How to choose the best mattress for an RV
Considering an RV is your home away from home on wheels, you’ll want a comfortable mattress that can mimic the same quality sleeps you have at your non-mobile home. Because let’s be honest, a home isn’t really ever a home until you can sleep comfortably.
Traditionally, mattresses that are already built into RVs tend to be lumpy, uncomfortable, and are usually made of low-quality materials that offer very little support. If you’re about to hit the road or you’re sneaking off for a camping trip, you might need to choose a better mattress for your house-on-wheels.
With that said, it’s important to do research and find a new mattress quickly. As always, doing your due diligence, studying a bunch of different sources and mattresses will help you sleep more comfortably while you’re travelling.
When it comes to the world of RV mattresses, there are five categories with different types, shapes, and sizes for you to consider when choosing a new mattress: memory foam, innersprings, air mattresses, latex, and polyurethane mattresses.
You’ll want to get some research done, read some customer reviews, and then test out some of them before buying one and driving off into the sunset.
Memory foam RV mattresses
The memory foam mattress is a very popular choice because they are made with comfort as the number one priority. Memory foam mattresses contour to your body and can adjust differently to each person to help alleviate stress, pain, and body aches.
Memory foam mattresses will also regulate your body’s temperature as it changes environments. While this can be ideal for travelling around in your RV, memory foam does have a tendency to sleep hot which could result in sweaty and uncomfortable sleeps, especially if you’re in an RV that can’t constantly run a fan or air conditioning.
If you’re looking into choosing a memory foam mattress for your RV, you might want to invest into one that has cooling agents that will help keep your body sleep cooler instead of waking up in a sweaty nightmare.
Innerspring RV mattresses
Innerspring mattresses don’t have the advanced technologies as some memory foam beds but they’re made from metal coils within padding that usually makes for a thick and comfortable sleep but they also breath well and tend to give off a cool sleep. If you’re stuck in an RV all summer, you might want to favour sleeping cool over sleeping thick.
Innerspring mattresses do tend to collect a lot of condensation that can get pretty annoying for sleepers because they start to feel a bit heavy.
But, compared to memory foam, innerspring mattresses are a lot more economical and equally dependable.
- PERFECT COMFORT. Short Queen RV mattress cradles you in a deluxe cushion of 2.5” Premium Air-Flow Memory Foam over 1” of Gel-Infused Visco Memory Foam plus 8.5” of High Density Support Base
- COOLER MATTRESS. Breathable, plush & quality short queen mattress, not cheap inexpensive foam. Balanced contouring that relaxes & cools your body. Designed for campers, trailers, RV's and trucks. No coils or latex used
- INSPIRED BY NATURE - Wholesome and natural ingredients, like green tea and moisture-absorbing charcoal work wonders in a mattress! And we’ve designed this one to control odors, maintain freshness, and envelop your shape so you awake restored and refreshed
- PRESSURE-RELIEVING FOAMS - 3 inches conforming memory foam, 2 inches airflow-enhancing comfort foam, and 5 inches durable, high density base support foam; ideal for stomach sleepers and petite to average-weight sleepers
- HELP SOLVE YOUR SLEEP PROBLEMS -- sweet night Full mattress is made of 4 layers & zoned Gel Memory Foam. Patented memory foam mattress keeps your body properly aligned, fully supported and relieves pressure at a comfortable, cool Temperature. Helps those with back pain, sweat. Feels rested and recharged from your partner night-time tossing and turning.
- TWO SIDES AVAILABLE TO SLEEP -- the Full size mattress designed to be flippable; allowing you to sleep on either side. The Top side with Gel memory Foam layer, is perfect for those who like sleeping “in” the sweet night mattress with a soft, cloud-like feel; while the bottom side with high density supportive foam, is great for those who like sleeping “on” a medium firm mattress. Ideal for all sleeping positions, especially for side sleeper.
- Transform your Sleep Until you’ve slept on the Serene 4” high density, pressure-relieving topper you won’t know how far we go for comfort. Made from 2.5 inches of temperature neutral gel memory foam and 1.5 inches of fluffy down alternative adds a plush layer of pressure-relieving comfort. A mattress topper + pad that gives any mattress a 5-star luxury feel night after night.
- Relieve Your Pain & Soreness Using thousands of testing hours and hundreds of reviews, we’ve designed the Serene dual layer mattress topper to balance softness & support. Relieve back, hip, and other bodily pains and general soreness associated with a firm mattress or worn-down support of your existing mattress.
- QUEEN MATTRESS TOPPER: This 4-inch mattress topper features a dual layer of quilted fiber fill and gel memory foam. Personalized, luxurious comfort for all night support.
- TWICE THE COMFORT: For the ultimate upgrade, get twice as comfortable. Enjoy the pillow-y comfort and lightness of 2-inches of quilted fiber fill, plus the all-over support of a second 2-inch layer of gel memory foam.
Air mattresses for RVs
While air mattresses are very convenient, they aren’t known to be very comfortable and are usually made from low-quality materials. Everyone has probably slept on an air mattress at some point in their life and the majority of experiences don’t tend to be very favourable.
But, because they can be deflated, they are exceptionally useful as storage, especially in an RV where every inch of space is of value. If you have a big family and only two beds in the RV, being able to unfold a mattress out of a closet and inflate it is very valuable. If you’re looking to maximize space, air mattresses might be your RV go-to.
Polyurethane RV mattresses
Polyurethane mattresses are the lowest quality of all five types of RV mattresses and are usually the standard that comes with the mobile homes. It’s usually made out of the stuff that low-grade couch cushions are made from but polyurethane foam is made out of flame resistant materials so it’s ideal to have in a small place that should not catch fire. Obviously, you never want a place you’re sleeping to catch fire but if you plan on living in a condensed RV for a while, having something that is resistant to fire is a real smart preventative choice.
If you’re on a tight budget, polyurethane mattresses are also very inexpensive and could be ideal for people on a lower budget.
Latex foam RV mattresses
The majority of latex foam mattresses are made out of natural and organic fibers which although eco-friendly, don’t tend to be as comfortable as memory foam or innerspring beds. Latex foams tend to be the least popular choice for RV mattress but they are known to be very long-lasting and durable.
Sizes
It’s always important to measure your RVs rooms before going ahead and buying one. Inside an RV, space is even more valuable than it is in a bedroom. You don’t really have many options when it comes to a mobile home versus in an apartment or house.
From bunk mattresses (42 inches by 80), to twin mattresses (38 inches by 80), king mattresses (72 inches by 80), and queens (66 inches by 80), it’s important to choose a size that fits well in a tiny space. If you’re going to be a lot of family members sleeping in the same RV room, you might want to favour a big size, like a king, over several twins.
Quality
There’s admittedly no better way to find out the long-term quality of mattresses than simply sleeping on them. Since you can’t realistically sleep on hundreds of mattresses at a time, the best remedy to see which mattresses are the best quality is to read a bunch of reviews online. Customers reviews are unbiased snippets of information and the more research you do, the better off you’ll be.
In the end, be sure to check in on RV mattress warranties before purchasing and make sure you’re getting something that is comfortable and optimizing as much space as possible. If you’re going to be spending a lot of time on the road, you’re going to want to make absolute sure that you’re comfortable.
