Camper and Van Mattress Toppers, Sized for Small Beds

Van beds: crosswise, lengthwise and folding

Van builds fall into three layouts. A crosswise bed in a high-roof Sprinter, Transit or ProMaster runs the width of the van, about 70 to 76 inches with the walls flared, and 48 to 60 inches front to back. That is a short king or short queen turned sideways, and our 72 x 75 or 60 x 75 sizes fit many of them. A lengthwise platform is usually 30 to 38 inches wide by 75 to 80 long, which lands on our bunk sizes (30 x 75, 30 x 80, 35 x 79). A folding sofa bed in a Class B or a Winnebago Solis is often 60 to 68 wide by 70 to 75 long, and usually wants a topper split in two so the sofa still folds.

Measure the platform edge to edge, then check the wall flare: many van beds are wider at mattress height than at floor level, and the topper should match the mattress top, not the frame. Anything that is not a stock size goes through the custom quote, which comes back in 1 to 2 business days.

Pop-ups, teardrops and truck campers

Pop-up camper bunks are among the thinnest beds on the road, 2 to 4 inches of foam on a cantilevered wing, typically 48 x 76 or 60 x 76 on the king side. Our 3/4 Full Short 48 x 75 and Queen Short 60 x 75 fit most of them directly. Keep the topper to 2 or 3 inches on a pop-up: the wing has a weight rating, the tent canvas is close overhead, and the bed has to fold under the roof when you pack up. A 3-inch topper in the queen short size weighs around 15 lb and can usually stay in place when the wing slides in.

Teardrop trailers are typically a 54 x 75 or 60 x 75 platform with 30 to 40 inches of headroom. A 2 or 3 inch topper is the right add. Truck camper cab-over beds are usually 48 x 75 (three-quarter) or 60 x 75 (short queen) with tight ceilings, so 2 to 3 inches again. Rounded corners on any of these overhang slightly under the sheet without a problem.

Thickness, weight and headroom in a van

Vans are where a 4-inch topper is usually the wrong answer. Headroom over a raised platform bed is often 30 to 36 inches, garage storage under the bed pushes the platform up, and every inch you add to the mattress is an inch you lose sitting up. Two inches is the standard van pick if the mattress is decent; three inches if the base mattress is a 4-inch camper pad or a folded sofa with a seam you can feel. Save the 4 inch for a full-size RV bed.

Weight matters for folding sofas and lift-up platforms. Figure roughly 1 lb per square foot for a 2-inch topper and 1.5 lb for a 3-inch. If the bed folds, ask for the topper split at the hinge line in a custom quote.

Bare foam grips the mattress and folds easily. The RV Mattress Topper 2.0 with a washable cover and corner straps is the pick for a van that doubles as a daily driver and needs the bed made and unmade often; it is available in 2 or 3 inch.

Made in Phoenix, tested in Arizona heat

A van parked in the sun is an oven, and dense memory foam gets soft and hot in it. Our gel-infused foam is open-cell, so it breathes and sheds heat, and it recovers its shape quickly when the van cools off at night. It is poured, cut and packaged in Phoenix, CertiPUR-US certified, free of fiberglass and fire-retardant sprays, and aired out in the desert so it does not stink up a small cabin on day one.

Every camper van mattress topper ships compressed by FedEx Ground, free in the lower 48, and usually arrives in 2 to 3 business days. Unroll it on the platform, give it 24 to 48 hours to decompress with a window cracked, and sleep on it for 30 nights. If it is not right, returns are free. The foam carries a 5-year warranty.