Has anyone got advice on lower bed toppers?

Tntoast · Jun 6, 2015

This may be controversial as it doesn't cost a gazillion pounds!. I bought a memory foam mattress topper of'v tiniternet, cost me about £20 and cut it to size.
I sleep on a memory foam bed so wanted that same feel and I'm really pleased.
I got the bare foam, no cover and wrap a bed sheet around it.
The beauty of doing it that way is that you can get the desired depth, 2,3 or 4 inch depth.
It's a bit 'cornish' but very comfy!

lr1602 · Jun 6, 2015

A couple of very cheap Aldi self inflating mattresses. Bit of overlap but does the job!

uniqueadventures · Jun 7, 2015

People may laugh at this option, but it is excellent value and has more comfort benefits...

We have a beach and for convenience our two daughters sleep in the roof (which is a very comfortable bed as standard because of the memory foam and slats, if it wasn't more convenient to have the kids up there we would use it!)

The downstairs bed is approximately kingsize in width but a little shorter, it's perfectly adequate for my wife but I'm 6'4" so my feet hang off the end. in our old van we used a square sleeping bag opened out to lie on and then used our duvet on top. However - even with the sleeping bag it's still uncomfortable.

We were going on holiday at Easter and decided it would be too cold (no diesel heater) and the fan heater we use on hook up is quite loud and disturbing and never quite gets the temperature just right. so we were looking at cheap electric blankets we could use on both beds.

I noticed this:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4501048.htm

checked the measurements; it's slightly longer than the bed but I just tuck our chiller under my feet and then have a comfortable full length bed again.

Compared to the cost of most of the toppers it is great value and has the added benefit of offering heat when you are on a hook up! Which I can honestly say was amazingly luxurious, without a heater in the van we were all toasty with out heated toppers! They also have zone heating and timers so my wife who sleeps colder than me can turn her side on while mine is off or on low, you can have it hotter at your feet and cooler for your body, and set them to be on all night or for a limited time to go off automatically. Getting into a prewarmed bed felt like we were totally cheating on the camping experience!

In terms of actual comfort it made a huge difference but is still slightly less comfortable than the upstairs bed it did however totally transform the bed for us.

We use a kingsize fitted sheet over the top and a kingsize duvet. When packing away I fold it twice towards the back of the van and it sits neatly and comparatively compactly on the rear shelf with all our bedding wrapped up in it so it is easy to deploy again when we need it next.

If the heating is not required (i.e. south of France in summer!) we just detach the cables and leave them at home.

The topper also comes with a 3 year warranty and a washable fleecy cover...what's not to like!!

W bought the double for our girls in the upstairs bed which is a bit big and therefore goes up the sides slightly but they were also toasty warm in some very cold weather (sub zero outside).
the only difficulty for these is you need two sockets for each topper so we took a four way adaper and plugged them all into that. Current draw for both blankets didn't cause any problems witht he hook up as they only draw about 80 watts each (I think?) and we could run other things at the same time like the electric hob.

phew, sorry that was a long post, apologies.

ejmoore · Jun 8, 2015

We almost always sleep up top and find the mattress very comfortable as it is. If we ever have to sleep downstairs (eg in Dunkerque DFDS carpark, handy), then we have a couple of sheepskins and a blanket which are hanging about in the van all the time anyway for general cosy effect & to protect the back shelf cushion, & they are enough to even out the bumps.

shudycamps · Jun 9, 2015

GrannyJen said:
I use an air bed.

As I'm full of hot air anyway I thought I might as well sleep on it

BRILLIANT!!!!

shudycamps · Jun 9, 2015

Our California came with the mattress in the pop-up roof and another 3-sectional mattress for the bench bed downstairs that can be folded up and put on the back metal shelf; however, our Lintran dog box sits on that. I asked VW Bury St Edmunds if I could put the 3-sectional mattress up top for extra comfort AND STILL LOWER the top down. The advice was NO. Anybody else out there who has had experience in attempting this? I would hate it if the roof didn't lower down and the nightmare it would create! Due the to the dog box on the metal shelf that storage space is gone and the space underneath is all spoken for. We have only spent one night thus far in ZuluCampi and will hit the open road mid-July and would like to have a bit more mattress comfy. I have noted the threads posted regarding air mattresses which can be stored a bit more easily - might be the best way forward.

GrannyJen · Jun 9, 2015

Problem with air mattresses is that standard doubles are too big, they squeeze in but put pressure on the sides.

If only the one of you sleeping downstairs then aerobed make an oversized single that fits very well. They currently have a have a 40% price sale on the comfort classic. I have both standard and "active" ... the active is slightly longer and takes up a bit more space. It also has an annoying pillow which means that the electric air pump has to be fitted at the back, by the tailgate.

westcoastboomer · Jun 9, 2015

I will be disappointed to say the least if the comfort mattress that comes with the Tour Pack is not comfortable enough...
And the big NO! Never go to sleep with a full 42litre wine cooler....

Annik · Jun 9, 2015

Comfort mattress is far from comfortable, ours is now in the loft!

GrannyJen · Jun 9, 2015

westcoastboomer said:
I will be disappointed to say the least if the comfort mattress that comes with the Tour Pack is not comfortable enough...
And the big NO! Never go to sleep with a full 42litre wine cooler....

I have the VW comfort mattress and had no problems with it, slept very well for 75 nights. It was liberating the space at the back, in particular raising the back shelf, that prompted me to try the alternatives.

Goodness, my wine cooler is only ever full prior to departure :shocked

Skylark2.0 · Jun 11, 2015

uniqueadventures said:
People may laugh at this option, but it is excellent value and has more comfort benefits...

We have a beach and for convenience our two daughters sleep in the roof (which is a very comfortable bed as standard because of the memory foam and slats, if it wasn't more convenient to have the kids up there we would use it!)

The downstairs bed is approximately kingsize in width but a little shorter, it's perfectly adequate for my wife but I'm 6'4" so my feet hang off the end. in our old van we used a square sleeping bag opened out to lie on and then used our duvet on top. However - even with the sleeping bag it's still uncomfortable.

We were going on holiday at Easter and decided it would be too cold (no diesel heater) and the fan heater we use on hook up is quite loud and disturbing and never quite gets the temperature just right. so we were looking at cheap electric blankets we could use on both beds.

I noticed this:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4501048.htm

checked the measurements; it's slightly longer than the bed but I just tuck our chiller under my feet and then have a comfortable full length bed again.

Compared to the cost of most of the toppers it is great value and has the added benefit of offering heat when you are on a hook up! Which I can honestly say was amazingly luxurious, without a heater in the van we were all toasty with out heated toppers! They also have zone heating and timers so my wife who sleeps colder than me can turn her side on while mine is off or on low, you can have it hotter at your feet and cooler for your body, and set them to be on all night or for a limited time to go off automatically. Getting into a prewarmed bed felt like we were totally cheating on the camping experience!

In terms of actual comfort it made a huge difference but is still slightly less comfortable than the upstairs bed it did however totally transform the bed for us.

We use a kingsize fitted sheet over the top and a kingsize duvet. When packing away I fold it twice towards the back of the van and it sits neatly and comparatively compactly on the rear shelf with all our bedding wrapped up in it so it is easy to deploy again when we need it next.

If the heating is not required (i.e. south of France in summer!) we just detach the cables and leave them at home.

The topper also comes with a 3 year warranty and a washable fleecy cover...what's not to like!!

W bought the double for our girls in the upstairs bed which is a bit big and therefore goes up the sides slightly but they were also toasty warm in some very cold weather (sub zero outside).
the only difficulty for these is you need two sockets for each topper so we took a four way adaper and plugged them all into that. Current draw for both blankets didn't cause any problems witht he hook up as they only draw about 80 watts each (I think?) and we could run other things at the same time like the electric hob.

phew, sorry that was a long post, apologies.

What a fantastic product. We don't need it now as we have heating plus multiple mattresses. In our previous van it would have been fab when we were freezing our neh nehs off because someone took the fan heater out to save space pesky noisy thing it was too.

We have VW mattress plus comfortz leisure memory foam topper. Fold up together well, mega comfortable and a great VIP discount. Only thing is its so comfortable we are lousy at getting up early....