Recommendations Sought - Bed For Vanlife - Sleep Is Terrible For Me

[visitorfromsomewhere]

Please share your recommendations for the best vanlife bed. I bought a Vinson 3.0 Plush Mattress https://mattressfirmep.com/products/vinson-plush-mattress from Mattress Firm in January and it's begun to sink in the middle. I have a warranty but I don't know if I want to bother. I elevate using baby crib wedges. Sometimes I put under the mattress and sometimes on the floor under the boxspring.

I try to keep my head towards the seats and park uphill yet this bed is still a nightmare to sleep on. I'm getting terrible sleep.
I was looking at https://www.mattressinsider.com/van-mattress.html

Any suggestions? Thank you.

 

[bullfrog]

Some use a recliner instead of a bed.

 

[crofter]

Memory foam mattress in the van with a shredded memory foam pillow. Love it, though some do not.
-crofter

Link to one of the mattress threads.
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=42175&highlight=Mattress

 

[highdesertranger]

I got mine from these guys,

https://militarysupplyhouse.com/sleepus3.htm

several people have bought their mattresses from them.

Highdesertranger

 

[JohnnyM]

Have you tried a recliner? That's not a joke; lots of people swear by them, as Bullfrog said. I've slept in one for years and I would never go back to a regular bed. You sound like a perfect candidate for a recliner.

Also, they work great in vans because they take up less room than a bed and you can use them as a comfy place to sit when you're not sleeping.

Johnny

 

[G0ldengirl68]

I bought a "too large" 6inch cushion that maybe you've seen It's not super comfy, but it does stop my acid reflux if I eat the wrong thing, and sometimes I do   I don't like that it doesn't have a pillow case to fit it because it's material is removable and washable, but I do not like the feel.  They do have smaller versions, and this might help you, I don't know.  I do slide down it because it gradually elevates from about my waste to a little above my head.  Here's a link if you want to look into it.  If you have GERDS, or acid reflux, I got rid of 99% just by changing my diet by dropping carbs down to about 50 grams per day:  I got this one, but Walmart, Target, K-mart may have cheaper: Wedge Pillow

 

[whodathunk]

Have you tried a recliner? That's not a joke; lots of people swear by them, as Bullfrog said. I've slept in one for years and I would never go back to a regular bed. You sound like a perfect candidate for a recliner.

Johnny, are you referring to a home-type recliner or an RV / captain's chair?

 

[MG1912]

4" of foam over a Froli system

 

[bullfrog]

I think the one I saw was a regular recliner like in a house, looked really comfortable and a good nights sleep is most important.

 

[LERCA]

I’ve heard of recliners too. I have a totally messed up back which is why I took early retirement (10 years) so I get it. I have an old fashioned metal folding cot canvas mattress and on top a folding thick foam mattress from Walmart. I’m not a big person so they fit me. Amazingly it’s perfect. Sometimes you have to invent things. Sorry about your back. Oh and I’ve heard of people buying real mattresses to cut down.

 

[JohnnyM]

Yeah, Whodathunk,

I mean a regular, full-size recliner, like a La-Z-Boy . I mention La-Z-Boys because they're high quality furniture and they have mechanical rather than electric-motor actuation. The electric recliners have the advantage of stopping anywhere you want during the recline but the disadvantage of having to plug them in, so there are plusses and minuses. You can also go online to Camping World or E-Trailer and buy recliners that are small enough and shaped to fit through the door of an RV. But if you have a van any of them will fit.

Johnny

 

[JasonMcD]

I'm going to make my own mattress using several layers of foam, a backpacking sleeping pad, and a sleeping bag to hold it all in. These are all things that i already own. I've priced mattress toppers and other options, but they're all too pricey for me to commit to at this time, although i may look into it later.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

The one disadvantage of a recliner is that they are heavy, at least the well made ones.
You need to take that into account in your payload.

 

[ForestRoadSurfers]

If you are Arizona/Nevada located you can look on Nellis Auctions online for Amazon out of box but new mattresses. We got our Casper for 200 bucks and it came sealed and unused. not he most intuitive search engine on their site but scrolling pages you find a lot of good stuff.

 

[VanFan]

The head of our bed frame raises up, like a chaise lounge.  It's nice, but you have to pull it all the way forward to lay it flat again, which might be hard on a fussy back.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I know the thread is a bit older, but what the heck...maybe someone will read all this!

I really like a good quality cot. It cradles the body, and you can prop up the head end. You can add thin foam pads or a thin camping sleep mat, whatever works, and you still don't have to worry about weight. They weigh very little, and can be easily moved in and out if the need ever arises. You can slide in plastic tubs underneath for storage. There is plenty of airflow around, so you should never have an issue with mold.

I'm not talking about a cheap flimsy cot, The one I use is a good quality military-style and now about 8 years old and although I'm not full time, it has had a LOT of use over the years. It's as comfy as a good hammock.

I am NOT a fan of building a plywood base for a foam mattress and then sleeping on all that...you will need about a foot or more of mattress and foundation to even begin to be comfortable, and the cost and the weight really add up. 

BTW....just a side note: Reducing carbs to nearly nothing and not eating ANYTHING after about 6PM will really help with the nighttime GERD and acid reflux. For years as a truck driver I dealt with that: unpredictable and sometimes weird sleep schedules, sometimes off angles that the truck is situated at causing the head end to be low... terribly greasy and carb-loaded meals and junk food, eaten whenever and wherever they can be found, etc etc...not a good way to get good rest every night, so then the answer seems to be, dose up with H2 blockers (stomach acid) and/or PPI's (proton pump inhibitors) before bedtime just to be able to get thru the night.

Its a vicious cycle. Take more, then you need more. I became dependent on them just to get several hours of good rest.

I'm retired and completely off those pills now and I rarely ever have any nighttime problems. If I do (usually because I ate something after 6PM)  I sit up, drink some water, then prop my upper torso up with a sleeping wedge and usually get thru the night without ever taking a pill. BTW...beer is BAAD if you have these issues...especially if you drink beer (or any alcohol) late in the evening. Not preaching....just sayin...

I hope you can figure things out...not being able to get good sleep, really sucks.

 

[MrNoodly]

There is no single best bed for van life — or any other life. Everyone has different needs and different ideas about comfort. We could make recommendations until the end of time, but you won't know until you try sleeping on them.

As for me, my current bed is the most comfortable I've ever slept on. Much to the dismay of the everyone-must-sleep-on-a-stone-slab-of-a-bed-or-you'll-ruin-your-spine people, mine is extra soft. It's 100% standard foam, 8" thick, to which I added a 4" memory foam topper. Yes, it sags in the middle, but so do I.

 

[Gypsy108]

I haven’t figured out what to sleep on yet… I have a regular twin size mattress that I LOVE that I wanna put inside my small SUV but I’m not sure how it will fit… but I’m thinking I’d rather have a comfortable bed that I love and know I will get a good nights sleep on than mess around with other options…. If I can fit it inside… I will work all the other issues around it … haha… at least I will sleep like a baby… all you really need is to sleep , eat  & poop right ?   Ha

 

[jacqueg]

I know the thread is a bit older, but what the heck...maybe someone will read all this!

I really like a good quality cot. It cradles the body, and you can prop up the head end. You can add thin foam pads or a thin camping sleep mat, whatever works, and you still don't have to worry about weight. They weigh very little, and can be easily moved in and out if the need ever arises. You can slide in plastic tubs underneath for storage. There is plenty of airflow around, so you should never have an issue with mold.

I'm not talking about a cheap flimsy cot, The one I use is a good quality military-style and now about 8 years old and although I'm not full time, it has had a LOT of use over the years. It's as comfy as a good hammock.

I am NOT a fan of building a plywood base for a foam mattress and then sleeping on all that...you will need about a foot or more of mattress and foundation to even begin to be comfortable, and the cost and the weight really add up. 

Although I don't personally use a cot, I agree that they can be a good solution.

But I will say that I have a platform bed, and I have a 3" thick memory foam trim-fold with an ordinary 2" thick roll-up foam camp mattress on top, and it's one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in. Just because you might need a 12" thick mattress to be comfortable doesn't mean that everyone needs that much.

 

[tx2sturgis]

 Just because you might need a 12" thick mattress to be comfortable doesn't mean that everyone needs that much.

Well the OP mattress is listed at 11.25" and at $399 dollars from Mattress Firm and it STILL sunk in the middle.

I agree...not EVERYONE needs a foot thick mattress, and I didnt say that everyone does, but the person I was addressing, like myself, probably does.