Customize a (real) Mattress for your Truck Bed
In This Article
Yes, you can create your own mattress for the bed of your truck – we’ll show you how (it’s easier than you would think!)
You love your truck.
So much so, that you’ve thought …”I wonder if I can use my truck bed as an ACTUAL bed…”
But one thing you WONT love is waking up sore and unrested after a night camping out in the truck bed without a decent mattress.
But don’t worry! Whether you are vacationing, camping, a nomad working from anywhere there’s an internet connection, or simply on a road trip, we’ll make sure sleeping in the bed of your truck is a comfortable, affordable, convenient and enjoyable experience.
Read on to learn more about your truck bed mattress options!
Want to skip the article and start customizing your mattress? Head on over to the custom mattress builder now!
Truck Bed Mattress Options
Trucks come in all shapes and sizes, as do their truck beds. Flatbeds, wheel wells, toolboxes, extended length, short bed, and more can pose unique challenges when shopping for a mattress that will fit securely and comfortably.
When it comes to truck mattresses, you have two primary options:
- Custom foam truck mattress
- Air mattress
Each has its own pros and cons. Below we’ll explore those in greater detail, helping you figure out which features are most important to you when investing in a mattress for your truck.
So, you’re keen on transforming the bed of your pickup truck into a comfy oasis for your camping trips?
We’d love to chat with you about the possibilities and help you design the perfect mattress for your needs. Fill out the contact form below with a few details – your truck model, any specific needs you have, and a good time to contact you. One of our friendly team members will get back to you soon. Can’t wait to help you elevate your camping experience!
Custom Foam Truck Bed Mattress
At Mattress Insider we take our sleep as seriously as we do our comfort. As avid campers, nomads, and road warriors ourselves, we know first-hand how uncomfortable and inconvenient truck mattresses can be.
If you’ve ever struggled to cram a mattress into your own truck bed, or tossed and turned all night on a low-quality mattress only to repeat the process night after night, you know too.
Well, all that is about to change.
If there’s one thing we do best, it’s making custom mattresses – especially those made for truck beds.
The Benefits of a Custom Foam Mattress
Unbeatable Comfort
Experience an impressive night’s sleep on a mattress expertly engineered and custom made to enhance the comfortability of sleeping in a truck. Truck beds are often made from hard surfaces where metal and rubber abound. Not just any mattress can provide the type of resilience, cushioning and support needed atop these surfaces.
Pressure Relief
Utilizing innovative open-cell foam technology, feel the warm embrace of ultra-premium foam that conforms to your individual body type. Just what the doctor ordered after a long day’s drive or a hard day’s work.
Incredible Support
Comfort is one thing, support is another. For many of us, aches and pains are a daily occurrence. Be it from bumpy roads, work or an annoying byproduct of aging, support becomes an increasingly necessary component of our lives.
Mattress Insider beds are engineered to handle up to two 250lb adults, offering superior support from head to toe.
It fits like a glove
A standard mattress typically won’t fit in a truck bed, and air mattresses often end up either needing to be crammed in or end up being too small for the space.
Custom foam mattresses, by contrast, can be ordered to fit precisely in the space available. No matter the size, dimensions or shape, a custom foam truck mattress can be ordered to your exact specifications and/or needs.
Say goodbye to the struggle involved with trying to cram a mattress into spaces it just doesn’t want to fit in.
It keeps going like an Energizer battery!
Built from the highest quality materials and manufactured under superior production standards, these custom truck mattresses are made to last. Durable and ready to take abuse day in and day out, this is an investment that keeps on giving for years to come.
Customizable
Tailored to your sleeping style, preferred density, thickness, level of support, fabrics, types of foam (i.e. memory foam, cooling gel foam, etc.), and more. Get a mattress made JUST FOR YOU.
Ok, That All Sounds Good…But What About Any Downsides?
We’d be remiss if we didn’t cover some potential negatives when choosing a custom foam mattress for your pickup or semi-truck.
So, what’s the deal here…it can’t all be rainbows and unicorns, right?
Price
A custom truck mattress will typically be more expensive than your run of the mill air mattress or random off-brand RV mattress. Although you’re likely to pay a premium here, these beds are still quite affordable, ranging between $179-$399. Can you really put a price on sleep quality?
Availability
While a standard mattress or an air mattress can be purchased right off of the shelf, a custom mattress needs to be fabricated and cut to fit your unique specifications. This means that there will be a small delay between ordering, manufacturing, and delivery. Despite the fact that we’re pretty quick, those having an IMMEDIATE or emergency need may be better suited to (at least temporarily) buying something off the shelf to ‘get by’.
Space
An air mattress, as the name implies, is full of air…kind of like that one fool at work. This means that it can be inflated and deflated as needed to free up space in your cab or truck bed. A foam bed, by contrast, can only be scrunched or folded up so much and ideally will be left in place. If you need space, you may have to remove it from the cab or truck bed altogether.
Truck Bed Air Mattress
You might have had an air mattress back in college, when bunking at your friend’s house or in a first apartment. Or perhaps you’re familiar with them in the context of camping.
But did you know that they make truck bed mattresses designed to be placed in the bed of your pickup or semi cab?
Air mattresses can provide a quick and easy solution when you need a fast solution for sleeping. Typically designed with cutouts to allow space for the wheel wells of a pickup, these mattresses generally fill the entire truck bed and are available in a range of standard sizes.
The Benefits
Affordable
Air mattresses tend to be highly affordable, and are almost always lower priced than custom foam mattresses. That said, some higher-end or premium models might be as much or more expensive in some cases.
Fast Solution
Need a last-minute solution for your truck bed or for an upcoming camping trip? An air mattress might not be the most comfortable for everyday use, but for special occasions, they can get the job done without much fuss.
Potential Downsides of the Truck Bed Air Mattress
Durability
Most air mattresses aren’t made with the intent to last the user for years. This is typically reflected in the build quality as well as the shorter warranty periods. Truck beds can be especially hard on the plastic and rubber materials used to make air mattress bottoms, causing abrasion and wear over time. This makes the mattresses susceptible to punctures, cuts and leaks.
Air Pump
Unless you’re full of hot air, you’ll need an air pump to inflate these things. Some mattresses come with an integrated pump that can be powered off of your vehicle, while others you may need to purchase one separately.
Comfort
Although some air mattresses are built with integrated comfort features, most fall short when compared to a foam mattress. After all, you can only make air so comfortable.
Lack of Customization
Do you have a specific sleep style that requires additional support or cushioning? Do you sleep hot or cold? Do you have stiff joints or a bad back? When it comes to air mattresses, addressing these issues can be difficult due to a lack of customizable features and materials. You get exactly what is on the label, nothing more, nothing less. This cookie-cutter approach isn’t the best for everyone.
Compatibility and Fit Issues
Air mattresses are pre-made in specific shapes and sizes, so you’ll need to take some measurements and/or see if the make and model of your truck are compatible.
Got Questions About Truck Bed Mattresses?
We’ve got answers…
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions we get about our custom foam truck mattresses.
Q. Do you make truck mattresses for a nomad lifestyle, campers and truckers on the road?
A. Absolutely. We make custom mattresses designed to fit your truck no matter its style, space or shape. Big, small, angled, we do it all. Need a cutout to accommodate a tool chest, wheel wells, or other interior configurations? Work with our team to get just what you need, custom-made to fit like it was always meant to be there.
Q. Why are your mattresses better than air bed mattresses?
A. Air mattresses certainly have their place. They are cheap, quick to set up, can be deflated and stored away when not in use, and great for kids to play on.
But they lack in several key areas that most adults, especially those who need to get a good night’s rest, appreciate.
A Brief Overview of Why Our Custom Mattresses Outperform Air Mattresses Every Day of the Week (even on Sundays):
- Unlike truck air bed mattresses which are often made in China, your mattress will be constructed right here in the USA, made from high-quality, environmentally friendly and hypo-allergenic US components.
- Air mattresses are notorious for losing their firmness due to minor air leaking and reduction in air pressure with use, requiring you to pump it back up every so often.
- Available in any size or shape and custom made to perfectly fit any dimensions you need
- Our truck mattresses can be made using a variety of materials and including features such as gel memory foam, viscoelastic memory foam, soy foam, latex, super-soft foam, and high-density foam, and more.
- Fast turnaround! With just 5-7 business day’s production time you’ll have your new mattress in no time. Transit takes just 2-3 business days on the east coast and 4-5 business days on the west coast.
- We use only Certipurus certified foams which use no harmful chemicals and have been tested for durability.
- 10-20 Year warranties depending on the model (instead of 1-2 years with air beds)
- Designed for every-night or occasional use and built to last
- Models can be designed for average to above average weight, perfect for any body type
Q. Can you make mattresses to fit around my vehicle’s wheel wells?
A: Absolutely! Wheel wells and other physical obstacles can make fitting a mattress in your pickup truck or semi truck a struggle. Our custom mattresses can be ‘made to fit’, accommodating any physical features in your truck cap or bed. Making a ‘template’ for us to follow is easy and can be done with thick packing paper. This packing paper can be found at local hardware stores, and comes in rolls.
Q. Do you only make the mattresses to fit around the wheel wells? What if I just want a rectangular shape?
A. We do so much more than just customizing mattresses to fit around wheel wells. If you have a flat surface or need a standard rectangular shape without any accommodations for wheel wells, we can do that too. Just let us know the desired width, length and height, and we’ll do the rest 😊
Q. How thick of a mattress should I order?
A. Mattress thickness, or height, can be custom ordered based on your personal preferences as well as available space in your truck bed or cab. Generally speaking, the thicker the mattress, the more support and comfort, especially as it relates to body contouring ability and reduced pressure on major joints of the body.
If you have a ceiling above you, such as in a truck cab or in a truck bed with a camper shell, topper or canopy over the bed, you’ll want to leave (at the absolute minimum) about 24” (2ft) between the top of the mattress and the ceiling. This could be cutting it too close for comfort though, especially if you’re a bigger individual.
Instead, we suggest using this simple measuring technique to get the spacing just right. First, lie down sideways in the area the bed will go. Next, measure the distance between your upper arm and the roof.
Common mattress heights tend to be around 4.5″, 5.5, 8″, and 10″ thick. However, we can make mattresses in almost any depth upon request.
Q. What is the price range of your mattresses?
A. Due to the broad range of product features and customizable options, the price can vary quite a bit. That said, the majority of our products fall between $297-$597.
Q. Can you make a mattress which is waterproof or water-resistant?
A: We can make mattresses with a vinyl tape-edged cover. This will make the mattress water-resistant. We cannot, however, make your mattress ‘waterproof’.
Q. Can the mattress be folded up for storage?
Need to make the most out of your available space? For an additional cost, we can manufacture your mattress with one or more hinges, making it capable of being folded up for easy storage when not in use.
Q. What is the return/exchange policy on custom mattresses?
A. Due to the nature of the product, with each mattress custom-made to your unique specifications and vehicle, we do not offer any cancellations, refunds, exchanges or returns once production has been initiated.
Q. Do you make custom mattresses for other types of vehicles?
A. Yes! We can make high quality, affordable mattresses in just about any size or shape to fit in your vehicle. This includes mattresses for your van, car, or SUV.
Q. What makes and models can you make mattresses for?
A. We can make a mattress to fit virtually any make, model or year of truck you have. Below is a breakdown of just some of the trucks we’ve either made mattresses for or have been asked to quote production for in the past.
NOTE: Be advised that we do not keep templates on file and require each customer to take their own measurements and make their own template (we will help you through this process to ensure accuracy).
Chevrolet
- Colorado
- Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500
- S10
- Blazer
- Avalanche
- Suburban
- Tahoe
- Trailblazer
- Venture Van
GMC
- Sierra 1500
- Sierra 1500 HD
- Sierra 2500
- Sierra 3500
- Denali
- Suburban
- Yukon
- Envoy
- Sonoma
- Canyon
- Jimmy
Ford
- F150
- F250
- F350
- Excursion
- Expedition
- Explorer
- Escape
- Bronco
- Econoline
- Ranger Pickup
Toyota
- T-100
- Tundra
- Tacoma
- ForeRunner
- FJ Cruiser
- Land Cruiser
- Sienna Van
- RAV 4
- Sequoia
- Pickup
- Prius
Dodge
- Ram 1500
- Ram 2500/3500
- Dakota
- Durango
- Nitro
- Grand Caravan
- Town & Country
- Sprinter Van
Nissan
- Titan
- Frontier
- Armanda
- Pathfinder
- X-Terra
Mitsubishi
- Raider
Isuzu
- i280
- i290
- I Series
- Hombre
- P’up Pickup
- Mazda
- B Series
- Tribute
- MPV Minivan
Honda
- Odyssey
- Ridgeline
- Element
Hummer
- H3T Pickup
Jeep
- Cherokee
- Grand Cherokee
- Wagoneer
- Grand Wagoneer
- Commander
- Wrangler JK 4 Door
Land Rover
- Land Rover
- Range Rover
- Defender
Subaru
- Forrester
- Outback
- Tribeca
Volvo
- XC 90