I was lucky enough to win a duvalay sleeping bag a few yrs ago. It's brilliant. Bought one for my husband as its so good. We have the comfort of the duvalay mattress with a duvet attached so it doesn't fall off but so much more roomy than a traditional sleeping bag. Easy to roll out on the beds and roll up in the morning and store under the bed during the day. Didn't notice any chemical smell with them. May have to look at the pillows now as they sound good.
I've been caravaning for 38 years and never once did I think to turn the mattresses over to remove the shaped cushions.... ha ha ha 🙈🙈🙈🙈.....learn something new everyday👍 Thanks for the video, buying a Duvalay system for the next van.
Just bought two 77 x 2.5 cm mattress toppers following your review and I have to say they have made sleeping in the caravan so much more comfortable. I bought the 2.5 cm Toppers as they were about £50 cheaper (for the two) than the 5 cm ones and I thought they would be easier to store. Don't get me wrong they are fantastic, but I would advise anyone buying them to get the thicker ones. I obviously don't know if the sleep quality will be any better, having not tried them, but they are an investment and I now wish I had forked out the extra £50. Its an investment and not something you are going to spend very often so if you can afford it I would say go for the 5 cm ones.
Hi Trudgians, many thanks for you videos. It is nice to see other caravanners using the Duvulays. Having a back problem it helps to having a good night sleep. Looking forward to sharing your trips with you. Neil
I really like the videos of The Trudgians as they are informative, fun tonwatch and helpfull. I got tons of helpful tips ( honestly I now only watch their videos) and by watching these I have bought now a caravan that my family and I thoroughly enjoy. Thank you so much for these tips and happy and save travelling for you guys. And please keep up the good work.
Hi dan bought some duvalays arrived today spoke to the lady on the phone and she said their at the caravan show this weekend and they are offering 15% discount on duvalay products and free postage. As a newbie to caravans I find your vids very informative. Keep up the good work Cheers Clive.
Your comment about the chemical smell that comes with a new Duvalay was really handy information. I'm going to buy a Duvalay now so that I can air it for a month before I use it. Very useful review. Thank you :)
Thanks folks, an excellent video. Appreciate your review. We've just bought a campervan and coming to terms what we need to do to make it comfortable. This couldn't have come at a better time.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and lessons. Eleven years ago we rented an old caravan (a small 198x-Chateau) for a week and decided that we didn't want to transform seats into beds every night. So our first own caravan (a Home-Car from 1995) had single beds with spring mattresses - for us ideal. After ten good years we have now chosed a single-bed Fendt from 2005 with spring mattresses. Duvets have been our choice all along.
We just love your videos! Fun, Informative and easy to follow any instructions on how to do just about anything to do with caravans. Just bought 2 Duvalays and can’t wait to try them out in a couple of weeks on our first trip out this season. Keep up the good work guys and happy caravaning!
This could not have come at a better time we have just been juggling duvets for our new caravan and thanks to this we picked up a couple of Duvalays in Towsure today!!!
np.. we had our first night away at the weekend, had an "interesting" time with pumping the water which didn't work at first. After a couple of hours of working out how a pressurised system works (I assumed it would all be microswitches!). It turned out that the pipe had come away from the "trigger" inside the ultraflow pump. Ended up taking it apart and putting it back together. Anyway I thought it might make a good guide/video for beginners. How your water pump system works and how to check for common faults.. Duvalays were comfy though ;)
Richard Owen they're lovely nice pieces of kit, you feel like you have bought something very useful and of decent quality that will last. We picked up directly from Towsure in the end as we live localish, we've used them for 7 nights so far and they are very comfortable. thumbs up 👍
Thanks so much for this review! you have really helped us with our options regarding a mattress topper for our caravan that we have recently bought and pick up in a weeks time we also heard horror stories about the bad nights sleep so we had a look on duvalay's website but was a bit surprised that you have to pay extra for the fitted zip sheet and storage bag we thought it was included in the price and we found it to be a bit expensive for us so we shopped around a bit and i managed to grab a great offer with another company same size and thickness with a free zip fitted sheet included and got the storage bags at a very reasonable price too so I defiantly recommend to others to shop around first if you don't want to pay extraordinary amounts of money. Glad I found your channel thanks again :)
Hello,i just wanted to ask if you don't mind sharing which ones you bought? I'm on the lookout for something similar as shown in the video to take on a family camping trip in UK. Thanks
Hi Dan. Very good video. Making the bed up was the main reason we chose a fixed transverse bed Unicorn Vigo. We had also gone through the same iterations you showed. Best wishes Iain
Thanks Iain. We take it in turns making and putting teh beds away. I usually make them in the evening. Angela usually puts them away in teh morning. It takes each of us 10mins a day. so, its little hardship for more space. Take care Dan
First watched this vlog early last year when we got our first van ............Found out a few months ago that Duvalay is very close to where we live, Went today and purchased two 5cm x 66cm wide toppers a couple of covers and storage bags....... cant wait to put them to use :-) ........ This is yet another one of your vlogs that has helped us out ,Keep up the great work and many thanks from all of us :-)
Just discovered your channel..cant believe all the great tips you guys have given me...the Duvulay toppers are on the list...thank you and love watching your vlogs.
just got home from a 10 night family camping trip in hot Australia and i think i averaged 3 hours sleep a night. we have a jayco expanda and the foam beds are so hard i cant get to sleep. just been googling how to make the beds better and you guys came up. im so relieved there r things out there . we are going to a camping and caravaning expo on the weekend so i am hoping they have some duvays to see and try as we are going away again in three weeks and i just want to be able to sleep and look forward to going to bed instead of dreading it. thank you so much
Morning Loretta, If you are visiting the NEC next week, Duvalay will be there and they usually have special show prices. You can feel the softness or hardness of the product and ask any questions you may have. Well worth a visit. Thanks for popping by Dan
Before I watched this video, I ordered 2 x 2'6 2inch thick quilted mattress toppers for our van, with elasticated corners, plus a couple of fitted sheets which we think will do the job OK. failing that we'll look into these Duvalay jobbies! Cheers.....
I never thought of turning the seat cushions upside down (top tip there). We've just got a mattress topper for our caravan and it fits nicely in the under seat storage with all the other stuff packed away. On our last outing we used a bed sheet on the seating cushions so it was more like a proper bed. We're going away this weekend so it should be even better with a mattress topper.
We've had our caravan out and with the seating cushions turned upside down, double mattress topper, a bed sheet on top, our pillows and a normal duvet we had a great night's sleep. My good lady was comfortable so we've got it spot on.
Loving your vlog content even if I am behind with all the helpful hints. ☺️ Waiting for our 2nd hand Bailey sancerre to arrive from the uk (expected 6th July) and hopefully test it out in August in what could be our coldest and wettest winter here in New Zealand 🤔 Stay safe (from covid)
Strewth as you said not the cheapest option. Just bought my very first caravan (2007 Lunar Delta 540/2) and have found your videos really useful. Up to now have been in a tent. In there we used a double Outwell Posada camp bed, on top of that we had a thick self inflating mat which we slot inside a very old double sleeping bag and then a fitted sheet goes over the top and then we sleep under a double duvet, so all a bit bulky. Will give the same mat / sleeping bag / fitted sheet / duvet combo a try in the caravan and see how we go. If that doesn't prove to comfy may then look at a duvalay.
Went off with van at the weekend and experimented with different bed layouts and different bedding, took an assortment of stuff from the spare room at home and from our tent camping stuff. Decided that using the two front seats as seperate single beds will work best for us. So on our return went off and bought two single duvets and some pillows, on your recomendation bought memory foam pillows, as you say very strange but oddly comfortable, jury is still out on investing in memory mattress toppers.
an update, how finally decided sod the expense and just ordered two duvalay freshtecs with covering sheet, ridiculosly expensive - hope they are worth it, but no way i was stumping up £12.95 for a carry bag.
Hi Dan, Those Mattress topper are a fantastic idea, if a little pricey. I think I'll try to find a cheaper option first. As a caravan virgin, the first thing I noticed was that when setting up the bed, you turned over all the cushions. Why is that? With regard to the smell from the memory foam, apparently it's caused by the chemicals used to flame proof the foam. We had exactly that problem with our new Ikea mattress at home. We sprayed ours with Fubreaze too. Great video as ever. Looking forward to the next. 👍🏻
Hi Chris, yes they are a bit on the pricey side - im sure you can find cheaper alternatives. We didn't find anything that included the zip up covers or the soft padded feel. The caravan cushions are usually bumpy and sprung to accommodate you sitting on them. The other side is padded and laid out so they are completely flat. Each caravan manufacturer will have guidelines on how to use their seating for sleeping. We did try one night without turning them over, it was very uncomfortable. I hope this helps. Dan
Just watched your video on gas bottle level checking. I had a gauge fixed to a regulator,was rubbish,needle never moved. I would save up the £50! Like the vids. Going to check the Duvalays.
Hi Dan, I think if we were keeping our van we would get some these. As our van is now 19yrs old the seat pads have become very uncomfortable. ( Fixed bed here we come) Great review as always regards Jon
Hi, know what you mean, we had same problem so got a king size topper (not Duvulay its duck down) and put it in a duvet cover and that works for us, but might try the pillows to see if Duvulay is better. Thanks for the tip and keep the vids coming.
Thanks for your video, so helpful. We were looking at getting a double topper but are now wondering if it’s better to get two singles. Was there a reason you have two, storage perhaps. Also, didn’t realise about the turning over the cushions thing either, so thanks for that
Warning Will Robinson, newbies still yet to hit the road. You have answered so many questions, the bedding being the current topic. Thanks guys, feedback is always appreciated eh? Next stop, the kitchen, then the ensuite
Hi happy days when we brought a Dunelm topper, £14 for a single and £20 for a king, brilliant, wouldn't, couldn't sleep without them now, reason we brought singles is simple,, bit like me,, if up to two nights single beds so still have the toppers, one each,, more than two and we can put them side by side and snuggle, also singles are easier to fold and put away, if you enjoy a good nights sleep then its really important to be comfy, happy vanning sorry just realised how old these comments are so edited it, told you I was simple LOL
Hi Dan, I'm from Sydney Australia and just love your series, my English wife has family north of London and as we are retired and have been thinking of buying and second hand car and van and using it for 4 to 6 months a year around the UK and Europe mainly France, Italy and Spain. Your vans and tow cars are quite different to ours, much lighter and shorter so I'm educating myself, can I ask two questions, If towing in Europe other than driving on the right are there any EU rules that I should you? and leaving a van and car outside London maybe 100kms or more are there places and any idea on costs. Again love your story and presented in a casual way thanks Justin
Dont know about that,am asleep in a flash...but we are away for two months now (up north,near Lancaster) for two months,so the will be severley tested....!
Enjoyed your review and ordered a pair of Duvalays - that's where the fun ended. Buyers beware! Order delivery was a mess with missed drop-off and very badly damaged packaging. Finally after 3 weeks the Duvalays arrived but the order was short of 2 duvets. All in all a logistical fiasco and the phone and email feedback leaves much to be desired as they blame the courier and don't accept any responsibility.
Hi there guys, I can not get a good night sleep in my van and seen this video, of yours but there are a few different named mattress toppers of these out there, so what was the name of the 5mm one you bought also which pillow did you get please I do appreciate the advice guys. Kat
Hi Dan, quick question (sorry if you said, and I missed it) - what thickness Duvalay do you use? 2.5cm or 5cm? NB Just kicking myself that I didn't know it was more comfortable to turn the seating pads over.... D'oh!
Hi Dan, I would like to know if you bought the Gold or Silver version and have you any idea what the difference is? Loving your videos you have helped me out on several occasions! One last question. Why is your wife going solo? Happy holidays,. Jacky
Hi Jacky. We purchased the gold version. The main difference is the hardness of the foam. The gold version is harder than the silver. We find it's perfect for Angela who has a bad back etc. Angela goes solo once every now and again to get away from me lol. She just pops off for a few days and chills out in her own little home. Thanks for your kind words, really appreciated. Dan
Our gap is about 1280mm for the front double. Do you think we should go for 2-580 mm mattresses which’ll be narrow or 2 - 660mm ones which will be slightly wider? There’s a discount sale coming up.
For packing away duvets I have now started to use vacuum bags, with the air sucked out I find it frees up a lot of space. I’m wondering what your method is
Hi Richard, yes - we used the vacuum bags alot in the early days, but as our clothing payload reduced, and now having a fixed bed, we tend to leave the bedding on the bed. The vacuum bags are an excellent choice though - they really do make a huge difference.
Hi we are completely new to caravanning and are soon to take charge of our friends' caravan that they are selling to us. Great to watch yor video. Our friends had tipped us off about duvalays. . How do we find your other videos? We have two dogs. How did you fix the lead to your wheel?
Just found your videos while looking for info on setting up beds in vans/motorhomes. Have previously looked at Duvalays last year,then forgot all about them!! 1st trip in MH this year and remembered them ha ha!! Just wanted to ask what pillows you went for, standard or deluxe as not sure if the deluxe looks a bit too deep? Thanks
Personally I don't like memory foam. I have a latex rubber mattress topper. Its soft but firm. The heaviest body part (rear) doesn't make a hole in the middle of the bed like the memory foam mattress. There is no waiting for the memory foam to recover. I had a pillow, didn't like that either. Down pillows and comforter.
Hi Dan, out of interest why do you use two single duvalays and not one double. We have been looking at these for a couple of years now but still not come to a decision. Is it for storage reasons ?
Morning Steven, We decided on the two singles in case we wanted to have the single beds again. There is a possibility that Angela will be touring by herself, so only needs one single made up. The storage reason only became apparent after we bought the 2 singles, so that was more luck than judgement. I would highly recommend the singles if you have teh same configuration as us. Hope that helps. Dan
Yes of course that makes sense. We have exactly the same configuration as you however we use our shower all the time as mostly we stay at sites without facilities. Not sure where we would store these as the pillows and double duvet we use take up most of the storage under the front bunks.
In the summer, we stored the bags in the awning. out of the way (you can see them of day 1 - Devon vlogs) Im certain you could find a good home to keep them during the day. If you would like any dimensions for when they are rolled up etc - i can send them over next time i'm in the 'van
Hi Dan, yes that would be really usefull thanks. We on have a two berth caravan so internal storage is at a premium. My god they are expensive though !
Dan, i have just showed my wife your vlog and she is now convinced this is the way forward. What i forgot is that the sleeping bags we used as mattress toppers would be removed from the van so there would in fact be room for the Duvalays in the front bunks. Order to Duvalay pending. And changing our double duvet to two singles. Once again you are Dan the man... thanks very much........apart from the gap now left in wallet...again.
Hi Dan. We go away for our 'big 2 weeker' in a few weeks and I am really considering the same setup as you. What made you chose the toppers over the duvalay sleeping bags?
Hi, oh thats really simple we chose the topper as I cannot stand to have my feet trapped in a bag, and Angela always struggles to maintain her temp etc. I hope that helps Dan
Hi, yes we are members of the Caravan Club. I find them brilliant, and would recommend them to everyone. In fact. The Caravan & Camping club are also an excellent club too. They both offer similar features, it's really personal taste - and in fact i would recommend joining both. Take care Dan
Hi. Just found your vlogs and subscribed yesterday. Great! Just a question on length of the Duvalays: the website says length is 190cm. Our caravan bed length is given as 185cm so they'll be too long, no?
HI Pam, ours is 190cm, and when placed across the van are short, but we fill the gap with the pillow etc. You can call them and discuss your specific sizes, they are very helpful - so might be worth a call. Hope that helps. Dan
we had the same problem but we put a inch foam on the bed. about £15 we have the best sleep ever we take ares out about 28 times a year we had front bed in first caravan now we have a made up bed all the time brill with the inch foam less cost
Morning Micheal, We did consider a fixed bed, but to be honest I think that for us the extra space is valued more. The fixed bed will be perfect for when we have no children and its just us two. So - im pretty sure it will happen. Thanks for popping by Take care Dan
We would love to get a fixed bed and were looking last year. We only have a two berth which is fine and fits on our driveway but had it since 2012 and is time for an upgrade. Still saving the pennies hard.. We still took the kids with us but they slept in the awning annex in an inner tent which worked well. However they rarlely come with us now. Only thing i find with a fixed bed is the front dinette/lounge is always shorter.
Hi Dan, Out of interest why do you choose not to use your caravan shower? There seems to be various schools of though on this, but I was interested on your take. Thanks! Leon.
Hi Leon, Great question. We do use the shower when we have no onsite facilities. So when we went off grid last year we used the shower everyday. However when on site we use the site showers. Angela & I (and the kids) love to have a long shower - and that just isn't achievable in a caravan, without running out of water. Also, as good as the 'van shower is and with the eco shower head attached the pressure is never the same as a mains water shower. Hope that helps Dan
Two points emerging from this thread. Value of a shower in a caravan and external water pumps / aqua roll set up. Having just changed our motorhome for a secondhand Lunar Stellar 2011 we have used the shower in neither. Our thinking being why introduce all that water and steam into a caravan when damp is such a huge issue? Secondly how convenient is a shower when you have only a 40 litre aqua role as a supply. Bathrooms on caravans are getting bigger while kitchen areas are getting smaller. We chose a secondhand Stellar as that was the only one we could find with a large kitchen area in a small van. We like to cook and eat and can manage a stand up wash if we are away from a proper site. Finally, first time out in our caravan, mid January, we had problems with the Truma external pump continuing to pump when no taps are running. Cue for another video Dan on pro's and con's of external pumps and fault finding. How robust are they in freezing conditions? Do you need to carry a spare? Like the bedding video, we are moving towards using the singles with duvets. saves all that climbing over each other if we get up in the night.
All fair points guys! For me its far more convenient to get showered on the van. Particularly for the children. Assuming a non- serviced pitch the aqua roll certainly has to be filled more, but I'd personally rather do that than walk backwards and forwards to the shower and changing clothes etc etc. Everyone to their own at the end of the day. Regards damp, I'm lucky enough to have a new van that has a 10 year water ingress guarantee, but I understand your point of view.
Sleeping on the upturned seating to me has never been a good idea. Its a pain to make up the bed and as you pointed out the assembled matress can be hard plus you've got to find somewhere to store the bedding during the day. We've been there. Our caravan is small (Eribas are compact to say the least and not everyones cup of tea) but we have a comfortable nights sleep on our FIXED double bed with a huge amount of storage underneath. The matress is a proper sprung matress and remains in place. A moisture proof cover is fitted over the matress for hygene. By the way we also have a kitchen, toilet and dinette. At present we use a Vango double sleeping bag which is shaped like a duvet. It has a zip at both sides so ventilation can be controlled individually. Overheating has not been a problem. Comfort hasn't been an issue either but we'll certainly have a look at a Duvalet as the over the years the existing matress may be in need of a little boost. It certainly seems to have solved your problems. It is horses for courses and what your priorities are. Lounge convertible to bedroom or fixed bed and small dinette/seating area.
we purchased the Duvalays on you recommendation, love them very comfy. thank you to the inventers on dragons den. a genuine proper usable product that works. a word of warning about using fabreaze, if you have pets this product is toxic to them, so much so that my dog experienced a psycotic reaction similar a rabid like frenzy and came close to attacking me. please pet owners be aware of fabreeze the company denies there is any problem, but i have experienced this 3 times now, ????
I was lucky enough to win a duvalay sleeping bag a few yrs ago. It's brilliant. Bought one for my husband as its so good. We have the comfort of the duvalay mattress with a duvet attached so it doesn't fall off but so much more roomy than a traditional sleeping bag. Easy to roll out on the beds and roll up in the morning and store under the bed during the day.
Didn't notice any chemical smell with them. May have to look at the pillows now as they sound good.
I've been caravaning for 38 years and never once did I think to turn the mattresses over to remove the shaped cushions.... ha ha ha 🙈🙈🙈🙈.....learn something new everyday👍
Thanks for the video, buying a Duvalay system for the next van.
Exactly the same ,only been caravaning just over a year and never thought about turning the mattress over lol ,every days a school day lol
Just bought two 77 x 2.5 cm mattress toppers following your review and I have to say they have made sleeping in the caravan so much more comfortable. I bought the 2.5 cm Toppers as they were about £50 cheaper (for the two) than the 5 cm ones and I thought they would be easier to store. Don't get me wrong they are fantastic, but I would advise anyone buying them to get the thicker ones. I obviously don't know if the sleep quality will be any better, having not tried them, but they are an investment and I now wish I had forked out the extra £50. Its an investment and not something you are going to spend very often so if you can afford it I would say go for the 5 cm ones.
I’ve just been trying to decide the same question. 2.5 or 5cm. Thanks for the heads ups!
Hi Trudgians, many thanks for you videos. It is nice to see other caravanners using the Duvulays. Having a back problem it helps to having a good night sleep. Looking forward to sharing your trips with you. Neil
Thank you Neil,
Glad to have been of service and glad to hear you are also enjoying the Duvalays.
Take care
Dan
I really like the videos of The Trudgians as they are informative, fun tonwatch and helpfull. I got tons of helpful tips ( honestly I now only watch their videos) and by watching these I have bought now a caravan that my family and I thoroughly enjoy. Thank you so much for these tips and happy and save travelling for you guys. And please keep up the good work.
Hi dan bought some duvalays arrived today spoke to the lady on the phone and she said their at the caravan show this weekend and they are offering 15% discount on duvalay products and free postage. As a newbie to caravans I find your vids very informative. Keep up the good work
Cheers Clive.
Hi Trudgians, hope your all well. We've got a mattress topper and can only echo your comments. They make a world of difference. Keep up the good work.
Hi Steve, yes they made a huge difference to us,
Glad you also noticed.
Take care
Dan
Your comment about the chemical smell that comes with a new Duvalay was really handy information. I'm going to buy a Duvalay now so that I can air it for a month before I use it. Very useful review. Thank you :)
Thanks folks, an excellent video. Appreciate your review. We've just bought a campervan and coming to terms what we need to do to make it comfortable. This couldn't have come at a better time.
Have had a duvalay mattress for now for 2yrs .suffer with bad back ,this really helps me get a god night sleep
Excellent glad to see that others have benefited too.
take care
Dan
Thanks for sharing your experiences and lessons. Eleven years ago we rented an old caravan (a small 198x-Chateau) for a week and decided that we didn't want to transform seats into beds every night. So our first own caravan (a Home-Car from 1995) had single beds with spring mattresses - for us ideal. After ten good years we have now chosed a single-bed Fendt from 2005 with spring mattresses. Duvets have been our choice all along.
Hi Nils,
Great story, thank you for sharing, yes Duvets and not sleeping bags all the way !
Take care
Dan
We just love your videos! Fun, Informative and easy to follow any instructions on how to do just about anything to do with caravans. Just bought 2 Duvalays and can’t wait to try them out in a couple of weeks on our first trip out this season. Keep up the good work guys and happy caravaning!
This could not have come at a better time we have just been juggling duvets for our new caravan and thanks to this we picked up a couple of Duvalays in Towsure today!!!
Excellent news Pete.
Glad to have been of service.
Take care
Dan
np.. we had our first night away at the weekend, had an "interesting" time with pumping the water which didn't work at first. After a couple of hours of working out how a pressurised system works (I assumed it would all be microswitches!). It turned out that the pipe had come away from the "trigger" inside the ultraflow pump. Ended up taking it apart and putting it back together.
Anyway I thought it might make a good guide/video for beginners. How your water pump system works and how to check for common faults..
Duvalays were comfy though ;)
How are they working out? Just ordered two from Towsure myself. Hope to get them by the weekend.
Richard Owen they're lovely nice pieces of kit, you feel like you have bought something very useful and of decent quality that will last. We picked up directly from Towsure in the end as we live localish, we've used them for 7 nights so far and they are very comfortable. thumbs up 👍
Cheers for that. Just hope mine arrive for the Easter weekend....!
Thanks so much for this review! you have really helped us with our options regarding a mattress topper for our caravan that we have recently bought and pick up in a weeks time we also heard horror stories about the bad nights sleep so we had a look on duvalay's website but was a bit surprised that you have to pay extra for the fitted zip sheet and storage bag we thought it was included in the price and we found it to be a bit expensive for us so we shopped around a bit and i managed to grab a great offer with another company same size and thickness with a free zip fitted sheet included and got the storage bags at a very reasonable price too so I defiantly recommend to others to shop around first if you don't want to pay extraordinary amounts of money. Glad I found your channel thanks again :)
Hello,i just wanted to ask if you don't mind sharing which ones you bought? I'm on the lookout for something similar as shown in the video to take on a family camping trip in UK. Thanks
Hi Dan. Very good video. Making the bed up was the main reason we chose a fixed transverse bed Unicorn Vigo. We had also gone through the same iterations you showed. Best wishes Iain
Thanks Iain.
We take it in turns making and putting teh beds away. I usually make them in the evening. Angela usually puts them away in teh morning. It takes each of us 10mins a day. so, its little hardship for more space.
Take care
Dan
First watched this vlog early last year when we got our first van ............Found out a few months ago that Duvalay is very close to where we live, Went today and purchased two 5cm x 66cm wide toppers a couple of covers and storage bags....... cant wait to put them to use :-) ........ This is yet another one of your vlogs that has helped us out ,Keep up the great work and many thanks from all of us :-)
We’ve had our duvalays 8/10 yrs now, best night sleep
Just discovered your channel..cant believe all the great tips you guys have given me...the Duvulay toppers are on the list...thank you and love watching your vlogs.
Been looking for a solution now for 2 years.... this is spot on. I’ll order this weekend. Thanks for sharing both of you.
just got home from a 10 night family camping trip in hot Australia and i think i averaged 3 hours sleep a night. we have a jayco expanda and the foam beds are so hard i cant get to sleep. just been googling how to make the beds better and you guys came up. im so relieved there r things out there . we are going to a camping and caravaning expo on the weekend so i am hoping they have some duvays to see and try as we are going away again in three weeks and i just want to be able to sleep and look forward to going to bed instead of dreading it. thank you so much
Morning Loretta,
If you are visiting the NEC next week, Duvalay will be there and they usually have special show prices. You can feel the softness or hardness of the product and ask any questions you may have. Well worth a visit.
Thanks for popping by
Dan
Before I watched this video, I ordered 2 x 2'6 2inch thick quilted mattress toppers for our van, with elasticated corners, plus a couple of fitted sheets which we think will do the job OK. failing that we'll look into these Duvalay jobbies! Cheers.....
I never thought of turning the seat cushions upside down (top tip there). We've just got a mattress topper for our caravan and it fits nicely in the under seat storage with all the other stuff packed away. On our last outing we used a bed sheet on the seating cushions so it was more like a proper bed. We're going away this weekend so it should be even better with a mattress topper.
Excellent - let me know how yo get on when you turn the pads over.
Take care
Dan
We've had our caravan out and with the seating cushions turned upside down, double mattress topper, a bed sheet on top, our pillows and a normal duvet we had a great night's sleep. My good lady was comfortable so we've got it spot on.
Not sure what happens in the UK but our caravan mattresses here in Australia are queen innerspring really comfortable mattresses .. no complaints here
Loving your vlog content even if I am behind with all the helpful hints. ☺️ Waiting for our 2nd hand Bailey sancerre to arrive from the uk (expected 6th July) and hopefully test it out in August in what could be our coldest and wettest winter here in New Zealand 🤔 Stay safe (from covid)
Strewth as you said not the cheapest option. Just bought my very first caravan (2007 Lunar Delta 540/2) and have found your videos really useful. Up to now have been in a tent. In there we used a double Outwell Posada camp bed, on top of that we had a thick self inflating mat which we slot inside a very old double sleeping bag and then a fitted sheet goes over the top and then we sleep under a double duvet, so all a bit bulky. Will give the same mat / sleeping bag / fitted sheet / duvet combo a try in the caravan and see how we go. If that doesn't prove to comfy may then look at a duvalay.
Hi,
Yes - not cheap but I would 100% recommend them. Let me know how you get on with you combo, I'm sure others will be interested too.
Take care
Dan
Collected cvan from dealership today, annoyingly can't get away this weekend so first outing next weekend
Went off with van at the weekend and experimented with different bed layouts and different bedding, took an assortment of stuff from the spare room at home and from our tent camping stuff. Decided that using the two front seats as seperate single beds will work best for us. So on our return went off and bought two single duvets and some pillows, on your recomendation bought memory foam pillows, as you say very strange but oddly comfortable, jury is still out on investing in memory mattress toppers.
an update, how finally decided sod the expense and just ordered two duvalay freshtecs with covering sheet, ridiculosly expensive - hope they are worth it, but no way i was stumping up £12.95 for a carry bag.
Hi Dan,
Those Mattress topper are a fantastic idea, if a little pricey. I think I'll try to find a cheaper option first.
As a caravan virgin, the first thing I noticed was that when setting up the bed, you turned over all the cushions. Why is that?
With regard to the smell from the memory foam, apparently it's caused by the chemicals used to flame proof the foam. We had exactly that problem with our new Ikea mattress at home. We sprayed ours with Fubreaze too.
Great video as ever. Looking forward to the next. 👍🏻
Hi Chris, yes they are a bit on the pricey side - im sure you can find cheaper alternatives. We didn't find anything that included the zip up covers or the soft padded feel.
The caravan cushions are usually bumpy and sprung to accommodate you sitting on them. The other side is padded and laid out so they are completely flat. Each caravan manufacturer will have guidelines on how to use their seating for sleeping.
We did try one night without turning them over, it was very uncomfortable.
I hope this helps.
Dan
We have used Duvalays for some time now, excellent - we roll ours and store in aquaroll bags (perfect fit) and store in shower
Thank you mark,
Glad to hear they are working for you too
Take care
Dan
Even Mike will do 😀😀😀
Even Mike will do 😀😀😀
Apologies Mike, that will teach me for typing too quickly.
Take care
Dan
Just watched your video on gas bottle level checking. I had a gauge fixed to a regulator,was rubbish,needle never moved.
I would save up the £50!
Like the vids. Going to check the Duvalays.
Thanks Richard, you're not alone plenty of people have said exactly the same thing.
Thanks for popping by
Dan
Just ordered some pillows following your review 👍🏻
Hi Dan, I think if we were keeping our van we would get some these. As our van is now 19yrs old the seat pads have become very uncomfortable. ( Fixed bed here we come)
Great review as always
regards
Jon
Thank you Jon,
I suspect your new van will come with a Duvalay mattress anyway ?
Take care
Dan
we have a 2017 Sterling eccles 580 with a Duvalay mattress. .....it's the hardest thing we have ever slept on had the buy a memory foam topper.
Hi, know what you mean, we had same problem so got a king size topper (not Duvulay its duck down) and put it in a duvet cover and that works for us, but might try the pillows to see if Duvulay is better. Thanks for the tip and keep the vids coming.
Hi Mark - great stuff, yes completely transformed the sleeping situation, glad you've also got it sorted.
Speak soon.
Dan
Might see you out there sometime. All the best
Thanks Mark, I'm pretty sure we will be crossing paths at some point ;-)
Thanks for your video, so helpful. We were looking at getting a double topper but are now wondering if it’s better to get two singles. Was there a reason you have two, storage perhaps. Also, didn’t realise about the turning over the cushions thing either, so thanks for that
Definitely recommend these Duvalay mattresses. Perfect x
May need to consider for our new RV.
I made my own including an attached duvet , they are fantastic
Great news Roz, Im almost sure it made a huge difference right ?
Take care
Dan
Hi great video. Which type of Topper did you buy? They have 3 options now.
Warning Will Robinson, newbies still yet to hit the road. You have answered so many questions, the bedding being the current topic. Thanks guys, feedback is always appreciated eh? Next stop, the kitchen, then the ensuite
Hi happy days when we brought a Dunelm topper, £14 for a single and £20 for a king, brilliant, wouldn't, couldn't sleep without them now, reason we brought singles is simple,, bit like me,, if up to two nights single beds so still have the toppers, one each,, more than two and we can put them side by side and snuggle, also singles are easier to fold and put away, if you enjoy a good nights sleep then its really important to be comfy, happy vanning
sorry just realised how old these comments are so edited it, told you I was simple LOL
Hi Dan, I'm from Sydney Australia and just love your series, my English wife has family north of London and as we are retired and have been thinking of buying and second hand car and van and using it for 4 to 6 months a year around the UK and Europe mainly France, Italy and Spain. Your vans and tow cars are quite different to ours, much lighter and shorter so I'm educating myself, can I ask two questions, If towing in Europe other than driving on the right are there any EU rules that I should you? and leaving a van and car outside London maybe 100kms or more are there places and any idea on costs.
Again love your story and presented in a casual way thanks Justin
Sorry Dan, we bought the pillows and we HATE them! I ended up with awful neck ache 😖 love your videos though 😊
Thank you. I’m wondering if you still like this set up? I’m considering this solution.
Yes, absolutely - we still use this for Chloe, and a fixed bed topper fro our bed in the new caravan. highly recommended.
Dan
@@TheTrudgians thank you. I’m in Seattle so delivery will be a while. I appreciate you taking the time to reply. 🥰
Hahaha, loved the timelapse, ours would be twice as long :)
well,at last,tonight is the night!
on a holiday meet in glorious southport. first duvalay night....
Excellent stuff...
sweet dreams !
Dan
Dont know about that,am asleep in a flash...but we are away for two months now (up north,near Lancaster) for two months,so the will be severley tested....!
Hi Dan, What size are your mattress toppers, 58, 66, 77 or 122cm?. Love your videos 👍
Enjoyed your review and ordered a pair of Duvalays - that's where the fun ended. Buyers beware!
Order delivery was a mess with missed drop-off and very badly damaged packaging. Finally after 3 weeks the Duvalays arrived but the order was short of 2 duvets. All in all a logistical fiasco and the phone and email feedback leaves much to be desired as they blame the courier and don't accept any responsibility.
Wher did you order them from,any update?
Hi there guys,
I can not get a good night sleep in my van and seen this video, of yours but there are a few different named mattress toppers of these out there, so what was the name of the 5mm one you bought also which pillow did you get please I do appreciate the advice guys. Kat
Hi Dan, quick question (sorry if you said, and I missed it) - what thickness Duvalay do you use? 2.5cm or 5cm?
NB Just kicking myself that I didn't know it was more comfortable to turn the seating pads over.... D'oh!
ha, hi - We opted for the 5cms here. We find them perfect for our set up.
Hope that helps.
take care
Dan
Hi Dan, I would like to know if you bought the Gold or Silver version and have you any idea what the difference is?
Loving your videos you have helped me out on several occasions!
One last question. Why is your wife going solo?
Happy holidays,. Jacky
Hi Jacky.
We purchased the gold version. The main difference is the hardness of the foam. The gold version is harder than the silver. We find it's perfect for Angela who has a bad back etc.
Angela goes solo once every now and again to get away from me lol. She just pops off for a few days and chills out in her own little home.
Thanks for your kind words, really appreciated.
Dan
The Trudgians m
Our gap is about 1280mm for the front double. Do you think we should go for 2-580 mm mattresses which’ll be narrow or 2 - 660mm ones which will be slightly wider? There’s a discount sale coming up.
I've tried to search duvalay and its says item not found. Any ideas ??
Thanks for this vlog I’m going to buy one 😀
For packing away duvets I have now started to use vacuum bags, with the air sucked out I find it frees up a lot of space. I’m wondering what your method is
Hi Richard, yes - we used the vacuum bags alot in the early days, but as our clothing payload reduced, and now having a fixed bed, we tend to leave the bedding on the bed. The vacuum bags are an excellent choice though - they really do make a huge difference.
Hi we are completely new to caravanning and are soon to take charge of our friends' caravan that they are selling to us. Great to watch yor video. Our friends had tipped us off about duvalays. . How do we find your other videos? We have two dogs. How did you fix the lead to your wheel?
Hi where did you purchase them from
Just found your videos while looking for info on setting up beds in vans/motorhomes. Have previously looked at Duvalays last year,then forgot all about them!! 1st trip in MH this year and remembered them ha ha!! Just wanted to ask what pillows you went for, standard or deluxe as not sure if the deluxe looks a bit too deep? Thanks
Bit miffed.got my Duvalays today,no carry bags or "over cover". Is this right? Guess I will have to extra now for covers.
Give Duvalay a call Richard, I did purchase the bundle package if that is any help.
Dan
What do house for if you got fix bed
Personally I don't like memory foam. I have a latex rubber mattress topper. Its soft but firm. The heaviest body part (rear) doesn't make a hole in the middle of the bed like the memory foam mattress. There is no waiting for the memory foam to recover. I had a pillow, didn't like that either. Down pillows and comforter.
Hi Dan, out of interest why do you use two single duvalays and not one double. We have been looking at these for a couple of years now but still not come to a decision. Is it for storage reasons ?
Morning Steven, We decided on the two singles in case we wanted to have the single beds again. There is a possibility that Angela will be touring by herself, so only needs one single made up. The storage reason only became apparent after we bought the 2 singles, so that was more luck than judgement. I would highly recommend the singles if you have teh same configuration as us.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Yes of course that makes sense. We have exactly the same configuration as you however we use our shower all the time as mostly we stay at sites without facilities. Not sure where we would store these as the pillows and double duvet we use take up most of the storage under the front bunks.
In the summer, we stored the bags in the awning. out of the way (you can see them of day 1 - Devon vlogs) Im certain you could find a good home to keep them during the day. If you would like any dimensions for when they are rolled up etc - i can send them over next time i'm in the 'van
Hi Dan, yes that would be really usefull thanks. We on have a two berth caravan so internal storage is at a premium. My god they are expensive though !
Dan, i have just showed my wife your vlog and she is now convinced this is the way forward. What i forgot is that the sleeping bags we used as mattress toppers would be removed from the van so there would in fact be room for the Duvalays in the front bunks. Order to Duvalay pending. And changing our double duvet to two singles. Once again you are Dan the man... thanks very much........apart from the gap now left in wallet...again.
Hi Dan. We go away for our 'big 2 weeker' in a few weeks and I am really considering the same setup as you. What made you chose the toppers over the duvalay sleeping bags?
Hi,
oh thats really simple we chose the topper as I cannot stand to have my feet trapped in a bag, and Angela always struggles to maintain her temp etc.
I hope that helps
Dan
hi dan its not mattress related but are you members of the caravan club or not? are there pros and cons? cheers
Hi, yes we are members of the Caravan Club. I find them brilliant, and would recommend them to everyone. In fact. The Caravan & Camping club are also an excellent club too. They both offer similar features, it's really personal taste - and in fact i would recommend joining both.
Take care
Dan
Brillant, informative video. 🤘
Every the ad says it is!
Hi. Just found your vlogs and subscribed yesterday. Great! Just a question on length of the Duvalays: the website says length is 190cm. Our caravan bed length is given as 185cm so they'll be too long, no?
HI Pam, ours is 190cm, and when placed across the van are short, but we fill the gap with the pillow etc. You can call them and discuss your specific sizes, they are very helpful - so might be worth a call.
Hope that helps.
Dan
we had the same problem but we put a inch foam on the bed. about £15 we have the best sleep ever
we take ares out about 28 times a year we had front bed in first caravan now we have a made up bed all the time brill with the inch foam less cost
Did you purchase 66cm or 77cm to fit at the front here?
Hi, We purchased the 77cm version. they fit well, but they are a bit snug. so will need some adjustment to get flat etc.
Hope that helps.
Dan
sleepless nights the main reason for buying a fixed bed lunar and let the kids sleep on the singles!!
good info for when they start moaning thou
Morning Micheal,
We did consider a fixed bed, but to be honest I think that for us the extra space is valued more. The fixed bed will be perfect for when we have no children and its just us two. So - im pretty sure it will happen.
Thanks for popping by
Take care
Dan
We would love to get a fixed bed and were looking last year. We only have a two berth which is fine and fits on our driveway but had it since 2012 and is time for an upgrade. Still saving the pennies hard.. We still took the kids with us but they slept in the awning annex in an inner tent which worked well. However they rarlely come with us now. Only thing i find with a fixed bed is the front dinette/lounge is always shorter.
Hi Dan,
Out of interest why do you choose not to use your caravan shower? There seems to be various schools of though on this, but I was interested on your take.
Thanks!
Leon.
Hi Leon,
Great question. We do use the shower when we have no onsite facilities. So when we went off grid last year we used the shower everyday. However when on site we use the site showers. Angela & I (and the kids) love to have a long shower - and that just isn't achievable in a caravan, without running out of water.
Also, as good as the 'van shower is and with the eco shower head attached the pressure is never the same as a mains water shower.
Hope that helps
Dan
Two points emerging from this thread. Value of a shower in a caravan and external water pumps / aqua roll set up. Having just changed our motorhome for a secondhand Lunar Stellar 2011 we have used the shower in neither. Our thinking being why introduce all that water and steam into a caravan when damp is such a huge issue? Secondly how convenient is a shower when you have only a 40 litre aqua role as a supply. Bathrooms on caravans are getting bigger while kitchen areas are getting smaller. We chose a secondhand Stellar as that was the only one we could find with a large kitchen area in a small van. We like to cook and eat and can manage a stand up wash if we are away from a proper site. Finally, first time out in our caravan, mid January, we had problems with the Truma external pump continuing to pump when no taps are running. Cue for another video Dan on pro's and con's of external pumps and fault finding. How robust are they in freezing conditions? Do you need to carry a spare?
Like the bedding video, we are moving towards using the singles with duvets. saves all that climbing over each other if we get up in the night.
All fair points guys! For me its far more convenient to get showered on the van. Particularly for the children. Assuming a non- serviced pitch the aqua roll certainly has to be filled more, but I'd personally rather do that than walk backwards and forwards to the shower and changing clothes etc etc. Everyone to their own at the end of the day. Regards damp, I'm lucky enough to have a new van that has a 10 year water ingress guarantee, but I understand your point of view.
Sleeping on the upturned seating to me has never been a good idea. Its a pain to make up the bed and as you pointed out the assembled matress can be hard plus you've got to find somewhere to store the bedding during the day. We've been there. Our caravan is small (Eribas are compact to say the least and not everyones cup of tea) but we have a comfortable nights sleep on our FIXED double bed with a huge amount of storage underneath. The matress is a proper sprung matress and remains in place. A moisture proof cover is fitted over the matress for hygene. By the way we also have a kitchen, toilet and dinette. At present we use a Vango double sleeping bag which is shaped like a duvet. It has a zip at both sides so ventilation can be controlled individually. Overheating has not been a problem. Comfort hasn't been an issue either but we'll certainly have a look at a Duvalet as the over the years the existing matress may be in need of a little boost. It certainly seems to have solved your problems. It is horses for courses and what your priorities are. Lounge convertible to bedroom or fixed bed and small dinette/seating area.
we purchased the Duvalays on you recommendation, love them very comfy. thank you to the inventers on dragons den. a genuine proper usable product that works. a word of warning about using fabreaze, if you have pets this product is toxic to them, so much so that my dog experienced a psycotic reaction similar a rabid like frenzy and came close to attacking me. please pet owners be aware of fabreeze the company denies there is any problem, but i have experienced this 3 times now, ????
Jump straight to 5:00. The first five minutes is just bumph.
How much lol
any chemical smell puts me right off