Made to Measure Caravan Mattresses

Made to Measure Mattresses — Any Size & Shape

Every caravan, motorhome, and boat bed is different. Some are close to a standard single. Many are not. Island beds have bolster sections. French beds sit off-centre. V-berths taper to a point. Corner beds need notches cut around cabinet legs. If you have ever tried to make a standard mattress work in a non-standard space, you already know why made to measure matters.

We have been cutting mattresses to order in Birmingham for over 40 years. We hold dimensions for thousands of caravan models in our pattern database — covering island beds, French beds, fixed doubles, and every configuration in between. If we have made a mattress for your model before, we will already have your dimensions on file. If not, we will guide you through measuring or send you a free measuring kit.

Why Standard Mattress Sizes Don't Work in Caravans

A standard UK single mattress is 90 x 190 cm. A standard double is 135 x 190 cm. Neither of those measurements appears in most caravan bed configurations. Caravan manufacturers design beds to fit the available floorplan — and that floorplan is dictated by the chassis, the furniture layout, and the habitation space, not by any mattress standard.

This means almost every caravan bed is a non-standard size, and many have shapes that make the problem worse than just a wrong width or length. Here is what we see regularly:

• Swift island beds have a consistent quarter-circle radius curve at the foot end. It is one of the more predictable shapes in the industry — Swift have used the same radius across most of their island bed models for many years, which is why we can usually cut a Swift mattress straight from our records without needing the customer to measure. A standard square-cornered mattress will not sit flush on a Swift base. The gap at the foot corners is visible and the mattress rocks on the platform.
• Bailey island beds are more complicated. Most Bailey models have a shaped foot end, but Bailey changed the exact curve on certain models — including the Cartagena — between production years. The same model name from two different years can require a different cut. This is one of the reasons we ask for the model year, not just the model name. A mattress cut to a 2017 Cartagena pattern may not fit a 2019 Cartagena.
• Coachman island beds frequently have cabinet extrusions that project into the corners of the bed platform. These are structural — part of the furniture frame — and they cannot be moved. The mattress needs precise corner notches cut to clear them. Get the notch dimensions wrong by even a centimetre and the mattress will not sit flat. We have Coachman patterns going back decades and know exactly where these notches need to fall on most models.
• Fixed bed caravans — fixed doubles and fixed singles — are almost never a standard width. 117 cm, 122 cm, 128 cm are common. None of those are a standard double. A 135 cm mattress on a 122 cm base overhangs by 13 cm on one side. A mattress cut to 122 cm fits flush and stays put.
• French beds — the diagonal-cut nearside or offside beds found in many two-berth and four-berth caravans — have a corner removed to create a walkway to the rear of the caravan. The angle of that diagonal varies by model. A standard rectangle will block the walkway entirely on one side, or leave a large triangular gap on the other.

The only reliable answer is a mattress cut to the actual dimensions of your specific bed base. Not the catalogue dimensions for your model. Not an approximation. The actual base in your actual caravan.

Our 40-Year Pattern Database — What It Means in Practice

Over 40 years of making caravan mattresses, we have built up a database of cut patterns covering thousands of caravan models. For most popular makes and models, we already have the exact dimensions on file — including the radius of curved corners, the angle of diagonal cuts, the size and position of cabinet notches, and the dimensions of the bolster section on island bed configurations.

For the brands we work with most regularly — Swift, Bailey, Coachman, Elddis, Lunar, Hobby, and Buccaneer — our records go back across multiple decades of production. For many customers, the process is simply: tell us your make, model, and year, and we cut from our records. No measuring required.

But the database has limits, and we are honest about them. Caravan manufacturers do not always publish their bed dimensions, and they do not always notify dealers or customers when those dimensions change between model years. We have found discrepancies on Bailey models where the foot-end curve changed mid-production run with no announcement. We have found Elddis models where the island bed width changed by 3 cm between the same model in consecutive years. When we know a model has year-on-year variation, we flag it and ask for confirmation before we cut.

If your caravan is not in our database, or if you have a pre-owned caravan where the original mattress has already been replaced and you cannot be sure what was original, we will always ask you to measure or send us a paper template. A pattern on file is only useful if it matches your actual caravan.

Every Shape We Cut

Most caravan mattresses look like a rectangle at first glance. Many are not, once you look at the corners, the ends, or the overall geometry. Here are the shapes we produce regularly:

If your shape is not on that list, contact us. We have cut some unusual configurations over the years. Bring us the dimensions and we will tell you whether it is achievable.

Made to Measure Memory Foam Mattresses

Our memory foam mattresses use Bodyshape viscoelastic foam. It reacts to body heat and weight, softening where pressure is greatest and firming up elsewhere — distributing your weight across the whole sleeping surface rather than concentrating it at hips and shoulders. For anyone who wakes up stiff or uncomfortable on the original caravan mattress, this is usually the single biggest improvement they can make.

There are a few things worth knowing about memory foam in a caravan context that most suppliers will not tell you:

• Depth matters far more than most people realise. The original mattress in most caravans is 10–12 cm deep, and much of that is cheap, low-density foam. A 15 cm Bodyshape memory foam mattress is a fundamentally different sleeping experience — not a marginal improvement. A 20 cm mattress is better still. Most caravan bases have considerably more headroom available than the original mattress uses. It is always worth measuring the gap between your bed base and the underside of any overhead locker or fixed furniture before deciding on depth.
• Memory foam holds a cut edge cleanly. This matters when we are cutting corner notches for Coachman cabinet extrusions, or radius curves for Swift island beds. Cheap foam compresses at the cut edge and the shape slowly distorts over time. Bodyshape memory foam at the density we use holds its cut geometry. The notch stays the same shape it was when it left our workshop.
• Cold affects memory foam. In a caravan that has been standing in winter, memory foam will feel firmer until it warms up — this is normal behaviour for viscoelastic foam and resolves within 20–30 minutes of use. It is not a fault. If you use your caravan year-round in cold weather, a dual-layer construction — Reflex base with Bodyshape comfort layer on top — gives you the pressure relief of memory foam with a firmer baseline that is less affected by cold temperatures.
• The two-layer construction is a genuine upgrade. A Reflex foam base provides structural support and immediate bounce-back response. The Bodyshape comfort layer on top provides pressure relief. The combination performs better than a single-layer memory foam mattress for heavier users and for anyone who finds pure memory foam too slow to respond when turning over in the night.

Made to measure memory foam mattresses are available from 5 cm to 25 cm deep, in any size and any shape we cut. A zip-off washable cover is available as an option — particularly useful in caravans where condensation over the winter months can be an issue.

Made to Measure Foam Mattresses

Reflex foam is a high-density, open-cell polyurethane foam. It is firm, supportive, and long-lasting. It does not develop soft spots, it does not collapse at the edges over time, and it cuts cleanly to any shape — which matters when precision matters.

The foam used in most standard caravan mattresses — the one that came with your caravan when it was new — is typically 28 kg per cubic metre or lower. It is cheap, it is light, and it degrades quickly under regular use. You will feel it bottoming out within a few years, and in some cases within a single season of heavy use. Our standard Reflex foam starts at 33 kg per cubic metre and goes up to 39 kg per cubic metre for our firmer options. That difference in density is directly felt as a difference in support, and a difference in how long the mattress lasts.

A few practical points on Reflex foam for caravan use:

• It is the lightest option we offer. A 15 cm Reflex foam mattress weighs noticeably less than the equivalent in memory foam or pocket sprung. This matters when you are lifting an island bed platform to access storage, or manoeuvring a mattress through a caravan door on a site without a lot of space around the van.
• It responds immediately. Unlike memory foam, Reflex foam bounces back as soon as you move. Many sleepers — particularly those who move around a lot in the night — find this preferable to the slower, enveloping response of memory foam.
• It is available in the widest depth range. From 5 cm for a bunk or overhead bed with limited headroom, through to 25 cm for a generous fixed double. If depth is constrained by your caravan layout, Reflex gives you the most options.
• It is the most cost-effective entry point. If your priority is a properly made mattress cut to the right size and shape — rather than a specific foam performance — a Reflex mattress cut to your exact dimensions is the straightforward, durable choice.

We also offer open coil sprung and Imperial Elite 2000 pocket sprung options for customers who prefer a sprung mattress. Both can be made to measure. Pocket sprung mattresses require a greater minimum depth than foam options, so if your base is shallow, foam is likely the more practical choice. Call us if you are unsure — we will tell you what is achievable for your specific dimensions.

Made to Measure vs Custom Size vs Bespoke — What's the Difference?

Nothing. Not when it comes to what we actually make.

The terms are used interchangeably by different customers and different websites. Some people say "made to measure caravan mattress" because that is the language they are used to from tailoring. Some say custom size caravan mattress because they know the measurement is non-standard and just need it cutting to size. Some say bespoke caravan mattress because they know their requirement is unusual and the word "bespoke" signals that.

All three arrive at the same result: a mattress cut and finished by hand to the precise dimensions you give us.

How to Get Your Measurements to Us

There are three ways to give us what we need — and we will always tell you which one we think is right for your situation.

Option 1: We may already have your dimensions. Tell us your caravan make, model, and year and we will check our records. For most popular models from the brands listed above, we will already have the exact cut pattern on file. If we do, we will confirm the dimensions back to you before we cut anything. This is the quickest route for most customers.

Option 2: Measure yourself. For a plain rectangle, this is straightforward — length and width of the base at the widest points, and the depth you want. For shaped mattresses, it gets more complex. Measuring a radius curve accurately requires either measuring the radius itself or measuring the chord and the height of the arc. Most people do not have the tools or the confidence to do this precisely, and a radius that is 5 cm out will produce a mattress with a visible gap at the curved corner. If your mattress has any curves, diagonal cuts, or corner notches, we would always recommend the paper template instead.

Option 3: Our free measuring kit. This is the method we recommend for any mattress with a non-rectangular shape. We post you a roll of large craft paper and a marker pen, free of charge. You lay the paper over your bed base, trace around the entire edge — including every curve, notch, and angle — fold it up, and post it back in the same packaging using the pre-paid returns label we include. Postage is free both ways. When the paper arrives, we cut your mattress directly from your traced outline.

The reason the paper template works so well is that it removes the human error that comes with measuring complex shapes. You do not need to calculate a radius. You do not need to measure a diagonal angle. You trace what is there, and we cut to match it. In 40 years we have seen measuring errors on complex shapes cause real problems — a radius measured 4 cm too tight, a diagonal cut at the wrong angle, a cabinet notch that is 2 cm short. The paper template eliminates all of those. The only way it fails is if the paper shifts while you are tracing, so we always advise taping the paper to the base at the corners before you start.