Everything you need to know about sleeping in a Storyteller Overland camper van

The best part about having a house on wheels is being able to sleep wherever you want.

If you’re a photographer, maybe this means parking your van at a scenic location and then waking up at sunrise to get the perfect photo. Or if you’re a traveling musician, store all your gear in the van’s garage and you’ll never need another hotel.

Storyteller Overland vans have two sleeping solutions: the Dreamweaver Bed and the GrooveLounge sleeper sofa. Here’s everything you need to know.

Am I too tall to sleep in a Storyteller van?

The Dreamweaver Bed is slightly smaller than a queen bed. Its dimensions are 56”x78” in our Mercedes Sprinter models and 56”x80” in our Ford Transit model.

This means that if you’re sharing the bed with someone, you can still sleep comfortably if you’re up to about 6’3” tall. If you’re sleeping alone in the Dreamweaver bed, though, you can spread out diagonally and take up more space.

The GrooveLounge converts into a twin bed at 72”x34”, so if you’re under 6’, you’ll sleep comfortably on the GrooveLounge.

How many people can sleep in a Storyteller?

A Storyteller Overland can comfortably sleep 3-4 people.

But with the dimensions above in mind, it depends on how much space your group takes up.

A Storyteller Overland basically has a queen and twin bed, so three adults should be able to sleep comfortably in this space together. If you have smaller adults or children, though, you can fit four people.

Sandy Tan, a Stealth owner, took his maiden voyage with his wife, sister and son. “We all slept comfortably in the van,” he said. "My wife and sis slept on the GrooveLounge with an Exped sleeping mat. The son and I slept on the bed as we have wider shoulders.”

There are also solutions that allow you to add a short mattress to the front cab, such as this one from Luno. Keep in mind, though, that there are four seatbelts in a Storyteller van, so you wouldn't want to use this to add a fifth passenger.

Is sleeping in a Storyteller comfortable?

Yes! Three things make sleeping in a Storyteller especially comfortable:

Window shades: All Storyteller Overland camper vans come with our magnetic window shades so you can have privacy and block out all the light. They’re made out of a material that reminds you of a puffy jacket, which means these shades are light, easy to store, and offer insulation.
Heat/Air Conditioning: You won’t worry about getting too hot or cold through the night thanks to our power system, which can run heat or AC for up to 12 hours (depending on the outside weather).
Havelock wool insulation: In addition to our heating/AC system, the walls of our vans are also insulated with havelock wool. This means you’ll feel like you’re sleeping in an actual house, not a tin can. It will keep you from losing heat in cool weather, and it will keep you from wasting your AC in hot weather. It also has noise absorption properties, making for a better sleeping and driving experience.

The mattress on our DreamWeaver bed is pretty firm, so if you’re someone who loves a soft mattress, you might consider something like this memory foam mattress from Canyon Adventure Vans.

Time to wake up. Can I move the bed?

When you’re ready to tackle the day, fold each half the Dreamweaver bed up into the wall and you’ll completely open up your garage area. Stealth owner Emily Pan recommends using crib sheets for each half of your Dreamweaver bed – that way, you don’t need to take off the sheets when you fold up your bed.

Time to work? Fold down one half of the Dreamweaver bed and remove the mattress cushion. You’ll have a long work table or cooking surface.

When you’re not sleeping on your GrooveLounge bed, you can put it in what we call “Lounge Mode” – this creates seating space for three to four people across from the galley. Read more about all of the GrooveLounge modes in this blog post.