BED SEATS
There are countless bed seats/rock & roll beds available, all with different features and compromises.
Some bed seats come fully upholstered (but can be reupholstered) and others start as bare frames that are then upholstered to your taste.
Bed seats are split into three main categories:
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TUV Approved - The gold standard in campervan conversion systems. TÜV SÜD is a leading international expert in providing testing, product certification, qualification, training and knowledge services. The TUV Approved certification a much, much higher endorsement than a simple crash test and takes months or years of work to achieve and includes on-going monitoring, testing, and spot-checking to ensure that a product remains as safe and reliable as possible and that the manufacturer continues to follow the approved systems of work.
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Crash tested (specifically, in-vehicle pull tested) - As former vehicle accident repairers, if seat belts are required Big V Kampers will only fit seats that are at least crash tested. These units have frames designed to bolt securely to the vehicle and seat belt mounting systems that can take the force of a crash and keep the passenger in place.
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Non-crash tested - If seat belts are not required on the bed seat, Big V Kampers will fit almost any bed in any configuration. The only requirements are that the frame is able to be fixed through the floor of the vehicle and the unit is of solid build, such that it won’t detach in a crash and fly forward into the cab.
WE LIKE: RUSTY LEE BEDS
Rusty Lee bed are handmade in Hereford, UK and are our favourite bed seats to fit in our conversions. As former vehicle accident repairers safety is always our first consideration and, in our opinion, Rusty Lee's beds are the best built on the market. They're reliable, durable, and easy to operate.
Rusty Lee beds are special
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They are TUV Approved for the ultimate safety assurance
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They're UK designed and built, and have better structural reinforcements and welds
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Are made from more metal and powder coated rather than painted
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Come as bare frames, meaning you don't pay twice for upholstery (once with the bed, then again to replace it!)
They make a bed for almost every need.
Modern vans, like VW T5
For carrying passengers:
TUV approved beds with tested mounting brackets for VW T5 & T6's. Suitable for use in other vans with alternative, non-tested fixings.
For use as a bed and sofa:
Non-tested beds for use where carrying passengers isn't a requirement.
Sizes available
112cm - 2 seats and seat belts
Known as a 3/4 width bed
120cm - 2 seats and seat belts
150cm - 3 seats and seat belts
Known as a full width bed
Vintage VW's
Non-tested beds for VW split screens, bay windows, and T25's. These beds sit on the engine cover and make a full length, 6-foot bed when extended.
The frame is fully powder coated, is made from 20x20x2.5mm box section, and all the brackets/hinges are CNC laser cut.
Sizes available
105cm - 2 seats and seat belts
Known as a 3/4 width bed
146cm - 3 seats and seat beltsknown as a full width bed
Bespoke sizes can be made
Buddy seats
Although designed for the VW split screens, bay windows, and T25's these buddy seats will work in almost any van.
They come in both single and double seat versions. The single seats fold down and the double seat clips onto the side of the single.
Sizes available
380mm wide by 415mm long
Sits 320mm high off the floor
OTHER GOOD QUALITY BEDS
There are many campervan beds and bed systems available. We'll fit any bed as long as it meets a few simple standards:
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If it has seat belts, it must be TUV Approved or at least crash tested
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It has to be well made
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It must be possible to bolt it down through the floor
These requirements are aimed at ensuring the bed is safe in the event of a crash, especially if it will be carrying passengers.
OTHER BEDS WE RECOMMEND
Scopema RIB beds
One of the best-known bed seats on the market. RIB beds have a very clever mechanism which flips the seats over so you sleep on the flat back, rather than the sculpted fronts.
RIB beds have lots of optional extras, such as Isofix, extra mattress padding, and sliding bases.
Sizes available
104cm - 2 seats and seat belts
Often used in smaller vans
112cm - 2 seats
Most popular option used in the UK by convertors
120cm - 2 seats and seat belts
Rare option for those that want a 2 seater with a bit more room
129cm - 3 seats and seat belts
Known as 130 in the UK popular with families wanting 3 seats and space for units
150cm - 3 seats and seat belts
Full-width bed
Reimo Variotech
Manufactured by one of the biggest names in campervan parts, the Reimo Variotech comes as either a fixed bed or on rails which allow it to lock in six positions along your van and be lifted out altogether.
There are also removable single captains seats that can be clipped in the rails, so you can have a proper bed seat, additional passenger seats, and still turn it back into an empty van when needed!
Sizes available
115.5cm - 3 seats
Fits a full-depth side kitchen and is the most popular size
120.5cm - 3 seats and seat belts
Ideal for certain slimline side kitchens or full-depth in wider vans, such as the Transit Custom
130.5cm - 3 seats and seat belts
Known as 130 in the UK popular with families wanting 3 seats and space for units
138cm - 3 seats and seat belts
Full-width bed
Scot Seat seats on rails
Scot Seat make a huge array of commercial and military seats, including excellent campervan bed seats. They have a very different mechanism from the RIB seats but the end result is the same, in that you sleep on the flat back rather than the sculpted front.
Scot Seat also offers a very reasonably priced rail system that the bed seat can be mounted on, allowing it to be slid from the back of a van up to the normal second row of passenger seating position.
Sizes available
112cm - 2 seats and seat belts
Fits full-depth side kitchens and is the most popular size
120cm - 2 seats and seat belts
Fits slimline side kitchens or wider vans such as Ford Transit Customs
150cm - 3 seats and seat belts
Full-width bed