Mattress topper for roof bed

[GeorgeG]

After about a total of eight weeks camping in the MP my wife has decided that the roof bed is not good for back, despite her being a regular member of a Pilates group.
We’ve previously owned a VW California which caused no problems, but that was over ten years ago; and a Westfalia Columbus, but that had a massive bed with thick mattress.
I have two questions:
1) could a mattress topper help and if so, any recommendations for type, size or thickness?

2) could I risk leaving a topper on the roof bed when closing the roof without causing the roof mechanism to malfunction?

Any suggestions gratefully received.

 

[Epigram]

Hi George G
A Comfortable night’s sleep is a high priority, especially for a wife !
We use an IKEA single bed mattress topper for the downstairs bed instead of the one provided by Mercedes which takes up a lot of space in the rear storage area.
The IKEA topper is about 3 cm thick and slightly narrower than the upstairs mattress. Both get stored up top, sometimes with a duvet, and the roof closes without problem.
As a precaution I tend to pull the mattress slightly forward and close the bed base up to the roof before lowering the roof so that the lowering mechanism does not encounter any extra load in compressing the mattress. NB. From memory this sequence is different to the closing instructions and I take extra care to ensure that nothing is poking out or catching.
I have not slept on the two together but I imagine it would be very confortable and I would have trouble getting up in the morning.

 

[GeorgeG]

Hi George G
A Comfortable night’s sleep is a high priority, especially for a wife !
We use an IKEA single bed mattress topper for the downstairs bed instead of the one provided by Mercedes which takes up a lot of space in the rear storage area.
The IKEA topper is about 3 cm thick and slightly narrower than the upstairs mattress. Both get stored up top, sometimes with a duvet, and the roof closes without problem.
As a precaution I tend to pull the mattress slightly forward and close the bed base up to the roof before lowering the roof so that the lowering mechanism does not encounter any extra load in compressing the mattress. NB. From memory this sequence is different to the closing instructions and I take extra care to ensure that nothing is poking out or catching.
I have not slept on the two together but I imagine it would be very confortable and I would have trouble getting up in the morning.

Many thanks for speedy reply. Funnily enough, we thought we would drop in at IKEA in Bristol on our way home from a few days in Wales.
I’ve just looked at the Ikea mattress toppers on their website. The single is only 90cm wide whereas the upper bed is approx 107cm wide. Isn’t that a bit narrow to work? The lower bed is only 1 or perhaps a max 2cm narrower.

 

[Epigram]

The Ikea topper was one we had to hand.
Agreed it’s is a bit narrow but 90 cm is a wide single bed and the bits of me that hang over the edge don’t seem to be bothered Being narrower means there is less chance of anything getting caught up when dropping th roof.

 

[GeorgeG]

The Ikea topper was one we had to hand.
Agreed it’s is a bit narrow but 90 cm is a wide single bed and the bits me that hang over the edge don’t seem to be bothered Being narrower means there is less chance of anything getting caught up when dropping th roof.

I’m sure it’s better being slightly narrower than wider. We’ll probably try the IKEA one - I’ll report back on how we find it.

 

[askho]

I’m sure it’s better being slightly narrower than wider. We’ll probably try the IKEA one - I’ll report back on how we find it.

I can confirm it's much better to have a wider one. I bought one of those single self inflating mattress/topper for the bottom bed and it was most uncomfortable because I kept feeling the edges when I turned. I then bought a double one which was a bit too wide to fit but I just folded the edges up the side. Far more comfortable and had a good night sleep.

 

[mptripsaway]

Many thanks for speedy reply. Funnily enough, we thought we would drop in at IKEA in Bristol on our way home from a few days in Wales.
I’ve just looked at the Ikea mattress toppers on their website. The single is only 90cm wide whereas the upper bed is approx 107cm wide. Isn’t that a bit narrow to work? The lower bed is only 1 or perhaps a max 2cm narrower.

It may be worth trying to fit the 90cm topper centrally underneath the main mattress giving you the same amount of padding but no little edges to fall off

 

[GeorgeG]

After looking at various toppers yesterday we decided on a wool mattress topper from Devon Duvets. This was largely because,when I contacted them to ask about sizes, they advised me they make a lot of bespoke toppers for caravans and motorhomes and could make one for me to the exact size to fit the mattress. The price was virtually the same as the retail price (John Lewis) of the single 90cm wide mattress topper and is made in a couple of days of order and despatched carriage free for next day delivery.

Reviews are very good - supportive, comfortable, breathable etc. Also, it should be possible to leave it in the roof.
I should get it next week, but as we’re away before it arrives (at neighbours) I won’t be able to test it until next month. I’ll report back.

 

[GeorgeG]

The topper has arrived from Devon Duvets and is beautifully made and very good value. We’ve not slept on it, but lying on it, it feels very supportive. Unfortunately, because it’s quite dense and doesn’t flatten very easily (a good thing when in use) it isn’t possible to shut the roof with it in place on top of the Froli mattress . However, it comes in a bag (cube shape) and fits in the boot ok.
If we get an opportunity to test it in the next couple of months I’ll report back. May not be this year as our next two trips are in a plane.

 

[pumpsmynads]

Hi George. Did u get 108x200 size in the end from Devon Duvets? That’s the size of the Mercedes topper u can specify with the marco Polo.

edit. Yours was for the upper bed so ignore the above

 

[thespoddy]

After about a total of eight weeks camping in the MP my wife has decided that the roof bed is not good for back, despite her being a regular member of a Pilates group.
We’ve previously owned a VW California which caused no problems, but that was over ten years ago; and a Westfalia Columbus, but that had a massive bed with thick mattress.
I have two questions:
1) could a mattress topper help and if so, any recommendations for type, size or thickness?

2) could I risk leaving a topper on the roof bed when closing the roof without causing the roof mechanism to malfunction?

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Hi. What is in your roof? Surely there is a layer of foam over the plastic springs?

 

[GeorgeG]

Hi. What is in your roof? Surely there is a layer of foam over the plastic springs?

Obviously. Compared to the Westfalia Columbus, the mattress on the MP is about half the thickness. We are in our seventies and very trim, but skeletons wear out eventually!
Due to health issues, I now sleep downstairs with the Devon Duvet’s wool mattress topper which is excellent. My wife soldiers on ‘upstairs’, but we no longer go away for 6/8 week trips - at least for now - so the back issue is not a problem as it’s usually due to sleeping on a relatively unsupportive bed for several weeks.

 

[CT1664]

We’ve just bought an IKEA single topper based on the advice in this thread. As we both have bad backs and a good nights sleep has so far evaded us in the van, it was a necessary purchase and I’m pleased to say the combination of MB mattress and IKEA mattress is very comfortable, BUT, and it’s a big BUT, the roof won’t close with both mattresses up top

 

[Epigram]

We’ve just bought an IKEA single topper based on the advice in this thread. As we both have bad backs and a good nights sleep has so far evaded us in the van, it was a necessary purchase and I’m pleased to say the combination of MB mattress and IKEA mattress is very comfortable, BUT, and it’s a big BUT, the roof won’t close with both mattresses up top

Sorry to hear that CT1664.
How wide is your topper? The topper we use for the bottom but store up top is slightly narrower than the upper bed and about 50mm thick so that nothing overhangs the original mattress. I pull the topper forwards to ensure there is no overhang at the back. The bed base can be lifted and attached with the still roof up without any significant extra pressure /tension on the bed base attachment straps before lowering the roof.
When the roof is then closed there is no additional load closing the roof and it shuts normally.
In view of the issues with roofs, including cracking, I am particularly careful not to put any additional load on the roof structure or mechanism, I therefore I always lower the bed before raising the roof. I doubt whether this makes any difference but I am sensitive to the whining of those screw jacks.

 

[Webbah]

You can order this from Mercedes (Dormiente) and I hear it is super comfortable but it's quite pricey too:

dormiente® Naturlatexmatratze für Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo Dachbett

Dormiente Naturlatexmatratze für die Mercedes-Benz V-Klasse Marco Polo. Passend für das Dachbett

www.mercedes-parts-and-more.de

 

[Brucyboy2]

After looking at various toppers yesterday we decided on a wool mattress topper from Devon Duvets. This was largely because,when I contacted them to ask about sizes, they advised me they make a lot of bespoke toppers for caravans and motorhomes and could make one for me to the exact size to fit the mattress. The price was virtually the same as the retail price (John Lewis) of the single 90cm wide mattress topper and is made in a couple of days of order and despatched carriage free for next day delivery.

Reviews are very good - supportive, comfortable, breathable etc. Also, it should be possible to leave it in the roof.
I should get it next week, but as we’re away before it arrives (at neighbours) I won’t be able to test it until next month. I’ll report back.

Yes I have the same beautiful nights sleep