Planning Your Layout
Planning the layout of your van is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make in your conversion. Choosing where you want to put your bed, cabinets, and kitchen can take some time to think through. We’ve broken down three of the most popular van life layouts for you to decide which is best for you: Fixed Platform Bed, Convertible Dinette to Bed, and Pull-out Bed. Let’s jump in!
Table of Contents
Fixed Platform Bed
Your bed is permanently installed in the rear of your van. This is ideal for people who want a large storage space (or ‘garage’) in the van, because you can fit skis, bikes, and SUPs beneath the bed itself.
Convertible Dinette to Bed
A booth-style table that can be taken down into a bed at night. This is a very efficient use of space and a great kitchen table for eating and working — but it can be a lot of work to set up and take down each day.
Pull-out Bed
A futon-like couch/bed. This is very similar to the Convertible Dinette to Bed layout, but trades a little less space for easier set-up and take-down.
Fixed Platform Bed
This is, in our opinion, the best option for folks who want a lot of storage in their van. It’s a super-popular option for outdoorsy folks who want to store a lot of gear, like skis, mountain bikes, SUPs, climbing gear, or whatever outdoor sport of choice you love.
Spoiler alert: this is the layout we went with, and we love it! It’s super ideal for keeping a bunch of accessible storage from the back doors for things we use but don’t necessarily need access to every day. This is perfect for ski gear, camping supplies, toolboxes, extra water, and a whole bunch of other things you might have in your van.
The other great thing about having a permanent bed is that you don’t have to put together your bed every night and take it apart in the morning like you do with a convertible dinette or pull-out bed. I remember the first time we slept in the van — it felt like a real treat during the road trip to turn off the vehicle, walk to the back of the van, and immediately jump into bed. It’s the simple pleasures!
One thing to keep in mind with the permanent bed is to test what height you want it at. To fit bikes underneath the bed, you do have to have the bed relatively high (and probably need a high-roof van). We originally were going to make space for mountain bikes under our bed, but luckily we did a test-run to see how we slept when the bed was that high. The short answer: we hated it. Army-crawling into bed and hitting our arms/head when we rolled over or got up wasn’t for us. Your mileage might vary — but be sure to test the height first!
Pros
- Lots of storage in the ‘garage’ — especially for gear
- No hassle for putting together / taking apart the bed for sleeping
Cons
- A permanent bed provides less living space since it has more storage space. A dinette / pull-out bed converts to create a larger-feeling van. The bed is “wasted space” during the day, unless you’re working in bed.
- If you place your bed high up, there’s less sleeping space
Here is one example/variation of this layout (this is our layout):
Convertible Dinette-to-Bed
This is one of the most efficient uses of space in your van. In this layout, you’ll create a booth-style table and benches that you can use for eating, working, or entertaining when you have friends over.
This is a great option if you’re working from your van, since you have a great desk for your work. Plus, you can use the space underneath the booth seats for storage — which is perfect for your electrical components, water storage, or any other bulky items. Since your bed and seating/dining/working space are all in one, it can make your van’s living space feel really large and airy.
The main drawback of the dinette-to-bed conversion is the effort involved in putting together your bed at night and taking it apart in the morning. When you’re ready to hit the hay, you’ll need to unscrew the table and place it between the booths, arrange your cushions, add the sheets & covers and blanket — then take it all apart in the morning. Plus, you’ll need a relatively large cabinet to store the bedding and pillows during the day.
If putting together & taking apart your bed each day sounds like no problem to you, then this is a great layout!
Pros
- Very efficient use of space
- Table for work / eating
Cons
- Effort involved to put together and take apart the bed each morning and night
- Storage required to store bedding during the day
- Less storage capacity compared to the permanent fixed bed
Here is one example/variation of this layout:
Pull-out Bed
This layout is very similar to the convertible dinette-to-bed option, except it’s a futon-style couch/bed instead of a booth/table/bed combination. Again, this is a great option if you like having a lot of space inside your van, if you want to work & relax on a couch instead of a booth, or if you want a little more storage than the dinette layout. Plus, this layout is way easier to transition from couch-mode to bed-mode, since it just means sliding the couch to horizontal (and you’ll use less/no storage for storing bedding, too).
There are a few drawbacks to this layout. If you want a table, it’ll have to be installed separately from the couch (it’s not as built-in as the dinette-to-bed option). The storage underneath the pull-out bed can be hard to access, since there are often a lot of moving parts in the convertible bed frame.
Pros
- Efficient use of space
- Easier to make / take apart bed every day
Cons
- Less space for entertainment seating (everyone faces the same direction)
- Less bench storage, in most cases (storage can be harder to access in a convertible bed frame)
- No fixed table like the dinette-to-bed layout option
Here is one example/variation of this layout:
While choosing your layout is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make during your van conversion, try not to get overwhelmed or paralyzed in deciding.
If you want storage for large items (like bikes or skis) or like the idea of having a garage, then the fixed platform bed is likely your best option. If you really want a great table to eat and work at – then the dinette-to-bed layout is a good choice. If you don’t necessarily use a table a lot, the pull-out bed option is a great way to save space and still be convenient.
And when in doubt: find a van account on instagram that’s pretty similar to the lifestyle you’re looking for and emulate their layout. There are a lot of possibilities, but it’s best to commit to your gut and build what you want!
