The Carado Banff has two under-bench compartment. One, is a large open storage area behind the passenger side that extends the entire length of the bench and is accessible from above by removing all of the cushions and lifting the 2 bed boards, or through the exterior doors. It’s great for storing our “big” stuff, such as chairs, folding table, front window shades, etc.
The second is about a third of the space under the driver side bench (the rest of the space is occupied by the the water heater, the water pump, and the furnace). This space is only accessible from above by removing all of the cushions and lifting the hinged bed board. For now, we keep our tire kit, various hoses, and electrical cord in there. It looks like only the 2019 models have this storage option.
They are both accessible, but it can be much easier to access these compartments with a couple of simple modifications.
PASSENGER SIDE BENCH
Opening the top of the large compartment is awkward as there is no handle and you need to grab the board with the tips of your fingers to pull it up. Closing the board puts those same fingertips in real peril and you need to make sure that the board doesn’t slip and pinch your fingers.
This part of the modification is an easy fix. Just drill a hole in the board and it will act as pull. We used a 3/4″ drill for this. You can probably install a pull strip of some sort instead, but we thought that this will be the easiest, handiest solution. Use a large enough drill though so that your finger doesn’t get stuck in there! This may also accommodate future arthritis…
This compartment is much easier to access now; just pull the board up with your finger to open, and lower it to close.
DRIVER SIDE BENCH
The other bench has a smaller storage compartment that is only accessible from above by removing all of the cushions from the bench.
and lifting the long board that is fully attached to the bench with a piano hinge. It feels like a chore every time you need something out of this space and one of the first things on our list of modifications. After the kitchen cabinet modification which was first on our list.
We opted to modify it in a way that will allow us to open only the section above the small storage area without having to remove all of the cushions. This way we will only need to disturb on one side of the bench.
We started by removing the board from the piano hinge and measuring the location of the cut (both for the board and the hinge), while ensuring that the board will sit on the support rib (see photo above as well). So measure from the end of the board to the middle of the support rib.
We then cut the board into two pieces, both of which will rest on the support rib when closed.
The hinge was cut with tin snips (double-check your measurements before you cut the board and the hinge).
It could have been a prettier cut, but don’t tell Tony that I said that….
The longer board can now be screwed back on the piano hinge, and can be opened separately if needed.
We drilled another finger hole in the smaller board and screwed it back onto the piano hinge.
We then stood back and watched the results in admiration.
Since this bench is on my side of the bed, I was a bit concerned that there may be a bit of slack to the board and that the ‘princess and the pea’ syndrome will raise its ugly head again, but it was fine, I couldn’t tell the difference at all.
We needed to used both compartments a few times since the modification and it did make them both a lot more accessible, so we are pretty happy with the results. We may install something to hold the boards up when in an open position, either a lid support hinge or a support leg, but in the meantime we just help each other by holding it open.
BY THE NUMBERS:
- Time to modify: 1 hour
- Cost: C$0,00
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I seriously love these modification ideas and am planning to implement in our almost identical Carado/Sunlight Van One in the next couple of weeks.
One idea that came with our van: To support the storage bench lids when they are open, the previous owner kept a Swiffer mop tucked into the bathroom area that fits perfectly between the bottom corner of the opposite bench/floor and the lid. It allows easy access and the mop is never in the way or a problem for us…so far. I’d like a more permanent support solution eventually, but this works for now.
Thanks again for the great ideas, Tony and Margie!
This is a great idea! Funny, we were just talking about another way of propping these annoying lids, so stay tuned for another post about it!