Why a New Mattress
The mattress was okay when we first purchased our T@B 400. The bed was comfortable despite being smaller than the one in our T@G XL. It offered decent support because of the Froli spring system, the new mattresses, and the 2” foam topper we added from our old camper.
But, after almost two years of use, the bed had become quite uncomfortable. The thin mattresses were not holding up well and the now four-year old foam topper had split where the mattresses tend to separate. We needed an upgrade!
The IKEA Option
I asked a T@B Facebook group for recommendations. Mimi, a very helpful lady, shared her solution: an IKEA foam mattress trimmed to fit the 400. She was so helpful that she also gave me a link to a current IKEA mattress similar to the one she had purchased. It was $189, which I felt was a reasonable price. I especially liked that it had a very well-made zippered mattress pad that is machine washable.
The Trim Process
The mattress came very tightly rolled and we transported it in the back of our SUV while returning from a camping trip. We removed the foam from the cover and allowed it to sit for a few days to allow it to totally open and the smells to dissipate. (This was recommended, but it did not have an odor to us.).
Earlier, in our camper, we had removed the old foam topper and measured the dimensions of the bed. Below are my notes. We did three cuts, one for length (78”), one for width (55”), and one 10” cut for the corner near the refrigerator (starting at 49” width and 71” length). My note says the corner is 9”, but I decided to cut 10”. It worked well. My husband used a serrated knife to make the cuts. We marked places along the path on the smooth side of the foam and he cut using a straight edge as a guide.
The foam has an egg crate pattern on one side and I verified that it should be on top. It was important to remember this when making the corner cut. It is described as 3 7/8” thick and below is a photo of the it.
After the cuts, we zippered the foam into the mattress pad and installed it in the camper on top of the older mattresses. It is a little higher than our previous bed because the new foam is thicker, but it works for us. Note the corner cut in the photo below.
The Sliding Mattress Solution
Our old foam tore because there was excess space between the three mattresses. We opted to insert a 2×4 along the back wall under the window. This forced the mattresses to sit flush against the two wall areas on the other side of the bed. We don’t yet know if this will have the desired effect of keeping them still, but felt it was worth a try.
Hindsight Thoughts
We are very happy with our new IKEA addition! It is comfortable so far and the bed does not shift like it did before.
We measured very carefully to adjust the size to our specific bed. However, I wish we had taken an additional inch off the height and width because it is a little tight. But, I don’t think it would be worth the effort to cut again.
Our New, Comfortable Bed
Lastly, here is our made up bed, which is always a chore!
If you would like to see some other ways we have attempted to improve our camping experience, please check out Camping Resources for New Teardrop Campers .
Wishing You Happy and Comfortable Camping!
