Nearside Caravan Mattresses

Nearside Caravan Mattresses — Made to Measure

A nearside caravan mattress is the passenger side French bed mattress — the one that sits against the left-hand wall of the caravan as you stand at the rear looking towards the towball. Like its offside counterpart, a nearside mattress is a shaped, bespoke item that cannot be bought off the shelf. The angled or curved cut at the foot end — and sometimes at the head end too — is unique to each caravan manufacturer and model, and getting it wrong means the mattress will not sit correctly in the bed.

We have been making replacement nearside caravan mattresses for over 40 years. We hold templates for every major nearside configuration ever produced by the major British and European caravan manufacturers. In most cases we can confirm your exact size and shape from your caravan make, model and year without you needing to measure a thing. Every nearside mattress is cut and finished to order in our Birmingham workshop — the foam cut to your exact measurements and the cover hand-sewn to follow every edge of the shape cleanly.

What Is a Nearside Caravan Mattress?

In the UK, caravans are towed on the left-hand side of the road. The nearside of a caravan is the passenger side — the left-hand side of the caravan as you stand at the rear looking towards the towball. The offside is the driver's side — the right-hand side.

A nearside caravan mattress is a French bed mattress that sits against the nearside (left-hand) wall of the caravan. French beds run lengthways along one wall and are characterised by an angled or curved cut at the foot end, where the bed tapers to allow access to the washroom or rear bedroom doorway. Because the bed sits flush against the nearside wall, the angled cut is on the right-hand side of the mattress when you are standing at the foot end looking towards the head — which is why some customers search for a right hand cut caravan mattress when they actually have a nearside French bed.

The offside caravan mattress is the mirror image — it sits against the right-hand wall of the caravan and the angled cut is on the left-hand side when viewed from the foot end.

The Three Nearside French Bed Shapes — Which One Is Yours?

Not all nearside French bed mattresses are the same shape. There are three principal configurations we encounter across the major UK and European caravan manufacturers. Look at the photos below and identify which head end corner matches your caravan bed:

Nearside Mattress and Right Hand Cut — The Same Thing

There is frequent confusion between the terms nearside, offside, right hand cut and left hand cut — and it is entirely understandable. Caravan dealers, manufacturers and customers all use these terms slightly differently, and the description changes depending on which way you are looking at the mattress.

The simplest way to think about it: stand at the foot of your caravan bed and look towards the pillow end. If the angled cut is on your right, you have a nearside mattress — also described as a right hand cut caravan mattress. If the angled cut is on your left, you have an offside mattress — also described as a left hand cut.

If you are still unsure which you have, do not guess — a nearside mattress is the mirror image of an offside and the two are not interchangeable. A photo of your bed taken from the foot end looking towards the head is all we need to confirm which one you have before you order.

The Simplest Way to Identify Your Nearside or Offside Bed

Every week we take calls from caravan owners who are genuinely confused about whether they need a nearside or offside mattress. The terminology is inconsistent, caravan dealers use the terms differently from manufacturers, and trying to describe the direction of an angled cut over the phone without a shared reference point leads to confusion every time.

We solved this problem years ago with a single instruction. We ask the customer to stand at the foot end of their caravan bed and look towards the pillows — towards the headboard end. Either physically inside the caravan, or in their mind if they know the layout well enough. Once they are oriented that way, we ask one follow-up question: is the angled cut on your left hand side or your right hand side?

That is it. Right hand side means nearside. Left hand side means offside. No terminology, no confusion, 100% accuracy every time. If you can answer that one question, you can order the correct mattress with complete confidence.

The Three Nearside Shapes — The Detail Behind Each Configuration

Once you have identified your shape from the photos above, the next challenge is measuring it accurately. Each shape has different head end and foot end configurations, and the differences are significant enough that the wrong shape template will produce a mattress that simply does not fit correctly.

Shape 30 — Angled cut at the head end, angled foot end. The top right corner of the mattress (at the head end, against the wall) is a sharp angled cut. The foot end also has an angled cut. Found on the Swift Conqueror 630, Lunar Lexon, Rapido 999M and Adria Mississippi.

Shape 29 — Curved corner at the head end, curved foot end. The top right corner has a pronounced curve rather than a sharp angle, and the foot end also has a curved corner. This is the shape that catches most people out — customers frequently do not measure for the head end curve because it is not immediately obvious when looking at the bed. Found on the Swift Challenger Grande 670.

Shape 28 — Square top, curved foot end. The head end is a clean right angle with no cut or curve. The foot end has a curved corner. The simplest shape at the head end but the foot end curve is just as important to get right as on the other shapes. Found on the Autotrail Cherokee, Coachman Vision XTRA 575, Swift Alpine 4, Sterling Europa 490 and Chausson Welcome 69.

The foot end curve across all three shapes is typically between 10cm and 15cm radius — a 10cm radius produces a tighter, more compact curve whilst 15cm produces a more gradual sweep. The exact radius varies between manufacturers and models, which is why measuring it accurately matters.

How We Calculate the Corner Radius — Without You Needing to Know Any Geometry

The answer is that you do not measure the curve directly. You measure around it, and we do the calculation. Our measuring diagrams ask for specific reference dimensions that allow us to calculate the exact radius from straightforward straight-line measurements any customer can take accurately with a tape measure.

For the curved head end corner on a Shape 29 mattress, we use three measurements — A, G and F. A is the full width of the mattress, G is the width measured only up to the point where the curve begins, and F is the small vertical drop at the head end before the curve starts. From those three straight-line measurements we can calculate the exact radius of the head end curve with precision.

For the foot end curve, we use a different technique. We ask for measurement C — the width of the mattress at the base up to the start of the curve — and measurement D, which is the width taken 10cm up from the bottom of the mattress. The difference between C and D, combined with the fixed 10cm reference height, gives us the information needed to calculate the foot end radius accurately.

We also always ask customers to send a photograph of their existing mattress alongside their measurements. In many cases we can draft a unique bespoke measuring diagram specific to that customer's caravan — drawn to match the exact shape of their bed — which eliminates any ambiguity in the measuring process entirely.

From Calculation to Cut — How the Curves Are Made

Once we have calculated the corner radius from the customer's measurements, we use an industrial-sized compass to draw the curve directly onto the foam block before cutting. The compass is set to the exact calculated radius and scribes the curve onto the foam surface precisely — the same method a draughtsman would use to draw a technical arc, scaled up to mattress size.

The foam is then cut by hand using a specialist power tool designed for high-density foam. It cuts through the material cleanly and accurately, following the drawn curve without deviation. The cover is then hand-sewn by our seamstresses to follow every millimetre of that cut edge — shaping and stitching the fabric to lie flat along the curved surface with no bunching and no pulling at the corner. This is not a process that can be automated and it is not something that most caravan mattress suppliers are equipped to do to this standard.

Why the Angle of the Cut Matters

The angled cut on a nearside caravan mattress is not a standard angle. It varies between caravan manufacturers, between model ranges, and sometimes between floor plans within the same range. The angle is determined by the internal geometry of that specific caravan — the position of the washroom wall, the width of the doorway, and the overall length of the bed platform.

Get the angle wrong and the mattress will not sit flat against the wall. Too steep an angle and you have a gap between the mattress and the wall at the foot end. Not steep enough and the mattress fouls the doorway or washroom partition and cannot sit in position at all. We have been cutting these angles for over 40 years and hold templates for every major nearside configuration ever produced. For most models, we can confirm the correct angle from your caravan make, model and year without you needing to measure it.

The Nearside Mattress as Part of a French Bed Pair

In many caravan layouts, the nearside French bed is paired with an offside mattress on the opposite wall, with a central walkway between them. The two mattresses are mirror images of each other in terms of the angled cut, though the overall dimensions may differ slightly — it is not always the case that the nearside and offside are identical in size.

If you need to replace both mattresses, ordering them together is the most practical approach. We will confirm both shapes and sizes in one conversation and make them as a matched pair. See our French bed caravan mattresses page for more information on the paired layout.

Nearside Mattress Dimensions — What to Expect

Nearside caravan mattresses are almost never a standard size. Most fall somewhere between 185cm and 200cm in length at the longest point — the head end — and between 70cm and 90cm in width. The angled foot end reduces the effective length on one side, with the exact angle varying between caravan makes and models.

For most caravan models, we already have the exact dimensions and angle on file. Tell us your caravan make, model and year and we will confirm whether we can cut from our records or whether we need you to measure.

Choosing the Right Mattress Type for Your Nearside Bed

The same choice between foam, memory foam and pocket sprung applies to nearside caravan mattresses as to any other type — with one practical consideration specific to French beds. Many French bed caravans have under-bed storage accessed by lifting the mattress. A nearside mattress that is too heavy to lift comfortably is a daily frustration, so weight is worth factoring into your decision alongside comfort.

Our reflex foam nearside mattresses at 33kg or 39kg per cubic metre are the most practical choice for most owners — excellent support at a manageable weight. Memory foam adds a little more weight but is worth it if pressure relief is a priority. Pocket sprung nearside mattresses are available and give the best sleep quality, but at 20–25kg for a typical French bed size they are heavier to lift for under-bed storage access.

Hand-Sewn Angled Ends — Why It Matters

Cutting the foam to the correct angle is one thing. Making the cover follow that angle cleanly requires skilled seamstresses who know exactly what they are doing. A cover that does not follow the angled cut properly will bunch at the corner, pull away from the edge, or create a ridge along the angled end that is both uncomfortable and unsightly. Our seamstresses have been finishing angled cuts on nearside and offside mattresses for decades. The cover is shaped and sewn to follow every millimetre of the cut — it is not something that can be rushed and not something that can be done by machine.

Not Sure If You Have a Nearside or Offside?

The quickest way to confirm which you have is to send us a photo of the bed taken from the foot end. We can identify the cut direction instantly and confirm whether you need a nearside mattress, an offside mattress, or something else entirely.

Alternatively, call us on 0121 663 6114 and tell us your caravan make, model and year. In most cases we can tell you immediately which configuration your caravan has — and confirm the dimensions at the same time.