Sleeping Comfort

[mr michael gordon]

We are new to motorhoming and have just completed our first 2,000 mile "christening". My wife is finding the bed too hard - we have a van conversion with a rear lounge which converts into two 6 ft 3 in beds. On top of the cushions/mattress we have placed memory foam but, whilst OK for me she says it is way harder than our home "firm" mattress and cannot get sleep/gets back ache. Any ideas? Maybe the memory foam is not good enough quality but the reality is that, below the mattress, one has a board, not a more foregiving base as in a home mattress. We have also thought about an inflatable mattress to place on top of the existing mattress & have seen this mentioned in some USA RV websites. Would welcome any experiences. Thanks. Mike

[Guest Tracker]

Hi Michael and welcome to the madhouse!

 

Several options - a better memory foam topper - or/and foam under the mattress - or bed / seats refoamed with a more forgiving filler, possibly with a memory foam top layer will all help but will all cost.

 

Also by making the seats softer you might make them less durable as seats and you may end up sitting lower when you dine!

 

These work well - but are not cheap

 

http://raskelf.com/duvalay.htm

[Guest JudgeMental]

bed comfort is probably one of the main area of importance when buying a motorhome IMO, and for me these lounge conversions simply dont work......better a van with a proper bed base, and a decent mattress, and you are in with half a chance.

 

Sorry but anything else is a compromise, and trying to correct something that is so compromised to begin with, well....would you sleep on the sofa at home?

[Derek Uzzell]

mr michael gordon - 2010-09-27 7:28 PM

 

...we have a van conversion with a rear lounge which converts into two 6 ft 3 in beds... Thanks. Mike

 

It could be useful if you say which make/model/year of motorhome you own, just in case some other forum members have one, have had problems with bed 'firmness' and come up with a satisfactory fix.

 

I tend to support JudgeMental's "sleeping on the sofa" view, as cushions suitable for comfortable seating are unlikely to convert into a comfortable sleeping arrangement (and vice versa).

 

It's possible that your wife will eventually come to terms with the motorhome's harder mattress, though you'd need to be diplomatic to suggest that possibility.

 

[dikyenfo]

As you have separate beds the cheapest and smallest space filling alternative to a thicker topper is an air bed which can be quickly pumped up with your wife installed and when it feels right just repeat the degree of puff that is has in it after she gets off. When I lived on sites as manager in France 7 months of the year we slept like this .

She had one hardness and I had mine. Six years of this did not give us any uncomfortable nights just the opposite.

Fortunately our motor home does feel comfortable with toppers installed she on the 2M bed down and me in the gods.

[maggyd]

Just as a matter of interest ! you dont turn the cushions over do you? I know some people do but the underside of the mattress is much harder than leaving it upside.

 

The only other thing I would suggest is finding the best topper you can find (just for your wife) :-D that way it would be less expensive than replacing both.

[LordThornber]

Hello Michael and welcome, I've read your post and you mention back ache. This may not necessarily be caused just by the firmness of the bed cushion (s).

 

It could possibly be how level your van is when pitching. Using a spirit level isn't always a sure fire guide either, it, in my opinion is about experience with your van and individual pitches, something you won't have just yet as a new owner.

 

To give you an example, we were pitched for 5 nights last week at one location and the levelling was as good as I could get it, to the naked eye the van wasn't level and the spirit level confirmed it.

 

However, we both slept well and no back probs for me or neck ache for my wife.

 

Onto next location, pitch as flat as a pancake, but both of us suffered with some aches in the mornings. So what constitutes level? You'll find out when your not getting your ear bent from the Missus :D

 

Martyn

[Guest JudgeMental]

Martyn's point is very valid, I have back problems and if van not level i feel it in the morning. I did not mean to give the impression that all "proper" beds are perfect, mine ain't, and I needed to put a sheet of hardboard between mattress and slat frame to avoid back ache but I am overweight. But the thougt of making a bed up every night....... *-)

[Guest Tracker]

Just to add that we are all different and sleeping on a gentle slope makes no difference to us at all - other than a tendency to slide towards the edge of the bed if the slope is too great!

 

Similarly with bed firmness or softness - some folks find a firm bed better for backache whereas we - like many others - find a softer bed a much better help to get a good night's kip.

 

There are no rules just individual preferences!

[Porky]

JudgeMental - 2010-09-28 1:13 PM

 

But the thougt of making a bed up every night....... *-)

 

It takes a few seconds with a Duvalay to roll up and unroll. No trouble at all and much better than lugging a great big double bed around.

I sleep anywhere and on anything but er indoors does not and gets hip ache if the bed is not to her liking. The answer was to experiment and the solution for her was an extra duvet under the Duvalay. Result---- happy bunny.(lol)

[dragonflyer]

Hi

 

As someone with a bad back from a bumpy slide down a flight of stairs when I was 12 years old, I suggest that the cause of the aches is that the bed is too narrow. I personally find sleeping bags too restrictive as well.

 

I spent a holiday in Canada (sharing Camper with daughter and grandson) sleeping on laid out travel seats. The cushioning was comfortable but the narrowness of bed made it an aching experience.

 

We sleep on drop down double bed with sprung slats/4 inch foam mattress topped with single duvet in cover and queen duvet over us. I sleep as well on this as at home.

 

There was an article in MMM regarding two duvet covers/memory foam and single duvet being sewn/pocketed together to make a very comfortable sleeping arrangement.

 

Joyce

[Guest pelmetman]

We sleep in the luton, and the bed is permantly made up, and in the morning we just flip back the front section (its in 3 sections), and since I changed the foam to 4" we find it more comfortable than our bed at home :D

[bazooka]

We have a Nu-venture sorento transit van conversion,we find it more comfortable than our new bed at home.We did have the knee roles removed so that it's now nice and flat.The layout is simular to a Duetta but on a short wheelbase van.

Baz :-D

[mr michael gordon]

Thanks for all the comments. Just to reply to some - we have a Vantage Neo so we can have 2 x 6 ft 3in beds or one 6 ft 3 in very large wide bed. When we are travelling we tend to leave the beds fully made up as a double all the time.

[mr michael gordon]

I should have added one more thing - we are delighted with our Vantage Neo in terms of everything from size to performance to equipment and quality of finish. In addition, we sleep on a very firm bed at home. So thanks to everybody who has responded so far & keep them coming. I will be going to the NEC in a few weeks time to follow up on investigating some of your ideas. Regards Mike