How to choose the right bed for your campervan
Vanlife is about chasing new experiences. Yet you spend close to a third of your time in a campervan asleep. A poor night takes the next day with it. The view is beautiful, the coffee is hot, and you are too tired to enjoy either.
A good bed turns that around. You wake rested, and the mountain pass, the coastal road or the city market gets your full attention. Robeta builds its campervans with several bed layouts for this reason.
This guide explains each layout, shows mattress sizes model by model and helps you choose the one that fits the way you travel.
Why the bed deserves your first decision
The floor plan shapes daily comfort more than almost any optional extra. Within the floor plan, the bed is the largest piece of furniture and the one you use every single day.
A bed that suits one couple may not suit another. Height, sleeping habits and travel style all play a role. Some buyers find out on their first trip that the bed is too short for them. This guide helps you find that out before you order.
In fact, choosing the wrong floor plan is one of the five campervan buying mistakes we cover in a separate guide. The bed is the most important decision within the floor plan.
Four questions to ask before you choose
How tall are you and your partner?
Add 10 cm to the height of the taller sleeper. The result is the mattress length you need. Then compare it with the mattress lengths in the table below. Robeta transverse and lifting beds are up to 180 cm long. Longitudinal beds are longer: up to 197 cm in Kronos and Apollo and up to 207 cm in Womondo Lifestyle 636.
Who gets up at night?
In some layouts one sleeper passes over the other to get out of bed. In longitudinal layouts both sleepers step out at the foot end. If either of you gets up during the night, this matters more than a few centimetres of width.
Should the bed disappear during the day?
A lifting bed rises to the ceiling and frees the lounge for sitting, playing or dining. A fixed bed stays ready for the evening. Your daily routine decides which suits you.
What do you carry?
Bikes, skis and camping gear need space. Some layouts leave a large garage beneath the bed. Others trade garage space for living space.
These four questions are part of a bigger picture. Our guide How to Configure Your Robeta Campervan: 7 Key Questions walks you through chassis, passengers, sleeping, bathroom, storage and more.
Bed layouts in Robeta campervans
Robeta offers four standard bed layouts plus a pop-up roof: transverse, longitudinal, V-shaped and lifting. Some come with a specific edition. Others are a standalone choice. Mattress sizes are length by width in centimetres.
Transverse bed
The bed runs across the width of the vehicle. You lie across the van, so the mattress is about 180 cm ong.
• Mattress size: about 185 cm long and 119 to 148 cm wide, depending on the model.
• Suits: travellers in shorter vehicles such as Ares and Womondo Lifestyle 540. A shorter vehicle also means a shorter bed.
• Good to know: the width ranges from 119 cm in Ares to 148 cm in Adonis, so check it if you sleep as a couple.
Longitudinal bed
The bed runs along the length of the vehicle. Taller travellers appreciate the extra length this layout allows, for example in Kronos, with mattresses up to 197 cm long. Hercules offers a longitudinal electric lifting bed.
• Mattress size: Kronos 197/174 x 179 cm, Apollo 197/174 x 180 cm, Womondo Lifestyle 636 207/179 x 182.5 cm. The first two figures are the lengths of the two beds, the last is the total width. Hercules has one bed with a 200/185 x 160 cm frame.
• Suits: taller travellers and couples who want the widest bed.
• Good to know: Kronos and Apollo have the widest beds in the range, 179 to 180 cm in total.
V-shaped bed
The V-shaped layout is available as an upgrade in Kronos and Apollo. The two beds are not fully separate. They split at the foot end, where both sleepers step out, which makes getting in slightly easier. Full separation, as in larger integrated motorhomes, needs more width than the vehicle offers. Older couples often choose it for the easier entry.
• Mattress size: about 202 cm long and 178.5 cm wide.
• Suits: couples who want an easier access to bed.
Lifting bed: Family Edition, Family Flex and Active Edition
A lifting bed rises to the ceiling and frees the lounge for sitting, playing or dining. It lowers in the evening. You can choose electric or manual operation. Editions use this idea in different ways.
In the Family Edition the lounge below converts into a second bed, which gives you two beds one above the other. Families often combine it with a pop-up roof, especially if they also travel in colder months. In summer two people sleep in the roof and two on the lifting bed, while the lounge stays free the whole time.
• Family Edition: a lifting bed above and a transverse bed below, which converts into a seating area. It sleeps four. Available on Ares, Helios and Apollo.
• Family Flex: a rear lifting double bed that disappears during the day. The lower seating area turns into a transverse bed for one person at night. Available on Helios and Apollo. The mattress size depends on the base vehicle, see the lifting beds of Helios and Apollo in the table below.
• Active Edition: a lifting bed with a pull-out bike carrier beneath it. Bikes and gear go under the bed, which makes loading and unloading easier and keeps the storage accessible. The height of the space depends on the built-in closets. Available on Ares, Helios and Apollo.
• Suits: families with children, active travellers.
For Two Office & For Two Comfort
The For Two edition replaces the second-row bench with a spacious wardrobe and a rotating table. It gives couples more room and flexibility in the living area. The version differs slightly: Office adds a table that serves as dining table and desk, with space for a computer in a hidden drawer. Comfort has a small table and an additional low cabinet. Neither changes the bed at the rear.
Extra beds: dinette bed and pop-up roof
Two additional sleeping places extend the vehicle for guests or children.
• Dinette bed: the seating area converts into a tapered bed on Kronos, Ares and Helios. It is about 192 cm long, 120 cm wide at one end and 60 cm at the other.
• Pop-up roof bed: an option on Adonis, Kronos, Ares, Helios and Apollo (not Apollo H3), but not on Hercules. The mattress is 204 x 130 cm. Access is by a folding ladder.
Planning to travel in winter? Choose two fixed beds inside, such as in the Family Edition, instead of a pop-up roof. Fixed beds keep the heat better. Read more about winter use in our configuration guide.
Bed sizes by model
Compare mattress sizes across the range. Check each option against your height and your partner's width needs.
Which bed suits which traveller
Every layout suits some travellers particularly well. Use this overview as a starting point.
Frequently asked questions
What bed size do two people need in a campervan?
Plan for 70 to 90 cm of width per person. For length, add 10 to 15 cm to the height of the taller sleeper. Robeta transverse mattresses are about 180 cm long and between 119 and 148 cm wide, depending on the model. Longitudinal beds reach 197 cm or more. Check the table above.
Which campervan bed suits tall people?
A longitudinal bed gives more length. Kronos and Apollo offer longitudinal beds with mattresses up to 197 cm long, Womondo Lifestyle 636 up to 207 cm, and the V-shaped bed about 202 cm.
Is a fixed bed better than a convertible bed?
A fixed bed stays ready and needs no setup each evening. A convertible bed turns into a comfortable lounge during the day. A lifting bed combines both ideas: it lowers in the evening and frees the lounge by day.
Can I sleep comfortably in a campervan in winter?
Yes. Diesel heating, a heated grey water tank and proper insulation make year-round travel possible. Choose two fixed beds instead of a pop-up roof for extra warmth.
How many people can sleep in a Robeta campervan?
Robeta campervans seat two to five travellers. Sleeping places depend on model and edition: Adonis, Kronos, Ares, Helios and Apollo sleep two to four including guests, Hercules two.
What does a lifting bed do to garage space?
The lifting bed rises and opens the space beneath it. Active Edition uses this space for bikes and gear, which makes loading and unloading easier and keeps the storage accessible. The height depends on the built-in closets.
Can I test the bed before I buy?
Yes. With Try & Buy you rent a Robeta for seven days for 499 euros. If you decide to buy, Robeta credits the full rental fee toward your new van.
