Last Updated on 05/03/2024 by Glynn Willard
What Is The Best Campervan Mattress?
The best campervan mattress for a good night’s sleep depends on three criteria:
- Your preference for mattress firmness.
- The amount of time you plan to stay in your campervan.
- Whether or not your bed can stay made or needs to be transformed into a living area daily.
Once you address the above criteria, you can shop for the right mattress for your van life.
Before we lived full-time in an RV, I would have expressed that the perfect mattress for an RV doesn’t exist.
Rose proved me wrong with her meticulous research for the best RV mattress that was a short queen.
It was so good, that we bought the same mattress for our home base (standard mattress sizes of course).
That speaks volumes if you ask me.
She did it again with our campervan!
Regardless of where you’re sleeping, the importance of quality sleep can’t be understated.
Seriously, a few bad nights of sleep while camping in your van will eliminate all the pleasure that should come from the van life.
So make it a priority!
If you want to learn more, dive into Matthew Wlaker’s book, Why We Sleep.
It changed my life! I digress.
Onward!
I’m using affiliate links and photos to make it easier for you to a) know what I’m talking about and b) help you make an informed decision. We also appreciate the small commission that does not cost you any extra.
Does Your Campervan Even Need A New Mattress?
Our cushions were not bad and only needed a topper.
Make sure you have your new campervan in your possession before shopping for RV mattresses.
- First of all, you may find the mattress or setup included to be just fine, saving you time and money.
So far, in all of our time living in and touring RVs, only one OEM mattress was perfect.
It was in a Storyteller Overland campervan. - Second, there are so many different setups in campervan, that you’ll have to do a lot of measuring and brainstorming before shopping.
When it comes to RV mattresses, there are a lot of different sizes and standard sizes do not typically apply.
That does not apply to large fifth wheels, class A, or super C motorhomes.
You might also find that the perfect mattress will require some cutting and shaping to work in your campervan.
Consider yourself lucky if it turns out to be a simple process.
Your Type Of Mattress For Campervan
Regardless of your mattress preference, you’ll likely not find innerspring mattresses to be a viable option in a campervan.
You might also find that you don’t need a new mattress. Instead, a new top layer may work fine.
A memory foam topper costs less and can be packed away more conveniently.
Ultimately, that was our solution for our Roadtrek Zion campervan.
If you leave your bed set up all the time and it doesn’t obstruct storage, you can shop for ” more inches” of memory foam mattresses that will offer superior comfort.
Are You Full Time, Part Time, Or Do You Just Take Road Trips?
The amount of research and money you spend should correlate with the amount of time you plan on sleeping in the van.
We made zero compromises when we were full-time since we value quality sleep quality so much.
But we’re only part-time in the campervan. So flexibility of space became a priority.
If you just take road trips, a thinner mattress that stores away easily in your new camper is a great option.
You’ll find the flexible space to be more beneficial than the perfect mattress.
Does Your Bed Frame Stay In Place Or Transform?
The boys need seats for the journey!
As mentioned above, if you need the space where your bed resides for dining or working, you can only look at mattress options that pack away easily.
I realize that’s stating the obvious, but if you’re new to the van life, it’s an important point.
Of course, if you don’t need the flexible space, a more supportive mattress that remains stationary is an option.
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Best Campervan Mattresses That Stay Put
If your bed remains set up, you can look at regular mattresses that are not specific to RVs.
Measure your space carefully (many times) and select a mattress that fits without alteration.
Avoid overly thick mattresses. You only have so much head room in a campervan.
This information is based on our research and experience in our previous RV as well as our current campervan.
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ZINUS 6 Inch Green Tea Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress
This is the mattress we put in our travel trailer and loved it so much, we bought one for our home base.We always got a great night’s sleep on this mattress and it was still functioning well when we sold the trailer.
This will also work well in a campervan. Make sure to select the appropriate size.
