Wants and Constraints

For my car camping buildout project to be a success, I want it to achieve five key objectives: functionality as a bed, functionality as storage, retractability, an inexpensive design, and for the stain I use to match my aesthetic.

1.) This build-out is supposed to be able to be used as a bed so that a tent is not needed when camping, so when expanded it needs to be big enough for one or two people to comfortably sleep on it.

2.) I want this project to have more use than just having an air mattress in my car, so this needs to have built-in compartments for storage that increase its functionality during a trip.

3.) My goal with this project is to have a platform that you can sleep on, but can be taken down to use the back seats of the car when not in use as a bed. 

4.) While this is a larger project, I want to keep it as cheap as I can. Something of this scale can very easily get out of hand cost-wise.

5.) It is important both for the point of this class and my personal goals for this buildout to look good when finished. I want the stain I choose and the final finish of the wood to make this project look like a finished project.

While functionality of this project is important to me, it is important that I do not get out of scope with how I build out the storage area as I need to allow for time to finish the project to match my cabincore aesthetic.

The top five aspects constraining my project are money, time, space, tolerance, and stain choice.

1.) I do not have a lot of money to pour into this project and am a little restricted in scope because of this.

2.) This project needs a lot of time in terms of design, fabrication, and drying/finishing, and I already have a very full schedule.

3.) Finding places for this to not only dry while staining, but also store through the fabrication process will be a constant challenge.

4.) Because I want the bed to be dynamic I need the parts to line up well so everything lays flat when both extended and retracted.

5.) Not only is stain inconvenient, but it needs to fit my aesthetic, and I have not used enough stains to know what will look best.

I think time will be my greatest struggle with this project, as finding time to bring my car full of large wooden boards to the woodshop on campus will be difficult just about every day of the week.