Renovating a Pre-RV Vehicle? Don’t Forget the Bed

Directly adjacent to the trendy van-life movement is the revitalization of Airstreams and VW camper vans. Recreational vehicles go beyond the standard RV, spanning to campers, motorhomes, and even bus conversions that lead to a newfound life on the road. With the classic VW and camper vans, you can relive the ’70’s and keep up with the times all at once. The classic exterior with the comforts of custom-made interior design and bed. We love a good vehicle-to-living-space makeover; tiny house movement, anyone? Whether it’s about sustainability or the fact that not many of us can afford mortgages anymore, building a little home on wheels is a labor of love, and it’s also just fun. How do you tetris everything you need into such a small space?

How do you take advantage of the vehicle’s previous layout while improving it with modern amenities? Things are a little simpler with RVs, because they can get to be bigger than some Manhattan apartments, but with Airstreams and VW vans it’s a bit different. You’ll find that one of the hardest things to find a solution for is the sleeping space. Finding the right option for your van’s bed at your local brick & mortar just isn’t going to happen.

The Bed That Comes with Your Van or Airstream Is Useless

The beds standard in Airstream and VW camper van models are nothing short of painful. You’ll wake up achy and stiff, as they weren’t comfy when the vehicle was made, and they’re definitely not comfy 50 years later. Since it’s such a small space, an Airstream bed or van mattress needs to be an oasis. It’s likely your couch and your bed without the downfalls of your futon bed in college. In some vans, you fold your mattress to turn it into your dining room booth. That Airstream mattress has a lot of work to do – so make sure you track down the best place to make the mattress for your van or trailer bed because you’ll need it. We’ve got some suggestions for taking full advantage of your space and your sleep with a custom mattress specifically made to fit your vehicle.

How to Create the Perfect Custom Mattress for Your Airstream or Van

Like we said – there are several details that need to come together if you want the smartest and most comfortable bed for your Airstream or VW van. And there is no one-size-fits-all rule for Airstream beds and camper van beds; just like cars, Airstream and VW changed up their models nearly every year. The van bed in a ’68 VW camper is not at all the same as the bed in a ’78 VW van. You might need something wider but short like the short queen mattress to fit in your airstream, or perhaps a bed that’s longer but narrow like a custom-made 3/4 mattress.

The same thing can be said for Airstream beds, as the only thing you can count on with all these beds is that the mattress is a sad and worn-out foam, and it’s likely only a few inches thick. Good news is, custom mattress makers have got you covered. No, really! There are mattress manufacturers that specialize specifically in bespoke, custom-sized mattresses for any space. Beds in horse trailers, boats, yachts, RV’s and more – find the right company and getting quality sleep on a luxury mattress in your Airstream is just as easy as picking out a Queen mattress at a standard mattress store.

Here are 6 things to think about to make your camper van or Airstream bed the best it can be:

1. Choose a custom foam or memory foam mattress for your Airstream or VW van.

Quality hybrid foam, latex, or even standard memory foam van beds, are all great at retaining their shape and providing an ergonomic sleep. And they don’t need to be 13” thick to do it. I mean, they can be 13” thick, but if you don’t have the space for it, you only need 6” or so to get a good night's sleep if your van bed is made of top-notch memory foam.

2. Consider a custom hinged mattress for your camper van.

Airstreams and VW campers are limited on space, and if you’re trying to fit a full-size mattress in there, you’ll realize pretty quickly you’ve got little-to-no space left. That’s not going to work. However, having a hinged van mattress made for your Airstream or VW bus can change all of that. Fold it up during the daytime and voila — a couch without the back pain of a futon! Bonus points if you also build the van bed’s frame to fold up into a bench during the day… but you might need a friend who’s handy with carpentry to help you with that one.

3. Balance headroom and storage to make the most of your van’s bedroom space.

Platform beds in vehicles are a great idea if you want to maximize storage space without sacrificing sleeping space. However, remember that Airstreams and camper vans don’t have a lot of ceiling clearance. Make sure that your Airstream mattress thickness + bed platform height is not so much that you’ll rack your head on the ceiling when you wake up in the morning; that’s no fun.

4. Every camper van needs bunk beds to keep the spirit of camping alive!

As the old Step Brothers adage goes, “It’ll give us so much extra space in our room to do activities!” Admittedly, you’re not going to fit bunk beds in a VW bus and have a bunch of headroom on the top bunk. But, hey – that’s kind of the vibe of bunk beds anyway. Plus, it makes the sleep space in the Airstream or camper van more versatile. Maybe the bottom bunk is a dedicated couch, or maybe you like to travel with friends but aren’t into sharing a bed. People kick, they snore and not everyone has compatible sleeping habits. Instead of suffering through the night, you could just make a “top” bunk to create a loft bed in your trailer. Then you have a lot of open space underneath for a desk, couch, countertops — anything, really. When it comes to bespoke options for campers and even mobile home beds, the options really are limitless.

5. A sleep solution for small spaces that screams retro is a Murphy bed.

Add cabinets and a mattress to your Airstream all at once. Fold the mattress up during the day to open up your space, and then let it down at night for a good night’s sleep. It’s the best of both worlds, and it’s a nod to the classic mid-century-modern Murphy beds you've seen in houses.

6. Dining table beds are common in RV’s, Airstreams and VW buses alike.

You can easily convert your Airstream’s sleep space to a living space to a dining space by simply folding the van mattress and sliding or unfolding a table surface. It’s a simple consideration that you can make to really take advantage of your van’s bedroom space. If all of these options seem like a little too much work for you, don’t forget that there are plenty of handy folk ready to do work for a few bucks online. You can enjoy a bespoke mattress for sleep and a table for eating without breaking the bank through DIY or your local Craigslist ads.

These aren’t the only ways you can get a great night’s sleep on your Airstream or VW van bed – not by a long shot. Since custom mattress makers can make almost any kind of vehicle mattress nowadays, your options are only limited by your creativity. Poke around the web – it’s chocked full of blogs about people who’ve redone their vans, campers, buses, trailers and Airstreams, and some of them have some pretty wild ideas that totally made their space. You can start your bespoke airstream mattress journey today in our online showroom. All you need is a few measurements and a rough idea of what you’re looking for to get started on your new custom mattress.