Fixed bed campervans

Campervans with fixed beds

Whether or not to have a fixed or permanent beds in your camper van is one of those choices that people seem to feel quite strongly about.

If you’re doing your own conversion, you’ve got to figure out how to fit everything in… and the bed takes up the most floor space.

Personally, I’m in the YES DEFINITELY camp when it comes to having a permanent bed in our campervan. Here’s why:

Advantages of having a fixed bed in your campervan

Don’t have to make the bed if you don’t want to
Can have separate sleeping schedules
More comfortable mattress
Storage space under the bed

Disadvantages of a permanent bed in your camper van

Bed takes up a lot of space
Space is not multifunctional
Limits what else you can fit in the van (like a bathroom) because you run out of space.

So it all comes down to the amount of space that a fixed bed takes up.

If you’d just like to see all the campervans on a spreadsheet, we’ve got you covered! Sign up to our newsletter below and we’ll send you the spreadsheet for free.

Campervan fixed bed plans | Australia 2023

I’ve gone through and looked for all the campervans available on the market now, that have a fixed (or a mostly fixed) bed floor plan.

In the United States (where #vanlife is absolutely massive) most campervan (also called Class B RV) manufacturers don’t have a fixed bed in their vans. It’s mostly a sofa that is converted to a bed.

Maybe it’s because they have more people using their camper vans for holidays only, and having a sofa in there means the vehicle can be used as a daily driver when you’re not living in it.

But in Australia, we seem to be a bit different. I’ve gone through all the camper vans on our spreadsheet, and half of them have a (mostly) permanent bed.

These ‘mostly permanent’ beds can be reconfigured for multi-functional use (like converting 2 single beds into a king, or lifting up the bed to use under the bed as a garage for taller items) but it looks like it’s mainly used as the bed.

Let’s have a look at which floor plans show us the campervans that have a fixed bed.

Campervans with an east/west fixed bed

I don’t know if you’ve seen in the caravan and motorhome world, an east/west bed refers to beds that are positioned across the vehicle. It means that one person is up against the back doors and has to climb over the other person to get in and out of bed.

While that can be a bit of a hassle (for both parties) it does take up the least amount of floor space in the van.

The east/west bed is the most popular layout for our Australian camper van manufacturers. Here they are:

Camper vans with a north/south fixed bed

This north/south configuration (where the bed is longways in the van) is less popular because it takes up so much space in the van. But for people who are too tall to lay across the van, it may be their only option.

Horizon Wattle

https://horizonmotorhomes.com.au/mercedes-motorhomes/wattle/

Latitude Titanium Sprinter

Floor plan of the Latitude Motorhomes Titanium Sprinter camper van.

https://www.latitudemotorhomes.com.au/titanium-sprinter

Winnebago Bondi 2S

https://www.gowinnebago.com.au/campervans/winnebago-bondi-2s-fb

Single Beds

Avan Applause 600

https://www.avan.com.au/our-range/motor-homes/display/2-applause

Horizon Casurina

Floor plan of the Horizon Casuarina campervan.

https://horizonmotorhomes.com.au/fiat-motorhomes/casuarina/#floor-plans

Horizon Melaleuca

https://horizonmotorhomes.com.au/fiat-motorhomes/melaleuca/#floor-plans

Horizon Waratah

https://horizonmotorhomes.com.au/mercedes-motorhomes/waratah/#floor-plans

Horizon Wattle

https://horizonmotorhomes.com.au/mercedes-motorhomes/wattle/#floor-plans

Jacana Peak

https://www.jacanamotorhomes.com.au/copy-of-mercedes-sprinter-envy-1

Latitude Titanium Sprinter

https://www.latitudemotorhomes.com.au/titanium-sprinter

Emu RV E2S LWB

Floor plan of the Emu RV LWB campervan with 2 single beds.

https://emurv.com.au/new-models

Emu RV E2S XLWB

Floor plan of the Emu RV XLWB campervan with 2 single beds.

https://emurv.com.au/new-models

Trakka Akuna A2M & A2

These are my favourite type of bed layout, where you can remove the middle section at the foot of the bed and this makes it easy for both people to get in and out of bed. Or you can just have one king size bed.