Ever since expanding the bed and losing the table space I used to have instead, I’ve been griping about not having enough flat space in the van. Of course, it’s been totally worth it to have Melissa on board! Still, it’s been a constant shuffle of things from one flat surface to another, including on top of the fridge, to get things done in here. I finally followed through on an idea I borrowed from my previous van and installed a “flippy shelf” to provide more flat space when I need it.
It revolves around these brackets I got from Amazon. They enable a shelf to fold down when not in use, but flip up and lock into place when needed. They can handle up to 150 lbs, which is far more than I ever intend to put on them.
Instead of using the hardware that came with it to screw the brackets into a wall, I got my own hardware and bolted them to the legs of my kitchen sink and counter, which was really a fish-cleaning table in a past life. The shelf itself is a scrap of plywood I found in my trailer, which I painted white to protect it and so that it will blend in a little bit better. Yes, I know one edge is cut about as straight as the Maine coast (which is to say, not at all), but it was a scrap that I already had lying around. I may replace it with something nicer someday.
When not in use, which is most of the time, the shelf flips down flat against the legs of the table. It’s out of the way and keeps it just as easy to get in and out the side door as before. Even when it’s up, the shelf is short enough that I can slide past it to get in and out of the van if I need to.
It’s a small, simple thing that I wish I’d done a long time ago. It doesn’t look like much, but any additional flat space helps when it comes to doing dishes or just having a convenient place to put down a cup of coffee or my lunch. The hard part was finding the right kind of locking hinges. Once I found them, everything else was easy.
Smokey Da Van 