Think about the first night you ever slept in your RV. The excitement, the new space, the novelty of it all—and then… the mattress. It was either a really comfy first night’s sleep, or a really uncomfy one.
For today’s poll, we want to know if you kept your RV’s original mattress or if you’ve replaced it.
For some of you, the factory mattress didn’t last long. Maybe it was too thin, too firm, too soft, or just plain uncomfortable. After a few restless nights and a couple of sore mornings, upgrading felt less like a luxury and more like a necessity. A good night’s sleep matters, especially when you’re traveling and spending long days on the road.
Others have stuck with the original mattress—and are perfectly fine with it. Maybe you lucked out with a decent factory setup, or maybe comfort is more about routine than perfection. If you’re sleeping well, waking up rested, and not thinking about your bed all day, changing it isn’t a priority.
Then there’s the middle ground. Some of you added toppers, foam pads, or custom layers instead of replacing the whole mattress. A little extra cushion or support can make a big difference without the cost or hassle of a full replacement—especially in RV beds that have odd sizes or tricky access. Remember, that’s not what we’re asking about today, though. We want to know about the actual mattress.
Of course, space, weight, and fit all play a role in the decision. RV mattresses aren’t always standard sizes, and swapping one out can be more complicated than it sounds. Still, for many RVers, comfort wins (as it should!).
So what about you? Are you still sleeping on your RV’s original mattress, or did you upgrade it? Go ahead and vote in today’s poll, and if you found a mattress solution you love, we’d love to hear what worked for you.
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RVT1246b
We replaced the mattress in our previous trailer with a new one, so we switched it to the trailer we now have, and put the one from the present trailer into the old one, because we bought the present trailer before we sold the old one.
We used the original for 4 years till we switched it out.
When we sold everything and went FT, the only item we kept was our mattress which went into the RV (with some modifications)
No reason to replace king mattress after 10 years still excellent.
Ours came with a Sleep Number which was better that our house mattress. Still feels great at 17 years! What we found with the newer rigs were awful (by comparison) so if we replace this rig we are sure to need a new mattress.
Same here. We have had three Newmar motorhomes now and they each included great quality name brand home type mattresses. The last two with Sleep Number Kings with each side adjustable. Love them.
While we kept the original mattress, we added a very comfortable topper. I wish the reader poll had included this option.
We did the same thing. We actually liked the firmness of the original mattress. We added a 2 inch cooling topper.
Outdoors RV put a comfortable mattress in their TT’s.
When I bought my RV I had the option to upgrade the mattress to a higher quality pillow top which I did.
I kept the original mattress but added a 2-inch gel-foam topper.
Have you ever surveyed whether people would live in an area that had an HOA?
I don’t think so, Al. I’ll pass your suggestion along to Emily to see if she wants to use it. Thanks! Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Funny thing you should mention an RV mattress. When we bought our 5-er, used, we got a brand new mattress. Reason being, the previous owner had it at an RV dealer on consignment. It didn’t sell and when they went to retrieve it the king sized mattress was missing. Who steals a mattress? One person alone could not manhandle it out the door. They claimed it on insurance and we got a new mattress. As well, on their way home from the dealer, the police stopped them. Someone also stole the license plate off the trailer. Go figure.
Probably the dealer to make a sale on another unit. I would never leave my plate on while at the dealer. In fact, my trailer and all my vehicles have special security screws holding the plates on.
I kept the original, but our DRV Mobile Suites fifth wheel came with a Sleep Number mattress, which we love !!
Same with our DRV
We replaced the mattress in our previous rig with a better one but our current rig came with a heated mattress that my wife really likes so we kept it even though for me it’s not that comfortable.
I don’t know, it was so uncomfortable, it must be the original. The coach is a 1995 model and we bought it in 2009. After the firstt night, we put a 4″ Memory Foam topper on it and now it is as comfortable as the Sleep Number we have in the house.
Replaced with a Sleep Number” mattress. I sleep in the bed and wife sleeps on the bed.
When we bought the trailer, we told the dealer to not bother putting in a mattress, to save us the hassle of taking it out.
When I worked at the dealership I found a local womens’ shelter and would bring the mattresses to them that buyers didn’t want until they told me that the poor women had had enough abuse and asked me to stop bringing the RV mattresses. It’s both a funny true story and a sad reflection of how bad the mattresses tend to be.
Since we buy used, we can’t say if this Sleep Number mattress is the original from Newmar. We have replaced one air chamber twice, and it is comfortable for us.
I replaced mine before we spent one night in the new RV.
On my previous RV, I completely replaced both mattresses with custom cut foam from Buyfoam.com. I used 2″ dense black foam as cushion on top of the plywood, then 4″ green foam on top of the black foam. Very comfortable, cut perfectly to size, and extremely cost friendly.
I thought this was a joke and shocked to see how many people have kept the OEM mattress in use. We learned our lesson with our 1st RV. When we bought a new one in 2022, we ordered a new mattress immediately. The OEM matt (no ress about it) was never slept on.
We have the original mattress but have put a 2″ memory foam pad on top of it. Makes a world of difference.
I have added a few layers of foam under and a topper on top of my original mattress, so it’s as good as a replacement at a fraction of the cost, and it’s pretty darn comfortable now.
We ordered our RV and ordered the mattress so we never had the “original” mattress to begin with. 12 years later it’s still very comfortable.
Original sleep number in our currently owned MH but other units have had mattresses replaced. Last MH had mattress replaced with a sleep number but we took it out and put the saved original mattress back in when we traded it in.
Closing in on six years and we still have (and like) the original mattress in our 2020 Montana 5th wheel. I may put a topper on it this year, but it is great!
Now mind you we are both under 180 lbs. so that may be a reason it is still comfortable for us?
My trailer is a 1957 Avion R20 produced in the Fall of 1956.
Yes I have replaced the mattress several times!
Our original was terribly uncomfortable. We got lucky and bought a NEW one from a friend whose 5th wheel was totalled by a tree falling on it. They had just purchased a new mattress.
We replaced it before the first outing.