What do you recommend for bedding?

[SillyBilly]

Hi

My caravan has one double bed (or 2 singles) and four single bunks which are about 2ft wide! The home bedding is too big and anyway I would like to keep separate bedding. What do you recommend - sheet and blankets, sleeping bags (filling? brand? tog rating?), small duvets (filling? tog rating?)?

What tog rating for summer holidays? spring/autumn?

What pillows would you recommend?

The caravan does have Truma heating so would summer ratings be OK all year?

 

[Chrissylizzie]

Hi SillyBilly

You will get many different replies to these questions, depending on each persons preference, and I think this should be part of your decision. What do YOU like to use at home?

If you have to make the beds up every night, I personally like things which are easy and for us (we use two singles mainly) we use a single duvet to sleep on and a single duvet over the top.

I did cut the bottom ones narrower and altered the covers so they are just the width of the bed. We also use 4.5 togs for the summer and 10.5 with a blanket or 13.5 for the winter, or maybe you would chose to use 4.5 all year and keep the heating on. As for pillows, get what's comfortable for you. A good night's sleep is just as important in the caravan as it is at home.

Another alternative is the Duvalay by Raskelf, which is a sort of sleeping bag but much less restrictive than usual ones.

They are a tad pricey but very practical and you can see them on their website. I was advised to buy the summer one of these

and use an extra blanket if necessary and that has worked well.Hope this helps a little.

Chris

 

[SillyBilly]

Hi Chrissylizzie

Thanks for the suggestions. The obvious one is the sleeping bag but I found in the past (15 years ago) it was too hot and restrictive. We all prefer duvets at home partly because they are light and bedmaking is easy! The problem is the size as the single bunks are very narrow. It might have to be sheets and cellular blankets unless someone has other suggestions. I had thought of using 10 togs but it might be too hot - 4.5 tog might not be hot enough! I am looking for a solution which is warm enough, light, not too restrictive, and convenient to make up a bed and store. Can't afford to get it wrong so 'twice thought and once bought'

 

[Carole_374312871]

Hi there,

We have just returned from 12 weeks away and were pleased with our choice of bedding. Took two king size duvets, when the bed was made up we used one under and one over us,very comfy!!

When we were too lazy and used the [narrow but comfy] singles,we had a duvet each and cuddled into it folded in half,so it was again both under and over.

They are both about 9 tog which was ideal.

A friend passed on the brilliant idea of getting two of those big sturdy chequered bags, plastic with zip across the top. The duvet and pillow [we each took our favourite from home] fitted in and we stored them in the shower room during the day. Sorted!!

Cheers, Carole

 

[SillyBilly]

Hi Carole,

Thanks for the suggestion. I like the possibility of using 2 king size duvets for a either a double bed or 2 single beds. With the narrow width of the singles having a fold means you can have the opening on the 'access' side, though you could do the same with an unzipped sleeping bag. What are these big sturdy chequered zipped bags - sounds like an awning bag!

 

[Carole_374312871]

Hello Sillbilly

No, its not a awning bag, they are about 30" high, 30" wide and when in use about 9" deep. Like a very big shopping bag with handles. Very sturdy plastic and as I said, red or blue check usually. You get them from mini market type shops [you know the kind, selling kitchen bits and bobs] and they cost only

 

[ValA.]

If it's any help, when my sons were small we used normal single duvets on the bunks, with the extra bit tucked under the mattress on the 'wall side'. This kept the duvet in place even with very wriggly restless children. We just used the lightest weight ones, as they always seemed warm enough and were thin enough to tuck under without bulging mattresses. I think we bought them from Ikea.

On our double bed we just used normal sheets, pillows and a duvet. We had a four seasons duvet, with two separate bits which velcro'd together - so warm enough for the winter, cool enough for summer. At that time our van had 4 bolster cushion covers in the same fabric as the seats, into which you popped your pillows after using them at night - a very sensible idea to me, but one that I've not seen elsewhere. Like Carole we kept the duvets in those cheapo bags when not in use and we had washable duvets which could be laundered at the end of a season, or after a particularly hot holiday.

We don't have children with us any more, and now have a fixed bed, so before we go away I make the bed up, and take a spare set of bedding with us. We're still using our 4 seasons duvets which were also bought from Ikea!

 

[jlplatts]

Hi, my caravan bedding is worn out and I am searching for bedding but unable to find. Do you

 

[Raywood]

Not sure what you are looking for but if it is bedding made to fit your caravan beds then the best bet is Jonic who specialise in this at quite reasonable prices.

 

[Hutch]

We have the side double bed with a memory foam 2" topper and then a matress protector. Just a normal double fitted sheet and a normal 4.5 tog duvet all year round, heating set at 10c for nights.
If we have friends stay with us , just a blanket and sheet on the made up double, and get them to bring their own Duvet. Or sleeping bag.
When my wife bought Items from Jonic at the NEC several year ago, it took a long delivery time, and said the quality was not as expected, maybe improved now though.

 

[Mogwyth]

We started out with sleeping bag but soon switched to normal bedding, duvet etc we stick to a 4.5t and then the heating if necessary when on EHU, but if we are on gas then we take a an 10.5 from home, save on the gas costs

 

[Mel]

This is an old thread you have found. Anyway, we have bought shaped bedding from two specialist places. It is not cheap and the quality is not what I would expect for the money. I certainly wouldn't bother with a shaped duvet or duvet cover again. The shaped fitted sheet is a pig to get on a fixed near side bed and before buying another I will try a standard double fitted sheet.
Hope this helps
Mel

 

[paws]

We use cheapo polyester filled cotton covered sleeping bags.... they must be at least 20 years old.... perhaps older
They suit us perfectly. here's how we use them:

Summer Sleeping bag is zipped down one side and across the bottom--- fully open remaining side

Autumn Sleeping bag is zipped up 25% of the way on the "remaining side"

Winter Sleeping bag is zipped up 75% on "remaining side" with a cheapo car rug over the gap

Spring Same as for Autumn

Works well for us, no feeling of being trussed up but nice and snug.... the remaining side is able to be adjusted to suit the individual circumstances.

Hope this helps
Happy Caravanning
paws

 

[DavenGill1]

We have have a fitted sheet for our transverse bed with a 4.5 tog quilt, if it gets cold we turn on the heating. If we use in winter we take our 10.5tog from home.

 

[jamestaylor18]

We have a two birth van. When we first got it, instead of making up the double each night, we slept on the sofa's left as singles. This was some what uncomfortable, so we started making the double up, which was better. One thing to note is to make sure you sleep on the underside of the sofa cushions, as they are flat and much nicer to sleep on. Tesco have got offers on mattress protectors, which are only thin, but padded and make the double even comfier.

I just use a sleeping bag, but unzip it and open it out. Went to Devon on mid September, and didn't need to heating on apart from one morning when it had been down to

 

[Parksy]

This is an old thread you have found. Anyway, we have bought shaped bedding from two specialist places. It is not cheap and the quality is not what I would expect for the money. I certainly wouldn't bother with a shaped duvet or duvet cover again. The shaped fitted sheet is a pig to get on a fixed near side bed and before buying another I will try a standard double fitted sheet.
Hope this helps
Mel

We used to have trouble with the fitted sheet but our fitting arrangement works like this.

[*]We arrange the fitted sheet so that the corners are close to the matress corners
[*]I stand nearest to the headboard, lean across to grab the far corner and lift it back from the bed frame
[*]Herself is kneeling on the bottom part of the matress and quickly puts the top far corner in place.
[*]We do the same for the bottom of the matress after raising the 'venetian blind' from the tv aperture so that I can lean through to pull the matress corner back
[*]We stretch the fitted sheet back and provided that the opposite corners are properly in place the corners nearest to us are dead easy. It only takes a minute to fit the sheet.
We now use Jonic caravan bedding, their products can be seen fitted to the caravans on show at the NEC and I think that they do demonstrations there on how to put their bedding onto caravan beds.