When does TWIN XL matter?

When shopping for college dorm bedding for your Twin XL bed it is important to know when Twin XL on a the label is a necessity or just an added bonus. The following list breaks down when you need to care if what your buying for your college bed actually says TWIN XL.


It Matters:
1) Sheets - Since your sheets will include a flat sheet, a pillow case and a fitted sheet, it is important that the sheets purchased are labeled Twin XL. The reason is that in order for the fitted sheet to fit it must be made for Twin XL beds. In other words, it has to be 80" L.
2) Mattress Pad / Mattress Topper / Mattress Encasing - As you can see all these products start with the term mattress, which means in order to fit Twin XL beds and the associated mattress they also have to be sized correctly. You cannot get a twin and expect it to fit. Look for Twin XL sized products with a 79" or higher length.


It Doesn't Matter:
1) Pillows - If you are getting a new pillow for your college bedding it does not need to say Twin XL. In fact you probably won't find a pillow that says Twin XL and if you do that company is doing some really good marketing.
2) Blankets - Most Bed Blankets for college will be standard twin bed blankets. Due to blankets being tucked, folded, and in general large, it is not necessary to seek the Twin XL label on your dorm's bed blanket. Just remember your Twin Long bed is typically 36" or 39" by 80". If your blanket is bigger you should be fine.
3) Duvet Covers: As of this post their is no such thing as a Twin XL duvet cover. The reason is that twin down comforters are often made long and fit twin XL beds. Since they fit twin long beds their is no need for a duvet cover for Twin XL down comforters because their is no need for Twin XL comforters. Confusing? Maybe, but you get the point not to look for or worry about needing a Twin XL Duvet Cover.
(Down comforters will be addressed in the next post.. they really are their own topic)

It's up for debate:
1) Comforters: If you ask some people they feel that purchasing a twin sized comforter is fine for a Twin XL bed but if you ask others they will tell you that it must be Twin XL. At first thought it would seem that if the dorm bed is Twin XL then the bed comforter must be Twin XL too. Not necessarily. Although a nice long Twin XL comforter that is 90" long might be preferred, it is not a necessity. The reason is that your dorm bed is 80" and a typical dorm comforter is 84" to 86" long. This twin length fully covers the Twin XL bed and gives you 100% coverage. The question for you is, is 4"- 6" extra enough? Ideally the twin comforter was made for a twin bed which is 75" long with the idea that you get 10" extra length. If that is the perfect ideal length, then for an 80" Twin XL bed you would want a comforter that is a true Twin XL which would be 90" long so you can enjoy that 10" of extra comforter. This however is hard to find. Even Dorm Co only carries 5 comforters that are 90" long. Another reason 90" may not be necessary, is that in college dorms you don't have a box spring, in fact your mattress is only about 8" thick. For this reason your need for an comforter overhang like you have at home is not necessary, which makes an 86" comforter acceptable.

In the end the choice is yours!! At least now you know the whole Twin XL scoop.

Note: The common retail trend is to make the comforter 86" long and call it Twin/Twin XL. This eliminates customer worry and concern that the comforter won't fit and it allows retailers to carry one product for two different sized beds.

Final Tip... although looking for the words Twin XL is important, in some cases you'll ultimately want to look for the measurements. Remember your twin long bed is 80" long and if the product is fitted you need 80". If it is not fitted then you just to ensure it is close.