I’M SIX FEET TALL. For nearly my entire adult life I had slept on a queen-sized bed. I was a sprawler and I’d roll from one side to the other — because I always had the room for it. (Well, except for a few years when I shared a queen bed with a wife and three small dogs.)

When planning my van, I knew a full or queen bed would take up most of the space in back. That was made plain when I hauled my queen mattress to a processing center. 

So a twin bed then? Ew. I was miserable the several times in my life I had to sleep on one (beginning with sharing a dorm room with a terrible roommate). I felt like I was going to end up on the floor — which actually happened a couple of times, including one particularly embarrassing incident at my sister’s home. (Um, no, I’m fine in here. Really.) I would never be able to adapt to a twin bed.

Besides, a twin is only six feet long. Ah, but there’s the twin XL that’s five inches longer, so at least I’d have head and foot room before ending up on the floor. However, that extra length meant it couldn’t fit crossways in the van. It would need to go lengthwise. But at least a van wall on one side would cut in half the odds of me rolling off the edge. M-m-m-m-maybe.

Wait, a cot, perhaps? They are narrower than a twin so there would be a little more open space in the van that way. No. A cot would be way too narrow and confining.

How about something custom sized? Nah, then there would be the trouble and expense of having a custom mattress made. And I’m not the kind who can be comfortable with a DIY “mattress” I made from some random foam.

I recently came across a soon-to-be nomad who was seriously considering a bed only 18 inches wide. His justification was that he was short. Um, okay?

One of those folding futon mattresses? Naw, I tried that before back in college. Even my young body didn’t like it. I can’t get comfortable with seams and gaps and such.

Then there’s the evil step-brother of the futon: the conversion van rear seat that converts to a “bed.” No no no, not for me.

I slept on an air mattress during the time I was staying on a friend’s property while building out the van. Well, “slept” is sort of exaggerating things. It was more like thrashing around uncomfortable and sweaty each night until fatigue beat me into unconsciousness. No air mattress for me.

A camping/backpacking sleeping pad? Nope. Too thin and too narrow for me. Worse than an air mattress.

Just right

So a Twin XL it was. I went shopping and found a mattress that was the perfect Goldilocks combination of soft and supportive. Then I added a four-inch memory foam topper. Plush!

And surprise, surprise! I adapted to the narrow bed rather quickly. The comfort was part of the reason. No need to keep shifting positions in search of a good spot. It was all good spots. But I think I also thrashed around less because I had far fewer demons invading my sleep. One of the main reasons I abandoned  “normal” life was for the sake of my mental health. I left the demons behind. (I hope they didn’t take up residence in someone else.) A comfortable mind allows for a comfortable body. And a good bed is a bonus.

What’s your perfect bed?

What about you? Have you found the perfect bed for your rig? Do you love one of the beds I rejected? If so, tell us about it. Because beds really are a matter of personal preference.