Beds and sleeping layouts

Sleep decides the van

Bed length and width drive the rest of the layout. Measure the taller person, add about 100mm, and be honest about shoulders. A clever table that becomes a bed is only clever if both of you still speak in the morning.

The usual options

Fixed bed. Simple, strong, storage underneath. Costs daytime living space.

Rock-and-roll / RIB. Travel seats by day, bed by night. Heavier, dearer, and the fitting must be crash-tested and mounted correctly.

Slide-out or platform hybrids. Flexible, but watch the mechanism weight and the faff on a rainy night.

Try the bed in the van, or full-size on the garage floor, before you commit timber.

Structure and safety

Travel seats are not furniture. They are safety kit. Follow the maker's mounting instructions and get help if the floor structure is unclear. Homemade seat frames in a crash are a hard lesson.

Comfort details

Mattress density matters more than thickness marketing. Leave a little airflow under a fixed bed. Think about reading lights, USB points and how you get out without waking everyone when nature calls.

If the bed is wrong, nothing else in the van feels right. Get this decision down early.

Figures in this guide are planning estimates. Confirm weights and prices against real products, and have gas and electrical habitation work signed off by a qualified person.