Loving Caravanning life but...
Hello all,
We bought our van last October and finally got to use it this year. Have gone on two trips now and we absolutely LOVE IT. Such a relaxing break, everyone we've met so far has been so friendly and helpful so thank you if it was you 
We've been going to CL's so far mainly because we love the tranquility but also it's less stressful for our dog who is still a bit apprehensive around lots and lots of people/dogs so the fact that a CL has a limited number of people is just right for us, right now.
My only problem so far is the sleeping arrangements - we've chosen, for now, to use the single sofa set up and my god do our backs suffer.
I've found a few old posts on here with suggestions but they were relatively old and wondered if anyone else could offer any suggestions. We've just missed the boat on some memory foam mattresses that Aldi were doing. My parents (also caravanners) have given us the memory foam inserts out of some Duvaley sleeping bags they got with their new van but it's still not quite enough.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions and look forward to meeting you at various sites
Comments
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I don't know where you live, but the Aldi near me has single memory foam toppers in stock. I was looking for a double, but they had none. If you have a Poundstretcher near by, they have all sizes in and are very reasonable.
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We have done the memory foam toppers for years but due to the amount of storage space they need we went for a Vango self inflating mattress last year, best purchase we have ever made bedding wise.
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Maybe you have one of the thinner Duvalay mattresses? The Gold (5 cm) version is extremely comfortable and when used on top of a normal caravan or Motorhome seat should be more than adequate.
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you say that ypu have chosen these sleeping arrangements 'for now'.
what other sleeping accommodation do you have in your layout van?
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hi I have a Romahome camper and the sofa isn't very thick ,so bought a luxury mattress topper from Argos it's 5cm and as my sofa is so narrow fold it in half ,then added a 2.5 cm one from poundstretcher they sell them all the time as do B&M and also look up on the internet you can get mattress toppers made to measure
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You attribute your back problems to sleeping on the sofa cushions. Like you, we use our sofas as two singles. I also suffer with low back pain, but I found the activity of putting on the sheet and tucking it in the killer for me, rather than sleeping on the cushion. In fact, I sleep better in the van than at home. My solution was to put on a quilted mattress cover and fitted sheet on the first night, then leave it on during the day with a throw over the top, and replace the back rest cushions. Yes, there's still a bit of cushion moving to do but, otherwise, it's just a case of stowing the pillow and duvet under the bed in the morning, and getting it our again at night. Might be woth a try?
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Duvaley for us we first purchased 15 years ago and updated last year to the gold and found them to be so good we have purchased a double for home use, we find them very comfortable as we both have dodgy hips and backs (its an age thing I guess) not the cheapest but probably the best, you only get what you pay for.
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Some van bed cushions are designed to be turned over at night, so you lose the knee roll bit. We have a very old van and first thing we did was buy some excellent sleep quality foam to replace the old foam. Made a huge difference. In another van, we used a double mattress topper on top of reasonable quality foam.
A lot depends on just how good the quality of your original foam is, a lot of vans have poorish quality, hence the popularity of toppers and duvalays. We are coming up to refurbishing our old van again, main expenditure will be for top quality sleep foam and covers. A comfy night's sleep is priceless!
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Hi,
Thanks for all the helpful comments.
We have a two berth Sterling Eccles. And we're using the sofa's as singles rather than making up the double bed. We've tried the sofa cushions both ways -as they are and also flipped no difference to the comfort. They are actually comfy to sit on but it's the sleeping that's the killer.
We've been out this afternoon looking and have seen some cot bed mattresses in Ikea and mothercare and wondering if they could be a solution but think I'll investigate some of the points raised here first.
We've got another trip this weekend coming for 3 nights but will definitely need to get sorted for June as we're doing a 5 night trip.
Any other thoughts welcome and I'll let you know how we get on.
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B & M Bargains do excellent mattress toppers in single or double sizes and although I cant remember how much we paid at the time, they were very cheap and good value for money. It's very refreshing to know that we are not the only ones to who regularly shop at Aldi and and other cheaper outlets. Just bought a spare 25m EHU cable from Aldi this weekend for £25.00.
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