How long is a transverse bed in a van camper?

Between 1.75 and 1.85 metres, because the length of the bed is the interior width of your van. The widest vans in this class have around 1.87 metres of load width, minus wall thickness and insulation. If you are taller than about 1.85 metres, a longitudinal bed is the better choice.

Which is better, a transverse or a longitudinal bed?

It depends on your height and on what you bring. A transverse bed costs about 1.40 metres of load length and yields a full-width garage — the only place two bicycles stand upright. A longitudinal bed costs about 2.00 metres, gives you 2 metres of bed length and an aisle to get out at night without waking the other person.

Does a transverse bed fit every van?

No. You need at least about 1.75 metres of clear width above the wheel arches, and the narrowest vans in this class do not manage it. Measure the width at bed height, that is above the arches and not between them — that differs by ten to twenty centimetres.

← Knowledge base

Choosing

Transverse or longitudinal bed: the choice that sets your whole layout

The bed is the largest piece of furniture in your camper and it is always there. Where it lies decides where the kitchen can go, whether a seating area fits and how much garage you keep. So this is the first decision, not the last — and it depends almost entirely on one dimension of your van.

Updated on 9 September 202610 min read

One dimension settles most of it

A transverse bed runs left to right, so the length of the bed is the width of your van. An adult of 1.80 m needs about 1.90 m to lie out flat, and no panel van has that much interior width. In practice a transverse bed comes out at 1.75 to 1.85 m: fine if you are under 1.80 m, tight if you are taller, and in both cases the widest van is the most comfortable.

There is one test that removes all doubt, and it takes two minutes: lie down in your van, across, in the place the bed will go and at the height it will sit. If that feels good, you already know. If it feels tight, you also know that now — and the rest of this article is here to help you pick the better option.

The two side by side

	Transverse bed	Longitudinal bed
Bed length	1.75 – 1.85 m, limited by the van	2.00 m or more, no problem
Costs in load length	About 1.40 m	About 2.00 m
Garage underneath	Full width, running right through	Only on one side, narrower
Getting out at night without waking the other	No, unless you climb over each other	Yes, if there is an aisle beside it
Room left for a seating area	Yes, even in an L2	Only from L3, and then tight
Requires	Width	Length

When to choose which

Taller than 1.85 m: go for a longitudinal bed. Then you sleep stretched out, and the choice costs you only some load length.
Want to take bicycles: transverse bed. The through-garage underneath is the only place in a van camper where two bikes stand upright.
If one of you is often up at night: longitudinal bed with an aisle, or two separate beds.
Have an L2 and still want fixed seating: transverse bed, because otherwise it does not fit.
Travelling alone: consider a convertible bench. It gives you a living room back during the day, and in a three-metre van that is worth more than it sounds.

The wheel arches, and why a transverse bed sits high

Between the wheel arches your van is ten to twenty centimetres narrower than above them. A transverse bed therefore has to clear them, and that sets the height: the underside of the bed sits at the top of the arch, and the mattress above that. It is not a drawback but the reason a transverse bed gets a garage and a longitudinal one does not — the space beneath exists anyway. It does mean you can sit upright in bed in a high van and not in a low one.

Our floor plans show, for every van, how long and wide the sleeping surface actually becomes, wheel arches and wall thickness included. That is a different number from the nominal mattress size, and it is the number to decide on.

Four questions, and you know which layout fits

Frequently asked questions

How long is a transverse bed in a van camper?: Between 1.75 and 1.85 metres, because the length of the bed is the interior width of your van. The widest vans in this class have around 1.87 metres of load width, minus wall thickness and insulation. If you are taller than about 1.85 metres, a longitudinal bed is the better choice.
Which is better, a transverse or a longitudinal bed?: It depends on your height and on what you bring. A transverse bed costs about 1.40 metres of load length and yields a full-width garage — the only place two bicycles stand upright. A longitudinal bed costs about 2.00 metres, gives you 2 metres of bed length and an aisle to get out at night without waking the other person.
Does a transverse bed fit every van?: No. You need at least about 1.75 metres of clear width above the wheel arches, and the narrowest vans in this class do not manage it. Measure the width at bed height, that is above the arches and not between them — that differs by ten to twenty centimetres.