turned an almost useless narrow ledge into a place where everything we normally use at night has its own spot. Now, when it’s time to go to sleep, we’re no longer balancing everything on each other or digging it out from beside the bed in the morning.
The Project Accidentally Became a Small Business
This wasn’t supposed to become a business. I was solving a problem in our own motorhome.
But after sharing the design online, the other feedback was “Where can I buy one” or “Can you make one for me?”
Eventually Terri and I decided to make a few for other RV owners. For fun we called it the “RVBO”, the RV Bedside Organizer. Our little project became a small side hustle, so we established FBSmade, short for Francis Built Solutions. Based on the previous feedback we eventually generated two more designs, the “RVBO Jr” and the “RVBO II”.
Next thing you know, we needed a simple website to make it easier for people to see each version and place an order. We’re certainly not a big manufacturing company and our marketing is basically Facebook posts. We are a couple of RV owners, who own a 3D printer and came up with a niche idea. Now, we sell our idea to those interested in our solution.
In fact, feedback from other RV owners continues to influence what we design. That process has now spilled over into another little RV annoyance we’re working on—an improved passenger-seat cupholder and organizer. Apparently once you start looking for wasted space in an RV, you can’t stop seeing it. We are on version 9 already, and the head of end user approval is still not satisfied… ouch!
Something that started because my wife was tired of fighting with a tiny bedside table turned into conversations with RV owners around the country who have many of the same little frustrations.
Sometimes the Small Problems Are the Fun Ones to Solve
Nobody buys an RV based on the size of the bedside table. It is one of those things you don’t really think about until you’ve lived with the coach for a while.
Then you notice it every night.
That is one reason I enjoy projects like this. They don’t have to solve some enormous problem. Sometimes improving a small annoyance that you deal with every day makes RVing noticeably better.
Although I’m starting to think Terri has figured out that saying, “Can’t you design something for this?” is a pretty effective way to keep me busy.
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