Need New RV Bedding? Easily Find The Perfect Fit For Your Fickle Mattress
(Camp Addict does NOT accept payment from any company to review or endorse their products.)
By Kelly Beasley
RVs are an incredible invention for adventure.
It's a vehicle allowing you to take your entire home (including your RV bedding and mattress) with you on any road trip.
As with many things in recreational vehicles, RV beds are sometimes a little different than traditional beds.
But mostly, they are similar to home/traditional beds. What are we talking about?
Let's dive into the differences and similarities so you can get your roadbed dressed as nicely and comfortably as you want.
This way, every night on your trip is a luxurious sleeping experience!
How Is RV Bedding Different than Regular Bedding?
Some (very little) RV bedding is 'specialized,' but most is just like regular bedding.
Generally, the most significant factor in the bedding you use depends on the mattress size used in your RV.
If you have a traditionally-sized mattress, traditional-sized bedding will fit.
Photo By Jessica.Over.Yonder
It's All About Size and Sometimes, Shape
As mentioned above, camper mattresses are often not sized like standard residential ones.
In campers, beds often come in custom sizes and shapes to allow room for other things, ringing especially true in smaller RVs.
Other than having an odd-sized bed to dress, there's nothing special about the bedding you'll need.
But there are other things to consider, such as how to make making your bed easier if it is against, say, three walls.
This leads us to the next question.
Do You Need Specialized RV Bedding Sets?
Unless you have a unique bed situation, such as a bed that rises to the ceiling, a funky-shaped mattress, or a bed against two or more walls, you can use regular flat sheets, fitted sheets, pillowcases, and other bedding.
There is no such thing as a camper comforter or a camper bedspread. But there are a few options for 'special' bedding.
Heck, even if you DO have one of the bed types above, most of the time, you can still make a regular bedding set work with your mattress.
It may take a bit of extra tucking or using sheet straps to take care of a loose or excess fitted sheet, but it's workable. It's really up to you.
Alternative Bedding Options
Additionally, some companies sell specialized bedding. They make the job of making those wonky camper beds easier to make.
We'll touch more on those later in this article.
First, let's talk sheets!
Sheets
So, do RVers need special or custom RV bed sheets for their recreational vehicle bed?
The answer depends on a few things:
Which Mattress Type Do You Have?
It depends on your budget and how much you care about having an easy-to-make bed.
Regular-Sized Mattresses
If you can fully walk around your bed and it's a regular, say, queen size, then standard sheets in that size will work just fine.
Walled-In Mattresses
If you have a bed against three walls and want to make it as easy as possible, you might go for a zippered fitted sheet or a bedding solution such as the Beddy's bedding solution.
It all depends on your budget and tolerance for putting up with a hard-to-make bed.
Beddy's Discount
Click below to receive 15% off your Beddy's order.
Odd-Sized Mattresses
In this case, first, try the sheets you have in the house.
If they are too big and you don't want to deal with using sheet straps to tighten them up, then you should get a custom-made fitted sheet.
Remember that using regular sheets as your RV bed sheets allows you to choose from various colors and fabrics.
Using sheet straps can be helpful in this situation. Or, if you know how to use a sewing machine, you could alter the fitted sheet to better conform to your bed.
It's optional, though, if you don't care to have a PERFECTLY fitted sheet.
You'll probably cover it with a comforter or duvet anyway so no one will see it. As long as it stays on, it will do!
Comfort
Rest assured, if you can't live without your luxury sateen 800 thread count cotton sheets at home, your preference won't change while at a campground.
Keep this in mind when shopping for your recreational vehicle bedding.
Please don't make the mistake of buying and then regretting it. Know what you like, and go for that same level of comfort.
Remember, it doesn't matter what size or shape mattress you have. You can make regular sheets work.
Temperature
Consider where you will be camping and when.
If you always camp during the summer, keep light materials for your sheets to avoid sweating at night.
The same goes for winter camping. If that's all you do, and you don't use any heat at night, opt for flannel sheets or any other warmer thread for your sheets in colder climates.
If you camp in both extremes, consider linen sheets, which work well in both climates.
Blankets
Here's where dealing with your RV bedding can be fun!
You don't need any special blanket for your RV bed. You can even use blankets as a substitute for a comforter or duvet.
Nobody said you MUST use 'proper' bedding. Nope.
Do what you want to! Use a nice blanket in the colors and material you desire for your topcoat!
You can get blankets anywhere or use your favorite one from home to get a good night's sleep.
Duvet
A duvet is like a comforter with a cover on it. Duvets are used when you have a comforter made with materials that shouldn't be washed often, such as down feathers.
Instead of washing the whole comforter, wash the duvet cover and replace it. Boom, you have a clean topper.
Again, any machine washable cover and duvet will do, long as you like the way it sits on and fits on the bed.
I use a duvet and cover or a blanket because I have a bed against three (actually four) walls.
When not in use, I don't 'make' the bed.
The yellow bit is my duvet!
Instead, I stuff the duvet against the wall and put pillows in front.
It makes the bed area look much cleaner than spreading it out on the mattress.
RV Comforters
RV comforters are also a free-for-all when choosing one for your RV mattress bedding.
It just needs to fit in a way you like, and you can easily pick the one you want that matches your rig's color scheme.
If you have kids or pets using the RV, don't pick an expensive RV bed cover.
The best RV bedding will be durable but also comfortable. Custom RV bedspreads aren't a thing.
Other Accessories
Some of you like your beds to have other accessories.
Some RV bedding accessories are for looks, some are protective, and others make for devious extra storage!
Let's start with the one that might be considered essential.
Mattress Cover
Like your home mattress, it's a good idea to get a protective cover for your bed.
A cover keeps it clean of human bodily fluids (gross), possible animal bodily fluids, and liquid spills.
This mattress has a striped cover
Again- if you have a regular home-sized mattress, this is easy.
Otherwise, you'll need to get a custom cover, use sheet straps, or use your seamstress skills to make a regular one work. Bedding for an RV should always include a mattress cover.
Toppers And Pads
It's NO secret that stock RV mattresses are awful.
If you don't want to replace yours, you can try enhancing it using an RV memory foam mattress topper or a mattress pad.
You can use any topper or pad; it doesn't have to be anything special other than it should fit the top of your mattress.
Often, toppers consist of gel memory foam or other foam.
Therefore, if you can't find the exact fit, you can cut it with an electric knife.
On the other hand, pads are usually stuffed with a material such as down or fiberfill.
If you cut it, you'll have to sew it back up so the stuffing doesn't escape.
Either way, these might enhance whatever mattress is in your motorhome or travel trailer enough to make your bed a dream after a full day of exploring!
Pillows
This one is the easiest of all of your bedding choices. Nothing to it.
Whatever pillows and pillow shams you use at home, bring them. Done!
Decorative Pillows For Your Camper
Speaking of decorative pillows, can you use them with your camper bedding set? Of course, you can!
Cushions can add color and fun to your RV bedroom area, and make sure you have a place to put them at night when you sleep.
Decorative Pillows Doubling As Storage
If storage is hard to come by in your travel trailer or motorhome, here's a great tip.
Take the cover off your decorative pillow and stuff it with something like your jacket, an extra blanket, or other squishy necessities.
Two birds, one stone!
Bonus: Use decorative pillows on your booth or couch area to add more storage and color.
Who Sells RV Sheets?
When we say 'RV sheets,' we mean sheets made in typical RV mattress dimensions.
These mattresses even have their own names.
Here's a list of the most common RV mattress sizes:
Some manufacturers make sheets to fit these more standard sizes.
If you have something way off from these sizes, you might have custom sheets made or make them work by sewing them or using sheet straps.
Where To Order Custom-Sized Camper Bedding For A Non-Standard RV Mattress Size
Here are a few places that make custom-sized camper bedding sets:
Stores Selling Bedding That Fit Common RV Mattress Sizes
Here are a few places that sell camper bedding, meaning they offer standard-sized RV mattress sheets:
Where To Buy RV Mattress Pads & Mattress Protectors
If you have a standard home-sized mattress, you can buy this additional camper trailer bedding anywhere.
If you have an RV-sized mattress or another odd size, you can try these outlets:
For Hard To Make RV Beds
There are many ways OTHER than traditional bedding to dress your crazy RV bed.
You don't need RV comforters made for a trailer or RV camper bedding sets made for RVs, either.
Who said you had to dress your bed like a home bed? NOBODY.
So, get creative, or choose one of the products that help make a hard-to-make RV bed easier!
OR, get some RV-themed bedding.
Anyway, here are some ideas from which to choose.
Non-Traditional Camper Bed Spreads
Sleeping Bags
Especially great for bunk beds for the children. Why not just throw their sleeping bags on their bunk beds? Sometimes this is easier than finding odd-sized camper bunk sheets.
You can also do this for your primary bed. Sleeping bags are easy to make, easy to disassemble, and warm!
Quilts/Blankets/Duvets/Bedspreads
So, I use alternative bedding for my RV camper bedding. The sheets were too hard to deal with since my trailer bed is against four different walls.
Instead of sheets, I now have a quilt on the mattress and sleep under a blanket. It looks great!
The quilt doesn't slide, and I could use sheet straps to stop it if it did. That's all I use for my RV queen bedding sets.
You could do the same.
You could lay on a bedspread and put another comforter on top of that, and you can just use a bunch of blankets as your RV comforter.
It doesn't matter!
All that matters is that you are comfortable and comfortable with your motorhome or travel trailer bedding.
Alternative Camper Bedding Sets
A few sellers make RV bedding solutions for hard-to-make beds.
Hard to make or not, the companies we list below make making your travel trailer or motorhome bedding VERY easy to make.
Nobody wants to be stuck at camp doing a bunch of household work, including wrestling every day to put the bedding for campers back together!
Here are a few RV bedding ideas that may work perfectly for you.
Beddy's
Beddy's is like a fitted sheet with the top sheet and the comforter connected to it. It's basically a sleeping bag with a fitted sheet.
Beddys bed set. Notice how there's no messiness to it. It's a fitted sheet with everything connected to it.
Just zip and unzip the Beddy's to get in and out. When it's zipped up, it looks perfectly made. This RV-fitted bedspread makes a great bedding for camper solution.
Beddy's Discount
Click below to receive 15% off your Beddy's order.
Zipit
Zipit is similar to Beddy's but is marketed for kids. Kids (or you) can easily make their bed with the zip of a zipper!
Zipit might work for your twin mattress or bunk-style mattress.
However, they do not make custom sizes or RV mattress sizes.
QuickZip
This fitted sheet solution makes it SO much easier not to have to change out your whole fitted sheet.
Quickzip bedding for RV campers is quite a brilliant design.
It's a fitted sheet with a zipper around the top edges, so when it comes time to wash your RV linens, you unzip the top part of the fitted sheet from the sides, wash, and zip it back on!
QuickZip is JUST a fitted sheet, but it unzips around the top to make washing and re-making SO MUCH easier. Good for RV or home use.
You can choose the color, size, and material.
This works even for at-home use.
They only offer a couple of RV mattress sizes, particularly the RV queen and RV King. Other than that, they don't offer unique sizes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is RV Bedding Different?
RV bedding is no different than home 'regular' bedding.
There's no magic material in it that makes it OK to be in an RV. They are constructed of the same variety of materials household bedding is made with.
The only difference between an RV bed and a home bed might be the size of the mattress. RV mattresses often come in smaller sizes to save space in the RV.
Can You Use Regular Bedding In An RV?
Yes, you can use regular bedding in an RV.
You might have to MacGyver it a little to fit if you have an odd-shaped bed.
But for most recreational vehicles, regular bedding will work just fine.
Gizzie loves her non-conventional RV bedding!
What Is The Best Bedding For A Camper Van?
The best bedding for a camper van is the bedding that works for you.
Your van probably doesn't have a standard-sized mattress, so either get a custom-fitted sheet made, use a sleeping bag, or just use blankets for your bedding.
If you have the right size, you can also get a pre-made system such as Beddy's or a zippered fitted sheet to make making and unmaking the bed easier. But if you love your bamboo or polyester sheets and want them in your RV, you likely can make them work.
How Do You Store Camper Bedding?
Bedding for RV mattresses is no different than home bedding regarding storage.
You should store RV bedding systems in the same way you do your home bed linens.
Keep RV camper bedspreads and linens in a dry place away from where any critters can get to them. Big plastic air-tight containers work well if you have the space (for example, under the bed) to store one.
If your rig is in a temperature-controlled environment, you can safely leave the bedding on the bed.
In warmer climates and especially very humid environments where moisture is a problem and your rig is not in climate-controlled storage, you should bring the bedding in to avoid mildew from growing in it.
Conclusion
There aren't many decisions to make regarding what to get to outfit your RV bed.
There is no 'magic' in RV bedding sets except to get sizes that work or just make what you have or want to use work.
The challenging part is deciding whether to use sheets, an RV bedding pre-built set, or wing it using random bedding and no sheets.
If you choose to use sheets and don't have a 'standard' RV mattress size, you'll either have to get a custom-made fitted sheet or use sheet straps to make the closest size work.
RV bedding is not rocket science. If you are looking for nice RV replacement bedspreads, then get them!
You'll figure it out.
Author: Kelly Beasley
I dedicated myself to living the full-time RV life for over 6.5 years, immersing myself in the unique quirks and joys of the boondocking lifestyle and gaining a wealth of knowledge and experience along the way. In December 2020, my business partner and I made the transition to part-time RVing, but in January 2023, we hit the road once again, this time in our trusty vans. My mission is to help others embrace the RVing lifestyle with confidence and excitement, armed with the knowledge and resources needed to make the most of their adventures. I believe that the more you know, the more you can truly appreciate and enjoy the freedom and flexibility of the open road.