If you own a T2G 2017 model teardrop camper you are painfully familiar with the USB port issue. In these models the “Charging Center” as they call it is at the foot of the bed. While it is great to have an electrical outlet, separate UBS plug and a 12 Volt plug inside, they are not really in the best place and everyone I talked to has the same issue. There is no where to put your phone while you are charging it and like me, most people charge at night.
I thought I had it solved when I switched to a twin mattress and got a tray table. I plugged it in and left it on the tray table, but it still had to go across the foot of the bed and inevitably, every night me or Bella would somehow unplug it and my phone would not be charged in the morning. I have seen picture online of people adding shelves to either side of the AC for more space and to provide a place for your phone so I decided to go this route. I also saw this as an opportunity to fix another problem. I had been trying to figure the best way to fill in the gap between the mattress and wall that I had after switching to a twin mattress, so rather than hang a permanent shelf I decided to make one that would wedge in that spot and serve both functions.
This solution may not be for everyone but it worked great for me so I am presenting it. I decided to use 1″ x 2″ trim board for the table “legs” as it were. I just chose this becasue I had it and it was the right size. I made the top out of a piece left over from a stair riser for the same reason. I decide to make a shelf that would fit at the foot of the bed and be held up by the mattress pressing against it. I wanted to make it the correct height that it would be above the outlets so I would not be kicking it at night but below the panel for the fuses. As you can that it a very small space so getting the measurements exact were critical on this to make it fit where I wanted it to. The first try I was not exact on one side and it would not fit under the fuse cabinet. I was able to sand down one leg enough to make it fit. I intentionally made the shelf slightly narrower than the opening with the plan of being able to run the cords between the shelf and AC cabinet and hopefully keep them up on the table, so we won’t be catching them at night.
If you decide to make one of these one word of advise, try to put it in before the mattress. Getting it down in between the wall and AC cabinet and around the window shade frame was a challenge. Once I did it fits perfectly under the fuses and appears to keep the mattress in place better. The shelf size should be good for my phone as well as charging my kindle and tablet.
Amy and Bella's Teardrop Adventures 