My little vintage caravan – Making the bed

Remember when I got my caravan on the road again last year? I’d imagined that my caravan would never move again (which was okay with me, as I was using it as my sewing and writing workshop) so you can can imagine how excited I was to see those wheels turning again. It was towed with ease to our new home and I thought that we might be in for a summer of adventures in the caravan last year. However, the year ran away with me and we never did get round to doing all the little jobs needed to turn my ‘office’ back into a functioning holiday home. This year is going to be different. I’m definitely going to be on the road with my caravan, and do you know why? Because I’m starting the planning for my summer holidays now! That means I’ve got 6 whole months to fit out my caravan with the necessary bits ‘n’ pieces to turn it back into a fully fitted camper. What’s on the list? Well, aside from the camping kitchen and bathroom facilities that I mentioned in my last post, it really needs a new bed and I’ll tell you why.

I’ve realised that I’ve got a little older since the last time I camped, and nowadays a good bed is essential to my enjoyment of a holiday. Even a swish hotel stay can be ruined by a bad mattress, and that crick in my neck or pinch in my back can sour the whole of the following day. That’s not a good start for a holiday, is it? The current bed arrangement in my caravan is two bench seats, which convert into a bed using the table inbetween as a base. While the original foam seats (which I re-covered using my in-law’s old bed sheets!) are comfy enough for one night, I don’t think that they would be much good for a long trip away.I’ve been researching new beds for my caravan and have taken inspiration from all the foldaway beds I’ve seen in campervans over the years. Let’s face it, if one of these beds can fit comfortably into a tiny campervan I’m pretty sure it will fit into the space we have available in the caravan. I think that a rock and roll bed will be perfect for my little caravan because it can be folded away into a normal bench seat when not in use and then pulled out within seconds when I want to go to bed. The mechanism seems really smooth, and doesn’t involve me putting my back out while wrestling the table between the benches. And that can only be a good thing, right?If the only thing I manage to do to my caravan this year is to make it into comfy, cosy place for me to stay I’ll be very happy, even if we don’t manage to get away in it during the summer. But at least if I start planning now, I might be somewhere near to completing it in time for an August jaunt!Let me know if you have a caravan or campervan and what type of bed you use – is it any good? What would you recommend? Let me know by leaving me a comment below or tweeting me a pic to @Cassiefairy.