Quick answer: a proper bakkie mattress uses the same high-density bed-grade foam as a real mattress, not camping-pad foam. Ours are pre-measured per cab type with the wheel-arch notches already cut, priced up front from R3,499, and they ship straight away. No quote, no waiting weeks for a custom cut.
Search "bakkie mattress" in South Africa and you find two kinds of seller. There are custom shops that will cut you a good mattress, but only after you phone, send measurements and wait for the job. And there are outdoor-gear brands with a tough-looking cover whose price you only discover once you enquire. Both leave you doing work before you know what you are paying.
We took the third route, and it is the one thing we would ask you to compare on: we measured the cab shapes ourselves and published the prices. A Hilux double cab bin is a known quantity. So is a Ranger's, a D-Max's, a Navara's. Once you have measured them properly and cut the wheel-arch notches into a template, there is no honest reason to make every customer wait for a bespoke quote.
What actually matters when you compare:
- Density, not thickness alone. A thinner high-density mattress outlasts a thicker low-density one. Ask for the kg/m³ figure, and be suspicious if nobody will give you one.
- A published price, not a quote. If the price only appears after you send measurements, you cannot compare it against anything.
- A cover that survives the load bin. Weatherproof, and ideally zip-off so you can clean the cover instead of replacing the mattress.
- A trial period. The one thing almost nobody in this category offers, and the only way to actually find out if it works for you.
What it costs, up front
Three cab types, three prices, no quote step:
| Cab type | What it fits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Double Cab | The shortest bin, most common fitment |
|
| Super / Extended Cab | Mid-length bin |
|
| Single Cab | The longest bin, uses the most material |
|
Single Cab costs the most because it has the least cab and the most bin, so it takes the most foam and canvas. Pricing follows the material, not the badge.
Density is the number that decides everything
A camping pad is usually 20 to 30 kg per cubic metre foam: soft, cheap, and it flattens against a steel bin floor within a season. We build bakkie mattresses from 45 to 50 kg per cubic metre foam, the same grade that goes into our beds, because a mattress that gets slept on for years should behave like one.
This is also why we are wary of thickness claims used on their own. A 100mm mattress cut from low-density foam will feel great in the shop and be flat by your third Kruger trip, while a well-specified 80mm in bed-grade foam will not. Thickness only means something once you know the density behind it.
Ours is 80mm as standard, with 100mm available on order. If you want the full 100mm the category talks about, we build it — you just order it. But the number we would actually ask you to compare is the 45 to 50 kg/m³, because that is the one almost nobody else in this category publishes.
The same applies to the cover. Ours is 800gsm weatherproof canvas. The ripstop covers commonly advertised on bakkie mattresses in South Africa are around 400gsm, so ours is roughly double the fabric weight — and unlike foam density, cover weight is easy for any seller to publish if they are proud of it.
When you actually do need a custom cut
We are not pretending pre-measured covers everything. Half-ton bakkies — Nissan NP200, Ford Bantam, Chevrolet Corsa Utility — have a much smaller bin than a full-size single cab and need a true custom cut. So does an unusual canopy, a drop-in liner that changes the bin shape, or foam for a rooftop tent rather than the load bin. Those we quote properly, on our custom-cut page, because that is a job where a quote is the honest answer rather than a sales step.
The one thing nobody else in this category offers
Before the detail: you also get a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 10-year warranty. The trial below is the part that is genuinely unusual.
A 365-night trial, in writing, on a mattress that lives in a load bin. We checked the major South African bakkie-mattress sellers before writing this, and as far as we can find, none of them offers a sleep trial at all — one states plainly that no money-back guarantee is offered. Ours is the same trial we put on our house mattresses, and it exists because we would rather you find out over a year of real trips than over ten minutes in a showroom.
On warranty, be careful how you compare. Ours is 10 years. You will see longer numbers advertised in this category, up to 15 years, so length on its own tells you very little. Ask what voids it. On an outdoor product that lives in a load bin, a warranty that excludes liquid contact, or that requires a mattress protector to stay valid, is worth reading closely before you rely on it.
Where it earns its keep
Kruger trips, Wild Coast weekends, hunting season, farm bakkies doing double duty, work crews sleeping over on site. If the bakkie is the accommodation, the mattress decides how the next morning feels.
See the Full Bakkie Mattress Range →
Frequently asked questions
How much does a bakkie mattress cost in South Africa?
Mr Mattress bakkie mattresses are pre-measured per cab type and priced up front: R3,499 for a Double Cab (was R4,999), R3,599 for a Super Cab or Extended Cab (was R5,099), and R3,799 for a Single Cab (was R5,399). You buy online at that price and it ships. There is no quote step and no waiting for a custom cut.
Is a bakkie mattress custom-made or ready to ship?
Ours are ready to ship. Every cab type we sell is already measured and on file with the wheel-arch notches pre-cut, the same way bed mattress sizes are standardised. Custom cutting is only needed for half-ton bakkies like the Nissan NP200, Ford Bantam and Chevrolet Corsa Utility, or for an unusual canopy or bin, and we quote those separately.
What foam density should a bakkie mattress use?
45 to 50 kg per cubic metre high-density bed-grade foam, the same block that goes into our house mattresses. Camping-pad foam is usually 20 to 30 kg per cubic metre: soft, cheap, and it flattens against a steel bin floor within a season. Density is the number that decides whether the mattress is still comfortable in year three.
How thick should a bakkie mattress be?
Ours is 80mm as standard, with 100mm available on order. The standard 80mm is thick enough to keep an adult off the ribbed load-bin floor all night, while staying low enough to leave sit-up headroom under a standard canopy and to roll up and store behind the seats. If you want the full 100mm, we build it to order. One caution when you compare: thickness on its own means nothing without density. A 100mm mattress in low-density foam is worse than a well-specified 80mm in bed-grade foam, so always ask for the kg/m³ figure alongside the millimetres.
Which bakkies does it fit?
The three cab shapes cover the load-bin shape used across Toyota Hilux and Land Cruiser 79, Ford Ranger and Raptor, Isuzu D-Max and KB, Nissan Navara and NP300, VW Amarok, GWM P-Series and Steed, Mahindra Pik Up, Mitsubishi Triton, Mazda BT-50 and most other full-size bakkies on South African roads. Half-ton bakkies need a custom cut.
What trial and warranty do you get?
A 365-night trial and a 10-year warranty, in writing, on the bakkie mattress. That is the same trial we put on our house mattresses. Most bakkie-mattress sellers offer neither, so it is worth asking any supplier to match it before you pay.
Is delivery free?
Yes, delivery is free anywhere in South Africa, with a small fee only for extreme rural areas. We manufacture in Gauteng and you can see the foam and cover in person at our store at 6 West St, Kempton Park CBD.
Regional guides: Gauteng · Cape Town · KZN · Free State · Mpumalanga · Limpopo · Eastern Cape · North West
Manufactured in our own South African factories. Pre-measured per cab type, free delivery nationwide, small fee for extreme rural areas. Store: 6 West St, Kempton Park CBD. WhatsApp 087 292 1957.
Reviewed by Andries Taljaard, Founder of Mr Mattress.