Bedding

[the7thcity]

I recently put a bed in the back of my van. I wanted to use some memory foam for the bedding. But the memory foam that I bought is too soft. I need something thicker so that my hips and shoulders don't hit the plywood below it. Any ideas? Any place to get it? What density should I use?

 

[GotSmart]

I recently put a bed in the back of my van. I wanted to use some memory foam for the bedding. But the memory foam that I bought is too soft. I need something thicker so that my hips and shoulders don't hit the plywood below it. Any ideas? Any place to get it? What density should I use?

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=12701&highlight=matress

 

[Almost There]

The memory foam you got is meant to be a topper for a regular mattress, not the mattress itself.

Foam comes in different grades depending on the intended use. Sofa/couch seat foam is the hardest and most long lasting but some people find it too hard to sleep on - I don't...I fall asleep regularly on the sofa...

Mattress foam is usually a little softer than seat foam so the first thing to consider is how firm or soft a mattress you want. Now that you've already got the memory foam, maybe seat foam with the memory foam on top will suit you just fine.

I head to my closest upholstery shop for foam because they actually know what grade stuff is, unlike most staff in someplace like JoAnnes' where the staff is trained to cut yard goods, not identify foam grades!!

Some mattress places also carry raw mattress foam (not already encased) but again, may not be fully trained.

I've slept on 4" of mattress foam for 2 decades now and it's past time to replace the mattress.

Oh and if you buy a slab of foam and need to trim it to size, either an electric carving knife or any serrated knife works best.

 

[the7thcity]

Super helpful. Thx.

 

[sillysal54]

I was just searching as well and found this site.

http://www.mattressinsider.com/delu...&matchtype=e&gclid=CNzlwJ_rzsUCFcUYHwodYXMA-Q

 

[the7thcity]

That's great!

 

[LeeRevell]

I find for cutting most such things, like foam, heavy leather or fabric, etc. that a serrated bread knife is perfect.

 

[East]

Before I moved out I had this mattress that was for older people with arthritic backs, it was zipped in some loud material, so I removed the material and cut the foam to fit in the van properly. The foam design has ribs to reduce overall pressure and it's really comfortable. Definitely a fan of foam.

 

[Binxie]

I recently put a bed in the back of my van. I wanted to use some memory foam for the bedding. But the memory foam that I bought is too soft. I need something thicker so that my hips and shoulders don't hit the plywood below it. Any ideas? Any place to get it? What density should I use?

For retail, IKEA has pretty good prices on memory foam and latex mattresses. I'm doing a conversion now, and I'm using an IKEA mattress with a slatted bed base, which is an alternative to a box spring. I've slept on it for years, very comfortable. In the conversion, the slatted base is sitting in a shallow box with a plywood bottom – just enough room to let the slats flex.

 

[rvpopeye]

More foam

 

[Canine]

Super helpful. Thx.

If it's a really helpful response, click on the "Thanks" tab on the right... :-/

 

[Canine]

Binxie,

How correct you are about Ikea's bed slat setup. They also make a neat single (twin) pull out daybed and couch combo, which I'd like to use in my next van...