When looking for the best mattress for a camper van conversion, we know what mattress characteristics you’re looking for. You’re probably looking to buy a van mattress that is:
- Comfortable
- Lightweight
- Easy to cut & shape
- Affordable
- Available in different thicknesses
But with so many different mattress options on the Internet today, it can be confusing to understand which mattress is best for your campervan conversion.
To be honest with you, we’ve never actually tried all those fancy latex or gel-infused mattresses. So we won’t act like we know what we’re talking about with those materials.
But we do have a LINENSPA foam mattress, and we believe 100% that this foam mattress ticks all the boxes and meets all the requirements for a campervan mattress. (This is ESPECIALLY true if you have a convertible bed.)
And after 3+ years of sleeping in our van, we still love our foam mattress.
In this post, give 5 REASONS why we think the LINENSPA foam mattress is the best option for campervans.
So if you’re ready, let’s get to it!
This high-quality, gel-infused mattress has been supporting our bodies for 4+ years. It's lightweight and easy to cut so that you can shape it to fit your van's unique dimensions.
Reason #1:
Easy To Cut To Size
Chances are, your camper bed frame isn’t going to fit a standard-sized mattress. Our bed isn’t even a perfect rectangle! It’s more of an odd Tetris-shaped polygon.
So if you’re like us, it means you need to find a mattress that you can easily cut and shape to fit the unique dimensions of your van’s bed frame.
You won’t be able to do that with a standard spring mattress. And latex mattresses aren’t exactly easy to cut either.
This was the #1 reason we went with a foam mattress. With just a simple bread knife (or better yet, an electric carving knife), you can quickly and easily cut through the foam material.
We ordered the King-size LINENSPA foam mattress and in less than 2 hours, we had cut the mattress down to 7 different pieces to fit our van.
And because the mattress is 100% foam, you don’t have to worry about cutting into metal springs or having loose inner material falling out.
If you plan to build a convertible bed and are looking to build DIY cushions from a foam mattress, check out our post below.
Related read: How to DIY Camper Van Cushions
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Reason #2:
Lightweight Material
It’s no secret that foam mattresses are incredibly lightweight! You can easily lift them up, move them around, and transport them in and out of your van. It’s made cleaning our bed and accessing our under-bed storage a quick and easy procedure.
Our foam mattress has been especially great for us because we have a convertible bed. This means we’re constantly rearranging our foam cushions as we convert our bed to a dining area (during the day) and back to a bed (during the evening).
We couldn’t imagine doing all that with heavier latex mattresses.
But having a lightweight camper van mattress has other benefits, too. They decrease the overall payload of your camper van, reduce pressure on the suspension system, and improve your drive control. And not to mention increased gas efficiency.
So we’ve definitely appreciated our cushions being so lightweight and portable.
We couldn’t imagine doing all that with heavier latex mattresses.
Reason #3:
The Comfort Of Memory Foam
Before picking up our LINENSPA mattress, we had honestly never laid down on a foam mattress before. We had slept on all different types of mattresses in the past, but never foam.
But in the morning after our first night sleeping in our camper van, we swore we had some of the best sleep that we could remember. The foam mattress was firm and gave the support that our lower backs needed.
No more of the usual aches and pains that our spring mattress gave us back at home.
Plus, unlike a regular spring mattress, a foam mattress limits motion transfer. This means less chance to get woken up when your partner moves around at night.
Gel-Infused Top Layer
The LINENSPA foam mattress comes in two layers with the top-most layer being a gel-infused memory foam. This gel-infused top-layer provides an added cooling feature to prevent overheating at night.
Reason #4:
Comes In Different Thicknesses
Every camper van build is different, and different builds require mattresses of different thicknesses.
Some of us may only need the thinnest possible mattress for our vans. But others might require a mattress that is substantially thicker.
Luckily with LINENSPA, there are three different mattress thicknesses to choose from:
For our camper van build, we went with the 5” thick foam mattress and felt that 5 inches provided the best overall thickness for both sleeping and sitting comfort.
Because we have a convertible bed, we’re always sitting on our mattress cushions during the day. We think 5″ is just the right thickness to be able to sit on a mattress without your bum reaching the wooden bed frame.
Reason #5:
Surprisingly Affordable
Our king size 5-inch foam mattress cost ~$200. And while our camper van’s mattress isn’t the cheapest option on the market, we think that this price is very acceptable considering how much time our bodies will be spending on our mattress.
This high-quality, gel-infused mattress has been supporting our bodies for 4+ years. It's lightweight and easy to cut so that you can shape it to fit your van's unique dimensions.
FAQ
The ideal van mattress thickness should be able to support your body weight without you feeling the bed's frame. In our experience, a 5" mattress thickness is able to provide the perfect level of comfort.
Foam mattresses are often considered to be the best mattresses for camper vans. They're lightweight, easy to cut, and are affordable. We've slept on our LINENSPA foam mattress for 3 years and love it.
Yes! It is perfectly OK to cut a foam mattress. Unlike a traditional spring mattress, a foam mattress has no solid parts, making it easy to cut with any knife or box cutter.
At ~$200, we think our LINENSPA foam mattress is pretty affordable! It's not only a great price, but we've been getting great quality sleep these past 3 years.
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How To Care For A Foam Mattress
A foam mattress is largely maintenance free, but foam is still a delicate material and things can go bad when the mattress is cared for improperly.
There are several things we wished we knew about it’s maintenance when we first got our camper van’s mattress.
Wait For the mattress To Fully expand
When you first receive the mattress, it’s a good idea to immediately open the package up and allow the foam to expand back to its normal shape.
This can take anywhere between 24-48 hours to fully expand.
It’s important not to lay on it or begin cutting into the mattress before it has a chance to fully expand.
The manufacturer has a great post about why you should wait 24-48 hours before using your mattress.
How To Clean A Foam Mattress
If you happen to stain your mattress, don’t use any chemical solvents or liquid to clean the stain. That’s because memory foam is a sensitive material and harsh stain removers can lead to a breakdown in the material.
If there are any stains or odors, your best bet is to sprinkle baking soda on the site and allow the powder to absorb any liquid and smells from the mattress. For more information on how to clean your foam mattress, check out this guide from MemoryFoamDoctor.com
Best Pillows (To Pair With Your Mattress)
A comfortable pillow is an unassuming essential for getting the perfect night’s sleep in a camper van.
And for us, we don’t sleep on anything else but a memory foam pillow with neck support. Sleeping on our pillows lets us sleep on our backs or on our sides without scrunching our necks in awkward positions and angles.
We couldn’t recommend any other type of pillow.
- 【Contour Design】Two heights 4.2 inches (the higher side) and 3.4 inches (the lower side).
- 【Ergonomic Design】This pillow is designed for various sleep positions like side sleep, supine...
- 【Ventilated design】The pillow core has 120 breathable honeycomb holes, which can maximize the...
Conclusion: The Best Sleep We've Gotten
After the very first night in our camper, we woke up and swore we would NEVER ever sleep in a tent again! In fact, we were laughing because we couldn’t believe just how comfortable it could be to actually sleep in a van.
100% true story.
And two years later, we STILL get the best sleep of our lives on our LINENSPA foam mattress.
If you enjoyed reading this review, or if you think we left anything out, please let us know in the comments below.
Additional resources:
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