Best caravan mattresses
A caravan mattress fails from underneath, because a cold shelf under a warm body is where condensation forms.
I earn a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It never changes what I recommend, and I publish negative verdicts on brands I earn from. Editorial independence.
Caravan and motorhome mattresses have two problems ordinary mattresses do not, and neither is comfort.
Condensation. The mattress usually sits on a solid plywood or GRP shelf rather than slats, and the space underneath is cold. Warm moist air from your body meets that cold surface and condenses, so the underside of the mattress gets damp and stays damp. That is how caravan mattresses grow mould, frequently within a season.
Shape. Fixed beds are rarely rectangular. Corners are cut for wheel arches and wardrobes, and a French bed is tapered at the foot, so a standard mattress will not fit.
Everything else follows from those two.
The picks
The pick, if you want one answer
Ergoflex LIFE Protector, 7.8 / 10. A breathable protector, which is the cheapest way to stop the failure that actually kills caravan mattresses.
| Product | Best for | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ergoflex LIFE Protector | Best protection | Mid range | 7.8 / 10 |
| Inofia Tri-Fold Mattress | Best for awkward access | Budget | 6.5 / 10 |
| Silentnight Sleep Now Range | Best budget replacement | From £169 | 6.7 / 10 |
Ergoflex LIFE Protector: Best protection
Mid range · 7.8 / 10
The highest scoring protector on this site at 7.8. The distinction matters more in a caravan than anywhere: a breathable membrane passes water vapour while blocking liquid, where a cheap plastic-backed protector traps moisture exactly where it already collects.
Buy it if
You want waterproofing without trapping moisture against the mattress.
Do not buy it if
You need a specific caravan shape.
Read the full Ergoflex LIFE Protector review
Inofia Tri-Fold Mattress: Best for awkward access
Budget · 6.5 / 10
A folding mattress goes where a rigid one cannot, which matters when the door is narrow and the bed is past a bathroom. Expect it to be firm and to show fold lines, which is inherent rather than a fault.
Buy it if
You need to get a mattress through a caravan door and around a corner.
Do not buy it if
You have a fixed bed that takes a shaped mattress.
Read the full Inofia Tri-Fold Mattress review
Silentnight Sleep Now Range: Best budget replacement
From £169 · 6.7 / 10
From a manufacturer trading since 1946. Worth checking the size carefully: caravan beds frequently use sizes that are not UK standard, and a mattress that is a few centimetres out will not sit properly.
Buy it if
Your bed is a standard size and you want a straightforward replacement.
Do not buy it if
The bed is shaped or tapered.
Read the full Silentnight Sleep Now Range review
Stopping the damp, which is the whole job
The underside is where it fails
A solid base plus a cold void underneath plus a warm body above is the classic condensation situation, and it is why caravan mattresses go mouldy on the bottom while looking fine on top.
Four things help, in order of effect.
A breathable mesh underlay. A spacer or mesh layer between the mattress and the base lifts it a few millimetres and lets air move underneath, which is the single most effective fix and is sold specifically for caravans and boats.
Lift and air the mattress regularly. Stand it on its side whenever the caravan is open, and always before storing it.
Ventilate. Roof vents and a window cracked while you are in it, because your breathing is the moisture source.
Drill ventilation holes in a solid base if the manufacturer permits, which lets the void breathe rather than holding damp air.
Measuring a shaped bed
Do not measure the old mattress if it has compressed or distorted. Measure the bed base, at its longest and widest points, and note every cut corner and taper.
A French bed is tapered at the foot and a cut corner is usually specified by the two lengths of the cut rather than an angle. Sketch it with measurements rather than describing it.
Many caravan beds are not UK standard sizes, and continental vans in particular use European dimensions, which are different again. Check centimetres rather than names.
Shaped mattresses are made to order, so expect a lead time and confirm whether the shape can be cut in the construction you want: a pocket spring unit cannot be cut the way a foam slab can.
Foam or springs in a caravan
This is one of the few cases where foam has a genuine structural argument.
Caravan beds are usually shallow, and a sprung unit needs height to work: squeeze springs into 12 centimetres and they are short, stiff and do less. Foam works by material property rather than travel, so it performs better at shallow depths.
Foam can also be cut to shape and folded to get in, where a spring unit can be permanently damaged by bending.
The counterweight is moisture. Foam holds damp where a spring layer moves air, which makes the underlay and the airing routine more important, not less. If you do buy foam, density is what predicts how long it lasts, with decent comfort layers between 48 and 72 kilograms per cubic metre, and almost nobody publishes it.
Storing it over winter
Most caravan mattress damage happens between seasons rather than during them.
Take it home if you can. A mattress stored flat in a dry heated house will be fine; one left in an unheated van over a British winter frequently will not.
Dry it thoroughly first, and store it flat rather than folded or on edge, because prolonged edge storage distorts foam.
Do not seal it in plastic. Wrapping a mattress in a sealed bag traps whatever moisture is already in it, and a sealed damp mattress is a mouldy mattress in spring. If you must cover it, use a breathable cover.
Leave the van ventilated over winter, and use a moisture trap inside it.
What not to do
Use a cheap plastic-backed protector. It traps moisture where moisture is already the problem.
Leave the mattress flat on a solid base all season. Lift and air it.
Seal it in plastic for storage. You are sealing the damp in with it.
Buy by size name. Caravan beds frequently use non-standard and European dimensions.
Bend a sprung mattress to get it through the door. It can permanently damage the spring unit.
Also considered, and why they are not here
A roundup is only as useful as what it leaves out, so here is what was assessed and rejected for this list.
| Product | Why it is not on the list |
|---|---|
| Origin Extend Protector | Scores 8. A breathable protector with good depth range, and check the fit against a shaped caravan mattress before ordering. |
| Mlily Cool Protect | Scores 7.5. Built around breathability, which is the property that matters most in a van. |
| Emma Original Lite | A three-zone pocket spring layer at £199 in UK sizes, which suits a caravan only if the bed is a standard rectangle and deep enough. |
| Panda Bamboo Protector | Comfortable and breathable. Bamboo viscose handles moisture well, which is useful here, and it does not tolerate 60 degree washing. |
How this list is made, and who made it
Independence
No brand pays to appear on this site and no placement is sold. Some links earn a commission if you buy, which never changes a score, an order or a verdict. Several of the lowest scores here are on products that carry commission, and several recommendations carry none.
Who writes this. Kyle Klinkradt has worked in the mattress and bedding industry for over ten years across retail, distribution and brand partnerships, and has handled, sold or assessed products from every major UK bed-in-a-box brand. Every review on this site is written by one person, so the scores mean the same thing from page to page.
What the assessment is. Construction specifications against what they physically do: spring height and where in the mattress it sits, spring count for the size, gauge, whether the base is sprung or foam, foam density where it is published, comfort layer depth and material. Then the commercial terms that decide what you are actually buying: trial against returns policy, guarantee length against the company's UK trading history at Companies House, and the regulatory record.
What it is not. This is not a laboratory. I do not publish pressure-mapping data or claim to have slept eight years on every mattress here, because nobody has and pages that imply otherwise are not telling you the truth. Where a judgement rests on construction rather than long-term use, the review says so.
What gets a product removed. Leaving the UK market, a specification change that makes the review inaccurate, or a corrected fact. Brands that have withdrawn are kept on the site with the score removed rather than quietly deleted, because people still search for them.
See editorial independence, corrections and the author page.
How these were chosen
Every product here has its own review on this site with a score out of 10, and the score is a judgement rather than an average. Nothing appears in a list because it pays more.
A score is against the market, not against its own range. The cheapest mattress in a lineup is usually priced to make the model above it look reasonable, and the flagship of a budget range has risen into a bracket where better brands compete. Both are judged against what else you could buy for the money.
Everything listed can actually be bought in the UK. That is not a given: Casper withdrew in July 2020 and Leesa no longer sells here, and both still appear in current British roundups with affiliate links attached.
I do not pad the list. Where only three or four products genuinely qualify, there are three or four. A list of seven when the category contains four good ones is a list with three bad recommendations in it.
Prices move constantly. Judge the cash price on the day rather than any percentage beside it. See every review on this site or where the real savings are.
Related guides
Other pages on this site covering the same ground.
- Best zip and link beds and mattresses
- Best wool mattresses
- Best waterproof mattresses
- Best travel cot mattresses
Questions people ask
Why does my caravan mattress get mouldy underneath?
Because it sits on a solid base over a cold void. Warm moist air from your body meets that cold surface and condenses on the underside of the mattress, which then stays damp. A breathable mesh underlay and regular airing are the fixes.
What size mattress does a caravan need?
Measure the bed base at its longest and widest points rather than the old mattress, and note every cut corner and taper. Caravan beds frequently use non-standard or European dimensions, so check centimetres rather than names.
Should a caravan mattress be foam or sprung?
Foam has a genuine argument here, because caravan beds are shallow and springs need height to compress and recover. Foam also cuts to shape and folds through a narrow door, where bending a spring unit can damage it permanently.
How should I store a caravan mattress over winter?
Dry it thoroughly, take it home if you can, and store it flat rather than folded or on edge. Do not seal it in plastic, because that traps whatever moisture is already in it.