Life on the road should be as comfortable as life at home. A supportive, cozy mattress will provide many enjoyable and restful nights spent on the open road.This guide presents a brief look at RV mattresses. First, I’ll tell you how to determine if you need a new mattress. Then I’ll describe what to look for in a new mattress. Finally, I’ll discuss RV-specific mattress sizes, delivery services, and how to care for your RV mattress.Does Your RV Need A New Mattress?A mattress in need of replacement becomes un-supportive and contributes to restless nights and less sleep. Signs that your mattress needs to be replaced:

Out-of-character poor sleeping habits and the effects of sleep deprivation are the first signs that you need a new mattress.

What To Look For – RV Mattress QualityYour RV mattress should be comfortable, supportive, and offer the same good night’s sleep that you experience at home.RV manufacturers don’t normally use residential quality mattresses. For quality, comfort and coziness you should look for a residential-quality mattress to replace your old RV mattress. Look for a minimum 8” thick mattress in one of three varieties: (1) plush, premium-quilted pillow top, (2) memory foam, or (3) innerspring.Another important factor to look for when purchasing an RV mattress is safety. It is important that your RV mattress meet standard safety guidelines and regulations. Look for mattresses which do not use any chemical treatments to meet fire standards; look for manufacturers which use inherently fire retardant rayon fibers to meet safety requirements. Look for manufacturers who build mattresses which meet Federal Fire Safety Standards (CFR 1633), a premium safety feature, for no additional cost.Mattress quality and durability are other important pieces to consider when shopping for a new RV bed.Mattress SizesIt is important to measure the space available for your new RV mattress. Many motor homes require RV-specific mattress sizes with different widths and lengths than your standard home version.Look for a mattress manufacturer which offers RV mattresses in both RV-specific and standard residential sizes. Look for mattresses so comfortable that they might rival the comfort of your bed at home.Common RV mattress sizes:34″ x 74″ RV Twin38″ x 74″ Residential Twin49″ x 74″ RV Full53″ x 74″ Residential Full53″ x 79″ Full XL60″ x 74″ RV Queen (Short Queen)60″ x 79″ Residential QueenDeliveryIt doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to ship mattresses. Some manufacturers have developed “box & roll” packaging processes for easy shipping, storage and installation. These processes allow the manufacturers to safely package new a new mattress into a box that is easily picked up and delivered to your door. Once out of the box and removed from the protective bag, the mattress will quickly respond back to its full size, length and height. When the mattress is back to its original size it will feel the same as any other top quality name brand mattress.Caring For Your RV MattressA quilted mattress pad will provide total protection for your RV mattress. Consider using a covering made of durable 100% polypropylene material and filled with 100% polyester fiberfill. Find a mattress pad that is available in standard and RV-specific sizes. A mattress cover is a reliable and easy (to clean it, simply machine wash cold and tumble or line dry) solution to RV mattress protection.A mattress topper is a product created to act as a cover to preserve your mattress and provide an extra level of comfort as well. Look for a viscoelastic memory foam mattress topper with 2″ of 3 lb. memory foam along with a super plush beige fabric cover. This type of topper is heat and pressure sensitive allowing it to adjust to your body, giving you greater support. Look for a memory foam topper that is hypoallergenic and prevents bed bugs, bacteria, mold, and dust mites.Always remember, life on the road should be as comfortable as life at home. A supportive, cozy mattress will provide many enjoyable and restful nights spent on the open road.

Are you in the marketplace for buying a second hand motor vehicle? Choosing the right vehicle which is good value for money and will be reliable in the long term can be quite difficult. You can help yourself make the right decision by following some basic guidelines that can help you choose between the bargain cars and the ones that will cause you long term misery. Read our top ten tips for buying a used car guide.

1) Pick a Budget and Stick to It.

When you are buying a used car it is easy to get carried away when youâ??re already spending a lot of money- a few hundred pounds more to secure the â??car of your dreamsâ?? can easily seem reasonable, but could leave you in debt. Remember there are always other expenses that you have to pay for when you buy a car, such as Road Tax and insurance. Before you start looking for a new car decide on a budget and religiously stick to it, that way you can be assured good value for money.

2) View the Car in Daylight

When you do finally decide to go to look at a car, donâ??t make the mistake of going to see the car at night. Perhaps you have a full time job and it isnâ??t possible to leave work to go and view a car in the week and you think that the car in question may be sold by the time the weekend comes around. Although it can be a temptation to save time and â??jump the queueâ?? of other potential purchases, going to see a car at night can leave you open for an upset. Basically you will not be able to get a good look at the condition of the car in poor visibility. Instead of being impatient either wait until the weekend or take a day off work and go and see a group of cars to make the most of your time.

3) Consider an Inspection

Lack mechanical knowledge about motor vehicles? For those who donâ??t know their big end from their fuel injection system perhaps a professional mechanical appraisal may be a sensible option. Although there will be an expense involved with this you will get peace of mind from discovering what if anything is wrong with the vehicle. Also by telling the vendor you are going to get a mechanical appraisal then you will be able to see how they react to this. If they suddenly looked panicked and try to dissuade you then you can presume that there may be something wrong with the car that they are trying to hide. If a mechanical appraisal does highlight problems with a car, this doesnâ??t mean that you should walk away from the motor vehicle- all cars can develop faults. Instead judge as to how much these issues are likely to cost to repair as this can give you additional bargaining power with the vendor to get a discount. However, if in doubt walk away from the deal, there is always another car out there!

4) Take it For a Test Drive

Youâ??ll definitely need to take any prospect car you are looking to buy for a test drive prior to purchase. If this is an unfamiliar vehicle then youâ??ll get a sense as to whether youâ??ll actually enjoy driving the car, whether the performance suits your needs and to whether the actual model is right for you? Are the seats comfortable? This may not make so much difference for a car for vehicle you wonâ??t use much apart from short journeys around town, but if youâ??re looking for a car to do long motorway journeys in you need to ensure that the ride is comfortable.

Even more importantly a test drive gives you the chance to check out some of the fundamentals about the vehicle in question. How are the brakes, do they work well? How does the engine sound, does the car judder when you drive along? Does the gear box change smoothly. Avoid having the radio on when youâ??re carrying out your test drive as youâ??ll want to listen out for any erroneous noises coming from the vehicle.

5) Get a HPI Check

You may find the car of your dreams and on the face of it could look like a fantastic bargain, but you shouldnâ??t part with your money before youâ??ve carried out a HPI check on the car. A HPI check can highlight whether the car actually belongs to the person who says it does, whether the car has ever been registered stolen or has been written off in an accident. Also a HPI check will discover if there is outstanding finance on the vehicle, if there is then the car could be legally be taken from you and handed back to the finance company as they legally own it, even if you have parted with your money to buy the car. A HPI check can cost as little as £19.99 and provide you with peace of mind and stop you from getting a nasty surprise in the future.

6) Auctions

Unless youâ??re confident of your skills when it comes to buying a used car or have mechanical knowledge it is best to avoid going to a car auction or to buy a used car. Although you can pick up a low cost deal on a used car at an auction you do only have a limited amount of time to view individual cars. Also if you bid and win then you are contractually obliged to purchase the vehicle.

7) Do Your Homework

Donâ??t go to look at a vehicle without doing some research about the car first. You should learn about the different models available, which ones are more desirable and command more money, you should try to find out what known faults are on the vehicle and get a general understanding about the car in questions. The internet is a great place to start to compile this information, with car clubs and general car sites often giving you really good quality information about individual vehicles. Also explore trade magazines and online sales portals to get an understanding on how much certain models and vehicles go for. You donâ??t want to pay over the odds for a car just because youâ??ve not bothered to do any homework.

Donâ??t Buy the First Car You See

It can be quite an effort trying to find a car to buy, with the search online often not highlighting any cars close to where you live it can be tempting when you finally go to see a car to buy it just because it seems OK and because you canâ??t be bothered to go and look at any others. This can prove to be quite a big mistake as you cannot get a feel for the overall quality of the car until you have seen a few of the same model. For instance the interior could look a little â??scrappyâ??, but unless youâ??ve seen a cross section of cars for sale how do you know if this is a one off problem or inherent with all the cars from the range? Check out a few newer and older examples of the model you are interesting in, you can get to see how the car ages over time and whether it holds up well when the additional miles are racked up.

9) Take Someone With You For a Second Opinion

It may be a cliché to go and look at a car â??mob handedâ?? and go around the vehicle â??tyre kickingâ?? but it is important to get a second opinion from someone you trust. If that second person is a mechanic all the better, but if not get your friend to discuss the car with you and give you an honest appraisal about the car in question. Having more than one person can also be advantageous as unscrupulous sellers may try â??distraction techniquesâ?? such as keeping you talking and not allowing you a proper look at the car. This is much harder to do when there is more than one person looking over the vehicle.

10) Buy from a Reputable Dealer

If youâ??re really worried about buying a used car you may want to consider buying from a reputable dealer, as these companies generally provide cars which have passed mechanical checks and MOTs. Other dealer facilities often include car loans meaning you can get a better car than you thought you might be able to afford. The newer the car the less likely it is to be affected by mechanic issues and breakdowns which can also go to ease the worries of buying a second hand car.