French Bed Caravan Mattresses

French Bed Caravan Mattresses Made to Measure

A French bed is the most popular bed configuration in modern touring caravans. Positioned lengthways along one side of the caravan, French beds feature a distinctive angled or curved corner cut-off that creates space for the walkway to the bathroom. Whether you need a left hand cut off caravan mattress or a right hand cut off mattress, we make French bed mattresses for every configuration.

We have been making French bed caravan mattresses for over 40 years. Whether your bed has a simple angled cut, a curved corner, or additional shaping at the head end, we will make a mattress that fits perfectly.

Understanding French Bed Terminology

The caravan industry uses different terms for the same thing, which causes confusion. Here is what they all mean:

French bed — A single bed positioned lengthways along one side of the caravan with a corner cut-off for the walkway. This is the bed type.

Left hand cut off / offside — The angled corner is on the left side of the mattress when viewed from the foot. The bed sits on the right-hand side of the caravan (driver's side in the UK).

Right hand cut off / nearside — The angled corner is on the right side of the mattress when viewed from the foot. The bed sits on the left-hand side of the caravan (passenger side in the UK).

If you are unsure which you have, send us a photo of your bed or tell us your caravan make and model — we will confirm the exact shape you need.

Left Hand Cut Off French Beds (Offside)

Left hand cut off French beds are the most common configuration. The bed sits on the driver's side of the caravan, with the angled corner on the left creating the walkway to the bathroom. Most Swift, Bailey, and Elddis French bed layouts use this configuration.

French Beds With Additional Corner Cuts

Some French beds have more than one corner cut. At the head of the bed, where it meets bedroom furniture like a wardrobe or dressing table, there may be a rounded corner or a sliced corner to accommodate the furniture profile.

These additional cuts catch people out. If you order a standard cut mattress for a bed that also has a rounded corner at the head, you will end up with a mattress that does not fit properly at one end. We need to know about all the corners — not just the main angled cut at the foot.

Right Hand Cut Off French Beds (Nearside)

Right hand cut off French beds have the angled corner on the right side of the mattress when viewed from the foot. The bed sits on the passenger side of the caravan (left-hand side in the UK). This configuration is less common than left hand cut off but still found in many caravan layouts, particularly some Lunar, Coachman and older models.

The same precision applies — we cut your mattress to match your specific bed shape, whether it is a simple angled cut or a more complex curved corner.

Motorhome French Beds

Motorhomes also use French bed configurations, though the shapes can be more complex. The mattress often needs to follow the curve of the vehicle body or fit around built-in furniture. The image below shows a motorhome French bed with a curved corner — this kind of precision shaping requires careful measurement and skilled cutting.

How to Measure a French Bed

For a standard French bed with one angled corner, we need five measurements: the overall length, the overall width, the length of the angled cut along the side, the length of the angled cut along the foot, and the mattress depth you want. Every product page on our website includes a clear measuring diagram showing exactly where to measure.

Not confident measuring? We will post you a free measuring kit when you place your order — a large sheet of craft paper and a marker pen. Simply lay the paper on your bed base and trace around the edge, or place your existing mattress on top and draw around it. No measuring tape required, no maths, no guesswork. Post the template back to us (free returns postage included) and we will cut your mattress to match it precisely.

If your bed has additional corners — a rounded corner at the head, for example, or a curved cut rather than a straight angle — the template method works perfectly. Just trace the shape and we will handle the rest.

If you know your caravan make, model and year, we may already have the dimensions on file. We have been making French bed caravan mattresses for over 40 years and have recorded measurements for thousands of caravan layouts.

Choosing the Right Mattress for Your French Bed

French beds in caravans do not usually have lift-up storage mechanisms, which means you can choose any mattress type without worrying about weight. This gives you complete freedom to select based on comfort preference rather than practical constraints.

Our Bodyshape memory foam mattresses are popular for French beds because they offer excellent pressure relief and conform to body shape. For those who prefer a more traditional feel with extra support, our Imperial Elite 2000 pocket sprung mattresses deliver hotel-quality comfort.

We can make French bed caravan mattresses in depths from 5cm to 25cm. Most caravan owners are surprised by how much headroom they actually have — a deeper mattress transforms sleep quality without any clearance issues.

The Importance of Precise Corner Cutting

Cutting an angled corner in foam is straightforward. Making a cover that follows every millimetre of that angle — with no bunching, no puckering, no shortcuts — is where craftsmanship matters. This is what separates a proper bespoke mattress from a modified off-the-shelf product.

Look at the corners on any of our French bed caravan mattresses and you will see the cover shaped and sewn to follow the exact contour of the cut. Whether it is a simple 45-degree angle, a curved corner, or a complex multi-corner configuration, our seamstresses sew each cover by hand to match the foam shape precisely.

Most caravan mattress manufacturers use generic covers stretched over approximate shapes. When they encounter a non-standard angle, they compromise — either the cover bunches up, or they round off the shape, or they refuse the order entirely. We do not compromise. If your French bed has an unusual corner configuration, we will make a mattress that fits perfectly.

Caravan Brands With French Beds

French beds are common across all major UK caravan manufacturers. We make French bed mattresses for:

Swift: Challenger, Elegance, Sprite, Eccles, Celebration, Conqueror and more

Bailey: Unicorn, Pegasus, Phoenix, Alicanto and more

Elddis: Avante, Affinity, Crusader and more

Lunar: Clubman, Delta, Quasar and more

Coachman: VIP, Laser, Pastiche and more

If you have a caravan with a French bed from any manufacturer, we can make a replacement mattress for it.