<p>My son scoffed when I asked if he wanted a mattress topper. He reminded me he’s been to at least a half dozen different college campuses for various summer programs over his lifetime and never had a problem sleeping. So I said, okay, one less thing to buy. But this thread did just remind me that I haven’t bought an XL mattress pad yet, just the sheets, blanket and comforter. Sigh.</p>
<p>D had the egg crate and deep mattress pad - she says it’s more comfortable than her bed at home!</p>
<p>Daughter using egg crate on her bed at home and loves it. However, I went to Target this am and they have memory foam toppers (1" thick) on sale for $20. I bought one for her and we will air it out at home and then pack it up for school. I think either will work (and both would be cheap enough to toss at end of year, if needed.)</p>
<p>Macy’s has them too - memory foam toppers. But we are waiting to see what the dorm bed experience is like before we leap. Because the fireman scared me…</p>
<p>I wish our Macy’s had twin longs when they had a big sale in July, but no such luck!</p>
<p>My S went without one at first and was fine until he tried others beds and gave in and got one. Now he wouldn’t be without it!</p>
<p>Chiming in on the egg crates. My son has several times mentioned how great it was to have it. I got our XL one through BedBathandBeyond and they can ship express, right to the dorm, (as can many others of course) so you can try things out and see if it is needed, I guess, before getting it. </p>
<p>some inventor needs to get going on solving the fire hazard, or colleges need to spring for better mattresses, because those dorm mattresses really are absurd.</p>
<p>Lands End has good matress pads that have deep pockets so they don’t ‘walk’ off the corners.</p>
<p>I found a website of a store in California that has the twin XL memory foam pads. Check out foamorder.com</p>
<p>I think we got the Isotonic (?) foam pad from BB&B last year, which also had a twin XL mattress pad included in a blue carrying bag. FWIW, it held up great and I’m told it was very comfortable. It probably will be used for all four years of college.</p>
<p>Conceded to buy a mattress topper this year after younger D whined and moaned about her terrible mattress. Found one at overstock.com and had it sent directly to college as free shipping was included. Older D has never complained, no saved money on her.</p>
<p>go for the Isotonic type at BB and Beyond. We bought one at Sams Warehouse and one at BB and Beyond for the twin bed left at home. They do make a difference and I think egg crates are great for camps etc but not really good enough for 8 hours a night 9 months at a time…too stiff and shift around too much in my experience. Sleep deprivation is well documented issue for college kids up till we hours on IMs and facebook and doing homework when the cell phones finally stop buzzing. I think memory foam makes for better sleep but then I am a well known Princess and the Pea type. Make time to air out memory foam really well.</p>
<p>We did something a little different.
D moved to a very cold climate from a very warm climate.
We used a zipper mattress cover (unnecessary as it turned out, her mattress was brand new)on the mattress, then an inexpensive thin cotton mattress pad, then a fiberbed from BB&B (like a featherbed but much less expensive), covered all with a sheet. She was knoen for having the comfiest bed on the floor.</p>
<p>I’m bringing an egg crate and mattress pad to start. During orientation I found that the beds are a LOT like cots :(</p>
<p>Got son a foam mattress topper at Target and don’t remember it being that expensive. One of the first things he said over the phone last fall was how comfy his bed was! He is not one to do that…so it must have been super good. Do agree that the foam needs to air out. Very chemical smell out of the wrapper.</p>
<p>you can call the housing people today and get housing info over the phone</p>
<p>I second the overstock.com suggestion. I bought a decent quality memory foam topper (Serta/3") for about $120. I think the prices are up slightly since my purchase, but still relatively reasonable. Some come with bonus memory foam pillows.</p>
<p><a href=“Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree”>Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree;
<p>Many stores charge the same price for any size memory foam mattress topper…and a king size cut in half fits a twin XL mattress perfectly. You can get a thinner (cheaper) version and stack the two halves, or get a thicker one and share the cost with a friend.</p>
<p>I second cangel’s recommendation of the fiberbed. My daughter had an egg crate topper freshman year, but just left it at the end of the year for lack of space. We bought her the fiberbed one Sophomore year, and she LOVES it. She made sure that she had room for it. I know how dreadful it is to sleep on a bad mattress is, so I was happy to purchase the topper that she wanted. I definitely think that any topper would be better than what the dorm mattresses are.</p>
<p>Here was that fireman’s post on the firehazards.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showpost.php?p=767263&postcount=41[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showpost.php?p=767263&postcount=41</a></p>