A ‘double bunk bed’ is usually one with a double bed on the bottom and a single bed on the top. You’ll also see them referred to as ‘triple sleepers’.
You can also buy something called a ‘triple bunk bed’ which is three single beds piled on top of each other. Some websites seem to mix and match terminology in an attempt to confuse the befuddled shopper. This guide will just focus on the type that is a double bed with a single bed on top.
We’ve picked out five of the best double bunk beds by looking at lots of different factors. These include customer reviews, manufacturer reputation, warranty length, build quality and awards.
Prices are correct at the time of typing.
1. Noa and Nani Kent Double Bunk Bed/Triple Sleeper – £239
Noa and Nani make two similar double bunk beds/triple sleepers. The Kent model stands out as one of the best value on the UK market. The Noa and Nani Hanna double bunk bed has a bit more of an elaborate design and is more expensive. It’s still good value in my opinion.
Kent and Hanna are both made from pine, which is a pretty standard material for bunk beds. Some posher beds are made from oak which is a harder wood, but it’s hard to find an oak double bunk bed.
They’ve both got ‘sprung slats’. These give a bed a bit of a softer feel than you get with ‘solid slats’. They’re both the same height and have very positive reviews.
The Kent double bunk bed scores 4.8/5 on the Noa and Nani website or 4.5/5 on Amazon. Reviews for the Hanna double bed were slightly lower at 4.6/5 on the Noa and Nani website or 3.8/5 on Amazon.
What’s the difference between the Kent and the Hanna?
Notable differences between the two are that:
- the Hanna can be split into two beds whereas the Kent can only be used as a bunk bed
- the Hanna is available in four different colours whereas the Kent is only available in white or natural wood.
If you’re happy with the limited colour choice and don’t plan to split the beds into two at a later date then I would save yourself some money and get the Kent double bunk bed.
Pros: very low price, solid wood
Cons: cheaper model can’t be split into two, cheaper model only comes in two colours
Our Value Rating: *****
(***** = exceptionally good value, **** = very good value, *** = good value, ** = reasonably good value, * = poor value)
2. Orion Wooden Storage Triple Sleeper Bunk Bed Frame – £515
This double bunk bed/triple sleeper from Happy Beds offers a lot for a reasonable price.
It comes in a choice of five colours and has a five year guarantee. That is four years more than you get with most double bunk beds/triple sleepers. The solid wooden slats will give a mattress a firmer feel. It is made from pine, which is a good value material for furniture.
Reviews are positive, with an average score of 4.2/5 on Amazon or 4.8/5 on the Happy Beds website.
Other plus points are that you have lots of extra storage under the bed and in the form of bookshelves on each level.
One key thing to note with this triple sleeper is that the lower bunk is actually a small double mattress (also known as a queen bed). That means it is six inches narrower than a standard single mattress. Small double mattresses are very easy to find, but it might be a bit of a squeeze if two larger people are using it.
As you’ll have noticed, the ladder is on the side of the bed rather than the end. That means it is more likely to fit into a smaller bedroom but it does require a bit of flexibility to get in and out.
Also worth noting is that a few different reviewers say it was a challenge to put together.
Adding a mattress
It doesn’t come with mattresses, but you can add them onto the order as a bundle to save a bit of hassle. If you can afford it, get a pocket spring or memory foam mattress rather than a basic open coil spring mattress as they don’t offer as much support.
There is one notable advantage to the cheaper ‘open coil’ mattresses that isn’t often mentioned when you are deciding which model to buy. According to a report called the ‘End of Life Mattress Report’ by the National Bed Federation, an open coil mattress is much easier to recycle. As things stand, the UK only manages to recycle about a fifth of mattress materials when we are chucking them out. That’s a figure from the 2019 report mentioned above. The figures are improving but that’s still a huge amount of waste.
A ‘bonnell spring’ or ‘open coil’ sprung mattress uses one massive stretch of metal. These can be removed from an old mattress and turned into something new. It’s much more complicated to get the metal from a pocket sprung mattress as they are encased in up to 2000 tiny cases. In some cases, recycling companies have to remove each one by hand which makes it less cost effective to recycle them.
You can read more in our guide to the hotly debated topic of memory foam v pocket spring mattresses.
Pros: five year warranty, choice of colours, lots of storage
Cons: not as cheap as some other budget brands, small double mattress rather than standard double, tricky to put together
Our Value Rating: ****
3. Strictly Beds Double Bunk Bed/Triple Sleeper – £259
If I was really lazy, I would make a poor joke about this Strictly bed being “fab-u-lous!”. Luckily you for, I have a lot more class than that and wouldn’t sink to such obvious wordplay (Ed: er…).
The Strictly Beds Double Bunk Bed/Triple Sleeper has a simple and not especially fancy design. However, it’s a popular cheap option and the brand gets good reviews. This model was scores 4.3/5 whilst other similar bunk beds by the same company score between 4/5 and 4.5/5.
It’s made from pine, which (as mentioned earlier) is a very commonly used material for beds. It’s not fancy, but it does the job nicely. The slats are solid rather than sprung. That means your mattress will feel a little bit firmer than it would on a sprung base. Most importantly, there isn’t a huge gap between the slats, so your mattress will be properly supported.
Unlike the Happy Beds Orion, this double bunk bed takes a full size double bed as well as a single. It’s also got a pretty considerable weight limit of three people weighing 17 stone each. That means it could certainly take three average weight adults. Some double bunk beds seem to be limited to children.
Extra headroom
Overall, the Strictly double bunk bed is about 30cm taller than the Happy Beds Orion. That makes it a bit more of a climb down for younger sleepers but it has the definite advantage of being able to sit on the bottom bunk without banging your head.
It’s made in the UK but doesn’t come with mattresses. You’ll need a standard single size mattress and a standard size double mattress (see this guide if you are looking for cheap mattresses).
The ladder is at the end of the bed, which makes the double bed more spacious and easier to get into. You just need to make sure your room is wide enough so that someone can climb the ladder without being wedged against a wall.
On the downside, there aren’t any colour choices and you can’t separate it into two different beds.
Pros: full size double mattress and standard single mattress, robust design with high weight limit
Cons: it can’t be separated into two beds, the high design won’t suit everyone and it only comes in one colour
Our Value Rating: *****
…and solid slats which will give it a firmer feel
4. Flair Furnishings Flick Small Double Bunk Bed/Triple Sleeper – £487
The Flick model from Flair Furnishings is the most expensive double bunk bed/triple sleeper in our top 5. It’s worth considering as it has a couple of differences to the others in our list.
The top and bottom bunk both have shelves so you’ve somewhere to put your drink of water. That’s preferable to climbing down the steps in the middle of the night.
It’s got some storage underneath and the steps are wider than most double bunk beds, which makes it a bit easier to climb in bare feet.
From what I can tell, it is made from the wooden flat-pack boards that you get at places like IKEA rather than a more traditional pine. There are three colour choices including white and a couple of two-tone options which are mostly black or a natural wood colour.
More about the base
Unlike most other double bunk beds, it has sprung slats which give a mattress a bit of a softer feel than solid slats.
After a bit of searching, I found reviews of the Flick double bunk bed on a couple of sites. Both had average scores of slightly above 4/5.
One important thing to realise is that it takes a 4ft small double/queen mattress on the bottom bunk and a standard size single mattress on the top. It would be a bit of a squeeze to have two adults on the bottom bunk for more than a couple of nights.
Pros: shelves on the top bunk, sprung slats for extra comfort, choice of colours, useful storage underneath
Cons: fibreboard rather than solid wood, small double mattress on the bottom bunk
Our Value Rating: ***
5. Argos Kaycie Double Bunk Bed/Triple Sleeper – £280
The Argos Kaycie triple sleeper is low priced, it gets very good reviews and it’s made by a big name and a trusted retailer.
It’s made from pine, which (as mentioned earlier) is a very commonly used material for beds. It’s not fancy, but it does the job nicely. The slats are solid rather than sprung. That means your mattress will feel a little bit firmer than it would on a sprung base. Most importantly, there isn’t a huge gap between the slats, so your mattress will be properly supported.
The good news is that this bunk can take a standard size double mattress on the base, giving you that extra space, plus the ladder can be fitted at either end.
Unfortunately there is only one choice of colour and not much storage, although there is some space underneath the bottom bunk.
Pros of this bunk bed: cheap, established retailer, good reviews
Cons: only one choice of colour, not much storage
Our Value Rating: ***
Adding a mattress
As with a lot of bunk beds, the top mattress needs to be on the thin side so that you don’t roll over the top. The limit is 16cm, so you might consider:
- Silentnight’s foam bunk bed mattress (14cm deep, £159) – Silentnight is the UK’s biggest mattress brand and this is a reasonably good mattress which will do the job if you’re on a budget.
- Simba Sleep’s bunk bed mattress (16cm deep, £349) – the Simba brand scores 4.4/5 on TrustPilot. The main advantage of this one is that it comes with a trial period and they reckon it is ‘grown up friendly’. However, it is made from synthetic materials which won’t suit everyone.
- Happy Beds’ Theo mattress (15cm deep, £149) – this one has pocket springs which offer better support than ‘open coil’ mattresses. Considering the budget price, it has a reasonably good specification.
- John Lewis & Partners’ bunk bed mattress (15cm deep, £275) – a pocket spring mattress from a posh brand. It costs a bit more than most but the combination of the good brand name and the pocket sprung design justifies the price.
