<p>Amidst the frenzy of finding (acceptable) xl sheets for my daughter, the thought occurred to me…why xl sheets anyway? I mean, haven’t people- adults, teens and children been sleeping on regulation size twin beds for decades? Have you ever even seen an xl twin bed for sale in Sleepys? Then why do colleges need to fill dorms with extra long beds?</p>
<p>Given the size of most dorm rooms, you’d think they’d jump at a chance to conserve space. And don’t basketball players usually live in separate special dorms anyway? Couldn’t they just leave the extra long beds for those rooms?</p>
<p>Furnishing every room with XL beds makes room assignment easier. There are plenty of people who are not athletes but who are tall. I have a friend who had to buy some extension to his bed to prevent his feet from dangling out. It’s hard enough to figure out room assignments (smoker/non smoker; neat freak/slob and so forth) without worrying about matching people to rooms by height as well.</p>
<p>The sheets aren’t that expensive. I got my D some for a summer program, and told her to just leave them there when she leaves, for the 25 bucks they cost, some college kid might be very happy!!</p>
<p>I told her throw them in the washer with a note saying FREE!!!</p>
<p>I did not realize the value of the extra five inches until I had to sleep on a true twin bed in a guest bedroom. I think that the XL twin size should be considered the standard length, except for the lunatic who still believes that shorter beds make sense.</p>
<p>Hi xig, it’s your friendly campus lunatic here.</p>
<p>Data collected from the federal Centers for Disease Control show that since 1960, average height for Americans has stabilized in the past 50 years to about 5 feet 9 inches for men and 5 feet 4 inches for women. Less than 5% are taller than 6’4" (the length of a standard size twin bed).</p>
<p>In matching kids for dorm rooms the colleges already ask about smoking, neatness, where they plan to study…would it be so difficult to ask if you are over 6’4" tall and need a long bed?</p>
<p>And in that case, why not just roll in a six to twelve inch extension (it could even have a few draws) lock it in place next to the end of the existing bed and replace the mattress. Seems to me not to be a big difficulty and would save them the blanket (sorry) cost of buying all long beds and all long mattresses. As well as provide a bit of additional room for all the other students and avoid the additional and entirely unnecessary cost and difficulty of parents having to buy new sheets just for the dorm. </p>
<p>If the longer beds are simply for convenience in allocating dorm rooms, seems to me college admins are misinterpreting their spreadsheets to wind up with…spread sheets.</p>
<p>I have been researching this (honestly, you’d think I had nothing to do) and found that the beds at my son’s school are 36" wide, which is 4" narrower than standard or XL twin sheets. They also vary in length from 75" (standard) to 80" (XL). Thus, it appears that we need to buy XL even though the sheets will never fit snuggly widthwise and could possible be loose lengthwise! What is this craziness all about?! On one website I found sheet suspenders - they clip underneath and crisscross to hold the extra fabric tightly but yeah, I can just imagine my son doing that everytime he changes the sheets - well, how often will that be? LOL. Since I survived dorm living I am just letting this go and buying XL sheets - he will be too far away for me to wait and personally measure his bed! </p>
<p>It’s nice to learn that most people are not taller than 5’ 9". As a short person (5’ 0") it seems that everyone is way taller than I am and that most guys are at least 6’. Still, why can’t we get more haute couture in the petite fashion lines if so many women are short?</p>
<p>Your calculation does not take into account the fact that people seldom sleep with their head smack against the headboard. Or that many dorms have bunk beds. My S roommed with a football player his first year. My S did not need the X long bed, but his roommate sure did. My S occupied the top bunk.</p>
<p>By the way, the XL twin sheets not only lasted his whole 4 years in college, but they have also been used by his brother for summer camps (in college dorms) AND will be put to use by said brother in college. Total costs of 2 sets of XL twin sheets, lasting 10 years: $50.00. Cost of a meal for 4 at our local Pizzeria Uno: over $50.00. Total cost of 2 sets of tuition spread over same 10 years: $350k?</p>
<p>Garland:
LOL!<br>
Yeah, I wonder why I’m discussing sheet lengths still. But then, I wonder why I’m still on CC! I do NOT propose to discuss college tuition over the next 4 years. It interferes too much wih my enjoyment of my food.</p>
<p>Simba: to clarify: Marite and I weren’t holding out on length itself, so much as discussions of it, and the rest of bedding minutiae. Our kids were lucky if they had pillows.</p>
<p>If you think this is fun, simba, wait til you head out to Bed Bath & Beyond or Linens & Things, Target, Pennys, et. al. (it’s like looking for food from the UN after a disaster) and have to wade into the “Back to School” section with all the other parents… trying to chose between natural beech fabric (hunh?), stretch cotton or gaudily colored 250 count (what the heck is that?) surfboard print sheets from Tommy Hilfiger.</p>
<p>For once I agree with my daughter’s taste…I couldn’t sleep on those lime green, flourescent orange or bright pink sheets they are selling this year either.</p>
<p>I think we’ll order the flannels from LL Bean.</p>
<p>Aside from the sheets, I’m dredding the matresses. I don’t like old matresses. I saw some very old ones when my kids did various summer programs at some very prestigious colleges. I think I’d rather supply our own matress if we could.
Does anyone else feel this way or am I unusual?</p>
<p>Well…we bought DS extra long sheets. They were HUGE on his extra long bed because the X-long is also extra THIN. Even with an egg crate foam topper on the bed, the mattress was still very very thin. SO…we tried regular twin size jersey knit sheets and they were perfect! They stretch enough that they fit just fine, and were smooth and comfortable. AND they are always on sale somewhere and cost less than the xlong twins do. Now…what about the blankets??</p>
<p>If I remember, we also held out on the “To Loft or not To Loft.” Come to think of it, this thread (sorry for the pun) is the stuff of comedy.<br>
Possible titles:</p>
<p>Much Ado About Nothing or As You Like It, or The Twelfth Night (after which they decide to do laundry?), or A Midsummer’s Night Dream (Parents dreaming their kids ARE doing the laundry)</p>
<p>Ok. Here’s a “much ado about nothing” question. Underbed chests, which I understand are useful, come in two sizes: (1) narrow, but long (that is, about as long as the width of the bed, maybe 35"); and (2) wide but not as deep (maybe 20" - 25"). The narrow ones, although perhaps they hold more – I haven’t calculated volume-- seem as if they won’t hold bulky things. The wider but shorter ones will accommodate bulkier items, but then there is unused space at the back. I’m thinking that this type of space (under the bed, but at the back) would be good for storing things like sleeping bags, skis, etc., etc. Any recommendations? Or should I competely forget about this as all things will eventually be stored in the middle of my son’s dorm room?</p>