Ask a Mattress Tester About... How to make a dorm bed bearable
Plus, my defense of cheap Amazon mattresses and the question I get asked the most
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Welcome to Ask a Mattress Tester, where you send me questions and I answer them to the best of my ability. If you have anything you’d like to ask for a future installment, drop me a line:
Now on to this month’s questions…
Do you look at mattress toppers/accessories? I ask because my firstborn is headed to college and I’m overwhelmed by the options for bed accessories. I’m seeing recommendations for multiple layers of protection and comfort. When I graduated high school in the 1990s we only had a lousy egg crate and it was totally fine. Things have changed, that’s for sure!
I’ll preface this by saying that I did not go away to college, save for the summer between my sophomore and junior years, when I enrolled in a nine-week Japanese language program at Middlebury College.
My dorm mattress was a standard-issue twin XL that I’m sure would have benefited from a cozy bed topper — but honestly, it was unremarkable. I don’t remember disliking it, but I doubt I loved sleeping on it, either.
Then again, I was only 20 and much more physically resilient, not to mention much less interested in proper sleep. I could spend the night curled up on a sofa after one too many drinks and feel no worse for wear the next morning. Oh, to be young and stupid again — but I digress.
A mattress topper can be a great way to level up a dorm bed if you can't swap the mattress outright, but do you have to splurge for a multi-layer design with microcoils, lumbar support, and a cooling cover? Probably not.
Keep in mind that some high-end mattress toppers can cost as much as a budget mattress. An expensive bed topper will be worth the investment if your college-bound kid plans to get more than a year’s worth of use out of it.
On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with a basic memory foam topper from Amazon if it’s all your kid needs to sleep comfortably and you’re adhering to a modest budget. It’ll still be an improvement over a dorm bed that’s seen better days.
But even if the dorm bed seems like it’ll be comfortable, there’s another reason to consider buying a mattress topper: hygiene.
That extra layer will serve as a barrier against remnants of students’ past, if you catch my meaning. Unless the mattress is on the verge of disintegrating, chances are it’ll remain in that dorm room until it’s absolutely time for the school to replace it.
Oh — and don’t forget to pack a mattress protector, some decent sheets, and a comfy pillow or few.
Mattress toppers for dorm beds that I've tested + recommend…
Splurge: Saatva Graphite Memory Foam Mattress Topper ($215 for Twin XL)
Thinking long-term? This premium mattress topper from Saatva will bless you with four (or more) years of cozy, body-hugging comfort. The graphite gel and cotton cover prevent heat buildup, a common problem with foam-based bedding.
Save: Lucid 2” Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper ($62.99 for Twin XL)
If you only need a mattress topper to last a couple of years at most, this basic design from Lucid will do the job. Like the more expensive Saatva topper, it’s plush and won’t trap heat. (It’s ventilated.) It doesn’t include a cover, but you can pay extra for one.
I'd love to hear what you think about budget mattresses that come in a box compared to other, more expensive mattresses.
Here’s my scorching hot take: a cheap mattress ≠ a bad mattress (most of the time).
I recently reviewed the Siena Premier Hybrid Mattress, which regularly sells for just $424 in a queen-size. While it didn’t entirely suit my desired level of comfort, I still believe it performed beyond its budget price tag.
(Surprisingly, I was the minority among my fellow testers — my family and friends — in that I didn’t love the mattress. In fact, several of them were surprised to learn just how little it cost!)
The lesson? Price isn’t always an indicator of comfort. I’ve tested premium mattresses that didn’t deliver the best sleep of my life, and I’ve tried cheaper beds-in-a-box that exceeded my expectations.
Plus, innovations in mattress manufacturing have made above-average beds more accessible than ever. Features once reserved for luxury mattresses have trickled down to mid-range and budget models.
However, these higher-priced mattresses still tend to be more durable and overall better quality than their budget counterparts. A cheap mattress might feel sturdy out of the box, but if you’re sleeping on it every night, expect the wear and tear to appear much sooner.
So if you need a new mattress ASAP or only need something for temporary use, you don’t have to shy away from a budget mattress from Amazon or elsewhere. Otherwise, consider saving up for a mattress that’ll guarantee you at least a decade of blissful sleep.
Do you disagree with my stance on budget mattresses? Head to the comments and let me know your thoughts.
My (neighbor’s) cheap Amazon mattress recommendation…
BedStory Plush King Mattress 14” 7-Zone Hybrid Mattress ($649.99 for King)
My neighbor just replaced her mattress with this one she found on Amazon. After sleeping on it for a month, she says:
I love this mattress. I used to get up so early because I couldn’t get comfortable. Now I am sleeping through the night, and I can jump out of bed without any back pain.
If you do buy a mattress-in-a-box from Amazon, double-check the return and trial terms. They’ll vary between third-party sellers and if you’re buying directly from Amazon. (When possible, buy directly from the brand for the best aftercare.)
Now for my most asked question…
What do you do with mattresses once you’re done testing them?
I keep them so that when I eventually bring my modern take on “The Princess and the Pea” using Jamiroquai songs to Broadway, I'll be set.
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY (AND SADLY) A JOKE.
When I’m done testing mattresses, I donate them to family and friends, or I return them. That’s a boring answer, I know. But the truth usually is.
Have any more questions about mattresses? Ask away — I’ll be doing another AMA in August. That’s plenty of time for you to think of something good.
Like this post? Here’s another story you may want to check out:
From the PR Pile... No more cardboard beds for Olympic athletes?
Saatva goes to the Olympics, Skechers makes mattresses now, and learn about the smart earrings that could give Oura a run for its money.
Coming next month…
Can you believe we’re already approaching July? Here’s what you can expect:
7/6: Bedtime Stories: Why I’m codependent on my wearables no more.
7/13: Inside Mattresses with… Arin Schultz, Chief Growth Officer at Naturepedic
7/20: Rounding up the best stories from The PR Pile.
7/27: The Sleep Tourist Reviews…