5'10" tall with a bed question

[Jacksonricher]

I would like to have a bed in the back of the van but at 5'10" tall I don't fit sleeping from side to side. I cannot sleep with my legs bent up like some can. Some people sleep at an angle, that's fine by me. How wide or what size bed do they use? A full size mattress just about fits. I know I will have to cut whatever I get. 
Or should I have a bed run from the back towards the front along a side wall. It seems less efficient use of space having it that way.
Help

 

[QinReno]

I use a foam mattress like this across the back of my GMC Savana cargo van. The width is actually 74-76" across at the top of the wheel wells. Everything is curved in there, but you can jam the mattress down and the foam will conform to the curves. This sort of mattress can also be trimmed with a carving knife if you really need to.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006L9QN4G

When I had the mattress lengthwise, the floor space was so abysmal I could barely turn around inside there.

 

[Jacksonricher]

Qinreno what size and thickness mattress did you buy?

 

[QinReno]

There are many other foam mattresses for sale, but I have the exact one shown on that amazon page. 8" thick, 3-layer foam, twin size. 

It would be possible to stick a full-size in there, but the Savana van has a nasty vertical strut coming down to the top of the wheel well, so you would have to cut a divit out of a full-size mattress. The twin mattress jams down into the space between the strut and the rear of the van. A simple board underneath for support. I need a thick mattress due to having a bad hip from an old motorcycle accident, so I can't use one of those 3" foam things that a lot of youngsters use.
https://st.motortrend.com/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/2013-gmc-savana-2500-cargo-van-trunk.png

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Have you thought about angling the bed in back to give you the room to stretch out?  The triangular space it leaves in the back corner would be hard to utilize but it should leave more floor space than a front to back bed.

Another option would be to make it like a Murphy bed that folds up against the side (or back) wall.  Or folds into a couch.

 

[QinReno]

Another option would be to make it like a Murphy bed that folds up against the side (or back) wall.  Or folds into a couch.

A Murphy bed can be used in a high-top. In my std height Savana van, I did actually flip the twin mattress up on its side when it was originally front-to-back, and secured it with a strap, but the van isn't quite tall enough even for that so it would lean out at an angle. The arrangement across the back is vastly superior.

 

[Jacksonricher]

I want to try the back first I think. I too have back and hip issues and need a thick mattress plus I am really heavy, I would flatten out a 3" mattress and be on plywood lol.
Sleep, at least for me, is most important. If I can't sleep comfortably then the hell with the rest of the day. I wanted to follow a twin extra long but that is not going to happen. That's why I was thinking of the angle sleeping.
I just need to lay on the floor and see how it works. Thank you guys

 

[QinReno]

JR, I would go with at least the 8" thick mattress. After buying that one for the van, I did buy a 6" thick full-size for the house, and it's really not nearly was comfortable as the 8" one. You can get them up to 12" thick, but read the reviews. Somebody said the 12" thick one made him feel like the Philsbury Dough Boy because he sunk in so much. You can always get a thinner one and then put a foam topper or 2 on top until you get it how you like it.

Using the Pythagorean Theorem, it says that a mattress 74" long and 38" wide has a diagonal length of 83". If you have a bigger mattress at home, you can mark off 74" and 38", and then lie on it diagonally and check how much shoulder room you have. I think it's doable. I've seen guys in youtubes mention sleeping at an angle.

 

[QinReno]

Forgot to mention - those foam mattresses have a zipper on the bottom so you can pull the cover off for washing and/or when trimming to fit in the jam space.

 

[Jacksonricher]

On one of Bob's vedios he suggest getting a queen size topper, cutting it to size and double it or use two pieces of the queen on top of each other. It's less expensive than a foam mattress. Has anyone done this? I am not a fan of sinking into memory foam, I like to be able to turn over easy.

 

[Dingfelder]

Memory foam has come a long way in a short period of time. You can get memory foam mattresses much firmer these days, etc. I remember how bad they used to be, but things have changed dramatically.

You might want to read the Hot Bed thread, and my #4 and #9 in it go into that in some detail. #9 has a link to the one I got from Amazon. Good and firm, with strong reviews.

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?pid=388313#pid388313

And remember you can always add thickness and mess with firmness via toppers.

 

[QinReno]

I actually bought the 8" mattress because it had the "thinnest" memory foam top layer. Mattresses are like shoes, you never know if you'll like them until you've tried them for a while.

 

[Canine]

I bought a 2" queen size, latex topper, chopped it in half for a four inch mattress, 30" wide. Then I chopped about 8 inches of the top to make it 72" long. Then had a custom cover made for it. The two pieces sort of hold each other together, but they do eventually slide apart somewhat. I hate memory foam. I like the latex quite a bit. Had a regular 4" foam mattress for a while, but it didn't have near the support this one does. If I had to do it again, I would much rather have one 4" topper than two, 2" toppers stacked. I would still go with the custom mattress cover.

 

[QinReno]

On one of Bob's vedios he suggest getting a queen size topper, cutting it to size and double it or use two pieces of the queen on top of each other. It's less expensive than a foam mattress. 

BW similar to what canine mentioned. However, a 2" queen size latex topper isn't all that cheap either. Maybe there are cut rate vendors.
- $149: https://sleeponlatex.com/products/natural-latex-mattress-topper
- $209: https://www.amazon.com/100-Natural-Latex-Mattress-Topper/dp/B01HIJ6M66
- $242: https://www.myorganicsleep.com/products/02in-latex-mattress-topper?variant=236308183

 

[Jack]

Jacksonricher:  I'm with you.  (And I'm also 5'10")  My biggest priority in my van build is sleeping well.  I'm a firm believer that sleep is really important.  

My top two van choices are #1) ProMaster and #2) Cargo van.  Completely different vehicles!  If I'm able to get a ProMaster, then I'll have the type of bed and build that I want - across the back, just like you want.  However, if I end up in a cargo van (Chevy Express, for example), then I'll be in a twin bed laying lengthways because, as you said, it won't fit across the back.  A twin mattress to make the most of the small space.  

I know you don't want a twin mattress, but here's an idea that would apply to any size mattress.  My second biggest priority is a desk area.  I love to study and want space to lay out a few books.  So, if I end up in a cargo van, I'm likely to follow this bed build plan.  Desk by day, bed by night.  The desk stays level as you lower the bed.  It fits my needs perfectly.  I've seen plans that work with a full size mattress, too.

 

[QinReno]

I know you don't want a twin mattress, but here's an idea that would apply to any size mattress.  My second biggest priority is a desk area.  I love to study and want space to lay out a few books.  So, if I end up in a cargo van, I'm likely to follow this bed build plan.  Desk by day, bed by night.  The desk stays level as you lower the bed.  It fits my needs perfectly.  I've seen plans that work with a full size mattress, too.

No. A regular cargo van isn't tall enough for a Murphy bed, unless maybe the mattress is only 30" or so wide. Also the van sides slope inwards several inches towards the top, so that also has to be taken into account. There isn't a single square angle in the back of an Express/Savana cargo van. See the link in post #4. Might work with a high-top van having more vertical sides, maybe a Promaster.

 

[Jacksonricher]

I have a Ford e250 high top. I thought about a Murphy bed but knowing myself it would be left down most of the time. I also thought about just raising the bed to the roof every morning. Push a button and up it goes. I watch too many movies. Vantransformer lives

 

[Jacksonricher]

Jack, that Murphy desk hybrid is cool. Has me thinking now. Dang it, I thought I was all settled. But that is what's great about this forum, so many good ideas and suggestions.

 

[QinReno]

I have a Ford e250 high top. I thought about a Murphy bed but knowing myself it would be left down most of the time. I also thought about just raising the bed to the roof every morning. Push a button and up it goes. I watch too many movies. Vantransformer lives

When I had the mattress front-to-back I would flip it up and hold it with straps to give more floor space, even though it still leaned out at the top. Then I would stack the storage boxes that were underneath to the rear. Only took a few minutes, but was still a PITN. When the mattress was down there was only 3'x3' of floor space. Very cramped.

After I put the mattress cross-wise, the storage boxes never have to be moved, plus I can hop in and out of the bed in a second to take a nap/etc, plus I don't have to pull off all the sheets and pillows and blankets like when I flipped it, and I now have 3'x6' of floor space.

If you put too much stuff in the van, the floor space goes to nada. I found that floorspace, for me, was basically priority #1.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

No. A regular cargo van isn't tall enough for a Murphy bed, unless maybe the mattress is only 30" or so wide. Also the van sides slope inwards several inches towards the top, so that also has to be taken into account . . .

You got a chopped van?  Floor to roof on my pickup is 46" at the door and 50" in the center.  A twin bed is 39" wide.
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=11392&pid=116821#pid116821

The sloped sides are an issue but a murphy bed would still take up less floor space than a horizontal twin bed.

A folding couch/bed will also leave more floor space.