Duvalays: What am I doing wrong ? (2 Viewers)

Eeyore

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I made a set of Duvalay- like covers for our own memory foam mattresses and down duvets. We found them comfortable and convenient so I bought 2 proper Duvalay made covers. We use them on 2 single beds with a central corridor. So that both covers open to let the user get out of bed, one of the covers has the zips outside the sleeping area but the other ( mine) has the zips inside. They're not that comfortable when the zips press into the small of my back.

There was no suggestion that I should order a left and right handed version ( the way I made the 2 originals ) but, if I turn mine inside out, then the foot " pouch" bit doesn't work.

Have I missed something here ?
 

icantremember

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We also have 2 original Duvalays used on twin single beds for the last six years and experience no problems with the zips. Both of ours will have been used left and right handed as they get mixed in the wash but being reversable we find they work well with no discomfort.

I can't think you have missed anything and hope you get them sorted.
 
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Eeyore

Eeyore

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We also have 2 original Duvalays used on twin single beds for the last six years and experience no problems with the zips. Both of ours will have been used left and right handed as they get mixed in the wash but being reversable we find they work well with no discomfort.

I can't think you have missed anything and hope you get them sorted.

Thanks. I wonder if they have changed the design in those 6 years ? I've just had ours out again and, while they will reverse, one person always has the two zips inside the bag and the seam sewn round the foot pouch showing.

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Feb 4, 2010
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Mine is about 2 years old and I think I can see the issue. If I look at the Duvalay from the bottom, it opens on the right and the zips are on the outside down the left-hand side. Foot seams are inside.

If I turn it inside-out/reverse it, it now opens on the left, the zips are now on the right-hand side, but are inside. Foot seams are outside.

Maybe the design has changed, or I'm missing something.
 
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Eeyore

Eeyore

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If I turn it inside-out/reverse it, it now opens on the left, the zips are now on the right-hand side, but are inside. Foot seams are outside.

.

Exactly ! And, when you wake up with the pattern of two zips engraved into your sensitive parts you wonder whether there should be a right and left handed version....
 

Jim

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Never understood why the Duvalay was popular, yes their memory foam is the very best you can buy. But no matter what you call them they are sleeping bags and thats great if your a kid or a soldier, but otherwise.....I'd rather have a proper duvet on top of their foam.

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Sep 23, 2013
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The thinking behind the Duvalay was to stop the duvet slipping off a single bed, where one side was open & the other side up against the wall. A normal duvet relies on hanging down equally on each side to stay on the bed.

I sleep on the side that has to be reversed to get the open side towards the middle & I can't say it's been a problem. Obviously my sensitive parts don't stretch as far as some people's! :D

Our bed is a big double but with a cut-out in the middle at the foot end, which is where you climb in. We could use ordinary duvets, either two singles or a king size double, because there is no central passage way for the duvet to fall off into as with proper singles, but two Duvalays each set to open towards the centre work well. It also means that neither of us turn over taking the duvet with us, leaving the other one out in the cold!

I'm not sure we would have bought them for this van if we didn't already have them, but I'm happy with mine, even with the zip.
 
Feb 4, 2010
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Exactly ! And, when you wake up with the pattern of two zips engraved into your sensitive parts you wonder whether there should be a right and left handed version....

Hey, you never know, maybe that's a selling-point for some people :wub:

Funnily enough, I've always used mine with the zip out, but the open part facing the window, because once the bed is set up in my campervan there's no aisle as such. I've thought of reversing it, but maybe I won't bother now. I've just tried zip-inside and it doesn't seem too bad, but all night...who knows?

Never understood why the Duvalay was popular, yes their memory foam is the very best you can buy. But no matter what you call them they are sleeping bags and thats great if your a kid or a soldier, but otherwise.....I'd rather have a proper duvet on top of their foam.

From experience, in a small van, a Duvalay is less hassle than a memory-foam topper + duvet when you have to set the bed up every day....and it takes up less room. But for a bigger motorhome, and particularly one with fixed beds, I can see your point.
 
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Eeyore

Eeyore

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Never understood why the Duvalay was popular, yes their memory foam is the very best you can buy. But no matter what you call them they are sleeping bags and thats great if your a kid or a soldier, but otherwise.....I'd rather have a proper duvet on top of their foam.


I would have agreed with you 100% until I made a set of Duvalay-like covers for our memory foam mattresses and duvets. I made the covers out of 4 single pure cotton duvet covers. The concept is excellent and I do sleep better with the arrangement. Sleeping bag it is definately not however; they are enclosed all the way round and I finish up with the whole thing tied in knots so I strongly dislike sleeping bags.

I don't like the Duvalay covers however. They are poly cotton ( my home made ones are pure cotton) and the Duvalay duvets are synthetic. Our duvets are goose down and fold to nothing. The mattresses we bought as a double from Argos and cut into two.

The bags that Duvalay sell are very good and rolling up our mattresses and duvets and storing them under the bed is very straightforward.

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Jaws

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Never understood why the Duvalay was popular, yes their memory foam is the very best you can buy. But no matter what you call them they are sleeping bags and thats great if your a kid or a soldier, but otherwise.....I'd rather have a proper duvet on top of their foam.

Even Duvalay call them sleeping bags ...
http://www.duvalay.co.uk/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Memory-Foam-Sleeping-Bag

And for that sort of lolly you can get something REALLY nice and warm and comfy !!
Get a military German officer bag and you can sleep in the snow without anything else at all.. or keep cool(ish) in the hottest climes
 
Jun 16, 2013
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I had to think a solution to my daughters wanting to sleep head to toe and they hated narrow sleeping bags! So i sewed two single duvet covers together with one opening for the duvet and the other to get into. It worked great, of it was too hot they turned it over and lay on the duvet with just a sheet as a cover. Loads more room than a sleeping bag. Also used old duvet covers and cheap duvets :). They loved them so much they wanted them at home! :).
 
Jun 22, 2012
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We have decided to buy the mattress toppers, we wnant 2 singles for versatility but now dithering about the 2.5 vs 5cm and gold vs silver in the 5cm thickness. Tried to view at Highbridge our nearest stockists but they didnt have the gold 5cm thick. We have a PVC so space is limited , what do most people recommend please?

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mikebeaches

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We bought a memory foam topper (5cm) off eBay for our fixed double in the van. Had to cut it down to fit. Then later we bought a 2.5cm one at a local shop, which we put on top of the 5cm, so 7.5cm in total - BLISS. (y)

Total cost no more than about £65 I think. Works for us.

Mike
 
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We have decided to buy the mattress toppers, we wnant 2 singles for versatility but now dithering about the 2.5 vs 5cm and gold vs silver in the 5cm thickness. Tried to view at Highbridge our nearest stockists but they didnt have the gold 5cm thick. We have a PVC so space is limited , what do most people recommend please?

I went for the maximum thickness Duvalay, which I believe has the 5cm gold mattress topper. It's much better than the topper I got from Dunelm previously.

One issue with the memory foam toppers is that people find they get too warm. Presumably this is worse with the thicker versions, but so far I've not had this problem. Mind you, with the UK climate at present, that's not too surprising!
 

Chris

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Never understood why the Duvalay was popular, yes their memory foam is the very best you can buy. But no matter what you call them they are sleeping bags and thats great if your a kid or a soldier, but otherwise.....I'd rather have a proper duvet on top of their foam.

I agree. I don't use mine any more because I am a wriggler in bed.

Much better and more comfortable to have the mattress topper and a loose duvay.

You should have seen some of the tangles I got into with the Duvaley:D

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May 30, 2012
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We have a PVC that makes a huge kings size bed. We use a M &S mattress enhancer and a light duvet, works perfectly for us. We use two matching duvet covers.
 

Huwmari

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I think I must be missing something here as on our fixed bed we have simply a mattress protector and bottom sheet and we're perfectly comfortable. We carry a change of bedlinen, one lightweight and one heavier double duvet and our pillows. Our previous van was an Autosleeper Duetto with a bed which had to be made up every night and we did the same in her with no problems. Why do you all need memory foam whatevers, etc? It's also more "stuff" to store when the bed is in seat mode. Please enlighten me.
 
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Eeyore

Eeyore

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I think I must be missing something here as on our fixed bed we have simply a mattress protector and bottom sheet and we're perfectly comfortable. We carry a change of bedlinen, one lightweight and one heavier double duvet and our pillows. Our previous van was an Autosleeper Duetto with a bed which had to be made up every night and we did the same in her with no problems. Why do you all need memory foam whatevers, etc? It's also more "stuff" to store when the bed is in seat mode. Please enlighten me.

I'm sure you've not missed anything. A fixed bed has a mattress, designed for sleeping on. Single bench seats have seat cushions, designed for sitting on. The latter are inevitably firmer than the former and, some of us, with old bones perhaps, prefer a slightly softer sleeping surface.

A duvalay cover, while not to everyone's taste, makes the whole business of making up the beds easier we think: we have 2 single beds, take the bedrolls out of their neat zip bag, unroll a duvalay on top of each of the seats and that's it. In the morning the process is reversed. We have tried every possible combination over the past 40 odd years and this seems the most comfortable. A single sheet on top of the bench cushions tends to get kicked off in the night, a feather filled mattress topper ditto. The memory foam- or any other foam, tends to remain in one place and so make sleeping more comfortable.

As with most things in motorhoming it's what makes you comfortable/ happy/ safe that matters, not what everyone else does.

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Oct 26, 2014
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I think I must be missing something here as on our fixed bed we have simply a mattress protector and bottom sheet and we're perfectly comfortable. We carry a change of bedlinen, one lightweight and one heavier double duvet and our pillows. Our previous van was an Autosleeper Duetto with a bed which had to be made up every night and we did the same in her with no problems. Why do you all need memory foam whatevers, etc? It's also more "stuff" to store when the bed is in seat mode. Please enlighten me.


I would love to be in your shoes,

we are both waking up with aching lower backs from our fixed French bed, I have tried a foam topper and also a duck down one and for us we cannot find a satisfactory soloution,

mind our bed at home is just as bad, 5 mattress's in 10 years ranging from cheapish to bloody expensive!!, on the lookout for number 6 now

Andy
 
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Eeyore

Eeyore

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Andy: have you checked your van bed for levelness ? We found out in our last van that even when we had gone to a lot of trouble to level the van, the beds were not level. It wasn' t enough for things to roll off them but, when we put wedges under the legs, it made such a difference. Literally, no more aching backs. I think it had something to do with not being able to relax properly because we were constantly trying to lay flat.

Out current Autosleeper has adjustable screws on the bed legs and they do get used.

Just a thought...
 

DBK

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The cure for a bad back isn't a new mattress, its exercise. There are exceptions of course, but lack of muscle tone around the spine is the commonest cause. The NHS website has a good guide on the exercises to do, they worked for me. No more bad back!

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Oct 26, 2014
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The cure for a bad back isn't a new mattress, its exercise. There are exceptions of course, but lack of muscle tone around the spine is the commonest cause. The NHS website has a good guide on the exercises to do, they worked for me. No more bad back!
Hi DBK,

I totally agree,
my wife does Triathlons, and I'm a keen cyclist, not to mention a physical job, dog walking etc,
not sat on me arse in an office!

we still could do without this lower back pain though (y)

Andy
 

Huwmari

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I'm sure you've not missed anything. A fixed bed has a mattress, designed for sleeping on. Single bench seats have seat cushions, designed for sitting on. The latter are inevitably firmer than the former and, some of us, with old bones perhaps, prefer a slightly softer sleeping surface.

A duvalay cover, while not to everyone's taste, makes the whole business of making up the beds easier we think: we have 2 single beds, take the bedrolls out of their neat zip bag, unroll a duvalay on top of each of the seats and that's it. In the morning the process is reversed. We have tried every possible combination over the past 40 odd years and this seems the most comfortable. A single sheet on top of the bench cushions tends to get kicked off in the night, a feather filled mattress topper ditto. The memory foam- or any other foam, tends to remain in one place and so make sleeping more comfortable.

As with most things in motorhoming it's what makes you comfortable/ happy/ safe that matters, not what everyone else does.
Thanks for your reply. I think we must be very lucky not to have had any problems so far.

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