Sleeping up top.

[Pixcels]

We're not beginners, as such having spent most of our youth and middle years in tents and VDubs but our new Ocean is well NEW.
We are getting used to the idea of so much luxury and facilities.
Question that has come up in discussion with my wife is do we sleep up top or down below ?
I believe the top bed is bigger and you avoid having to restructure downstairs if you hop up top.
But the mattress is firm (very), my wife wouldn't like that.
So I'd like to hear peoples views on whether
1) It's best to sleep up top / or not.
2) Best mattress topper
3) Best ladder for access - (and the ability to stow it away)

Look forward to some informed opinion. [-)

 

[WelshGas]

We're not beginners, as such having spent most of our youth and middle years in tents and VDubs but our new Ocean is well NEW.
We are getting used to the idea of so much luxury and facilities.
Question that has come up in discussion with my wife is do we sleep up top or down below ?
I believe the top bed is bigger and you avoid having to restructure downstairs if you hop up top.
But the mattress is firm (very), my wife wouldn't like that.
So I'd like to hear peoples views on whether
1) It's best to sleep up top / or not.
2) Best mattress topper
3) Best ladder for access - (and the ability to stow it away)

Look forward to some informed opinion. [-)

Have never slept up top. Reserved for the grand children, and at our age we don’t intend to. Also we like our morning cuppa in bed.

 

[T6 CFO]

Depends on a large number of variables.
Temperature, weather, noise , equipment, stealth, mobility being just some of them.

You will find loads of opinions but I’m afraid it’s personal to you, where you are etc etc.

Just the two of us and prefer to sleep up top and keep the living area undisturbed.

If it’s an overnight stop, blowing a gale or just noisy then hunker down and downstairs.


Mike

 

[Big Ron]

Despite my comedic proportions we used to sleep up top until I could no longer perform the necessary gymnastics to get out(had to do a tumble turn).
Downstairs now.....like WelshGas says...nice cup of tea in bed.....and easier to get up for the absurd number of night time wee’s that seem to be needed as you start to age.

Life can be a cruel mistress!

 

[Karlos]

Hi as Mike said above depends on weather, if its cool we sleep downstairs and if its hot Mrs K sleeps downstairs and I sleep up top and if really hot I leave the front of the bellows open.

 

[Alan Andrews]

The mattress up top may appear firm but indeed it is quite comfortable owing to the sprung slats underneath.

Be careful about adding too much padding/bedding on the mattress and then closing the roof down. The tolerances are quite tight and you risk damaging the roof and/or roof mechanism.

We find that sleeping up top works best for us.

Downstairs as you say is a bit narrower, and causes some issues with boxes etc.

We only tend to use downstairs when we are facing storm like conditions where the upper roof needs to be lowered.

You need to try things out to see what works for you.

Only by going through the storms with high winds and loads of rain have we been able to refine what we carry in the van i.e. we use individual sleeping bags rather than quilts etc. We have IKEA soft boxes that we carry our individual cloths in. These allow us to load up quickly and move around easily, rather than lots of loose items.

 

[Velma's Dad]

It's a very personal thing but for what it's worth we always sleep up top unless it's exceptionally windy, or forecast to be overnight. The mattress certainly isn't soft but we find it fine and we don't use a mattress topper.

Some people are put off from sleeping upstairs by the fact that if your bedding (we use a goose down duvet) makes contact with the top-top canvas if can transfer a bit of dampness if the canvas is very wet. We don't find that a big problem in practice. Obviously if that's an issue you could use a pop-top 'topper', especially the internal type that doesn't have to be taken off every time you drive off - that also of course provides better insulation both warm and cool and people who have them swear by them.

We have never bothered with a ladder. Getting up and down is for sure a knack, but once acquired it's a non-issue. However we usually have the driver's seat facing forward - we only swivel the passenger seat when parked up overnight. That makes it easy to put one foot on the shoulder of the driver's seat when climbing up. If both seats are rotated you have to do more of a swing up which is significantly more awkward.

But there's really only one way to work out what's best for you...

 

[SusiBus]

We've had three Cali's over the years. Never slept up top. Down stairs is nice and cosy, handy for toilet facilities, you can put the roof down if the weather is inclement, feel safer if wild camping, handy for a morning cup of tea. Down stairs for us.

 

[Elly Swanson]

We sleep mostly up top, but have our heads at the short end. It means you don’t have to turn to get down “stairs”, just shuffle like a caterpillar. It’s easy and doesn’t disturb my hubby. Only thing is if you wear pants or pj bottoms you have to pull them up every shuffle When getting back in to bed.
If I need a wee I usually wake up desperate so we got a ladder. I don’t think I could hold it in and jump down at the same time!

 

[RichardH]

We are both in our late 60's and in a normal year we spend about 100 nights a year in our Cali. We always sleep upstairs except when stealth camping. Both seats rotated. Tail-end of the van into the wind if it's blowy (in our experience the raised roof is quite robust and acceptably weather proof). No need for a ladder - it's not far if you hop up bum first, with one hand near the middle of the front rim of the bed support and the other on the frame to the side. No need to rearrange the layout downstairs. Plenty of room for the loo, if it needs to be brought out of its usual home in the cupboard under the sink (it's more pleasant to have a separate "bathroom" at night). The mattress is thin but, with the extra "give" from the sprung slats, we find it comfy enough and we like the extra width. Using both the upstairs and downstairs gives a Cali at least as much "living space" as some much bigger vans. For a relatively small vehicle it is remarkably civilised to live in!

 

[GSX1300R]

In the 4 years we have had our van we have slept up top 99% of the time only slept down when the weather was REALLY bad. Have tried sleeping head to the rear of the van and head to the front.. We both prefer head to the rear but everyone has their own personal preference..Just find it easier getting down in the middle of the night for a wee...Also find the top much more comfortable and wider.. We do have a comfort mattress but its just not quite wide enough for us down...

 

[ejmoore]

We always sleep up top & find it very comfortable, no topper needed. We leave a fitted jersey sheet on the bed & use a duvet. No ladder needed, just hop up on the seat shoulder with one or both seats turned. Heads front. I like a cup of tea in bed so fill a flask with boiling water the night before & drop a tea bag in in the morning.
Benefit of sleeping up top is you don't need to clear stuff away to put the bed out. Also you can have the loo downstairs & pull the shutter across if you get down in the night to be more discreet.

 

[Resfeber]

Tried sleeping downstairs but found bed much less comfortable than the upstairs bed even though mattress is thinner, the spring in the slats and base give a much more comfortable experience and the extra width is a boon.
Understand big Ron’s “tumble turn” issue and avoidance of a headkick .
Sleep upstairs apart from when unsafe to raise top in a gale (one night only at Durness) out of 50 nights in 18 months.

As regards access this previous post may help. Works well, easily stowed on rear shelf.

Roof Ladder?

Hi All, Umming and Aahing over whether to go for one of these. Has anybody purchased this one? Any feedback muchly appreciated. https://www.vwcampershop.nl/en/camper-specials/313-ladder-pop-up-roof.html Thanks all.

vwcaliforniaclub.com

Hope this helps

 

[Mark Masters]

We're not beginners, as such having spent most of our youth and middle years in tents and VDubs but our new Ocean is well NEW.
We are getting used to the idea of so much luxury and facilities.
Question that has come up in discussion with my wife is do we sleep up top or down below ?
I believe the top bed is bigger and you avoid having to restructure downstairs if you hop up top.
But the mattress is firm (very), my wife wouldn't like that.
So I'd like to hear peoples views on whether
1) It's best to sleep up top / or not.
2) Best mattress topper
3) Best ladder for access - (and the ability to stow it away)

Look forward to some informed opinion. [-)

Sleep upstairs. More comfortable and wider. Forget the ladder as is is just another piece of clutter. You'll soon get the hang of climbing up an manoeuvring your body.

 

[alan middleton]

I suggest you don’t commit to one or the other. The beauty is exactly that, you have a choice. For short stops, we don’t put up the awning. So we need to be downstairs as we have kids and they sleep above. Longer stops (and more recently camping at home), we put up the awning and the kids are in there. We then generally sleep upstairs. The weather and outside sounds are more obvious, but that’s part of camping anyway imo. You mentioned that you are seasoned tent campers, so that aspect of being upstairs won’t bother you. And the bed is wider. Don’t worry about the firmness of the mattress, it’s actually really comfy. I suggest you spend a few nights trying each.

 

[alan middleton]

As for access, I am extremely inflexible, so upstairs takes a bit of effort, but not enough to bother me. I can easily manage without a ladder, it’s just the turning at the top....again, I suggest you try for yourself a few times and learn your own trick movements before deciding.

 

[Elly Swanson]

We are both in our late 60's and in a normal year we spend about 100 nights a year in our Cali. We always sleep upstairs except when stealth camping. Both seats rotated. Tail-end of the van into the wind if it's blowy (in our experience the raised roof is quite robust and acceptably weather proof). No need for a ladder - it's not far if you hop up bum first, with one hand near the middle of the front rim of the bed support and the other on the frame to the side. No need to rearrange the layout downstairs. Plenty of room for the loo, if it needs to be brought out of its usual home in the cupboard under the sink (it's more pleasant to have a separate "bathroom" at night). The mattress is thin but, with the extra "give" from the sprung slats, we find it comfy enough and we like the extra width. Using both the upstairs and downstairs gives a Cali at least as much "living space" as some much bigger vans. For a relatively small vehicle it is remarkably civilised to live in!

Yes, nice to have a sitting room and bedroom. Especially handy for couples who may go to bed &/or get up at different times.

 

[De Witte]

The mattress up top may appear firm but indeed it is quite comfortable owing to the sprung slats underneath.

Be careful about adding too much padding/bedding on the mattress and then closing the roof down. The tolerances are quite tight and you risk damaging the roof and/or roof mechanism.

We find that sleeping up top works best for us.

Downstairs as you say is a bit narrower, and causes some issues with boxes etc.

We only tend to use downstairs when we are facing storm like conditions where the upper roof needs to be lowered.

You need to try things out to see what works for you.

Only by going through the storms with high winds and loads of rain have we been able to refine what we carry in the van i.e. we use individual sleeping bags rather than quilts etc. We have IKEA soft boxes that we carry our individual cloths in. These allow us to load up quickly and move around easily, rather than lots of loose items.

Hello Alan

Do you know what the limit is of padding?Just ordered an extra of 2cm padding,so in total 6cm.
You think that that's a go or no go?
thx. for your reaction.

 

[Georgiegirl]

99% of the time we slept upstairs only retreating downstairs when it’s really cold wet or windy. Just remember not to use the arm rests to get upstairs!

 

[Resfeber]

See this cautionary note for all armrest users.

Broken armrest. How and where from to replace?

Hi, learned the hard way not to step on the armrest when climbing down. Damage pretty obvious but cannot find where to order a replacement armrest (just one, right side passenger seat) or any advise on how to replace it. Any help welcome.

vwcaliforniaclub.com

Hence the recommendation for ladder usage or @WelshGas

Roof Ladder?

Also have this and nearly £120 in pocket and used around Cali and at home. Easily stowed on rear bed extension with bedding, accessible at “bedding up” from within van. Use sideways (NB both seats need swivelled”) See image. Any issues. Keep thumbs/fingers away from treads when releasing latches...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[tikitnet]

Probably fifty/fifty depending on the weather using just the mattress that came with out SCA pop top. Looking at it you'd think it would be uncomfortable but it isn't and to get up we have a built in toilet very handily placed so one foot on there, one foot on the worktop next to it and you are up. I would add we are only in our 70's so might not be as good for an old person!

 

[Georgiegirl]

I always use the arm rests, I was told they are to facilitate climbing up top.

They’re not and you will break them!

 

[Ricotansky]

I always use the arm rests, I was told they are to facilitate climbing up top.

I'd wager whoever told you that has shares in the company that produces the armrests

 

[Pixcels]

Yes some god advice there.
Personally I'm not in favour of using a ladder to access the top bunk but I'm not sure my wife agrees !!

 

[Pixcels]

Hi as Mike said above depends on weather, if its cool we sleep downstairs and if its hot Mrs K sleeps downstairs and I sleep up top and if really hot I leave the front of the bellows open.

oooh the idea of it being TOO HOT is rather appealing - recently I have been cold weather camping and it's getting wearisome !