17 Campervan Bunk Bed Ideas To Buy Or Build

If you’re building a DIY van, the idea of bunk beds in a van is an appealing one- especially if you plan to travel with lots of people. Not only do campervan bunk beds provide a comfortable sleeping arrangement for multiple people, but it can also save valuable space in a compact living area for other things, like a shower, or a toilet.

Campervan bunk beds come in different designs and styles to suit your unique needs and preferences. Some are DIY and others can easily be bought online. This article outlines 7 ideas for bunk beds in van conversions and how to buy or build them!

In This Post:

• The best campervan bunk bed ideas
• Where to buy
• Campervan hammock bed solutions
• Ideas for DIY camper bunk beds
• Bed Lift + Elevator bed for van ideas

Scroll for lots of inspiration photos!

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Campervan Hammock Bed

The Campervan Hammock bed is a great cost effective way to add additional sleeping space in your van.

They’re also removable to create more living space during the day.

The primary downside to campervan hammock beds are their weight limitations. Additionally, if they’re installed side-to-side in your van they won’t work well for taller people.

There are two campervan hammock bunk bed options available to buy online:
Cabbunk campervan hammock and Campervan hammock (they’re named similarly, but they’re two different products)

1. Cabbunk Hammock Campervan Bunk Bed

Cabbunk hammocks are specifically built for the cabin of your van. In order to use this you’ll need both front seats on a swivel – which is an added expense to your build, but something you’ll really appreciate! (I love mine!)

The Cabbunk system is a fantastic option if you plan to have occasional guests and don’t want to have a permanent bunk bed in your van taking up precious space.

It’s available to purchase as a single or double bed.

Set up only takes 25 seconds, doesn’t require any permanently installed parts and is fully adjustable. It can support up to 150 lbs and packs down into a small package that’s easy to store, even if you’re tight on space.

You can buy the Cabbunk Hammock from a few places online:

• Campervan HQ typically has good prices.
• Amazon occasionally has it in stock.
• But the best deals are at The Swivel Shop because you can get 5% off with the code everywherewithclaire

2. Campervan Hammock Bunk Bed

Campervan Hammock is a 30×60″ mesh hammock that can attach to your van walls in a number of ways, but you’ll need to plan ahead during your build for installed mounting points if you plan to hold a significant amount of weight.

Best of all, when you’re not using this hammock it packs down really small so you won’t lose a ton of storage space.

It can hold up to 150 lbs of weight and is made the the USA.

You can purchase a Campervan Hammock from OverlandGearGuy.Com for around $250.

3. Front Cab Mattress

While this isn’t technically a campervan bunk bed idea, I still love the concept of additional sleeping space with a front cab air mattress so I’m including it!

Luno Life makes extremely high quality products that are really innovative for the van world. Their AIR Van Front Cab Mattress is a great way to add an additional bed to your van.

It installs over the front drivers seats, with additional supports between the bucket seats and in the wheel wells.

This bed idea is lightweight and easy to store. The only downside is because it’s installed side-to-side it’s a bit of a shorter bed and won’t be super comfortable for taller people.

The best part of this van bed idea is that it comes specific to the make and model of your van! So it’s a perfect fit.

Luno Life also offers a fitted sheet specific for this mattress, which is nice because it’s not a standard size you can find in stores.

Portable Campervan Bunk Beds

If you’re looking for an easy portable option for bunk beds in a van check out Disc-O-Bed. The versatility of this bed system is incredible- it can be set up as a bunk bed, two cots, or even a couch!

And when you’re done it folds away with minimal storage space needed.

4. Disc-O-Bed

What I like most about this bed is how functional it is for more than just a camper bunk bed.

You could use this camping in a tent or as an upgrade from couch surfing while visiting family for the holidays!

And you’ll be the “cool van” at your next van gathering with the couch set up around the fire ring.

The primary downside to this campervan bunk bed is that most van’s do not have a plethora of open floor space for such a thing to be set up. I recommend that you double check that this will fit your van layout prior to buying!

You can purchase the Disc-O-Bed at REI or Amazon.

Folding Murphy Campervan Bunk Bed

A murphy bed is a great space saving idea for campervan bunk beds. Just throw your bed up each morning – you don’t even need to make it!

5. Partial DIY Murphy Bed Bunk Beds For Vans

Store-bought murphy bunk beds (like the one above) are pretty pricy. Another option with less frills is the Liftco rail kit. This has a much slimmer profile and is less expensive but you’ll have to provide your own campervan mattresses.

RecPro also builds a nice double bunk bed for RV’s and campers. It includes a safety rail, and it can be purchased with or without mattresses.

They also sell a single folding bunk bed.

6. Full DIY Murphy Camervan Bunk Bed

Lastly, you can always go the DIY route for a Murphy van bunk bed.

In my opinion, this is the best route if you’re somewhat handy because it’ll save you a ton of money and you can customize to the specific measurements for your van.

The example below is a fairly standard design with Murphy hinges and a couple of latches to keep it closed during the day.

7. Premade Murphy Campervan Bunk Beds

Murphy bunk beds in a van are a great idea if you’ll only have occasional guests and you don’t want to commit permanent space to a bunk bed in your van.

If you’re not super handy, or you’re short on time there are some good store-bought options, like this Urban Stack Murphy Bunk Bed.

With a little tweaking you can install this against a van wall for quick additional sleeping space for guests.

Floating Campervan Bunk Beds

Another popular option for bunk beds in a van conversions are floating beds.

These are much easier to install, but may be slightly less stable than other campervan bunk bed ideas. If you have kids, or a light weight adult, these would be a great idea.

Be cautious of weight maximum’s though, because the stability of a hanging bunk bed in a van won’t be as strong as a built-in van bed.

8. Wall Mounted Floating Bunk Beds in a Van

Sportsmobile has a great campervan bunk bed setup with two twin bunk beds stacked on top of each other against the drivers side wall of the van.

I think this is a great van layout if you need additional floor space during the day.

In my experience, having more floor space while traveling in my van with a dog would be nice. There’s not enough space in my galley style layout for both of us to be moving around at the same time.

9. Ceiling Mounted Floating Bunk Beds In A Van

Another option for camper layouts with bunks is to hang your top bunk above your fixed bottom bunk. Undercoverhippybus is able to sleep 4 people this way! It’s a double bunk bed which is a genius use of this space.

You sacrifice upper cabinet storage space in order to have these two top floating bunks, but it’s definitely worth it if you need the additional sleeping area.

Convertible Second Row Passenger Seat To Campervan Bunk Bed

The camper van market is constantly evolving with new innovative ideas for campers with bunks

10. Affinity Campervan Bunk Bed

Affinity has created an impressive second row passenger seat that doubles as a bunk bed at night.

Unfortunately, this product isn’t available for purchase. You’d either have to buy this van model by Affinity or DIY your own.

I’m including it on this list because I think it’s an interesting idea for a camper bunk bed, and with a little handiness something that most van builders could recreate.

Built-In DIY Camper Bunk Beds

Another option for camper bunk beds is to go completely DIY.

DIY camper bunk beds will allow you to fully customize the design to your van dimensions and layout.

While it may take a little longer to get the job done than if you’d just purchased something online, you’ll save money and have something that works perfectly for your space.

11. DIY Campervan Bunk Beds

12. DIY Campervan Bunk Beds (Triples!)

13. DIY Camper Bunk Beds With Privacy

14. Queen Sized DIY Camper Bunks

This Ford Transit fits two full-size beds! Plus, it has additional storage space under the bottom bunk bed.

By sleeping front-to-back (instead of side-to-side) this camper van bunk bed also has some storage space along each side of the bed.

Added reading lights on each bunk is a nice touch.

15. Double Bunk Beds In Van Sleeps 5

Think you can’t fit TWO bunk beds in a van? Think Again.

Theoffroadcamper built a campervan layout with bunks for 4+ people with two camper van bunk beds side-to-side in the back of the van and two bunk beds front-to-back along the side of their van.

And they still found space for a large 12V refrigerator and kitchen with van sink!

Elevator Bed For Van

The elevator bed for vans brings bunk beds to an entirely new level.

Drop the upper bunk down at night for a cozy sleep setup, and rise it back up in the morning for more living space.

16. Elevator Bed For Van – store Options

There’s a few ways to accomplish a bed lift in a van. The most well known elevator bed for vans is Happijac – unfortunately, they were purchased by Lippert a few years ago so it’s really hard to find these components for sale.

Lippert now sells a very similar Smart Bed elevator/bed lift product. It’s pretty pricy, but it comes with everything you need for an easy installation.

Euroloft is another elevator bed for campers that was recently acquired by Lippert. These bed lift kits are harder to find (especially if you’re in the US). WildernessVans is the only dealer I’ve found that sells to individual buyers.

I looked into an elevator bed when I was building my van. Even then it was impossible to find a way to purchase a bed lift kit as an individual. Most of the manufacturers only sell to dealers and builders. They don’t accommodate individual orders.

However, recently Tec Vanlife created an elevator bed you can buy through Nomadic Supply Company! Still pretty pricy, but at least it’s possible to acquire.

17. DIY Elevator Bed For Van

An alternative to a bed lift kit is to DIY your own elevator bed. This sounds complicated, but it’s actually fairly straight forward.

You’ll need 4 track linear actuators (get 12v ones so they can run off your van batteries), and a solid bed frame (use hardwood or 8020 extruded aluminum).

In my opinion, one of the best things about the elevator bed is that you don’t need to make your bed every day! Below are some examples of elevator bunk beds in vans.

FAQ – Campervan Bunk Beds

Can you put bunk beds in a van conversion?

Yes you can put bunk beds in a van conversion! There are several ways to fit a bunk bed in a van. Some van builds include built-in bunk beds, while others rely on campervan hammock beds and cabin bunk beds to create additional sleeping space without requiring permanent setup.

Can I put a bed in my van?

Yes, there are many ways to put a bed in your van.

If you have a larger camper van it’s possible to add campervan bunk beds, convertible dinette beds and even a fixed-bed with storage underneath.

In smaller vans, like a minivan or SUV car campers, it’s possible to put a bed in the back that converts into seating and living space during the day.

How do you sleep in a van overnight?

In order to sleep in a van overnight you’ll want a few staples: a comfortable mattress with natural fiber and breathable sheets as well as ventilation, like through a roof vent.

Ventilation is important regardless of the outdoor temperature because it helps with moisture control and condensation build-up that happens naturally as you breath.

Are bunk beds legal?

Yes, bunk beds are legal. Campervan bunk beds are a great way to save space and still accommodate larger groups of travelers.

Conclusion On Campervan Bunk Beds

A bunk bed in a van is a great way to save space in your van build. You can install a permanent bunk bed or you can use temporary setup ideas, like a hammock, to create additional sleeping space for guests.