Recliner VS Bed for sleeping

[Trekking]

Anyone pick a recliner over a bed for sleeping. Advantage of a recliner is you can sleep and sit in a verse just sleeping in the bed.

 

[ontheroadagain]

haha, it depends. do you want to be comfortable when u sleep oir when you sit

 

[Trekking]

I was thinking the recliner they are pretty comfortable.

 

[DarthMuerte]

Reclining sofa-bed for the win?

 

[ontheroadagain]

"<span id="post_message_1277949173">Reclining sofa-bed"<br><br>I would love to find one that fits between my van rear wheel wells<br></span>

 

[wagoneer]

Don't even go there with me no way will I sleep on a recliner ever ever ever. I would rather sleep on a hard wood floor.

 

[caseyc]

<p>A recliner as in a sofa bed or futon-type bed, versus a regular bed?&nbsp; When I started out nearly 2 years ago, I pondered&nbsp;on this question for months, even agonized over it, haha!&nbsp; From my past experience, I was never comfortable sleeping in any&nbsp;fold-down type of bed, including sofa beds and futon beds.&nbsp; There was always something wrong, such as the cushion being too hard, un-eveness between the two sides, the usual "hole" in the center.&nbsp; I've experienced all these discomforts over&nbsp;past years&nbsp;from sleeping overnight at various "exes" places, haha!&nbsp; Seriously, I hate all sofa beds and futons!&nbsp;&nbsp; However, there was one time I almost made an exception.&nbsp; I once checked out this high end futon bed that had an extra thick queen size memory foam mattress, and thought to myself, wow, comfy!&nbsp; That futon bed cost way more than the average futon, but it was worth it for the cushy memory foam mattress.&nbsp; Nowadays, I'm so completely spoiled by cushy memory foam that I won't sleep on anything different.&nbsp; My normal bed at home is a queen size bed with a nice memory foam mattress.&nbsp; In my van, I have a super nice iComfort extra cushy memory foam gel mattress resting on a *real* platform bedframe with headboard.&nbsp; The reason I wanted a platform frame is to provide 9 inches of clearance from the van floor so I can place storage containers underneath the bed.&nbsp; Heck, I even have a collapsible 6' ladder underneath the bed!&nbsp; I have multiple pillows of various sizes in my van, all made of cushy memory foam.&nbsp; I thought I was crazy the first time I spent $200 on Temperpedic memory foam pillows!&nbsp; Nowadays, I can't sleep on anything BUT a memory foam pillow, haha!&nbsp; Yes, the obvious downside to a full-time bed setup in my van is that I have noticeably less room in the main cabin area.&nbsp; The bed literally takes up something like 80% of the entire van cabin.&nbsp; This means I don't really have much room left for even adding something simple like a chair or desk.&nbsp; But after months of pondering the pros and cons, I decided I want a full time bed setup so that I don't have to constantly tear down and set up a bed.&nbsp; When I want to sleep, I just plop myself on the bed...ahhhh!!&nbsp; Plus with a full time bed, I'm able to keep my storage containers and other items underneath the bed at all times.&nbsp; Just recently I had modified my wooden platform bed frame by having part of the left side of the bed frame sawed off in an arc shape.&nbsp; This way I'm able to place the left side of the bed frame **over** the left wheel-well (resting on the wheel-well).&nbsp; This means the bed and frame is now around 4 to 5 inches closer to the left van wall (driver side).&nbsp; This also means I now have noticeably more room on the right side of the van, in essense almost creating a "hallway" for me to have more room to walk through and set up other things.&nbsp; I'm pretty sure when I was in my 20s, I was able to sleep on a sofa bed or futon.&nbsp;But now that I'm in my 40s, my back can't take it anymore, haha!&nbsp; &nbsp; Just wanted to add my .02 cents in this discussion, because this one item really took a lot of my time.</p>

 

[Van Tripper]

Tough to share a recliner...

 

[highdesertranger]

good point van tripper.&nbsp; were is my dog going to sleep.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

When my father had shoulder surgery, he ended up with his whole arm locked in one place by a cast and was unable to sleep in his bed. He slept in his very comfortable recliner for a couple of months.

I've since inherited that chair and I often doze off in it. But I usually wind up with a crick in my neck.

Regards
John

 

[James AKA Lynx]

Have you turned around the passenger seat yet? So much difference!! Get a captains chair that reclines. You may want someone to help remove and install. All that you need to do is unbolt the 4 nuts and turn the chair around and put back together. Simple but can get heavy. <br><br>For safety reasons I put my bed frame all the way across the width of the van. Use 4 x 4's to support so I did not have any post in the middle. Made 16 inches clearances under. you can put 4 trunks under and over 30 gallons of water. With a full mattress you can store 4 trunks on top and with a twin you can store 8. That is in addition to any other space you use. <br><br>It has worked out great. I cannot have very many people inside the van but outside is another story.<br><br>James AKA Lynx

 

[Simran]

Just had a fellow email and ask for pics as to how my van is set <br>up. then tells me he wants to use a recliner to sleep in; that<br>wouldn't be for me.<br>It DOES leave me to wondering how much room there would be<br>in a van for anything else if you had a big poofy recliner in there?<br><br>gus

 

[MrNoodly]

The past decade or so, I've been sleeping with a bunch of pillows propping me up almost as if I were in a recliner -- head and knees elevated. My sinuses get congested if my head is too low, and my legs cramp if they're straight. So either a recliner or an articulating bed <em>seem</em> like a good idea for my van. I don't have access to a recliner to test my theory.

 

[offroad]

My back problems ended completely and forever when I got a firm flat bed.&nbsp; No issues in any way, and had back issues for years.&nbsp; Recliner would cause issues.

 

[MrNoodly]

Which shows everyone has different needs -- like the Three Bears. My now ex-wife needed a firm bed. It caused me all kinds of joint irritation and circulation issues. Now I'm on a medium mattress with a 4" memory foam topper and those problems are gone. My back has no complaints.

 

[VJG1977]

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I am still in the planning stage but I have slept in a recliner for the past 4 years.&nbsp; I see that others cannot sleep in one because of back problems but that is why I use one.&nbsp; When I lay flat, my back starts hurting during the night.&nbsp; I have tried many mattress types and always end up in my recliner.&nbsp; Most of my planning involves a small recliner or chaise lounge in a van or cargo trailer.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>

 

[Ziggy Moon]

My personal preference would definitely be a bed! <br><br>Reason; <br><br>Most recliners give me a headache - it has to do with the head rest sticking out to far (too puffy) very uncomfortable!....

 

[cygvan]

hi all,<br><br>i researched this issue for a long time as well.&nbsp; i wound up with a bed platform that goes from wheel well to wheel well, and is about 32" wide. it butts up to a long cabinet that goes across the rear doors in my express.<br><br>this cabinet has flip up lids for storage and i intend to upholster them. the cabinet forms a backstop so to speak and fills in the gap between the bed platform and rear doors (which is a curved space) nicely and give me room to spread out too (i built it just high enough for the eventual upholstery to be just higher than finished mattress.&nbsp; i left a small gap so i could get to the door lock/handle and also has two 12v outlets with an on/off switch.<br><br>the bed platform is quite high to clear my 17" porta-potti in one section and water storage/pump and tools in another section. i have two section for concealed storage accessible from under the mattress via two round marine deck ports.<br><br>as for the mattress, the most important part... im 5'10" 300lbs built like a brick you know what.&nbsp; after almost succumbing to paralysis by analysis i chose foam.<br><br>i went to a local foam company (Stanley Foam, Wallington NJ) and explained what i was looking to do.&nbsp; i was shown a few pieces and thicknesses as well as different "crush" rates (dont recall the actual term).&nbsp; i wound up choosing 4" of white foam and 2" of memory foam.&nbsp; i paid about $140.&nbsp; the white foam base is the most important. it allows the memory foam to do its thing without bottoming out which is critical. the crush rate of the base foam ahould be matched to the weight of the person using it primarily then secondarily to the comfort level desired.<br><br>i sleep better in my van that i ever had in any standard bed in any apartment, house, hotel etc etc...this mattress combo, for me has eliminated all back discomfort (big guy issue really) and i have not had a numb arm in about a year and a half (yeah ive been vandwelling since oct 2011).<br><br>no pressure points!!!<br><br>my only wish would be for about 3 or 4 more inches in length (i have about 6' wall to wall) so i could stretch my feet out to the max but as it is i can still stretch somewhat.<br><br>feel free to ask any questions.<br><br>

 

[Zil]

I prefer a flat bed. Raised 3-4 inches at the head. Pointing north. Medium firm. No shorter than 6 foot three.<br>But I can't always get what I want, mostly not.<br>After surgery I slept in a living room over stuffed reclining chair for about six months. I used one of those horse collar neck pillows sold in airports and drug stores. I survived.<br>I use the same thing when traveling Amtrak. Along with lots of wine.<br>When I was much younger and thinner. My sweet and I could "snuggle" in any old chair.

 

[Varmint]

Regarding the "crick in the neck" in post #10, I've had that problem many times in different situations, but mostly recliner chairs. I find them very comfy, but not so much for my neck. I also use a wrap-around type pillow, made by rolling up a towel, which is then bent around the back of my neck. For me, this solves the problems in recliners as well as car seats, which always make me feel like my head is dangling over backwards too far, or flopping to far to the side.

Another thing I've slept on quite comfortably is those fold-up camp recliners with the foot rest. These are great, but not sure how they'd be long-term for comfort or durability. Handy to have a couple around, though, just in case you have visitors.