Rear Seat Delete and Cheap Sleeping Platform/Storage

I've converted my 2013 Trail into a "camper" over the last year or two. I removed the rear seat bottoms, and have the OEM sliding tray, so it was easy to make a flat sleeping platform. I use a toolbox behind the rear passenger seat for the last 8" of platform support, and have a 76" sleeping area. The area behind the driver's seat contains a fairly tall 206Ah Li battery. The setup looks like this:




I found over time that I rarely use the rear seats, and there is a lot of bulk in the rear seat backs. I'm always looking for ways to comfortably store more stuff... So, I decided to completely remove the rear seats and replace those seat backs with a simple plywood platform which gave me the same sleeping functionality as the seat backs. I also wanted it to be easily reversible. It turns out it was very easy to build, and very cheap too!

There are numerous YouTube videos showing how to completely remove the rear seats. It was easier than I expected. The only difference is that I left the two side brackets on. Those normally allow the rear seat backs to pivot. The interesting part is that these made perfect mounting points for my platform, and allow me to lift the platform about 30-40 degrees on that pivot when needed:




Next, I went to Home Depot and bought a $23 4ft x 2ft x 1/2-inch piece of fir plywood. 1/2-inch is a little thin, but it lined up well height-wise. 3/4-inch would be better and easier to design strength-wise. With the 1/2-inch, i added more supports than would be needed with 3/4. I'm no carpenter, so I wanted simple cuts. I left one 48" edge as-is. The rear edge was cut to ~43" wide (centered). I then made a couple of simple jigsaw cuts to roughly follow the interior contour:




Here's the nice part. I bolted the rear corners to the pivoting brackets to make a pivoting platform.




I added two simple 1.5"x1.5" posts on the other end to support the platform in the tall footwell.

Since I used somewhat thin plywood, I wanted to ensure I had sufficient support, especially in the sleeping area on the passenger side. The height under the platform is somewhat uneven due to the floor contours, but generally ranges from 5"-6.5". I found these adjustable legs on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3J41NQN?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

They worked very well and provided great support. I laid them out for solid support, while keeping a clear path to slide a storage basket underneath (from the far side of the photo below):




Once I was satisfied with the layout and load-bearing aspects, I attached the legs with M5 hardware:




I added a $10 thin, carpeted doormat on top with a couple screws. It was easy to trim with shears. The rear edge fit nicely under the rubber trim piece that used to cover the seat/deck connection:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3WJX9ZF?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details






Finally, I picked up a cheap storage bin that slides in from the driver's side between the supports:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTBPGD14?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

The end result is a noticeable weight savings, and a fair bit of low center-of-gravity storage. I can put the 33"x12"x5" bin under the platform, and there's another "row" behind the rear supports that holds a few fly rod tubes, gloves, etc.

If I need rear seats, I can unbolt the two side bracket bolts and remove the platform. It takes about 30-45min to put the seats back in (once you have the hang of it...).