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Camper Bed Ideas You’ll Love: 11 Different Designs

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Your bed will take up the most room in your campervan, so when you’re making the interior plan, you need to think about that first. Once you’ve found a position for your bed, it will give you an idea of how much living space you are left to work with.

After you’ve gone through all of the effort of converting your van, the last thing you want is to have an uncomfortable bed which you don’t fit into. Make sure you are able to fully stretch out in the space you want to use for your bed – be sure to make measurements.

Take a pillow and test out the space to make sure you have enough room. Don’t forget to take into consideration the insulation and sound-proofing, as this can take a couple of inches off of the walls.

Platform Bed

The platform bed is probably the most standard campervan bed solution. It’s a classic design, which is commonly used for van conversions.

Platform beds stay in a fixed position, with one dedicated bed space. One of the reasons as to why it’s so popular is that there is no daily assembly required – you can simply fall into bed each night, without having to set anything up.

Another reason as to why fixed platform beds are frequently used in campervan conversions is because there’s lots of room underneath them for storage. This area is also referred to as the garage. You can use the space to store clothes, water, camping coolers/refrigerators, and even bikes.

However, there is one major drawback to using a static platform bed. That is the fact that it often means that you’re missing out on utilizing the space for a large seating area.

This isn’t ideal if you plan on hosting people, or plan on spending a lot of time in your van. With that being said, the bed can always double up as a sofa – just be sure to get some throw pillows to add to the comfort!

Convertible Beds

When they’re not in use, convertible beds can be folded up to create room for sofas, dinettes, and equipment storage.

These are convenient bed designs, especially if you have a narrower van, want to host more than two people at once, or you need a workspace. However, convertible beds take a lot more assembly time than platform beds, and can often be inconvenient if your sleeping schedule differs from your partner’s.

By using the tabletop for the base for the bed, you are able to minimize the extra things you will need to convert your dinette into a sleeping space. There is also no need to find somewhere to store the table when the bed has been assembled.

This design creates a large, comfortable bed space. You can also factor in extra storage into the design by creating space under the bench seats. You will, however, need to find the right mattress/couch pillows to use in order for this to work.

The Murphy Bed

You’ve probably heard of the Murphy bed before, and it can be a great design to utilize in a campervan, as it will give you a lot of extra floor space for bikes, surfboards, and other equipment.

A Murphy bed is a bed that folds down from the wall, often from a cupboard. It is traditionally used in small apartments, but the design works well for space efficiency in camper vans. If it’s done well, the Murphy bed can be a stylish choice, as everything will be hidden away during the day.

Another great feature of the Murphy bed is that there is no need to put your bed together each day, as it will simply flip down. You can also use a full mattress, which means that you don’t have to worry about there being any uncomfortable gaps between cushions.

If you don’t need or don’t want that much floor space, you can also incorporate a bench into the design. The bench will be on the outside of the cabinet, and the bed will rest on it once it is pulled down.

This means you can incorporate seating and sleeping space in one handy design. If you want to use this design for a double bed, you will need a fairly wide campervan.

Bunk Beds

It can be difficult to squeeze more than two people into a small campervan, but by using a bunk bed design, it can be done well and look great!

Bunk beds are an effective way to add an extra bed to a campervan, and is an excellent solution for campervan enthusiasts who have children.

You can either place a bunk bed on top of a platform bed, or you can stack two single beds on top of each other. As a bunk bed doesn’t take up any extra floor space, you have more room for other living spaces.

When installing a bunk bed, make sure there is enough headroom, and that it is securely attached to the van, as it needs to support someone’s body weight.

Flip-out Bench

If you’re looking to maximize space efficiency, why not try a flip-out bench design? This is a folding wooden bench that doubles up as a bed.

The wooden bench is attached to a wooden platform that serves as a backrest. They are mounted together and attached with a hinge.

The bench can be pulled down to form a flat surface which will rest on the legs of the bench. All that needs to be added is a mattress, and it’s good to go. When the bench is closed, it can be used as a couch.

You can easily use two sofa cushions, a futon, or a fold-out mattress to form the mattress, so there’s no need to worry about where to store one. You will however need to find somewhere to store bedding and extra pillows.

Couch Bed

This is pretty similar to the flip-out bench design, however, there are a number of different ways a couch bed can be built.

One of the most common designs is to use two couch benches facing each other. The benches fold down to hold the cushions in place when you’re ready for bed.

This is a simple, and effective design that gives you both a living and sleeping space. You can even add cupboards into the benches to give you more storage space – kind of like the storage space underneath platform beds.

Slider Bed

Another common technique is to use a slider bed. This is essentially a couch extension, which works by extending a couch using sliding slats.

The couch can be mounted either against the side wall or at the rear of the van, depending on the dimensions of the van. Simply move the slats into place when you want to put the bed together.

This is the perfect solution if you value space over a permanent bed setup. The sliding slats make it easy and quick to put the bed together. However, you will have to find somewhere to keep your mattress, bedding, and pillows.

You can always utilize the couch cushions so that they double up as a mattress. Just remember to install a lock for the slats, that way they can’t slide around when you’re driving.

Drawbridge-Style Bed

Drawbridge-style campervan beds work similarly to the Murphy bed designs, except that the mattress folds like an accordion, rather than lying flat.

This design tends to take up a lot less room compared to a Murphy bed too, which is great if you need extra storage space.

For some people, they need to be able to store large items when in transit, like bikes, surfboards, and motorbikes. A drawbridge-style bed is the perfect option to allow you to do this.

As the bed is folded up during the day, it gives you more space to store gear and gives you more freedom to move around your van during the day. However, it is more inconvenient to put together and is often considered uncomfortable due to the gaps in the pillows.

Over Cab Bed

Some old-school motorhomes or larger vans tend to have some extra space over the driver’s cab. If you have a van like this, then this can be a great place for you to build your bed.

It also serves as a static bed, which means that you do not need to assemble it every night, but it is also out of the way of the rest of the living space.

This will give you a greater floor space to work within the main area of your building. You can use it for seating, storage, or whatever else you like.

A downside to this bed design is that you may not have a huge amount of headroom, so it really depends on the style and size of your van.

Folding Bench Seats

If you don’t fancy constructing your own bench bed, you can get specially made folding benches, like the Travois seat folding beds. These are pretty similar to the rock’n’roll campervan bed designs used in the classic VW bus.

They function like normal car back seats, but can quickly transform into a double bed. This bed style is perfect if you’re traveling in a compact camper van, and need a bed that can be extended lengthways.

It’s also good if you need some extra seat-belted seats for extra passengers. You can buy units that have been tested and highway-approved so that you can safely and legally drive passengers around.

Whilst these folding seats are practical they’re not the most comfortable of sleeping spaces and can take up some vital floor space.

Drop-Down Bed System

This is the mother of all campervan bed solutions. You’ve probably come across hundreds of YouTube videos where people have created their own custom drop-down bed system.

It’s basically an electric bed that disappears into the ceiling with the touch of a button. It’s considered a hybrid between a platform bed and a convertible bed, as it’s like having a fixed bed and seating area all at the same time.

The great thing about this bed solution is that your bed is always ready to go, and can be put out of sight during the day when you want to relax or use a seating area. It also means that you have more storage and floor space underneath the bed.

Although this is a fantastic bed solution, it can be very expensive in comparison to the rest of the bed setups and solutions. It’s also pretty heavy, which means it will take up a considerable amount of your camper’s storage space.

You might also not have the same ‘garage’ storage that a regular platform bed will provide you with, but this can be solved by adding storage under the bench seats that will sit below the bed.

Final Word

Choosing the right bed for your camper can be a long and personal process. There are so many factors that you need to consider, including budget, needs, space, and how many people will be traveling in the van.

It’s important that you make the right decision, as a bed will take up the most room in the van, no matter what design you choose. If you don’t like what you pick, it can be tough and expensive to change, so it’s a decision that you can’t afford to rush.