Leaving island bed upright for the winter

[sarahc_]

Hi,

We've recently upgraded our caravan and it has an island bed which we didn't have before, with storage underneath. As usual in the winter we'll be removing bedding, taking cushions off and all the usual stuff to make sure the vents can do their job to improve ventilation. The caravan is in storage this time as it couldn't fit on our driveway but I can visit fairly regularly as it's only 5 mins down the road.

I just wanted to ask, what people usually do with island beds? Should they be left in the upright position on the struts (I think this is the correct term!), or will this put strain on them? I don't want to damage the hydraulics part of that lift mechanism or anything, so asking for some advice on what others do!

Thanks

PS. We do plan on using the van a little bit over the winter anyway so it won't be stored for 2/3 months without any use at all.

 

[ProfJohnL]

When storing your caravan it is always best to maximise the the free air movement into all the nooks and crannies to reduce or avoid the possibility of condensation leading to mould, so if you can give the storage space free access to air all the better. Incidentally if the the struts ( good name) are the pneumatic types, then it makes no difference if they are extended or compressed when in storage.

 

[toad a caravan]

Standing the mattress as you are considering doing is what my cousin does when on a storage site in Cornwall,never had any issues

 

[sarahc_]

Thanks... I will leave it in the upright position then and see how it goes.

 

[borderbilly]

Yes leave it upright, after all you don't relax the spring/suspension on your car when parking up 👍

 

[GUMPY]

We just remove the bedding and that's it.
Cushions get left in position.
Never felt the need to do anything else.
It may help that it's milder down here in North Devon we may see a frost if we are unlucky.

 

[RogerL]

We don't remove anything for winter or move cushions, anything perishable is removed after each trip.

Many people confuse damp and cold when testing by touch.

 

[Buckman]

We have had caravans with island beds for over 20 years and never bot0ehred with leaving bed upright. As long as the vents are not blocked, there should not be any issues.