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Mattress Toppers or a way to make the beds useable.

A

Alistair Hardy

Messages
89
Location
East Anglia
Vehicle
T5 SE 180
Hello,
I have discovered just how hard the mattresses are in the Cali T5 I have.
I've seen talk about mattress toppers
Do they really make a significant difference?
Do they stay on the when the beds are packed away?
If so can anyone recommend a particular type for best results please
 
Hi, there are lots of threads on this, but for us the S2S deluxe Campervan self inflating mattress was a game changer. We sleep downstairs but store the S2S partially inflated in the roof (the upper mattress does have to be removed though). Before we got the S2S we use to bring the upper mattress down from the roof and put it on top of the comfort mattress which helped a little.
 
There have been numerous threads on this, but Like yourself we struggled to get comfortable up top. Our solution was a topper from Dunelm and two Kelty Galactic sleeping matts. We deflate the pads and leave them up top but bring all other bedding down. The Kelty are 600mm wide so two fit in the width available. A small electric pump to inflate and they pop up in place. We find the topper is enough of a gap so you are not on the plastic type inflatable bed direct. It has been a lot of different combinations for us to get to this point! But we all sleep different. Sleep tight and nighty nighty.
 
Can you have the upper bed ‘up’ with bedding on top when the roof is popped?
 
@Alistair Hardy , we tried numerous things and the only way we got a good nights sleep was replacing the mattress up top with the rock n roll 120 .
you can leave this in place up top with the lid down if you use a USB air pump to suck out the air.

Now the T6 has gone we have one for sale which is brand new and unused if you want to message me.

 
Another vote for the Sea to Summit self inflating mattress. After 6 years of Cali ownership and trying numerous toppers in various combinations, thanks to recommendations from this forum, we have finally hit upon a really comfortable nights sleep. I forgot to inflate it one night and it was still more comfortable than anything we have tried before. The other big advantage is that unlike a normal inflating mattress, which draws any heat out of you, the S2S is insulated and we just sleep under a duvet. Just been away in 30 degrees and we didn’t find it hot to sleep on either so I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.
 
We use a zone sleep topper, it is a lower bed one but fits upstairs too.
Carry it on parcel shelf as it folds to exact size with 3 included fold lines.
Obviously it has to be lifted to upper bed and unfoded for use but we find this easy even though it is quite floppy to manouvre.
Not everyone is a fan of the zonesleep topper but it is ok for our needs which is an extra bit of padding for shoulders and hips.
Good luck with you perfect sleep search.
 
Like you we are new to this game and found the upstairs mattress very uncomfortable. We opted for a Panda topper. At £135 its a bit cheaper than the Duvalay. It is not the exact same size as the VW mattress but is close enough not to be noticeable. Having used it on 3 trips it makes for a much more comfortable nights sleep. It is not possible to leave it in place with the pop top closed so there is a bit of faffing involved but we don't find it too big of a deal. With the pop top up the ceiling can be raised with the topper in place.

 
Our secondhand Beach came with the VW ‘comfort mattress’, that I know many here don’t rate that highly. I find it ok but firm. It’s much better with a zonesleep topper. I’m quite a warm sleeper and get clammy on memory foam, so I appreciate the ventilated nature of the zone sleep.
(For storage, I roll it up, with fitted sheet, duvet and pillows inside, and hold it together with a utility strap. That sits on top of the folded comfort mattress on top of the multi board. Then it’s quick and easy to make the bed up again.)
 
We went through a lot of different mattresses and toppers to improve the comfort in our T6. A combination of the zonesleep and a topper was pretty good, but we were getting p’d with lugging the extra stuff. In the end we bit the bullet and bought the Squergo upgrade (replaces the wooden slats with plastic springs, like in the T6.1), together their own mattress. Because the springs are a lower profile than the slats, it means you can have a mattresss] that’s 1cm thicker. It’s definitely more comfortable - and now the van is nowhere near as crammed with gear and setting up is very quick.
The only bad news is that since (that oh-so-great UK foreign policy decision of 2016), Squergo no longer ship to the Uk. So I had to get it delivered to a work colleague in Belgium and travelled over to pick it up.
 
@Alistair Hardy , we tried numerous things and the only way we got a good nights sleep was replacing the mattress up top with the rock n roll 120 .
you can leave this in place up top with the lid down if you use a USB air pump to suck out the air.

Now the T6 has gone we have one for sale which is brand new and unused if you want to message me.

Hi AdyB, Could be interested in your rock n roll 120. How much would you want for it?
Thanks, Clive.
 
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