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Sierra Twin Over Twin Low Bunk Bed
Basic Facts
- Crafted of solid wood
- Metal-on-metal structural connections
- Dimensions: 79” W x 43.5” D x 47.5” H
- Weight capacity for top bunk: 165 lbs
- Top bunk guardrail height: 11″
- Bottom bunk headspace: 23.4″
- Available in 4 finishes
- Overall product weight: 99 lbs
- Can be separated into two individual beds
Introduction
DHP’s Sierra Twin Low Bunk Bed is a stylish and practical choice for parents looking to optimize space in their home. It features a clean design with horizontal slats, the top slat curved a little to add a touch of elegance. The thick (2×2 inches) posts and the hefty side rails are rather confidence inspiring.
The bed is specified at only 47.5 inches of height (actually it might be a half inch or so higher at the top of the arch), which has some advantages. One, it will fit into pretty much any room, no matter how low the ceiling is. Two, due to its lower height there is less of a jeopardy involved in case of a fall, hence such a bed can be a good fit for somewhat younger kids as well. In fact, I’ve seen somewhere described this particular bunk bed as transitional, which I guess it means parents often use it to transition their 3 or 4 year olds to their first big kid bed.
The downside of such a low height bunk bed is, there is no space underneath for storage or possibly a trundle, plus there is also a little less room between the two bunks, making it, again, more suitable for younger (smaller) children. Which makes sense from the safety angle as well, as it’s not recommended for the children under 6 years of age to use the upper bunk.
The weight limit for the Sierra twin size bunk bed is specified at 165 lbs, both for the upper and lower bunk. The mattress support consists of 8 wooden slats (per bed) that are, unusually, mounted vertically (see image below). While this does probably increase their load capacity, it also limits the choice of suitable mattresses. In fact, in the user manual the manufacturer itself states that only spring coil mattresses are to be used with this bed.
The guardrail on the top bunk is 11 inches high. That’s a little low. With a recommended 6 inch mattress this leaves 5 inches of safety space to the top of the rail, just about enough to be compliant with the safety regulations. If your child is a restless sleeper you might actually want to think about a 5 inch mattress to be on the safe side. More free safety rail is always a good idea.
The available headspace on the bottom bunk looks to be about 22-23 inches, depending on the mattress height. So it gets a little cramped down there, but hey — it’s a low bunk bed we’re dealing with here.
The ladder on this bed is vertical and clipped on and can only be attached to the left side of the bed as pictured. You can turn it upside down, though; if you look closely at the available images, on most of them (like the one below) the top rung of the ladder is flush with the bottom edge of the top bunk’s side rail. Scroll down a bit further, though, and notice in that full image of the mocha version how the ladder looks a bit different, with some space between the top step and the top side rail. So I guess it’s up to you to decide which of these positions would make the access to the top bed easier.
Four finishes are available: mocha, white, black and gray.
Finally, note that the Sierra bunk bed can be separated into two individual units. While this does not look very, how should I put it, symmetrical, it’ll serve the purpose just fine. And the upper bunk will do just fine as a toddler bed.
Users On Sierra Twin Low Height Bunk Bed
At the time of this writing there were thousands of ratings on this bunk bed across various shopping sites and well over 70% of reviewers gave the bed a 5 star rating. Not too shabby, as far as online ratings go.
The Pros
The bed is liked mostly for its good looks and sturdiness. Beautiful, real wood with a perfect finish, one user wrote. Pretty sturdy for the price point, another one pointed out. Very sturdy and gorgeous, yet another amplified the argument. One buyer called it a great piece of furniture. Another exalted that these (beds) turned out amazing. Several reviewers wrote the quality was much better than expected.
Many users feel the lower bunk is great for toddlers, to transition from a crib.
The assembly is reportedly not very difficult. A lot of parts, takes some time, but the directions are said to be clear and easy to follow.
The Cons
You will find quite a few negative reviews on this bunk bed as well. Not a great percentage, though. And it’s worth keeping in mind that with so many ratings out there a few dozen bad ones will pile up quickly. And it’s quite easy to get hung up on them and lose perspective of the bigger picture, which is that bad reviews are just a drop in the sea of good ones.
And what are those buyers unhappy about? Mostly cracked parts and breakages, miscellaneous marks and dents and wood quality in general.
Some users complain about the lack of space on the lower bunk, but this goes with the territory. It’s a low bunk bed. Vertical space is at a premium with any low height bunk bed.
There are quite a few complaints about the mattress slats, specifically about the fact that they are supposed to be mounted vertically, which prevents the use of certain mattress types. The manufacturer does state very clearly in the user manual that only spring coil mattresses are to be used with this bunk bed, but that of course does not help you one iota if you’ve already sourced the mattress prior to receiving the bunk bed. Which, I agree, can be a frustrating experience. Hence I’ve just repeated this information for the second time in this article. Using bold letters. Both times.
Bottom Line
With thousands of ratings out there, you could say this low twin bunk bed has sort of passed the test of time. Sturdy both in appearance and according to (the majority of) buyers; made of solid wood; looking good; not too expensive — there’s little not to like about it.
