Bunk Beds

Adding an extra bunk in a 1D Avan Cruiseliner with a cheap Anaconda Spinifex Kids Easy Set camping bunk, trimmed down so it drops straight in over the bench bed - no built-in timber bunk required.

Avan used to factory fit bunk beds as an option (pictured below), with a solid over-under bunk built into the cabinetry. This Avan Cruiseliner 4 Bunk 2018 Review walks through that four-berth layout in detail. The trade-off with the factory bunk is that the dinette is then not an option, which the removable approach in this article solves for. These factory-fitted bunk configurations no longer seem to be available from Avan, so if you want a permanent 4-berth, keep an eye on Avan Club For Sale and CaravanCampingSales.com.au. If you're in Victoria you can also rent this bunk-bed Avan on Camplify to see if the layout suits your family before committing.

Factory bunk layout in an Avan Cruiseliner with patterned mattresses over the under-bunk, next to the kitchenette
Factory built-in timber over-under bunk beds with blue mattresses
Factory built-in timber bunk beds in an Avan with yellow mattresses Factory built-in over-under bunks seen through the open door of an Avan from outside

Most aliners berth 2-3 people, but this little mod makes it kid friendly for a family of four by modifying and assembling a Spinifex camping bunk from Anaconda.

A nice thing about this approach is that it doesn't change the van's layout: with the bunks packed away you still have the full 1D dinette. Setting up or packing down the bunks takes about 5-10 minutes each time, though, so in practice it's probably too much of a hassle to switch back to the dinette while the bunks are in use.

To make the bunks a little comfier you can also put padding like a self-inflating sleeping pad over the top bunk and/or under the cushions of the bottom bunk.

How it goes together

1. Cut the canvas off the bottom bunk (keep the poles)

The bottom bunk's bed is just a canvas sling, and isn't needed, the Avan's bench bed does that job. Cut the canvas off with scissors, but leave the long bottom poles in place because keeping them braces the frame.

Spinifex Easy Set bunk frame with the bottom bunk canvas cut off
In this photo, only one of the bottom struts is in place but when in actual use, both are assembled for support.

2. Cut the bottom legs just below the bottom bunk

Cut the lower legs off with an angle grinder or hacksaw just below the bottom bunk brackets. That's the entire modification, it then fits perfectly. I think we were able to recover some plastic caps when doing this which plugged into the bottom 4 holes to create a flush finish.

3. Assemble over the recessed dinette and squish the cushions in

Temporarily relocate the bench seat cushions and assemble the bunk frame over the bench. Fit the bottom poles so they point up (not down), which flattens out the base under the cushions. The cushions then simply squish in and around the base of the bunk frame, packing everything in snugly with no brackets needed.

Side-on view of the Spinifex bunk fitted over the bench bed through the door

4. A couple of screws to stiffen it up

To take out a little bit of wobble we put some extra screws into the side poles. It was ok beforehand but now it's bomber. The trade-off is ours no longer fully collapses back into its bag, you can see the poles screwed together in the photo below which is how it travels at the moment. We intend to swap those screws for wing bolt butterfly screws with a bolt to clamp them on down the track so it can still be fully disassembled back into the bag.

Extra screws fitted through the bunk frame poles to stiffen it up
Screw fitted through the top of a bunk frame side pole to stiffen the joint
Screw fitted through the bunk frame side pole at the fold-down rail joint
Spinifex bunk set up over the bench bed in a 1D Avan Cruiseliner, with a sleeping pad on the top bunk next to the kitchenette Trimmed Spinifex bunk installed over the bench bed in a 1D Avan Cruiseliner
How to set up / assemble the bunk each time it's put up.

Shopping List - Australian Retailers

Product Retailer Price
Spinifex Kids Easy Set Bunk Bed Spinifex Kids Easy Set Bunk Bed
* trim the bottom bunk canvas and lower legs to drop it into the 1D layout
 Anaconda 129.00
Optional Wing bolt butterfly screws Wing Bolt Butterfly Screws
* optional - to replace the stiffening screws so the bunk can still fully disassemble back into its bag
 Amazon 16.49
Orange inflatable camping sleeping pad with built-in pump Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad
* optional - makes the top bunk comfier
 Temu 21.86
Base (Parts) $129.00
Optional (Parts) $38.35
Total (Parts) $167.35