Bedding

As it gets nearer delivery of my new camper I'm starting to think about things I'm going to need. Now a few I've already sourced but one matter I'm not sure about is bedding. What do you guys use?

I'm not talking so much about duvet vs sleeping bag but more about "bottom sheet / matress or similar to cover the seat when it's flat. I suppose if you're in a sleeping bag this isn't an issue, as one just rolls the bag out but I do wonder whether some sort of top mattress or other layer is advisable.

Any comments? Thanks.

We use a 25mm memory foam mattress on top of our flat seat cushions with no buttons so very comfy, then a fitted sheet on top with a lovely duvet to keep us warm and snuggly. Olive is a home from home when we use her, don't see the point in doing the camping thing with sleeping bags etc. We are on holiday and want as much luxury as we can get if you know what we mean. The days of waking up feeling cold are long gone.

Have a look at these previous posts

https://brazilianvwbay.forumotion.com/t2083-duvets-or-sleeping-bags?highlight=sleeping

or search 'sleeping'

osg

Ah, the joys of searching on the iPad. Not sure if it's Safari or what but nine times out of ten I find searching returns a zero posts found. Of course, searching for "sleeping" might've helped.

Thanks for the thread. Seems a lot of sleeping bags used, which wasn't really what I wanted. The memory foam topper looks interesting . Does it roll / fold up quite neatly or, like a slab of foam prove a little unwieldy?

We hired a T2 for a week at Easter. Devon was a little cold at night (-2 on one night). Luckily we packed our electric blanket. Plugged it in and kept it on low setting all night. Never slept so well in my life. Only issue was getting up in the morning. It was so warm and cosy! It also folded up nice and small into its bag to be stored away during the day.

lostlogik wrote:

Ah, the joys of searching on the iPad. Not sure if it's Safari or what but nine times out of ten I find searching returns a zero posts found. Of course, searching for "sleeping" might've helped.

Thanks for the thread. Seems a lot of sleeping bags used, which wasn't really what I wanted. The memory foam topper looks interesting . Does it roll / fold up quite neatly or, like a slab of foam prove a little unwieldy?

It folds neatly in three and sits on top of the rear cushion with everything on top, it's only 25mm thick but does make a difference, we are lucky we have flat seat foams and not the button foams on the Danbury so it's always a flat lie with no dips if you know what I mean. I would certainly recommend using one.

olive wrote:

It folds neatly in three and sits on top of the rear cushion with everything on top, it's only 25mm thick but does make a difference, we are lucky we have flat seat foams and not the button foams on the Danbury so it's always a flat lie with no dips if you know what I mean. I would certainly recommend using one.

Thanks for this Olive. Just the info I wanted. Time to go check out where to get toppers from...

Haven't tried these, but they seem to combine the memory foam and the duvet as one roll-up unit. Was considering them for the roof-bed but they would be fine also on the R&R. Different thickness of foam available too.

http://www.raskelf.com/Boats/Memory_Foam_Duvalay

osg

We use memory foam when camping (at home too) These are great but in summer can be warmer than usual and work by moulding you to the foam via your body heat...I think the ones OSG has seen at look good too (think something like this was on Dragons Den?)

That's correct Jason.
I see the Duvalay website shows a button about their success on Dragon's Den.
osg

Not too keen on the duvalay. Looks like a glorified and expensive sleeping bag. And if there's two of you, you'll get a cold bit in the middle as the duvet parts fall either side. But their topper looks interesting, if again a bit expensive. I see its size is perfect for the Rio size bed and it rolls up into a nice manageable size. But I've seen 2.5cm toppers for significantly less so wonder why the premium price.

Lostlogik, we paid £45 for ours from the market, it has a removable cover to enable you to wash it, if you have a smaller width bed you will be able to store it between the roof bed and roof as it's only 25mm thick, we can't as we have a full width bed.

olive wrote:

if you have a smaller width bed you will be able to store it between the roof bed and roof as it's only 25mm thick, we can't as we have a full width bed.

Now that's a nice point. I (will) have the smaller Rio bed, so sticking it up top saves having to worry about rolling and storing in the back.

Thanks.

Didn't sleep well at the sleepover and can't sleep tonight so have been googling mattress toppers on my phone...did anyone ever buy the Duvalay ones. We have a rio. Im only interested in the toppers not the sleeping bag ones.
M.

We have a duvalay mattress topper. They were very very helpful and quick. I sent them measurements and a little drawing for our layout - also a Rio. I probably underestimated the width by about 5 cms as I measured up to the edge of the cushions in the van rather than the wall of the van/cupboards. But not a major error.

I went for the cheaper of the two options as it was the softest. The hardness of the cushions underneath still comes through but it is a marked improvement. Zzzz......

We have a 75cm memory form topper bought form ebay kingsize fits the van perfect but we have a diamond conversion. Tim

We have a memory foam topper which we put on top of the R and R bed. It makes a huge difference to how well we both sleep. I measured up the space and bought the foam from Ebay. It's now been cut to the correct size and shape and fits perfectly. When it's not being used it gets rolled, stored in an 80 litre dry sack and gets put onto the roof rack for travelling.

We have a large, thick blanket we lay (folded) over the bed with a regular bed sheet over that. We send it out with all hires too, works a treat.

Tockfield are suppliers of upholstery to Danbury for seating and also the folding mattress for the roof-bed.
We contacted them and they made up a fold-in-half mattress to our measurements as a topper to the R & R bed. This is memory foam covered with the Danbury style cloth and it makes the bed really comfortable. It sits, folded, on top of the rear cushion when travelling so doesn't impinge on space.
Tockfield
osg

We too, have a memory foam topper which we put on top of the R and R bed. Bought it on ebay and made the final cut to shape myself before placing in a cotton cover. Its folded in half when not in use and sits behind the rear seats. Great job and restful nights zzzz.

The first sleep of the season is always the toughest, then you remember you're in your campervan and you have cider.....all is okay!

Seriously though, we went for extra firm foam when we were fitting out our bus thinking we didn't want it to sag or show dents. The foam still looks great but its not the best to sleep on!

We've been sleeping in it regularly since August.........and we both are getting bad backs after each camp so we think its the r and r bed to blame. We already have the pop top matress on but we think we need something extra for our ageing bones. Thanks for all your suggestions. Will ponder.
M.

When I had the refit I was told that extra firm was a better option. Apparently in the world of foam firmness it is supposed to be better to sleep on - it wasn't and hence the memory foam topper was soon applied over the top.
The firmer foam is however much nicer to sit on and drive with.

We have a roll up Bill Brown Mattress which is very comfy, might be worth a look...
Mattress

As an update we have used a Zonesleep mattress topper over the summer and we have been really pleased with it. It was cool when we needed it to be and warm when the weather was cooler. Without it we were waking up with sore hips etc but it it provides a smooth comfortable layer underneath now. It also gives a degree of firmness so gives support for backs. It comes with a bag so you can roll it up. I wouldnt be without it now. Ours is larger than the bed so it can be pulled up to cover over the wardrobe and kitchen unit corners...where before I would put cushions to stop me banging into them.  We can show you what it is like at Dubs in the Forest.

Mrs B