Your Guide to Van Life Matresses
We absolutely LOVE the technical and more complex parts of van builds. However, we also acknowledge that there are so many additional smaller decisions that need to be made for a complete van life ready rig. One of these decisions is what mattress to choose.
In this guide we address:
Camper Van Mattress Considerations
One thing we have learned throughout our DIY van builds is that typically the best option for a drop in component is one that is made specifically for van life. Why? Because camper vans have specific considerations that do not arise with house life. This is specifically the case for things like toilets, fridges, and mattresses! For camper van mattresses, there is the need for odd shapes and higher quality in less height.
- Standard “rectangle” shapes will not fit in a camper van due to the curvature and beams.
- A standard mattress is around 10″. This is way too high for use in a camper van. RoamRest mattresses are 5″ but provide the same comfort as a standard 10″ mattress due to their higher quality multi-layer foam. In this guide, we share why we chose a RoamRest Custom Mattress, but also provide DIY options if a professional option is out of budget.
** Disclaimer: This blog post contains various affiliate links that provide a small kickback to us, at no additional cost to you. We truly appreciate your support if you choose to purchase through these! **
Our Camper Van Mattress Journey
Over our 2+ years of van life, we have had 3 different mattresses:
- The first was a hand cut and sewn mattress by yours truly (see “Other Options“ for details)
- The second was a “pre-cut to Transit specs” 1 layer foam mattress
- The third is our RoamRest custom 4 layer foam mattress.
We had the “pre-cut to Transit spec” 1 layer foam mattress in our second camper van conversion and about 6 months in chose to replace it with the custom mattress for the following reasons:
- After a few months, we could feel our plywood bed platform when we were on the mattress, and you could even see indents from where we typically slept. (Hey! You might like our lightweight 80/20 bed system design guide)
- We were experiencing back pain similar to when we went backpacking. Our camper van is our home, we should not have to compromise on sleep!
- After DIY-ing one mattress, I refused to do it again, those curves and specific shapes are HARD. Time is money. But at the same time, I have massive respect and full support for you if this is up your alley.
RoamRest Camper Van Mattress Options
RoamRest is a camper van specific sub division of North America Mattress Corp. This means they know their stuff when it comes to foam, fabric, and mattress construction. They are a small team based in Oregon that hand crafts and sews each mattress.
RoamRest’s first mattress was the Ultimate Tri Fold which was built to be as comfortable as a home mattress, but could also be folded and stored compactly when not in use. Since then, they have expanded their line of camper van mattresses to include a variety of different options:
- RoamRest Ultimate Tri Fold
- ~ $890
- 5″ of Medium-Firm (4 layers) or Soft (3 layers)
- Choice of mattress size
- RoamRest Overland
- Coming Soon!
- RoamRest Pathway No-Fold
- ~ $585
- One 5″ layer of high quality medium density foam
- Choice of mattress size
- RoamRest Flare Inserts
- Choice of size
- Add on to any mattress
- Fully Custom – what we have!
- Choice of foam
- Choice of size
- Choice of folds
- Choice of flare inserts
- & more including DOG BEDS – check ’em out.
Foam - Does Quality Matter?
The entire name of the game for camper van conversions is taking up as little space as possible with the most efficient materials. While you could plop a standard 10″ queen mattress in your camper van and be comfortable while sleeping, it does not make sense to use 10″ of height for a mattress.
This is why we opted for a professional mattress like RoamRest. RoamRest camper van mattresses achieve the same comfort in half the height (5″) with their strategic choice of high quality foam layers. Below you can see the construction of their Medium Firm, and Soft mattresses. We have the medium-firm. The different layers work together to keep you “floating” above your bed platform.
Sizing of Your Camper Van Mattress
Because of the native curves of a camper van, and your layout dimensions, you will most likely need a non-traditional mattress size. This means a standard Twin, Queen, or King mattress needs to be cut to your unique dimensions and the fabric will also need adjusted (an electric carving knife is great for this!).
RoamRest offers an array of mattress sizes and flare inserts to take away this stress. Below is an example from the Ultimate Tri-Fold mattress size options. Because of this, you will most likely be able to find an option that works “out of the box” for you. And, if not, go ahead and check out the Custom Mattress options.
DIY Camper Van Mattress Options
If a professional camper van mattress is out of budget (it was for our first camper van!!), you can opt to buy any mattress of shorter height, open it, and cut it to size. If doing this, you should make sure there isn’t fiberglass is the outer covering before opening and cutting. Fiberglass is frequently used in mattresses as a fire retardant.
Additionally, you can purchase individual foam layers and construct your ideal mattress. Details below.
How to Cut Foam for a DIY Mattress
You will likely need to make small, or large, adjustments on your foam to accommodate for camper vans odd curves, or flares. The easiest ways we have found to cut mattress foam include:
- Electric Turkey Carving Knife – You’d be surprised how often these are at Goodwill! If no luck, try Amazon.
- Band Saw – Don’t go buy one of these just for this activity, but if you have one, they work great!
- Bread Knife – If you don’t want to run around trying to find an electric carving knife, you can use a standard bread knife from your kitchen. The cuts won’t be as clean, but you are going to be covering it anyway.
Bonus Tip for Constructing Your Camper Van Mattress
Try and make your camper van mattress as close to one solid piece as possible. In our first rig, we had a hodge-podge of foam pieces that came together to form the entire shape and it was uncomfortable. Everywhere your mattress pieces come together is a weak point that will begin to give out when you put weight on it.
Finding foam large enough to cut your entire mattress out from is a difficult task, but absolutely worth it. We found FoamByMail.comto be a great resource.
Recommended Foam Layers
If you want to construct your own mattress, here are a few good options:
- Memory Foam
- Sleeps hot – “gel infused” helps this
- Molds to body (which causes “sinking” if no support underneath)
- Great on top of firmer foam layer
- Latex
- Sleeps Firm (supportive)
- Heavier – so limit to a smaller layer on top of high density foam
- All natural (eco friendly)
- Foam
- Huge range of quality across firmness!
- Inexpensive
- Easiest to cut
Sheets Considerations
The decision making never ends! Don’t worry though, what sheets to choose for your new mattress in your camper van is rather simple. Here are a few tips we’ve gained over the years:
- Invest in high quality, COOLING sheets like bamboo.
- Sizing: Your mattress will most likely not be a standard size. We recommend to size to the nearest size even if it’s up or down. If it’s down, you will gain back space because the mattress isn’t the standard depth. The most common sizes you will see are twin and queen.
Just for Fun
There was no place for these pictures in this review, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share these photos from the RoamRest factory. This is what mattress foam looks like at various stages – how cool! The blue block is MEMORY FOAM!!
Camper Van Mattress Summary
The world of camper van mattresses is large. We hope this review helped narrow down your options and provide guidance on which direction to go. It took us 2 years to find the perfect mattress for us so hopefully we can shorten that for you.
If you found this useful, you might enjoy:
Thanks for being here! Happy building!
Eric + Colby
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