When it comes to small tight spaces like an RV or low ceiling sleeping loft, your typical innerspring mattress just won't do due to size and thickness. A few things you should keep in mind for your RV mattress.
*Foam is the best option
*Thickness should be 8" or less
*Longevity and density
*Light weight and can fold
The best American based manufacture of premium RV and camper mattresses is Otis Bed from Buffalo, NY. This company has been around since the late 1890's. The quality of foam they use in their mattresses is the highest density of high density pressurized foam on the market. Made to last 10 plus years with frequent usage. Otis Bed offers several different foam mattresses in different thicknesses and firmness.
The best recommended and thinnest model is the Stratosphere mattress. The Stratosphere measures just under 7" thick and provides superior support and comfort.
The picture above was taken inside a tiny home of less than 300 sq.ft. This tiny home happens to be a double loft. Meaning there is a sleeping loft on each end of the house. Most tiny homes do not have conventional stand up bedrooms. Sleeping lofts tend to be under 4ft tall from the floor to the ceiling. Given the little room, there is no need to put a conventional bed frame nor box spring in this space. A foam futon makes more sense than the cotton based futon. The main reason is weight. A cotton futon will weight 4 to 5 times more than a foam futon mattress. This makes a big difference when transporting the mattress and fitting it in a tight space as well as lifting it and changing the linens. Otis Bed manufactures the best premium foam futon mattresses which give the highest level of comfort and are built to last for many years.
The great thing about these foam mattresses is that the manufacture will use 12 to 14" of foam which is compressed into 7 to 9" thick. This gives the mattress some give or rebound as if it contained coils. I don't recommend coil innerspring mattresses for a number of reasons.
1. Innerspring mattresses less than 10" thick tend to be on the lower side of quality. The springs will wear out fast, and they are heavier.
2. Special sizes in innerspring are harder to find.
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| Bunk beds in RV's are smaller than standard twin and cot sizes. Special size foam mattresses can be made to order. |
3. Innerspring is not good for sitting long periods of time. Your body weight is concentrated in one spot of the mattress increasing the wear.
4. You can't fold an innerspring mattress and stow it away if necessary.
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| Best Rated Foam Mattresses for RV Campers & Sleeping Lofts |
As for sitting and lounging solutions, foam futon mattresses are perfect for built in sofas and chairs in your RV, trailer, cabin or tiny home. Special sizes and covers can be made for non standard mattress sizes you can't buy in store. As for a sofa bed in your tight space, you need something functional that will not take up a lot of space when converted from a sofa to a bed position. Conventional pull out sofa beds are the least preferred type of sofa bed for RV's. Not only is the mattress extremely uncomfortable, but the mattress in the bed position will occupy 88" of floor space from the back of the sofa to the front of the end of the mattress.
As show above, this RV has a slide out where the sofa is positioned. Look at all the unnecessary wasted space the mattress takes up. You can't even walk around it. The mattress is less than 5" thick, very flimsy and you will eventually be able to feel the support cross bar sticking up in your back.
A jack knife sofa bed or "modern futon" is a perfect inexpensive solution for an RV. This style of sofa bed is bi fold and will open up width wise, saving you quite a bit of space. Also, these sofa beds usually have extra storage underneath the seating deck.
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| Example of a jack knife style sofa bed used in an RV |
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