Mattress Topper advice please

[Mark and Mindy]

We've had our van for nearly 2 months now and been out in it 4 times plus the collection, twice on our own and 3 times with the dogs and everything is really good and we're happy with it.

The main issue I have is that the settee makes for a very hard bed, Mark has no issues with it if his snoring is anything to go by and he always wakes refreshed, I do have a slight issue currently of a poorly foot which I bash by accident occasionally with tossing and turning, then it hurts and makes it even harder to sleep.

We looked at Duvulay toppers at the NEC at the last show but they're quite bulky even when rolled up - our van may have a massive payload, but it is small (5.6m) with limited storage, so I've been looking to see if I can find a single topper for me to sleep on which will give a bit more padding for more comfortable sleeping but not as bulky for daytime storage.

Does anybody know what the Outwell self-inflating Dreamcatcher mattresses are like?
https://www.outwell.com/en-gb/ecommerce/sleeping/dreamcatcher-single-7-5-cm-new
or perhaps
https://www.outwell.com/en-gb/ecommerce/sleeping/nirvana-single-7-5-cm-new

 

[Hollyberry]

If just a regular mattress topper will do I can recommend this one (20% off now, I paid full price about 3 weeks ago) https://www.dunelm.com/product/rebound-mattress-topper-1000027854
Comes in a zip back so you could fold it up each morning ( tho you’d be better leaving it to air for a while to avoid mildew) Has transformed my too firm mattress.

 

[Cal54]

I agree with Hollyberry, Dunelm is a great source. A friend recently bought one for her van and put it in a single duvet cover and just uses that to sleep on with another duvet over her - no sheet required. Admittedly this may not be ideal when sharing a bed but works well in ‘single ‘ mode.

 

[Hollyberry]

I agree with Hollyberry, Dunelm is a great source. A friend recently bought one for her van and put it in a single duvet cover and just uses that to sleep on with another duvet over her - no sheet required. Admittedly this may not be ideal when sharing a bed but works well in ‘single ‘ mode.

In the van I did that with one duvet and had a second over me but had a fixed bed so they could be left there permanently. I tried a second duvet to try to make this mattress softer but if anything it made my back pain worse. This topper has reduced the pain and I’m sleeping better.

 

[BillandHelen]

Hi, we use a zonesleep topper, as recommended by VW California forum, much neater than duvalay which we had before and wonderfully comfy. Both Helen and I suffer from back pain and we find this really helps.
Bill

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[carolyn]

We have the duvulay but agree they are very bulky so leave ours rolled out on the sofas in the U shaped lounge permanently othewise we'd have no storage at all. Like the look of the zone sleeper but may have to wait for father christmas as they are even dearer.

 

[denisejoe]

Wear boots in bed mark will also stop snoring if kicked hard enough

 

[Shrimp]

We always used a memory foam topper on our MH beds but hey do make you a bit warm specially in hot weather, they’re also hard to store (if you make your bed every night)
I bought an ordinary foam topper in what they call ‘egg-box’ that is flat one side and looks like an egg box on the face you sleep on, it is very comfortable, got it from Argos and was a bit doubtful but it was cheap so decided to try it. We are very pleased with it.
The trouble with the self inflating mattress (we have tried that) it will feel like you are sleeping on a plastic sheet even with an ordinary sheet over the top.
There isn’t really an easy, quick answer to it I’m afraid as whatever you have will have to be packed away every day!

 

[Rocking Rivet]

Do you stay mainly on sites with electrics ?
Buy a topper from Dunelm ours has a warm and a cool side and a vacuum bag and it will cut the storage space required down. Only use the vacuum bag when you are using the van

 

[Mark and Mindy]

Thanks for all the replies, I'll check out the suggestions and see if any of them would work, the sofa is the width of a normal double bed and goes across the van to make a transverse bed, its a tad too short for me as I'm 6ft and have to bend my legs as my head doesn't like being right against the van at the pillow end, but there are compromises with everything in life and if I can sort out the comfort then I can manage the bed length.

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[Mark and Mindy]

Hi, we use a zonesleep topper, as recommended by VW California forum, much neater than duvalay which we had before and wonderfully comfy. Both Helen and I suffer from back pain and we find this really helps.
Bill

We had a good look at their site and they look good, do you leave yours on the beds or put them away each morning? I've managed to persuade Mark that a double would be better than just me having a single as it will cover more than half the bed otherwise but we have to be able to put it away each morning as the top 2/3 of the bed becomes the 2 seater sofa and back and it isn't as wide as the length of the bed so not an option to sit on it as added padding.

 

[BillandHelen]

Our IH has a rear lounge with 6ft 6 inch long settees and we sleep heads at back feet to the front! But our storage is limited to a 4ft 6 inch bench locker due to our rear “boot”. That locker easily takes 2 mattresses folded up and 2 single downies, our pillows go elsewhere, this might be same size as yours?
I agree you might be better with the double that they do for the vw conversions or they would make one to size for you.
We are off in our van on Friday, it’s in storage, if you can wait till then I could send you photos showing what they are like etc? Let me know?
Bill

 

[Mark and Mindy]

We've been out to the van this evening with tape measure in hand and double checked the exact measurements - we have a Devon Colorado and the information from their van details shows the bed as being 4ft 7in x 6ft, however although the 6ft is correct the width is actually 4ft 10in. The bulk of our bedding (double duvet, 2 thin pillows and 1 thick pillow) go into the over cab area along with the rolled silver screens. The under seat for the settee houses an additional cushion which goes with the extended single seat opposite which forms the bottom third of the bed, a thicker bedspread which we hoped to use as a thinnish topper and the bottom sheet but there is more room under there which we aren't using and with a proper topper we wouldn't need the bedspread - its a front lounge van and is only 5.4m long hence it having a transverse bed rather than longitudinal.

I think its worth talking to them to see if they'll do a made to measure size for us which would be better than one which is slightly narrower but longer. We're off on our next trip on Saturday 8th June so its probably a bit tight to wait for you to get yours out of storage for a photo, but thanks anyway.

 

[Shrimp]

An idea I had, others have probably had it before, to save a bit of storage space buy/make covers for your pillows so they turn into cushions during the day!

 

[Mark and Mindy]

An idea I had, others have probably had it before, to save a bit of storage space buy/make covers for your pillows so they turn into cushions during the day!

We thought of that one, but don't really need cushions anyway, the van did have 2 cushions, both pillow sized but because the sofa pulls forward a little it then reclines at the back which is much better than the normal squared off back/seat travelling position.

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[Mark and Mindy]

I phoned Zonesleep this morning to find out more about the toppers, we've decided to order the king size which is 2.5cm wider than the bed and 12cm longer - hopefully we'll be able to push the extra length underneath the seat base at the bottom of the bed with the fitted sheet on top to hold it in place. Expecting delivery on Thursday so will find out then if it works, crossing fingers that it does as I'd love a good night's sleep in the van.

 

[Ingwe]

We have two bench seats and I find this too hard. Bought a single mattress topper from Jysk for very little and it's transformed my sleep. Now sleep better than at home.
https://jysk.co.uk/bedroom/mattress-toppers

 

[Littlewheels]

I phoned Zonesleep this morning to find out more about the toppers, we've decided to order the king size which is 2.5cm wider than the bed and 12cm longer - hopefully we'll be able to push the extra length underneath the seat base at the bottom of the bed with the fitted sheet on top to hold it in place. Expecting delivery on Thursday so will find out then if it works, crossing fingers that it does as I'd love a good night's sleep in the van.

I recently looked at Zonesleep and am now at the point of ordering, I understand they are made to order,therefore, made to the size you specify you shouldn’t need to tuck it under.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

I recently looked at Zonesleep and am now at the point of ordering, I understand they are made to order,therefore, made to the size you specify you shouldn’t need to tuck it under.

You're right in that they will make to a specific size, however if we order one of their standard sizes and don't like it for any reason then we can return for a full refund, if we had a special size made for us and didn't like it then we would be stuck with it, also having the king size means that if we really do like it a lot we could have that one on our own bed to complement our existing mattress and have another made to the correct size.

They're expensive and I don't want to spend a lot of money on something which doesn't help with the hardness of the seats.

 

[Littlewheels]

You're right in that they will make to a specific size, however if we order one of their standard sizes and don't like it for any reason then we can return for a full refund, if we had a special size made for us and didn't like it then we would be stuck with it, also having the king size means that if we really do like it a lot we could have that one on our own bed to complement our existing mattress and have another made to the correct size.

They're expensive and I don't want to spend a lot of money on something which doesn't help with the hardness of the seats.

I can now see where your decision came from,good thinking.

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[Mark and Mindy]

Just a further update, our Zonesleeper topper came yesterday and we made up the bed with it and tried it out, the width seems to be the same as the width of the bed when we're lying on it and the extra length at the bottom goes down the edge of the seat cushions by the door but there isn't enough extra to tuck under. The fitted sheet will hold the mattress in place at the bottom and there are elastic corner strips under the mattress which will hold it at the top plus, of course, the fitted sheet (they're on all 4 corners but we can only use the top ones).

When lying on the bed it makes all the difference for me, its still a firm bed, but it isn't a rock hard bed as before. There was absolutely no "give" in it before using the topper, and now it has some give and feels more comfortable overall.

The next issue was to store it, Tim said that they fold the topper in half lengthways and then into 3, making a thickness of 6 layers, however although this would go into the under sofa storage on the height it was too wide and too long to get it past the middle sofa support. Perhaps if we had access from the top down then it might have been possible but we have to go in from the long side. I tried different combinations and have managed to get it in by folding into 4 on the width (so it is then the same width but length is then a quarter), then folding the other way into 3, which left a massively unwieldy lump which wouldn't hold together so I used 2 bungees, with a bit of wiggling to shove it in it now fits under the seat and takes up half of the space leaving us room for the harder pillow and anything else we feel like putting in.