Top 5 caravan mattresses

For decades, as night fell, caravanners up and down the land began to make up the bed. In my experience, this would inevitably involve multiple cushions, a filler cushion hidden in a cupboard and asking myself: “Is this really how it’s supposed to be?” I felt completely inept and was much happier with a fixed bed to flop into at bedtime.
Fixed beds arrived on the scene in time for the new millennium when Swift Group launched the UK's first fixed bed touring caravan – the Challenger 500SE. Today, the number of caravans with a fixed bed as standard is seemingly infinite and, typically, fixed beds fall into two camps – island beds (accessible from both sides) and French beds (lengthways across wall). But what varies wildly is the quality of the mattress and, because each mattress is specifically designed to fit each bed, buying a mattress off the peg as you would do at home isn’t really an affordable option for most. The best option is to choose a caravan with the best bed you can afford, and to do that you need to try them out in person. As a starting point, here are five of my favourites.

The Bristol-based manufacturer is known for its excellent customer service and wide dealer network, so chances are you’ve considered a Bailey caravan at some point in your caravanning journey. Its most premium model is the Alicanto Grande Deluxe and the single-axle Sintra is a great model for those who want luxury but don’t want to tow a twin-axle. In terms of layout, it’s a king size transverse island bed with a pocket sprung mattress making it more supportive for your body, better for airflow and its well suited for those who suffer from joint pain.
Find Bailey caravans here.

The Lusso is one of the most luxurious caravans on the market in the UK and the eight-foot-wide Lusso II offers a generous bedroom with a retractable fixed bed with a deep, foam mattress that’s made for sweet dreams. Fall into this at the end of the day and you’ll experience bliss. It retails at around £53K, and for that price tag you’re right to expect the best night’s sleep – there’s even underfloor heating to keep your feet warm when you finally make it out of bed.
Find Coachman caravans here.

Alpina is Adria’s flagship range comprised of three models – Colorado, Rio Grande and Mississippi – all of which sleep four. Manufactured in Slovenia, these caravans have an offside entry door which, for some UK caravaners, can be a dealbreaker. Not for us though. Adria make some of the comfiest caravans around and the Mississippi (retailing at around £43K) with its transverse island bed is no exception. Mattresses are premium quality foam and feature covers made of Tencel, a sustainable material known for being soft, breathable, moisture-wicking and hypoallergenic.
Find Adria caravans here.

Buccaneer is part of the Erwin Hymer Group, and with prices starting at around £51K it’s the most expensive range of caravans the company sells in the UK with the six-berth Aruba recognised as the queen of them all. Sleeping six is no problem at all, and there’s still room for a decently sized French bed with Dream+ mattress to the rear of the caravan. Underneath you’ll find an abundance of storage, too.
Find Buccaneer caravans here.

With Swift being the first to introduce a fixed bed caravan to the UK, it’s no surprise that the manufacturer’s mattresses are some of the best you’ll find. For around £48K the luxurious Swift Elegance Grande 835 comes equipped with many premium touches to make year-round touring a joy. In the 835 you’ll find a fixed bed in the rear complete with Duvalay Duvalite Alto mattress – this is 45% lighter than traditional caravan mattresses making it weight-saving and comfortable.
Find Swift caravans here.

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