Mattress selection

[humpyboy]

I'm trying to decide on a mattress for "STU" I've got prices from Made to measure in Qld on their inner spring and foam mattresses but what is the general consenses? would a chunk of foam from clark's be just as good and would I need to do anything to get some sort of air circulation around it, all replies carefully read

[Jellybean]

We had a foam mattress in our teardrop for a couple of campouts.
We cooked !!!
We changed to an innerspring mattress and it is soo much better.
We are going to get an innerspring for our Jellybean Caravan too.

[seeshell]

I'd go the made mattress over foam.

In the first place foam isn't that cheap for a bed sized piece - for example a good queen size topper only is going to set you back more than $150 (recently at Clark Rubber for the spare room in our house). If you want thick foam that has more memory and is thick enough for a mattress it will be nearly as dear but not as good as an inner spring anyway.

For vans latex would be too heavy I think. They're really, REALLY comfortable, but making the bed is like being in an Ironman competition.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting older, and the old bones can't handle it like they used to. Having a good sleep that's as much like your home bed when you're away will make the break much more enjoyable (personal experience after sleeping on air beds, foam beds, and self inflating mats while camping). The money spent on a good mattress is gold I reckon.

Just make sure that you have slats or something under the mattress so it breathes and doesn't get mouldy. Use a slat base underneath it, or when you come home prop up the mattress to let it air.

Best of luck with your bed conundrum -
Seeshell

[barbarab]

Hi,
we have a foam mattress and an innerspring mattress. Originally we thought we'd use the foam mattress in the caravan but we'd really rather be comfortable ourselves, so we put the foam one in the spare room for visitors. (Too bad.)
The caravan innerspring mattress is on a pegboard base and air can flow from the front, underneath it and up an opening left behand the mattress at the back of the caravan.
Barbara B

[surfingyogini]

I think it all depends on what sort of bed you like! For me, most innersprings are too soft so I like futons or firm foam. The foam we've got for our van was expensive - more so than an innerspring of the same size - but its just perfect for us. I'd go to a bedding store and have a lie down, then a proper foam store and see what works best for your body.

[JBJ]

Hi,

We used Made to Measure matresses in my Sunliner & in Deejay.

In the Sunliner they made a D shaped pillow top, that was one of the most comfortable beds you would find.
With Deejay , they made a custom sized wide single for the back, pillow topped, & with a "bendable" spring in the body, so it can be bent thru 90 degrees at a point. This makes it so much easier to fit into the rear of the van, seeing it has cupboards both sides in front of the bed.It also helps with fitting the sheets.
The second bed mattress in Deejay was custom made, without a pillow top, because the (stupid) side window was fitted too low to allow a decent depth of mattress to be fitted.

I'm very happy with their product, service & delivery to my door.

The two I got for Deejay cost $950 delivered, but no way can you sleep badly then travel the next day.

We used Clark Rubber foam in Lucille, & even fitted a memory foam overlay, & an eggcrate foam overlay on top of that. I never could get a real good sleep with the foam.

So my vote will always go to innersprings, with the best you can afford being the way to go.

JBJ

[richard]

I can't find "M2M" - do they have a web-site?

[Smiley]

I agree with MMM, we have singles in our main van and just love them. Admittedly we went for the latex pillow top ones and they are even better than out mattress at home, so no roughing it in that van. Yep, they are a bit weighty, but being singles it isn't too bad. Will get my next one for home from them.
Mrs. Smiley

[JBJ]

Hi,

Made to Measure I dealt with is in 57 Grice Street, Clontarf, which is a northside Brisbane suburb. Phone [phone], fax [phone], email [e-mail].

I think freight to Sydney would be expensive, but I reckon if you looked thru Yellow Pages there would be a similar type of business in most capital cities.

JBJ

[humpyboy]

Thanks for all the replies guys, just confirmed all the thoughts that I had, shipping to my work address down here in Melb will be around $120 so not to bad, only an extra $20 to get it to my home address here in the country, Richard heres a link to thier web site www.madetomeasuremattresses.com.au I would prefer a good nights sleep, thanks all who replied.

[richard]

Thanks, Seashell PM'd me the address as well.

My thoughts are the same: Worth spending a few hundred extra bucks to get a decent night's sleep. I have a super-duper king-size pillow-top at home, 'tis wonderful, not going to skimp on the Kennedy.

[hilldweller]

Interesting thread (though my wallet is less impressed). But what do you do with a dinette arrangement where the 'mattress' is made up of the seat cushions plus the seat backs? You wouldn't get four separate inner-sprung pieces made up would you? Or would you?

[cobber]

G'day Hilldweller,

The answer is............ yes you would
Two of my 'vans have that arrangement (since new) and although it makes for three valleys in the mattress when made up we sleep OK.
Due to various design "features" in Ol' 36 I needed mattress with a total thickness of 4".... 5" absolute maximum, most innerspring people I spoke to said springs that short would not provide a very comfortable bed and......... would cost extra to make. So we went for high density foam. We sleep A OK on it too....... matter of fact after a days vintage caravaning activity I reckon I can sleep on a fence.

Cobber.

[Roehm3108]

Hey cobber, the only reason you could sleep on a fence is because you're so skinny that you can sleep BETWEEN the pickets, not ON them ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[finkvanfc]

CHECKOUT EBAY,[UNDER RETRO]C/VAN DOUBLE INNERSPRING MATTRESS.IT'S IN MELB.COULD BE WHAT YOUR AFTER.GAZ.