RV and Machine Placement

I will be taking out the RV since the first time on therapy. My problem is where to put the machine since the bed is pretty boxed-in. There is a small entry for getting in bed and a cabinet overhead but no nightstand and no floor. Either I place the machine on the floor and below bed-level 10 feet away from my pillow or three feet above sleeping level in the cabinet. Here is a photo:


Any thoughts?

Thanks for your help!

- Flappy

Wow, tight fit.
How about sleeping with head at the foot of the bed and machine on floor but at least you won't need a 10 ft hose (which BTW you can get)?

It could go in the cabinet above but you need to rig up something to keep it from falling and smacking you on the head....not to mention possible rain out issues if you go where nights are cooler.

I wouldn't go over 10 to 12 feet for hose length if it were me...they make an adapter so you can hook up 2 6ft hoses together.

We sometimes travel in rented RVs. Haven't done it since starting CPAP but I wondered about placement.

Will follow the thread for ideas. Thanks for posting!

I agree with Pugsy. If you sleep with your head at the end of the bed where the curtain is, there is room for a small table to the right so you can keep the machine off of the floor but still below you. That will help with dust and rainout issues.

I have the same situation on my boat. I wedge the pump under the corner of the mattress. It helps that the mattress is a bit undersize and I don't use the humidifier on the boat.

I have the same configuration in my motorhome, so I put my machine in the overhead cabinet and run the hose down to my pillow... never have had rainout either with the machine over my head. Happy camping... wish it were me heading out.

Wow - fast replies, thanks!

Not impossible but the challenge both with my head at the curtain and a small table would be entry and egress for my wife. Hard to tell from the photo but it is actually a small queen bed with a narrow entry. The door to the right of the bed is to the bathroom - can't block that! Here is another perspective:


The overhead cabinet above would work by leaving a door open and I could secure the machine with a bungie if needed but as mentioned, potential rainout. I'll give that a try. We're headed to the beach - should bein the upper 80's!

Shouldn't have rain out at the beach...I am green with envy.
I think I would probably do the overhead thing and a bungie cord too. That way you can just leave it where it is and not have to move it around during the day.

It could go on the floor on the side opposite the bathroom door but would need to be picked up to be put out of the way during the day. I wouldn't bother with a table in the RV. The bed is not going to be all that much higher than the floor anyway.
Maybe set it on a book or something, if the dust factor bothers you, just to get it up off the floor.

If it were me (but it's not ), I would build a shelf at the foot of the bed, one with hinges and just below the matress to place the cpap on. then sleep with your head at the foot of the bed.

I'm assuming the wooden base part of the bed is hollow for storage. Would cutting a hole in the wooden bed frame and placing the unit under the bed work? If the mattress lifts up to get to the storage area, you would only need to cut a hole large enough to thread the hose through, with the unit underneath the bed. Or you could construct a door at the foot of the bedframe. Closing the door would keep your CPAP out of site and things looking tidy with probably easier access to your CPAP.

I haven't measured our RV yet; we sleep in the overhead double and there is a small ridge of storage space at both the head and the foot of the bed. I'm hoping that works. No going out for us until summer though.

These are good ideas and I thought about installing a speaker in that bed frame space so it is a possibility. It's not as slick as an Alpine subwoofer (my wife is against that idea anyway) but a CPAP shelf might do the trick. It would be really slick if I could take it one step further and install something like a central vacuum where I could just plug the hose into a receptacle above my pillow to activate my therapy!

I have a little sunk in shelf I built in my 5th wheel to put my machine on. Not sure if you have the space to do that or want to goto that level of work.

I was looking at this product called CpapHolder and it got me thinking that a battery tray like this could be helpful to keep the machine on whatever DIY project you design. The included velcro strap is made to retain a much heavier item. A little searching would result in the perfect tray. Something like an anti fatigue mat or placemat could be cut to size and placed in the bottom to reduce vibration.

These are all good ideas, thank you for your input.

Curious - if I do without the humidifier, how about mounting the machine vertically? Would the machine still function properly? It would be a space saver.

- Flappy

Uncle Flapp wrote:... It would be really slick if I could take it one step further and install something like a central vacuum where I could just plug the hose into a receptacle above my pillow to activate my therapy!

Actually you could. Get a hose coupler and install that like a central vacuum port and then use a 24 inch short hose to connect to your mask. Set your machine to auto on mode. That should do it.

CPAP.COM has a variety to choose from or you could make your own from PVC pipe.
If you go the DIY route, use the lowest schedule number PVC pipe because it has the thinnest wall thickness and will restrict the air flow the least.