Planning

12 Best Skoolie Bunk Bed Ideas

When it comes to building out skoolie bunk beds, a few things probably come to your mind: how to build them, how to maximize storage, and how to personalize it for the people that will be sleeping and living there.

In this article, we will go through different skoolie bunk bed ideas to inspire the build-out of your own skoolie bunk beds.

Who to Build the Bunk Beds For

There could be many different reasons you are building out skoolie bunk beds. You could be building them out for yourself, your children, guests, or friends that will be staying in the skoolie with you. Let’s dive a little deeper into each of these.

Building Skoolie Bunk Beds for Children

Creating a space for your children in the bus is such an imperative thing to do. Moving into a bus is a change for anyone, and kids are especially resistant to change sometimes. Creating a space just for them will help aid in the transition.

Depending on how many children you have, you will have to plan accordingly. Down below, you will find ideas for bunk beds for 1 child, 2 children, 3 children, and 4 children. Ask their opinion on things that are important to them to have in their space, such as headboard storage, a curtain for privacy, or even the color of the walls in their bunk. Asking their opinion will help make the space feel more like their own.

Building Skoolie Bunk Beds for Yourself/Friends

Bunk beds in a skoolie can save a ton of space and give each person their own little area within a school bus conversion where other space will mostly be communal.

Building out skoolie bunk beds for yourself or other people who will also be living in the skoolie with you is a great way to efficiently utilize space while giving each person their own space in the bus. Whether it’s just you and your child, or you and a few other friends that are going on a road trip, bunk beds are a good idea!

Building Skoolie Bunk Beds for Guests & Future Plans

You may be wanting to build out skoolie bunk beds for a “just in case” guest sleeping area or to utilize extra space that you may have. You may also want bunk beds to plan ahead for future children.

Also, if you are planning to Airbnb the skoolie down the road or sell the bus on our classifieds someday, having the skoolie accommodate sleeping for more people is always a desired feature.

In most cases, bunk beds are a great addition if you have the extra space!

What Are the Dimensions of Skoolie Bunk Beds?

Skoolie bunk bed dimensions typically range from 30-35″ wide by 70-80″ long.

Before diving into the dimensions of bunk beds in a bus conversion, I like to think about standard dimensions of beds. A standard twin mattress is 75″ long by 38″ wide, while a standard crib mattress is 53″ long by 28″ wide. Skoolie bunk beds will average somewhere in between the two depending on who you are building it for. If they are four or sixteen, you might tweak the beds a little to be sure they have plenty of room to be comfortable.

Below we take a look at each of these dimensions more in depth.

Width

The standard width of a school bus is 90″ wide. This means you get about 30″ on one side of the bus, 30″ on the other side of the bus, and 30″ as an aisle to walk down. These dimensions can be more or less depending on how deep you want certain things to be like your couch, kitchen countertops, bathroom, etc. For example, a couch may be 33″ deep, an aisle 30″ wide, and a kitchen that’s 27″ deep.

If you can accommodate somewhere between 30-35″ of space width-wise for skoolie bunk beds, this should be enough room for one person to sleep. Building it bigger will allow for whoever is going to use the bunks to grow into them as well.

Length

People who choose to build out skoolie bunk beds usually buy a bigger mid-size bus or buy a full-size bus. If you want to build bunk beds in a short bus, then you may have to sacrifice on some other areas in the build, like the bathroom and/or kitchen.

Again, the length of the bunk beds depends on who you are building the bunk beds for. Are they tall or short? The max length you will want to build the bunk beds is 80″, which is the length of a queen size mattress. Somewhere between 70-80″ lengthwise should allow enough room for one person to sleep comfortably.

You may be thinking how long is 70-80″ really. Each school bus window is approximately 28″ wide. Which means if you want to build a bunk bed that is 70″ it is going to take up 2 1/2 school bus windows. If you want the length of the bunks to be 75″, it’s going to take up approximately 2 3/4 windows. An 80″ long bunk bed will be almost 3 full school bus windows in length.

Skoolie Bunk Bed Ideas

Below are skoolie bunk bed ideas of how other people built out their bunk beds in a school bus conversion. We have curated a list of school bus conversion bunk bed ideas for children, groups, and for guests to inspire your skoolie bunk bed build-out!

One Bunk Width-Wise

skoolie bunk beds in bedroom
See classified listing.

This bunk bed idea takes up the entire back area of the bus. Building the bunks width-wise makes it perfect for taller people and you can make the beds wider than you might be able to if you were to build the bunks length-wise.

Family of 6 Bunk Bed Idea

4 beds in skoolie bunk beds
See classified listing.

If you’ve got 4 kids, this may be the perfect setup to build our bunk beds in your skoolie! A built-in ladder for bunk beds is something that’s often overlooked. But it’s a necessity to be able to climb onto the top bunk. In this case, the step stool would work just fine to reach the top bunk!

Family of 4 Skoolie Bunk Bed Idea

school bus conversion bunk beds
See classified listing.

Have two kids? This skoolie bunk bed idea is a perfect setup for a family of 4. It would be awesome to have the children’s closets just across the hallway from the bunks so that entire area is dedicated to them and only them.

Bunk Bed Idea with Ladder & Rail

skoolie bunk bed layout
See classified listing.

These bunk beds look really long, which is great if you have the space! Kids will have plenty of room to grow into their bunks with the length of these mattresses!

Skoolie “Bunk Out” 6 Beds

skoolie bunk beds
See classified listing.

The bunk set up in this skoolie was made to sleep 8 people. 4 people on the twin bunk beds and 4 people on the two California king bunk beds in the back. This is the sleeping setup to go with if you are looking to build out a skoolie for a long road trip with some of your friends!

Bunk Bed with Ladder & Curtain for Privacy

See classified listing.

This skoolie bunk bed idea has to be one of my favorites. I love the built-in ladder and the rail for whoever’s sleeping up there to feel a bit safer. The curtains are a fantastic feature for privacy. I like the drawer under the bottom bunk and the built-in shelving on the top bunk. These are nice little touches to complete the space!

Width-Wise Skoolie Bunk Bed Idea

lengthwise skoolie bunk bed
See classified listing.

I think this skoolie bunk bed idea is very unique. As with most of the bunk ideas listed above, they follow the length of the bus, meaning the windows (if kept) are on your side when you are sleeping. With this bunk idea, the window is at the head or the feet. This is a great option for skoolies with the hallways on one side of the bus. The bungee cords are also a great idea to hold books and other things.

Family of 4 Skoolie Bunk Bed Idea

skoolie bunks with ladder
See classified listing.

This bunk bed offers some built-in privacy and a built-in ladder. These bunks have natural light in them and shelves in both of the bunks!

Bed Under Bed

under the bed skoolie bunk
See classified listing.

If you have one child, then instead of building out a full bunk bed and using up that space, use the space underneath your bed to build an area for them to sleep, store their clothes, and even build out a play area for them!

Children’s Bunk Idea with Play Area

skoolie bunk with play area underneath
See classified listing.

Click the link to visit this classified listing to see more pictures of how they made this skoolie bunk bed idea. The bed is on top with cute lights and there is a play area below the bed. They built this out so their child has a whole space of their own in their skoolie!

2 Bunk Beds for 4 People

2 bunk beds in a skoolie layout
See classified listing.

This is another great way to build out bunk beds for friends traveling together. Simple yet functional. It looks like the beds might lift up or pull out for access to storage on the bottom of the top bunks. It’s important to have space for your clothing no matter how you build your bunk beds.

Daybed Bunk Bed

skoolie bunk floor plans
See classified listing.

I like how these bunk bed ideas are more like daybeds with the pillows leaning up against the wall. This seems like a cozy spot to hang out possibly instead of doing a couch!

Related Articles

Back to top button