How to Build a Van Dwelling: A Review of a Narrow and Short Bed

Following the example expressed by a number of Van Dwellers I built a 48" wide bed across the back of the van. What appealed to me most about this approach was the larger open floor space this arrangement would provide toward the front of the van. Being admittedly skeptical once building the bed my plan included a shake down cruise to confirm comfort was possible on a bed that was 2-½" shorter then me.

It has been stated that by bending your knees comfort is satisfactory even with two people sleeping on the 4' wide bed. Unfortunately for my wife and I this just wasn't the case. Now I admit we are not skinny little petite things, but I'm confident in stating we are probably closer to today's average then being extremely oversized.

After a long day's driving we picked out our spot for the night at a Wal-Mart containing a number of other recreational rigs. Temperatures were comfortable and we had an electric fan mounted under the roof vent providing a directional breeze. Once we settled down for an early nap, as it was still a bit premature for calling it a night, it didn't take long for restlessness to set in.

48" wide for two people leaves only a modest amount of room for turning over. Combine that with a length that would have you wedged against the side walls, when you try to roll over you find your restricted to laying in pretty much one position.

Fine if you can drop off to sleep immediately, but we usually toss and turn for 5-10 minutes before sleep arrives.

No good, after 1-½ hrs rest we knew sleep was impossible and packed up to head for home.

All is not lost, this issue was in the back of my mind when I built the bed. Removing the bed won't be difficult and I will shortly move on to the next arrangement.

Soon to come will be two single beds running down each side of the van. I normally sleep with my feet hanging off the foot of the bed. My plan is to terminate the foot of the beds with space left over near the rear doors allowing feet to dangle free.

The new beds will have platforms 6' long and 30" wide. The box framework underneath will be slightly narrower which will leave about a foot of space between the beds for walking. Having a space between the beds will make it easier to enter and exit and also will allow us to make the beds easier.

A short bed may work for some. Myself, I'd recommend a shake down cruise to confirm your comfort level before you start building out the remainder of your van. If your going to spend any amount of time living in your van having a comfortable bed is paramount. Material is cheap, even a cut down foam mattress can be glued back together (as will be the case for us).

It's all a learning process on our road to the perfect Van Dwelling. A couple of stumbling blocks are no big deal.