Island Bed · Double · Custom Cut · Western Cape
Caravan Mattress Cape Town: Island Bed, Double & Custom Cut
Replacement caravan mattresses in 50kg/m3 SABS-approved high-density foam, delivered free across Cape Town and the Western Cape, built with open-cell foam that breathes rather than holding coastal damp.
Western Cape caravanning is a damp-and-dry problem more than a heat problem. A van that spends winter under a carport in Cape Town sits in months of wet, still air, and a closed-cell foam slab in a poorly ventilated bed box holds that moisture against the base. Then summer arrives and the same van bakes on the West Coast. Foam that is built to a price does not survive that swing well.
Sizes and prices
Published prices, no quote step. Island bed layouts include free rounded corners at no extra cost.
| Option | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
|
Active Foam Caravan Double or Island Bed (Queen) |
Firm, supportive, holds its shape trip after trip. The straightforward replacement. | R5,999 |
|
Revive Foam Caravan Double or Island Bed (Queen) |
Memory foam comfort layer for pressure relief. Choose this if you wake up with a sore back or hips. | R7,999 |
| Custom shape | Cut corners, French beds and odd island layouts, cut to your traced template. | R6,999 |
Caravanning in the Western Cape
The classic runs are the Garden Route on the N2 towards Mossel Bay, Wilderness and Storms River, the West Coast up the R27 to Langebaan and Paternoster, the Cederberg on the N7, and the Breede River and Overberg for a weekend that does not need a whole week's leave.
Two local realities matter for the mattress itself. Coastal humidity and salt air mean breathability is not a luxury, so our open-cell foam is the right build here: it lets moisture move rather than trapping it under a sleeping body. And the Cape's gravel access roads to the quieter spots mean vibration, where foam simply outlasts an innerspring because there are no coils to bend or rust.
Side sleepers and the Cape caravan bed
Most people sleep on their side, and side sleeping is the position a thin caravan slab handles worst. Your whole body weight routes through two narrow points, the shoulder and the hip, and there is very little foam available to absorb it before you reach the bed base. Cape caravanners tell us about this most often after a run up the West Coast or out to the Karoo, where nights are long and cold enough that you stay put rather than shifting around.
| You wake up with | What it means |
|---|---|
| A numb or dead arm | The shoulder cannot sink in, so pressure concentrates on a small area and restricts blood flow. |
| A burning, aching hip | The same problem at the second contact point. Common on slabs under 100mm. |
| A sore lower back despite sleeping on your side | The core is too soft, so the hip drops and bends the spine sideways all night. |
| A stiff neck | Usually pillow height. Side sleepers need a taller pillow than back sleepers to fill the shoulder gap. |
A side sleeper needs two things that sound contradictory: a surface soft enough to let the shoulder and hip sink in, over a core firm enough to hold the waist up. A single-layer slab cannot do both, which is why the mattress your caravan came with never satisfies side sleepers.
Full detail in our guide: Side Sleepers in a Caravan.
Caravan mattress sizes and dimensions
The whole question behind "caravan mattress" is whether it fits your bed. Here are the exact footprint sizes we cut, in millimetres. Island and tapered beds get a free rounded-corner cut, and any odd shape is cut from a template you trace.
| Size | Footprint (mm) | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Bed | 1370 x 1880 | Fixed double beds and dinette conversions | from R5,999 |
| Island Bed (Queen), straight corners | 1520 x 1880 | Island beds with square corners | from R5,999 |
| Island Bed (Queen), rounded corners | 1520 x 1880, foot corners rounded | Sprite, Jurgens and Gypsey island beds | from R5,999 (free upgrade) |
| Custom cut | To your traced template | French beds, cut corners, wheel-arch notches, odd shapes | quoted on the shape |
Does it tick the caravan mattress buying checklist?
Every caravan mattress buying guide ends with the same checklist. Here is how the Mr Mattress caravan mattress measures up, point by point.
| Foam density 30 to 40 kg/m3 for durability | 50kg/m3 SABS-approved high-density foam, published on the page, not quoted on request. Higher than the benchmark most caravan buying guides set. |
| Cut to the bed shape (island, cut corner, wheel arch) | Free rounded corners on every island bed order, and a full custom cut from your traced template for French beds, cut corners and odd shapes. |
| Fits through the caravan door | Vacuum-rolled in a box that carries through a standard 65cm caravan door and expands on the bed within hours. |
| Light enough to protect your payload | Foam, not innerspring. Saves roughly 15 to 25kg of towing weight versus a sprung caravan mattress, with no springs to bend or rust on gravel. |
| Bed-grade foam, not camping-pad foam | The same high-density bed-grade foam we put in our house mattresses, so it does not hollow out after a season or two like cheap 28 to 30 kg/m3 OEM caravan foam. |
| Trial and warranty | A 365-night trial and a 10-year warranty, in writing. As far as we can find, no other South African caravan mattress supplier offers a sleep trial at all. |
What we publish that most suppliers do not
| Spec | Mr Mattress |
|---|---|
| Foam density | 50kg/m3, SABS-approved, published here. Most original caravan mattresses use 28 to 30kg/m3 and do not state it. |
| Weight rating | 140kg per side. |
| Price | Published flat prices. No measure-and-quote step before you know the cost. |
| Trial | 365-night home trial plus a 30-day money-back guarantee on standard sizes. |
| Warranty | 10-year written warranty. |
| Delivery | Free nationwide, typically 3 to 7 working days. Small fee only for genuinely remote addresses. |
Which caravans we fit
| Layout | Caravans covered |
|---|---|
| Island Bed (Queen) | Sprite Tourer, Sprite Spiral, Jurgens Exclusive, Gypsey Royale and most other South African island bed layouts, with free rounded corners |
| Double Bed | Sprite Splash, Sprite Swing and similar straight-cut double layouts |
| Custom cut | Cut corners, French beds and unusual island shapes, cut from your traced template |
Delivered free across Cape Town and the Western Cape
We are opening stores nationwide through 2026 and 2027. In the meantime a Western Cape caravan mattress arrives free at your door, vacuum-rolled in a box you can carry through the caravan door yourself, and you get 365 nights to decide whether it suits you.
That home trial is genuinely a better test than a showroom anyway. Five minutes lying on foam in a shop tells you very little; a fortnight at Langebaan tells you everything.
Free delivery reaches Cape Town, Bellville, Durbanville, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Somerset West, Strand, Malmesbury, Worcester, Hermanus, Mossel Bay and George, with a small fee only for genuinely remote addresses.
How we compare in Cape Town
In and around Cape Town the usual alternatives are a foam cutter who will make a slab to your measurements, or a caravan dealership fitting an original-spec replacement. Both tend to quote rather than publish, and the foam density is often not stated at all, which makes comparing them genuinely difficult.
We publish 50kg/m3 SABS-approved, publish a flat price, deliver free, and give you a 30-day money-back guarantee plus a 365-night trial. If it is wrong for you, we collect it at our cost.
Why buy from Mr Mattress
Hi, I'm Andries
We publish the foam density because the mattress industry mostly does not. If a supplier will not tell you what is inside before you pay, that is usually the answer.
No fake sales. Just problems solved.
Read my story →Frequently asked questions
Does a caravan mattress handle Cape Town damp and coastal air?
That is exactly why we use open-cell foam rather than cheap closed-cell foam. Open-cell foam breathes, so moisture moves through it instead of being trapped under you. We still recommend lifting or airing the mattress when the van is stored through a wet Cape winter.
Do you deliver caravan mattresses to the Garden Route and West Coast?
Yes, free delivery covers the whole Western Cape including George, Mossel Bay, Hermanus, Langebaan and the Cederberg towns, typically 3 to 7 working days, with a small fee only for genuinely remote addresses.
How much does a caravan mattress cost?
Prices are national and published, with no quote step: R5,999 for the Active Foam caravan mattress in Double or Island Bed (Queen), R7,999 for the Revive memory foam version, and R6,999 for a full custom shape cut to your traced template. Island bed orders include free rounded corners.
Will it fit my Sprite, Jurgens or Gypsey island bed?
Our Island Bed (Queen) option with free rounded corners fits most South African island bed layouts, including the Sprite Tourer, Sprite Spiral, Jurgens Exclusive and Gypsey Royale. Measure your bed base at its widest and longest point, or WhatsApp a traced template to 087 292 1957 and we will cut it exactly.
Will a caravan mattress fit through my caravan door?
Yes. Every mattress ships vacuum-rolled in a box, carries through a standard 65cm caravan door and expands on the bed within hours.
How much payload does a foam caravan mattress save?
Foam saves roughly 15 to 25kg compared with an innerspring of the same size, and there are no springs to bend or rust on corrugated roads.
Does the 365-night trial apply to caravan mattresses?
Yes on standard sizes, along with the 30-day money-back guarantee and the 10-year written warranty. Custom-cut shapes are made to order for you, so they carry the 10-year warranty but not the trial.
What size is a caravan island bed mattress?
Our Island Bed (Queen) is 1520 x 1880mm, the South African queen size, and it fits most Sprite, Jurgens and Gypsey island beds. Island beds taper at the foot, so we cut free rounded corners on every island bed order. If your bed is an unusual shape, trace it and WhatsApp us a photo on 087 292 1957 and we cut it to match. A standard double is 1370 x 1880mm.
How thick should a caravan mattress be?
Most caravan buying guides recommend 75 to 100mm so the mattress clears cupboards and windows, but the right depth depends on your caravan. Tell us your available clearance when you order and we confirm the depth before it ships. WhatsApp 087 292 1957 with your measurement.
What is the best caravan mattress for side sleepers?
One with a pressure-relieving comfort layer over a high-density support core. The shoulder and hip need to sink in while the waist stays supported, and a single-layer foam slab cannot do both. Our Revive Foam Caravan Mattress is built this way and is what we recommend first for side sleeping.
Why does my arm go numb in the caravan but not at home?
Because the caravan mattress is thinner and lower density than your home mattress. Most caravans ship with 28 to 30 kg/m3 foam around 75 to 100mm thick. Your shoulder compresses all of it, so pressure at that contact point is far higher than at home, which restricts blood flow and causes the numbness.
Caravan mattresses by region
National guide · Gauteng · Cape Town · KZN · Free State · Mpumalanga · Limpopo · Eastern Cape · North West
Related: Caravan mattress (national) · Bakkie mattress · Custom size foam mattresses · Business and bulk
Reviewed by Andries Taljaard, Founder of Mr Mattress.