There are only about five ways to put bunks in a caravan, and each one takes its space from somewhere else in the van. Knowing which trade you are making is most of the decision.
Two bunks stacked at the rear on one side, with the bathroom opposite. It is the shortest way to add two permanent beds. Our 20'6 Wide Bunk and 21' Family Bunk use this arrangement.
It costs the rear wardrobe and usually the rear window, while keeping the van short enough to tow comfortably.
The bunk is wider; the van is not. Internal width is 2,265mm on every Network RV plan, so a wide bunk buys space from the plan rather than the body.
It suits two growing kids, or one kid and gear. It is still two bunks, not three.
Three bunks stacked on one side split the available height three ways. Check the top bunk in person and ask for each bunk height, not only the overall module height.
Two double-bunk stacks face each other across the rear. Our 23' Wide Bunk uses the whole rear as a bunk room and measures 7,010mm internally.
The bathroom moves into the middle, changing how the whole plan lives, in return for four permanent beds.
Turning the main bed sideways frees roughly a metre for bunks. Our 19'6 Wide Bunk does this, allowing a short van to sleep a family.
The trade is direct: one adult gets an easy exit and the other climbs over them.
There is no Australian standard for caravan bunk sizes. Lengths, widths and heights vary between brands and plans.
A caravan is a ten-year purchase. Measure for the child you will have, not the one you have.
Bunk length and width, in millimetres.
Height above the floor of each bunk. On our 20'6 Wide Bunk, the lower is 400mm and the upper 1,195mm.
Headroom above the top bunk.
Can you reach the bathroom without passing the bunks? Where is the entry door? Is the ladder removable? Does each bunk have a light and air? Where do four people's bags and wet gear go?
Fans, mattresses, magazine pockets, bed heads and removable ladders are family inclusions in both ranges. How to read a caravan floor plan covers the drawing conventions.
Bunks are not an on-road feature. Choose the range by terrain, then the plan by sleeping arrangement. Compare on-road and off-road, or use the road-type test.
The 21'6 Rear Club, 17'6 Rear Door and 19'6 Rear Door Pantry have no bunks. Compare all seven on the full plan list.
| Range | Plan | Arrangement |
|---|---|---|
| On-road | 20'6 Wide Bunk | Double bunk, bathroom opposite |
| On-road | 21' Family Bunk | Double bunk, rear bathroom |
| On-road | 23' Wide Bunk | Four bunks, facing stacks |
| Off-road | 19'6 Wide Bunk | Double bunk, east-west main bed |
There is no Australian standard. Ask for length, width and height in millimetres. On our 20'6 Wide Bunk, the lower bunk is 400mm from the floor and the upper 1,195mm.
A wider-than-standard bunk, not a wider caravan. Every Network RV plan is 2,265mm wide internally.
Only if you need the third bed and have checked the reduced top-bunk headroom in person.
Yes. Both Network RV ranges have bunk plans and the same family inclusions.
Fans, mattresses, magazine pockets, bed heads and a removable ladder.
It depends on the bunk. Buy for the older child you will have, using millimetre measurements.
Four of the seven launch plans carry bunks. Compare them by arrangement, then stand in one.