Island bed
Great spec and top-notch quality at an affordable price
The ultimate fixed bed layout
So, you want a permanent double bed, but you can’t live with the access issues posed by a French bed or transverse double? An island bed is like your double at home, with access to the mattress on either side. It can be found in coachbuilts of all types (but never van conversions). Typical overall lengths are around 7.5m but more compact designs (down to 6.5m and, increasingly, around 7m) do exist. French brands especially favour island bed layouts.
At the front, you can choose between halfdinette lounges and side settees. The latter are increasingly common, with most continental manufacturers now offering settees that can be converted into a pair of forward-facing travel seats – some making this transformation rather better than others! UK layouts with side settees don’t usually adapt, so offer no rear travel seats
(except in Bailey’s new Adamo).
As with all fixed beds, underbed storage is a key feature. This can be a bike-swallowing garage if the bed is set high enough. A number of models have bed raising/lowering mechanisms (manual or electric) to change the locker-size-tobed-height ratio, but remember that you’ll almost certainly want to remove your bikes and lower the bed for a more comfortable kip.
The size of the bed and the access around it are two issues that need checking – brochure figures cannot always be trusted. Beds can be short and/or with a radiused foot, while space for undressing can be lacking, too. Some have a mechanism that sees the head of the bed rise as the mattress moves back – thus creating more space for getting dressed, while making sitting up in bed easy and comfortable. But, if this is the case, do look
carefully at how much room there is around the foot of the bed when it’s fully extended for sleeping.
The best island bed floorplans feature an en suite washroom with the shower on one side and the toilet/washroom on the other, with a door that closes across the aisle to create a generous full-width en suite. Here, again, it’s space that separates the good from the not so good. Also, look for a second door that gives privacy between the bedroom and the washroom, especially if you’re intending to use your ’van as a four-berth.
Much more unusual is a central washbasin design, where the basin is mounted on the reverse side of a wall at the foot of the bed. This wall is perfect for mounting a bedroom TV, but now bed length is even more important as your feet can’t overhang. Also, shutting off the toilet or shower for privacy can be more convoluted.
There are also layouts with island beds running across the vehicle (mainly from UK manufacturers), though washroom facilities are then rarely as good. Itineo has come up with one of the best transverse island bed designs yet seen, which also incorporates a large garage beyond the bedroom.
And another variation is the semi-island or offset island bed, where there is more limited access to one side of the bed – this is a spacesaving compromise between a true island bed and a French bed.
Finally, if you don’t want your bed taking up this much room, you could go for Bürstner’s drop-down island bed, where the bed’s space is replaced by a sofa in the daytime.
Carados have long impressed with their sturdy build quality and practical design. Even the enhanced spec of British market models, though, has often left them looking a tad plain. However, now you can have a Carado with all the toys.
The Clever+ models get a silver cab, alloys, an awning and bike rack, as well as flush-fit framed windows. The spec also includes the Chassis Pack, Chassis Comfort Pack and Basic Pack, along with useful details like an insulated waste water tank. Inside, the upholstery is different but it’s the new layout of the T459 that is more important. Here is Carado’s first model with side sofas that convert into travel seats.
There are no suprises with the floorplan but it does feel very spacious, thanks to the overcab sunroof and a dining table that folds. Unfolded, it still feels Teutonically solid.
The kitchen includes a sensibly located oven/ grill as well as a 167-litre fridge. The floor then steps up 20cm from the galley area to the rear en suite bedroom with the opposing shower and toilet facilities in the usual continental style.
Importantly, the island bed here is much less rounded at the foot than most. It measures 1.79m by 1.47m with very good access around the bed, or you can extend the length of the bed to 1.93m with an infill. There’s plenty of room to sit up in bed, too.
Spacious and sturdily made, the T459 is a good example of this type of layout and the Clever+ Edition is well worth the five grand premium over the standard model.