Fixed bed vs no fixed bed?

[mariesnowgoose]

Bet there's a thread about this already - sorry if there is!
I did a quick search and couldn't find anything so here we go.

Who's in the fixed bed camp and who thinks they aren't necessary and why?

Me and t'other half strongly disagree on this, especially when it comes to full timing.

I'm eager to listen to arguments for either setup & give them due consideration before making my mind up

 

[Herbenny]

Marie after five vans, I am sure as sure can be
Our next van has got to have a fixed bed or at least have the option to be left as a bed !
Having said the the caravan doesn't and is the most biggest most comfortable bed ever !!!
I doubt very much I will get all on my wish list

 

[n brown]

if you're living in a van , a fixed bed doesn't leave a lot of room for living . i've only had fixed beds in vans of 9m or more
imagine a 7m van with a fixed bed and it's been raining for 2 weeks and you can only take 2 steps .
anyway you can always leave it up if you're feeling lazy

 

[oldish hippy]

love my fixed ok changed the mattress still have old one stood against wall inbedoom stop me bang my head against the wall lol

 

[spigot]

In 30 years of campervanning I’ve never had a fixed bed, I don’t see the point of dragging something around that’s only used a third of the time.

Having said that, I’m extremely jealous of the storage space in the garage underneath said fixed bed.

 

[suneye]

100% fixed bed. Who wants to faff with all the moving and storing of bedding every morning! Plus if there are two of you and one wants to get up or go to bed early the other one has to go sit in the front if you have a faff around bed. If the bed is fixed you can get a proper mattress, no sleeping on the bumps or cracks (!). On top of this you get all that lovely flexible out of the way storage under a fixed bed, which is one of the best bits for me, no making up the bed and deciding that you need something out of the bench storage under the bed you have just made.

 

[Asterix]

I'm in the process of selling my MH with a non fixed bed,and self building with a fixed,after full-timeing for over three years I'm completely over it with bed making,and the storage underneath is fantastic.
This is all dependent on having a vehicle with enough space to have a fixed bed,I really like space so I wouldn't have one in a pvc or MH under 8-9 metres.

 

[wildebus]

100% fixed bed. Who wants to faff with all the moving and storing of bedding every morning! Plus if there are two of you and one wants to get up or go to bed early the other one has to go sit in the front if you have a faff around bed. If the bed is fixed you can get a proper mattress, no sleeping on the bumps or cracks (!). On top of this you get all that lovely flexible out of the way storage under a fixed bed, which is one of the best bits for me, no making up the bed and deciding that you need something out of the bench storage under the bed you have just made.

That kind of sums it up perfectly to me

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Definitely Definitely DEFINITELY a Fixed Double for Me,
No wrestling with Individual Cushions, No falling through them in the Night, More Space in bed, Comfortable Sprung Mattress,Tends to be a Bigger & More Useable Space Underneath as cupboards, Use Standerd Bedding & Duvets, & if there’s two of you, One can Lay Down & Reed, Or Recover if ill, or Just get out the way if needs be in a separate room without impacting on the rest of the living space.

So I don’t know if I mentioned this but DEFINITELY A Fixed Double for me !.

 

[mark61]

Nice luxury if you have the space, I wouldn't want a bigger van just for a fixed bed though.
Saying that, last van had bed at rear, and sometimes did leave it set up.

Think more important if no room for fixed bed, is having a system that works easily and quickly.
In current van, I have bench seat that doubles as a bed, so just need to get bedding out. Another single bed takes less than 30 seconds to make, or one big bed in less than a minute. Same time to pack up.

 

[moonshadow]

That kind of sums it up perfectly to me

And me! We have a fixed island bed so we don’t disturb each other when we get up in the night. Van is 6.95m so we have sacrificed living area but it hasn’t been a problem - it’s no less space than many vans we’ve seen who don’t have fixed beds

 

[phillybarbour]

Fixed bed for us. roughly 50% of the time most people spend in a van is in bed, so it’s high on our criteria.

 

[suneye]

if you're living in a van , a fixed bed doesn't leave a lot of room for living . i've only had fixed beds in vans of 9m or more
imagine a 7m van with a fixed bed and it's been raining for 2 weeks and you can only take 2 steps .
anyway you can always leave it up if you're feeling lazy

Ours is only a long wheel base transit so under 6 meters and still I wouldn't be without it! All the storage underneath means that the space that is left is free, and no need for high level cupboards that make the space feel so cramped. You wouldn't fit a shower in though as the bed is lengthways, being 175cm tall I don't like sleeping width ways. If I was looking for another van (maybe :roll eyes I would look for the widest and put a bed the other way, that and get a high top!

 

[yorkslass]

My two pennorth.

If you get a rear lounge with mid van dinette, you have the option to leave the rear lounge made up as a bed, if you want. Best of both worlds.

 

[2cv]

I think that it depends on van size. I like having a relatively small van and so have no fixed bed. This suits as it leaves maximum lounge space by day and assembling and disassembling takes less than three minutes. As far as comfort goes there is no need to compromise. I use regular bedding and end up with a normal and comfortable king sized bed.
If I were to have a van several meters longer and several tons heavier maybe a fixed bed would be good, but it's nice to be able to do more or less what I could do in a car and certainly even on trips of many weeks is never a chore.

 

[John H]

We have a fixed island bed which has many advantages for us: either of us can get up without disturbing the other, there is a lot of storage space underneath it and it semi-retracts during the day so we have plenty of room (in its retracted position it can be used as a lounger and so can be used during the day). Because we spend so much time in the van, I wouldn't want to have to make the bed from scratch every night (had that in our first van and would not go back).

 

[Lily]

Fixed Bed

very ,very much for fixed bed best thing we did , i do miss the extra seating we had ,but due to joint problems the making up of a bed became an issue
the most comfortable bed in our motorhome love it ,it is a tag wheel at 8.75m so room has not been an issue for us, My cousin has decided she is going fixed bed in her next van after staying in ours
everyones preferences is different .we carried memory foam for the van that needed beds made up ,yes more comfortable but took up room through the day ,

 

[Sharon the Cat]

When in France & you stop for a baguette, which is too big to fit in any cupboard, you just sling it on the fixed bed, on top of all the clothes etc. & it won't slide off.

 

[Robmac]

Definitely a fixed bed for us.

We have a 6 metre self build with a transverse double across the back. This leaves room for a toilet/shower compartment in the middle which is opposite a galley with fridge and oven/hob/grill. At the front we have an 'L' shaped sofa which leaves room for a small removable table.

Perfect for the 2 of us and the hound, and loads of storage under the bed.

 

[mistericeman]

When we decided to self build a fixed double was none negotiable.... Life's too short to be making and packing beds each day
And a proper mattress rather than a bit of foam.