> So I came to the conclusion that bunk beds
NEEDED to have at least four posts. And not
stacked together at the center.

I think that the more posts a bunk bed had, the
safer it would be. Naturally, they'd all have to
be around the outside of the frame, so that the
bottom bunker would be able to lay down
comfortably. But I think that four posts is
actually the minimum number required to
support the top bunk. I've had the experience
of having the top bunk of a four-poster come
crashing down on me when I gave it a good
kick. If that bunk had had, say, forty posts,
neither I nor my friend on the top bunk would
have been injured. Of course, a bunk bed with
forty posts would have the effect of being a
cage for the person on the bottom, and they'd
need a portal or doorway of some kind to get
in and out. But it would be safer, I think, and
would have the added bonus of introducing
many new and varied opportunities for
practical joking. (i.e., trapping your roommate
inside his bunk; trapping your roommate
inside his bunk with a live alligator; etc. There
are infinite variations possible.) I don't see
how this could fail.

Gri"I think"shny