Sleep number purchasing & installation question

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2KViggen

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We made the mistake a few years ago to upgrade out 2yr old king bed (which wasn't cheap) that became a crater where I sleep (I weigh 205lbs) to a sleep number.  It use to be our RV's bed was the most comfortable we owned.... then we purchased the sleep number our backs kill both of us after a single night in our RV's bed.  So we need to get a sleep number for our RV

Is Camping World the cheapest place to get one?

Also, anyone ever installed one in their RV?  I called a local non fleetwood dealership (we have a bounder 38p) & they guessed 2-5hrs plus labor to install.  Since the bed needs power it we would just have to run power to it..... somehow

thanks
 
We have the sleep number at home and love it.  I would contact the sleep number store nearest and get their advice.  I am a camping world fan, but don't expect it to be the cheapest.  Will probably be on the other end of the spectrum.
Bob
 
I never would of thought there beds were so good, not all that impressive to lay on in a store but sleep a night on one & it's all over :)

Camping world is actually just about 1/2 the price of the local store, I was also shocked!!
 
All you need is the mattress (you don't need a base), a pump/controller and somewhere to plug the pump in.  The mattress will sty inflated for long periods of time so if you get it right (maybe using an extension cord) you can live without power to the pump. I am assuming that your RV has the typical plywood base -- the sleep number mattress will just sit on that. I would call the company directly and ask for any discount programs or last year's models.  The store's prices will be very high.
 
Did a little more looking.... wife told me Camping World is a lot cheaper but after looking at sleepnumbers site they have a few models which cost less then camping world.  So I need to figure out what model camping world has (my guess is base) & see how the price compares.

I was thinking just like what you mentioned..... just a extension cord & not deal with cutting up the RV to run power to under the bed.  I thought it should stay full of air for a while.....

thanks again everyone for the info!! 
 
As Caltex stated, you don't need anything fancy. We obtained a sleep number mattress from someone that had it removed from their new Allegro Phaeton. For whatever reason he did not want it. All I did was remove my old mattress and put the sleep number in place of it. Power came from an outlet in the base and the pump sits on my nightstand. No real need to bury it under the bed if you have room for the unit elsewhere.

One problem with ours is it is what the company calls a "waterbed replacement". It had a thin (1/2") piece of foam between the two bladders. I always felt like I was falling off toward the middle. :) Over time the constant pressure caused the foam pad to tear. I was going to put a 4" piece of foam down the middle, similar to the side pieces. Couldn't get one cut the length I needed so I took the torn foam pad and used half, rolled up, to replace the thin piece. Worked like a charm. No more rolling into the middle. We replaced the foam pad with a standard queen pad available almost anywhere they sell bedding supplies.

The only problem now is my wife's controller no longer shows the pressure. We have to pump it up, or down, until it feels right. Fortunately, that isn't required very often. Also, if you go into high altitudes, remember to lower the pressure before the bladder bursts. ;D
 
If you do any traveling, you will want to adjust the mattress pressure as you change altitude, so I would find an outlet to keep it plugged in.  Also, if you're like me, I tend to adjust our mattress firmness from time to time as my back dictates.
 
Be sure to register your bed once you get it installed. Without confirmation that you are the original owner, Sleep Number will not provide any support or troubleshooting assistance on the phone. If you are the second owner, for example you bought a used motorhome with a sleep number bed in it, you cannot even get to the troubleshooting area of their website. They will sell you new pieces, for example a bladder for one side of a queen size mattress is $149. plus shipping and taxes. This for a 3 year old mattress that is leaking air thru the fabric itself.
 
Americana Bear Beds is an alternative to Sleep Number. They are a little bit less expensive and they specialize in RV beds. Most models have the pump right in the mattress, so it's out of the way. Construction is nearly identical to the Sleep Number.

http://www.bearbeds.com/

I would be surprised if your Bounder has no 120v outlet anywhere in the bedroom, and that's all you need for power.
 
Be aware that Select Comfort offers two models of "RV mattresses" which IIRC are a couple of inches shorter than a standard queen mattress. We bought the standard queen, because it fits OK in our coach. Some folks have reported extending the foundation of their RV bed to accommodate the extra length of a standard queen.

BTW their web pages for the 'RV mattresses' say:

"Since typical RV mattresses rest on a firm, platform-style surface, no foundation is required", confirming what others have said.

We previously had a knock-off brand (don't recall which) that had a very noisy pump. My other half goes to bed early, leaving me to watch TV, go online, read, or just nod off in the chair. Like Ned, I partially deflate the air bags in the mattress before setting off in the morning, but used to forget to re-inflate it when we arrived at the next destination. I'd remember when I was ready for bed at midnight or in the wee hours, and won't be able to re-inflate the mattress without waking up half the campground. A few nights sleeping on the sofa changed my mental arrival checklist.
 
We purchased our Sleep Number bed at the SN store in our local mall. Setup was only about 45 minutes and we keep it plugged into the outlet on the wall of the bed platform all the time. We purchased regular queen mattress only and it fits perfect on the RV platform in the bedroom of our DSDP.  We both love the new bed and have had no problems as yet. 
 
We have a Fleetwood, Southwind, 38 feet and there are plugs on either side of the bed.  I would be surprised if your Bounder didn't have any plugs in the bed vicinity.
 
The RV's been in storage all winter & since the kids are off for spring break in a week I am picking it up tomorrow.  I will take a closer look & see where the outlet is, my wife thought it was across the foot end of the bed

Out RV is a king & SN doesn't offer a king sized RV version.  My wife also told me yesterday that she wants the same one we have in our home..... thus other brands are out of the question

I checked a few days ago at the local mall store & they said 14 days for shipping so we couldn't get it in time for our Smoky Mountain trip anyways....... we will continue to watch for any sales & snag one before our summer trip
 
I haven't figured out what is different in an "RV version" except that they may offer the short "RV size" queen.  If you want a king size, just order a regular SN like you have in the house.
 
The King bed in my Bounder is short, compared to the King in my house. A regular one would get scrunched up when I close my slide. That may be true of SN, also -- I don't know.
 
Something to be aware of when dealing with king size beds (beside RV vs S&B)....there are 2 different kings.  One is commonly called California King (or sometimes Western) and it is longer and a bit narrower then the Eastern King.  Bedding labeled as "King" is for Eastern King, so those fitted sheets will not fit the California King and the rest of the bedding will be a bit 'off'.  So it could be Larry N. has the Eastern king in the RV and a California king in the S&B.
(learned this many, many years ago when we purchased our first king - a California - and couldn't get bedding to fit it)
 
sew2bhappy said:
...So it could be Larry N. has the Eastern king in the RV and a California king in the S&B.
(learned this many, many years ago when we purchased our first king - a California - and couldn't get bedding to fit it)
Click to expand...

Well maybe... But all our "King" bedding fits fine in the house, and is a bit long for that in the motor home. And is the California king longer or is it wider?

Later -  Googling came up with:

  A Standard King is also called an Eastern King and a California King is also called a Western King.

  A Standard King is about 4" wider and a California King is 4" longer.

The King in our motor home is the same width as the one in the house, but is shorter, or at least it seems so because of the way the sheets fit. I guess I'll have to measure it when I next open the slide (the foot tucks under the wardrobe). I did find a couple of comments on the web about the RV King being shorter than that in a house, but there are widely varying descriptions and measurements, so I'll get back to this when I can measure.

 
OK, I've had a chance to measure. The "king" in the Bounder is 68" wide by 77" long, while the one in the house is 76" wide by 80" long, explaining why the King bedding fits more loosely in the Bounder.
 
My wife measured out RV's bed & it was the same as our home bed

I did have a california king a few years ago.  I purchased it new..... a few months later purchased a dog.... the dog decided to eat a 20 in hole in the middle of the bed one day...... he also decided to eat the leather & carbon fibre shift knob in my car another day...... so he became a crated dog when I would leave home.  So what does he do now???  He tears up the cages, bends the cage so he gets out & I can't straighten the cage to keep him in.  Fortunantly now my wife has two other dogs & after she redid my house they have their own room when we are away.  Bart is such a fitting name for the dog
 
Select Comfort stores sell a bare bones bed (Used to be Model 5000) that is equivalent to the Camping World Sleep Number. We have 2, one of the lower model with a down coverlet in our Arizona Room in Surprise. It does not have the sleep number display which requires setting it by trial and error. That is OK there because it stays set for several months.

The second one in our RV does have the indicator which is quite important because we also dump pressure in the AM and can quickly reset it before bed. The difference in cost is about $500-$600.
 
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