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You don’t necessarily have to buy an RV with a bunk room in order to have plenty of sleeping space for everyone in your camper. Adding bunks to an RV that doesn’t come with them is an option as well. Scroll down to be inspired by photos of motorhomes, fifth wheels, and travel trailers with bunk beds built in them by their owners.
Note: When making modifications to an RV, it’s important not to add weight that would exceed the camper’s max weight rating or drastically alter the weight distribution. If you have an RV warranty, making substantial changes may void it and you should consult with your warranty provider before doing anything permanent. People who undertake these projects trust their own judgement and accept all associated risks.
Bunk Beds Built in a Slide-Out
One ideal place to add bunk beds to an RV is inside a slide-out. Usually the furniture in a slide is fairly easy to remove, even if it’s built in, and the space left behind us often the perfect size for a bed, whether one you buy and anchor to the RV, or one you build, like the ones shown below.
This DIY bunk bed built by the RV owners behind the beautiful Instagram account @NotAllAreLost includes panels that add privacy, conceal a child’s personal belongings (or perhaps an unmade bed!) and prevent kids from rolling out of bed while sleeping.
This next RV, whose owners can be found on Instagram at @Humbills.HomeOnWheels, actually already had a bunk in it over a futon, but converting the futon to a bed each night wasn’t convenient, and leaving it as a bed took up space needlessly, so the RV owners decided to remove the futon and build their own bunks. (Bunks like these could be added to just about any similarly-sized slide, though.)
Later they got even more creative and turned the bunks into an adorable playhouse, which you can see here.
RV Closets Converted to Bunks
Several RV owners have added bunks to a Class A by converting a hallway wardrobe to a mid bunk space, like RV owners Aaron and Mandy Wilson did in their motorhome, shown below.
You can read about and see step-by-step photos of how a similar project was done in this article. And in this blog post, you can see photos of how a triple bunk was added to a motorhome.
Bunk Beds Added to Toy Hauler Garages
The Ticknor Family has been traveling around the U.S. in an RV for years now. Not too uncommon these days, except for the fact that they have 12 kids, 8 of which live with their parents in the RV!
Below is a picture of their boys’ bedroom, which is their toy hauler’s garage with custom-built bunk beds added. You can see more photos and read about how they built the bunk beds in this article on their website.
Master Bedrooms Converted to a Bunk Room
Many toy hauler owners take a different approach, turning the garage area into a beautiful and spacious master bedroom (as you can see examples of in this article about toy hauler garage renovations) and converting the original master bedroom into a bunk room, as seen in these next photos.
In this photo from WhereWildOnesRoam, you can see how much floor space as well as storage space was created after the original bed was removed and bunk beds were built and added. You can see more photos of this RV on Instagram at @WhereWildOnesRoam.
The bunk beds in the bedroom shown below were built in what used to be the master bedroom closet. You can see more photos of this beautifully renovated RV and get a better idea of how the space is used (as well as learn about the work this family is doing to help children in need) on the owner’s Instagram account, @HCOFamilyFullTime.
The bunk beds shown below, which sleep four people and providing storage as well, showcase the craftsmanship of RV husband and wife DIY team Sarah and Dan of Joinery & Design Co.
You can see how another family built four bunks in an RV master bedroom with a similar layout in this article.
The master bedroom converted into the fun kids’ room pictured below actually isn’t in a toy hauler. Kate and Jason, the kids’ parents, sleep in their camper’s living room on a sectional sofa that converts to a bed.
Bunk Bed Cribs
The RV shown below has two actual bedrooms (it’s a Palomino Sabre 32FBDS). The family who owns it removed the furniture from one of the bedrooms and built this custom bed for their two small children instead. You can read about the process in this article on their blog.
Another family added bunk beds to their own bedroom after moving the parents’ bed to a different location in the room. Their baby sleeps on the top bunk, with a safety net covering the opening after she is placed in her bed (as the parents demonstrate in this video).
More Campers with Bunk Beds Added
Extra sleeping space can be added to smaller campers, too. The photo below shows how RVers Meg and Brad Zapalowski added bunks to their 1975 Airstream Argosy, which they’ve named “Betty”. You can follow the adventures of this couple, their daughter, and their puppy Norman on Instagram at @Norm_Betty_Adventures.
When RV owners Kristin and Jarett of @TheTouringCamper gutted and renovated their 1976 Silver Streak “Tilley”, they completely rebuilt the mid bunk area, adding an extra bed and additional storage. You can read about and see photos of the construction process in this article on their website.
The rear of this fifth wheel RV provided the perfect place to build custom bunk beds (with storage underneath) in the space left after some additional seating was removed. Curtains can be drawn across the beds for privacy and to block out light. You can follow the owners of this camper on Instagram at @TheCamperHouse, and they also have a YouTube channel if you would like to follow them there.
If you are considering buying an RV but have felt limited in your options due to the number of beds, hopefully I’ve given you some ideas and inspiration for how you might be able to add bunks to an RV that doesn’t have them!
To see more articles about RV renovation projects, organization ideas, and decorating inspiration, check out my post archive!
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