No caravanning this week. Well no actual sleeping in the van.

While we were in Wales last weekend we decided to invest in a new mattress. We found a local company online that could supply a custom shape mattress, we contacted them by email while we were still away and got a quote and all the information we needed. I bought a tape measure and measured the original mattress and made a diagram which I attached to an email on Saturday evening ordering a 9″ deep Orthopaedic mattress with a 2″ memory foam insert.

On Tuesday morning while back at work I got an email from Janet at Custom Made Mattresses telling me that our new mattress will be ready for collection on Saturday after 2pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday morning we went to the van to remove the old mattress which turned out to be just a foam mattress, I had actually thought it was sprung, it must have been the slats I could feel. On closer inspection the slats were actually bent, the wrong way! Bed slats should be sprung slightly so that with no weight on them they should bend up away from the bed frame in the middle. These sagged so I decided that the bed could do with some more support. I have decided to try to get another of the centre bars that you can see in the picture and install it down the middle of the right side of the bed.
However after the struggle to get the new mattress into place it may be easier to add a couple of sheets of plywood between the mattress and the slats. I may see if I can replace the slats first.
I know caravan beds are not made for everyday use but the design of these beds are quite poor. If you go around most bed shops a slatted base will usually have 2 sets of slats on a double bed i.e. each side has its own slats therefore the slats are only half the with of the bed making them stronger and easier to replace. I now need to start the hunt for bed slats of the right length, width and thickness to fit as I have no doubt that the Swift group will charge an absolute fortune for a replacement set.

 

So the new mattress is in. It was quite a struggle, and it does weigh a bit more than the old one so we have added a bit of weight to the back of the van so we will need to see how that effects the towing. We will probably have to counterbalance  the effect by moving some weight forward.

I of course didn’t really test out the new mattress so once we have slept on it for a few nights I will get back to you. I was impressed with the service at Custom Made Mattresses and the price which was pretty acceptable too.

Custom Made Mattresses
1 Harrowby Street
Farnworth
Bolton BL4 7BU
Tel: 01204 412097/575829
Mob: 07890 580516
Web: www.custommademattress.co.uk