Campervan Cushions and Foam Cut to Size
Replacement Rock & Roll bed, bench, lounge and pop-top foam, cut to your shape
Most campervan refits start with the foam cushions. The originals from the conversion company have usually gone soft in the seat, hard at the back, and never quite the same firmness across the Rock & Roll bed when it folds flat for the night. We've been cutting foam for converters and self-builders for over 40 years. Rock & Roll bed mattresses, side-conversion bench seats, pop-top roof beds, full rear lounge conversions are all made in our Bilston factory and posted free the next working day. The awkward shapes are normal here. A tapered cushion that has to clear a wheel arch, the precise base and back rectangles for a RIB Altair or Smartline, the curved corner pieces that go into a Reimo or Sussex bench conversion.
Campervan foam has a hard life. Daily commute, weekend touring, the bed folded up and down a couple of hundred times a year. Then it bakes under a closed pop-top in July and goes through a hard freeze parked on the drive in February. Standard sofa foam sags in a season under that cycle. The foam grades we cut campervan cushions from are picked for exactly that combination of fold, heat, and use. They still feel like furniture rather than gym mats when you sleep on them for a fortnight in the Lakes or Scottish Highlands.
VW T4, T5, T6, T6.1. Mercedes Vito or Sprinter. Transit Custom. Self-build on a Citroën Relay, Peugeot Boxer or Fiat Ducato. No matter what base vehicle you have, send us a template/sketch and we can cut to it. If your existing covers are still good, you don't need to remake them, simply send us the empty covers and we'll fit new foam inside them through our cushion refill service. Many of our customers choose that route, especially with leather, faux leather or marine-grade covers that often cost more than the foam they hold.
Common Campervan Cushion Applications
Rock & Roll Bed Cushions
The mainstay of most side-conversion campervans. RIB Altair, Smartline, M1-tested Reimo bench, Sussex Campervans build, hand-built setup from your converter. Same basic format: a base cushion and a back cushion that fold to form the bed. We cut both pieces from the same batch of high density foam so the firmness stays consistent fold-to-flat. If the bed is your main sleeping spot for tours longer than a weekend rather than an occasional weekender, step up to the branded Reflex Superior foams.
Front Swivel Seat Cushions
VW T-series Captain's chairs collapse with age. So do the driver and passenger seats in a Sprinter, Vito, Transit Custom or Boxer. The foam compresses, you end up sitting on the seat pan with no support, and a long drive starts to hurt. Replacement foams are straightforward. Measure the existing cushion, send a template if there's a contour or curve, and we match it. Reflex with a 25mm Memory foam topper is the popular spec for long-drive comfort.
Side Conversion Bench Seats
The kitchen-opposite bench varies by builder. Wellhouse, HillsideLeisure, Bilbo's, CamperKing, Sussex Campervans, Auto-Sleepers all build slightly different shapes. The standard pattern is a rectangular base with an L-shaped corner back, often with a chamfer where the bench meets the kitchen unit. Send a template if your shape isn't a clean rectangle and we'll match it exactly.
Pop-Top Roof Bed Mattresses
A different challenge. The bed sits on a hinged platform in the roof, so the mattress has to be thin enough to fit when the roof closes (usually 50-75mm) without compressing too far when you sleep on it. High Firm foam with a thin 25mm Memory foam topper hits the sweet spot. Often tapered slightly at the foot end to match the pop-top frame. Send the platform dimensions and we'll cut to fit.
Rear Lounge and Fixed Bed Mattresses
Bigger vans tend to have fixed rear beds with full-time sleeping comfort. LWB Sprinter, Boxer or Ducato XL conversions, most full motorhomes. We cut single-piece mattresses up to 2000mm, or two-piece beds where one piece slides under the other for storage during the day. Most owners spec a Reflex or High Firm base with a memory foam topper. Our mattresses and toppers page covers the off-the-shelf options if your bed is a standard size.
Day Van Bench Conversions
Day vans that don't convert to beds are simpler. Three or four bench cushions on a fixed wooden frame, often with a matching back rest pad behind them. Reflex superior foams are by far the most popular choice throughout for the bases, with a slightly lighter density sometimes used on the backs for a softer lean. If the bench has a chamfer where it meets the side panel or a curve where it follows the wheel arch, send a template and we'll handle it.
Headrests, Lumbar Bolsters and Wedge Pieces
The bits people forget when ordering and then have to come back for are usually small bolsters, lumbar support wedges or headrest pads. Our bolster cushions work for standard headrest and lumbar shapes. A wedge cut from Reflex is good for back support on long drives. Memory foam can also be chosen over Reflex foam if you want it to mould to your back.
Which Foam Grade for Which Job?
Three or four grades cover almost everything we cut for campervans. Our full foam grades and types guide has the technical specs (density, ILD, the lot), but here's the short version.
Reflex Superior. Our default foam for campervan work and what we'd recommend unless there's a specific reason to choose differently. Handles the fold-up/fold-down cycle of Rock & Roll beds, daily commuting use, and the heat cycle of a closed pop-top in summer. Suits R&R bed bases, bench seats, front swivel seat replacements and pop-top roof mattresses.
High Firm. Step up from Reflex when the cushion is doing double duty, daily seating AND being slept on regularly. Touring campers where the same cushion is the bench in the day and the bed at night benefit from the extra support. Also worth it for heavier-build occupants or anyone who wakes up with a sore back on standard Reflex.
Memory foam topper. Use as a 25-50mm topper on top of a Reflex or High Firm base, never on its own. Pure memory foam is heat-retentive and goes soft at high temperatures, both of which are bad news in a closed pop-top in August. As a topper over a Reflex base it transforms the comfort of a permanent bed without the downsides.
CMHR / M1 fire-rated. Required for any cushion used as a travelling seat with a seatbelt fitted, the M1 fire test is part of the wider seat-belt-rated bench testing that converters use for SVA / IVA approval. Also required for hire campervan fleets and any commercial conversion. We supply both grades with written compliance documentation. If you're not sure whether you need it, ring us with the vehicle's paperwork and we'll tell you.
M1 Travel Seats and Fire Safety
For private campervan use where cushions are seating only (not used as belted travelling seats), the relevant law is the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. All our furniture-grade foam meets it by default.
It's a different conversation if any of your cushions are used as travelling seats with seatbelts fitted. M1-rated CMHR foam is required as part of the wider seat-belt-rated bench testing that converters use for SVA / IVA approval. We supply M1 foam with documentation. But note: M1 foam alone doesn't make a seat road-legal, the seat frame, mountings, brackets and belt anchorages all need to be tested as a unit by the converter. If you're replacing existing M1 cushions, just tell us and we'll cut from the right grade. If you're building from scratch, talk to your converter about the full M1 bench testing.
Converters and trade fitters doing volume work can benefit from trade pricing through our trade foam programme, plus a dedicated point of contact.
Heat, Damp and Making Campervan Foam Last
Two enemies of campervan foam: heat in summer (pop-tops cook in direct sun) and condensation in winter (closed vans sweat). A handful of habits will make replacement cushions last years longer.
- Choose Reflex over standard polyurethane for any cushion that lives in a van year-round. It handles temperature cycles, fold-flat use, and the odd damp episode far better. The price difference is small. The lifespan difference isn't.
- Ventilate after damp camping. If you've been away in wet weather, open the van up for a day when you get home and let everything dry. Cushions that get put away damp will go mildewy fast.
- Wrap cushions in polyfibre (Dacron) before fitting covers. It wicks moisture, softens the cushion edge, and stops the compressed-corner look after a season.
- Air the bases. Slatted plywood, ventilation slots in solid panels, or even a few drilled holes, anything to stop condensation collecting underneath the cushions.
- Stand cushions on edge during long storage, especially over winter. Two minutes' work, years of life added.
- Park in shade where you can in summer. Closed pop-tops in direct sun hit serious temperatures. Reflex copes fine; pure memory foam doesn't. If you're using memory as a topper, that's another reason to keep it as a topper rather than the whole mattress.
- Replace mouldy covers, not just foam. A cover that's gone properly mildewy will smell with fresh foam in it within weeks. The cover's the problem, not the foam.
Technical Specifications
Material: Combustion-modified polyether polyurethane foam (Reflex, High Firm, CMHR / M1 grades)
Fire compliance: Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988; CMHR / M1 fire-rated foam available with documentation for travelling seats
Common thicknesses: 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, 125mm, 150mm (others available - just ask)
Maximum cut size: Up to 2000mm in any single dimension; longer pieces supplied joined
Bespoke cutting: Tapered ends, wheel-arch curves, bevelled corners and template cutting included at no extra cost
Polyfibre wrap (Dacron): Recommended add-on for any cushion
Lead time: Standard shapes next working day, bespoke patterns 2-3 working days
If you'd rather talk it through than work it out from a spec sheet, give us a ring on 0800-0439990. We've been answering campervan owners' and converters' questions for over 40 years. Or drop us a line via the contact page and we'll come back to you the same working day.
