Last Updated on June 25, 2024 by Nikole

Welcome to our official guide to building a camper van pull-out bed!!

Nikole and Clark here with our awesome converted Ford Transit Connect campervan. Over the span of a few weeks working on and off with our campervan, we finally finished our conversion with a pull-out bed.

In this post, we will show you how we built our campervan slat pull-out bed step-by-step. It’s one of the easiest and cheapest ways to build a camper van sofa bed for smaller motorhomes.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

Why Build a Slat Bed for Your Van

First of all, before you even begin building the bed you need to decide which bed will suit your lifestyle the best.

A pull-out slat bed is one of the easiest, cheapest, and most convenient bed styles to use for your camper van. We built ours almost 2 years ago and I would have to say it was the best decision we have made for our van.

A slat bed also allows for more storage space in your van by utilizing the area under the bed. Speaking of space, you can save even more by trying these organizational ideas for camper vans.

Pros of Owning a Pull-out Slat Bed

Before making any decision in life it’s a great idea to weigh some pros and cons. Here are all the cons of having a pull-out slat bed in your van.

Simple Build

A sliding slat bed is one of the simplest things to build. For us, it was the easiest part of our van build.

You don’t necessarily need a degree or experience to build this bed platform, at least we didn’t. All you need is the right tools, the perfect guide, and a positive can-do attitude.

Ease of use

I’ve seen some beds where you need to take apart a table, move some cushions, fold down a bed, find a place for the table and cushions you just took off, make the bed, and maybe when you are just at the peak of exhaustion you will get to lay down in your campervan bed!

I don’t know about you, but that sounds exhausting!

When on the go in your campervan you don’t want to worry about pulling out a cot or folding down an elaborate bed system. The pull-out bed is as easy as “pulling” the entire bed out from itself – bedding and all! There you have it, time for some sleep! When you want to slide it back up, you have a nice couch to sit on in a matter of seconds.

Come check out our post about camper van mattresses, so you can find the most comfortable mattress for your slat bed.

Space Saver

A campervan slat bed that you can easily put up after a good night’s rest will be a big plus for space. You may have more room for things like a kitchen or walking space.

We use the extra space for storage when we decide to travel again the next day. At night all of our stuff that’s piled in the back will go into the front seats so we can pull the bed down. Pictured above is our campervan pull-out slat bed when slid up.

Here you can Find durable camper van flooring material so your bed doesn’t ruin your floor.

Cons for Pull-out Bed

Every brilliant idea comes with some form of frustration because nothing is perfect. The question is what can you put up with?

Here are some cons for the pull-out bed to help you determine whether this is a good idea for your van.

Slats get stuck

Sometimes the slats get annoyingly stuck when trying to push the bed back up into a couch position. Usually, the weight of the mattress on the slats helps with this, but sometimes they still get stuck.

Whenever you push the bed up during the day try pushing it up in the middle instead of one side or the other.

May Need a thicker mattress

Depending on how far you place your slats on the top, you may need a thicker mattress so you won’t feel the spaces in the slats when lying on your bed.

This has never been a problem with us, mainly because we have about an 8-inch mattress. (what can I say I like my comfort!). You can most definitely use a thinner mattress like maybe a 5-inch.

The mattress Doesn’t Fold Well

At first, our thick mattress was not folding well when we slid the bed up into a couch position. We used ratchet straps to tie it down in the crease at first (pictured above).

We eventually wised up and cut a slit in the bottom of the mattress down the whole middle. This folds up so much better and stays up better when in a couch position.

I’ve even seen people cut all the way through the mattress and have two cushions.

Dimensions for Consideration

Always measure before you start your project!!!

There are two ways you can start your camper van slat bed. This all depends on how big your van is in the back, and how much space you are willing to give up.

1. You can start by measuring out the mattress size (either a mattress you already have or plan to purchase), and build your platform around the mattress measurements.

2. You can measure the space in the back of your van where you want your bed. Then you can make your bed platform from those measurements. You can then cut your mattress according to the size of your bed platform. We had to do this because our van is so small in the back, that it barely fits a full-size mattress.

Whichever you choose, make sure the mattress will sit snugly on your platform. In other words, the length and width of the mattress will be the same as the length and width of the top of your platform (this makes for an easier slide in and out).

Remember you can cut a mattress especially if it is foam. Below are some typical mattress measurements you can go by when deciding on your bed-building procedures.

Also, take into consideration the height of the bed. You Don’t want the bed so high that you bump your head when getting off your mattress, but you want it high enough for under-the-bed storage. This will be different per van.

Materials We Used for Our Build

1. L Brackets (Like these Prime-Line MP9221)
2. Straight brackets ( Like these 8 Pack Flat Straight Brace Brackets)
3. 2x4s for the Legs of the bed and for the frame
4. 1x2s for the top (the slats)
5. 1-1/2 inch Wood screws For the slats
6. 2-inch wood screws for the legs and frame

Tools We used for our build

• Miter saw
• Drill
• Measuring tape

How we made the bed

• We started by measuring the back of our van and by measuring how tall Clark is. The bed needed to be a little longer than Clark, but small enough to fit in the back of our small Ford Transit Connect. We also measured how wide we needed it by considering there would be two people in the bed. Lastly, we measured the height we wanted it to be.

• Then we created the frame and the legs next (what the slats will be sitting on top of). This has to be the starting point because everything else will be built around the frames and the legs.

• You will need to build three frames using 2×4 pieces of wood (pictured in diagram 1). Each frame will have 3 legs (still using the 2x4s) attached by both L brackets and straight brackets.
• The L brackets are used to attach the corners where the top of the bed meets with the legs. The straight brackets will be used on the sides where the top of the bed and the legs meet. We used both types of brackets with 2-inch screws to attach the legs to the frames of the bed.

• Next up are the slats! After getting the frames and legs built you will then move on to screwing in the slats to the top of the frames you just built.
• First, start with two sets of frames and legs. You will attach the two frames with several slats, however many it takes you to stagger them from the top to the bottom.
• Then you will screw more slats on top of the remaining frame. Make sure you stagger them so they slide easily into the other slats. (see the diagram below for a visual).

Other Questions

When building the slats onto the frame keep in mind that your sliding side needs to have longer slats so it can rest on the farthest frame (so it won’t cave in when the bed is put up).

Type of Wood Used

Depending on the type of wood you use it could swell and cause a frustrating time trying to slide your bed up. We didn’t use any special type of treated wood for ours and it hasn’t given us problems as of yet.

(if you are worried about toxicity go with untreated wood!) In fact, I wouldn’t use treated wood at all due to the small space you are in. Even if you have a well-ventilated van treated wood could wreak havoc on your health.

Opt for woods such as redwood or cedar or anything that is “rot-resistant”. The type of wood you use is very important because a van environment tends to trap moisture and warp wood.

Controlling moisture in your camper van will also help prevent wood rot.

Making Sliding Easier

Make sure there is a little bit of room between the slats before screwing them into the frame. This ensures a constant easy slide.

Can I use thicker wood to build the bed frame

You can absolutely change the thickness of the wood, however, you don’t want to go so thick that you weigh down the van. You also don’t want to use thinner wood than what we recommend because you don’t want the bed collapsing.

Fastening the slat bed to the van

I recommend fastening one side of the slide-out bed to the van floor( preferably the side that is furthest away from your doors). This ensures the bed will not move around and damage your other camper van accessories while on the go.

Conclusion

Let me know if you have any further questions about this particular camper van bed, I would love to answer them. If you already have a bed in your van let me know what it is and how it is working for you!