How To Outfit Your Twin Extra Long Bed

If you have been accepted to college then you are likely to need to find specially sized bedding for the extra long twin beds they use in residence halls. These twin xl beds are the same width as normal twin beds but are 5 inches longer. While that extra length does not sound like much, your bed becomes your couch/guest/dining/tv watching/video game playing and of course bed in a 15 x 15 size room for several months a year.

Dont freak out as we will showcase to you what special size bedding you need to invest in as well as ways to stretch your limited dorm dcor dollars for the end goal of a comfy dorm bed. While not every school uses twin xl beds we have seen statistics show that 90% or more of college dorm rooms use a 39 x 80 size bed or as we call it a twin xl bed (or xl twin bed). These dorm beds are designed to be used in several ways including loft style bunk beds or the symmetrical room layouts of your imagination.

In general we always liked the non loft bed set ups because of the practical nature of dorm rooms. For example if you decide to go with loft style bunk beds and your roommate has a friend come over they will likely want to sit on the bottom bed to watch TV. So if youre the bottom bunk person your space is seriously crimped. The dual or side by side bed layouts allow a functional walkway with equal sides of the room thus keeping everyone happier.

Not all of your bedding needs to be twin xl only some specific items need to be so especially your sheet sets, mattress pads and for the lucky feather beds. Dorm mattresses are firm and usually covered in a bio hazard like plastic material to prevent spill seepage. This means your sleep experience will be stiff, hot (because plastic does not breathe well) and crunchy at best. So we recommend a couple bed toppers plus your twin xl sheet set to be labeled twin xl. Items like your comforter would be nice if they were longer but they are not a firm requirement only your basic bedding is. Actually to call it basic bedding is a misnomer because the bed is basic those items are added for comfort.

When it comes to adding comfort to your dorm room we recommend a mattress pad and a feather bed for maximum comfort. The twin xl featherbed needs to measure 39 x 80 and will add 3 to 4 inches on top of your mattress. Feather beds provide soft squishy comfort like home. An xl twin mattress pad on the other hand provides protection from the bed as well as preventing any stray feathers from poking through. As for materials down and feather blends are the ultimate choice for softness, plus feathers allow air to circulate versus being trapped like plastic or foam. Sometimes finding a twin xl down mattress pad is touch so we recommend even adding an extra twin comforter on top of your twin xl featherbed in place of a mattress pad. This will make the feather bed extra soft and create bed envy amongst the dorm.

Finally sheets are pretty straight forward make sure you buy two sets for laundry changes and be sure the fitted sheet is 39 x 80. The flat sheet is optional and in a pinch you can grab an extra one from home assuming it matches and you like it.