Should you buy a King or California King sized bed? Is a Full sized bed large enough for two people? What’s the deal with Twin XL? Whether you’re in the market for a mattress or planning the layout of a bedroom it’s important to know definitively how to think about mattress sizes. Here’s a breakdown of standard North American sizes: Twin: 39” wide x 75” long Twin XL: 39” wide x 80” long Full: 54” wide x 75” long Queen: 60” wide x 80” long King: 76” wide x 80” long CA King: 72” wide x 84” long King vs. California King One of the most common pieces of misinformation we hear about mattress sizes relates to the length and width of King vs. California King. A normal King mattress is WIDER and SHORTER than a California King mattress. This of course means that a California King mattress is LESS WIDE and LONGER than a normal King mattress. We frequently hear this comparison wrongly swapped, but now you know! If you’re deciding between which size works best for you, we advise thinking through the shape and design of your bedroom.
Both beds should give ample width and length for two people of various shapes and sizes. The one caveat is if one partner is extremely tall, he or she may be more comfortable with a California King. Another question we get a lot is whether or not two people can comfortably share a Full size mattress. You’ll notice that a Full is half a foot thinner and five inches shorter than a Queen size, which is your standard option for couples living in smaller bedrooms. That reduction in both length and width can make a major difference or it could be barely noticeable – it really depends on your size and sleeping position. If one partner moves at night, space permitting, we would suggest using a Queen mattress or larger. Let us take you back to your college years…because that’s basically the only place you’ll really find Twin XL sized mattresses outside of certain bunk bed units and special situations. The “XL” refers to the mattresses length, which is 5 inches longer than your normal Twin.
Have more questions about mattresses sizes? , we’d be more than happy to chat! Wake Up Your Inbox Summer (Bedside) Reading: Week 6 In Bed With Jen Rubio Between Two Foams: How Much Support Do I Need? What Your Sleeping Position Says About YouI’m so excited for the Purple mattress review. The company sent me a free king size Purple mattress to test out. This mattress may make the color purple more popular than Prince himself. The reason for my excitement is that this mattress has a top layer construction that is unlike anything I have reviewed so far. I first found out about the Purple mattress through the Kickstarter campaign where 320 backers pledged $171,560 to bring the project to life. I have seen other mattress Kickstarter campaigns and they don’t even come close to the popularity of Purple. Below is their official Kickstarter video. Below is their famous raw egg test video on the Purple Mattress featuring Mallory Everton from Studio C, a well known YouTube channel:
You can order Purple direct from their website. According to my UPS tracking, the mattress with packaging weighs in at 143 lbs. By far the heaviest mattress I have reviewed. Right now you can get a king size for $1,299. As a general rule of thumb, I find the heavier the mattress, the more quality you get. That’s because there’s just more material in there to work with. The mattress comes in a plastic bag as shown below. There’s no external box, just this which is really cool. the top unzips and then you can slide it out of the bag. Getting it out of the bag may take two people since it’s in there tight. Instead I just cut the bag open which is a shame because it would be great to reuse to store things in. The bag also comes with handles so it makes it easier to move. This came in super handy while bringing it up a flight of stairs. At over 140 lbs. I’ll take all the help I can get. Here’s me unboxing the Purple Mattress. When unzipping the cover I found that they give you a cutter, instructions and two mini samples of the purple top layer.
You can unzip the ticking. I really like the embossed “Purple” logo on the sides: What really makes this mattress stand out from the competition is the Smart-Comfort Grid. Here’s a sample that comes with the mattress when you open the purple plastic casing. The only similar mattress I have come across is the IntelliBed which uses “Intelli-gel” which look similar to the Purple technology. The difference is that the IntelliBED uses innersprings and latex instead of foam layers. The IntelliBED costs a bit more though. Here’s the full Intellibed Review. Their Relief Perfect Low Motion model costs $3,599 for a a queen. While you can get a queen size Purple mattress through the link below for $999. Here’s what the layers look like. The bottom two layers are really just for support. What makes Purple unique is the top layer. So, what is the Purple mattress made of? The Purple mattress is made of a hyper elastic polymer grid that collapses when exerting a certain amount of pressure.
The grid will provide support and pressure relief where need while maintaining a cool sleep environment. The first night of sleeping on this mattress was wonderful. This is truly a unique sleep experience in large part because of the Smart-Comfort Grid. You get a sort of floating sensation and the grid conforms to all your pressure points while providing support where you need it. Here’s what the grid looks like: This is also the most breathable mattress I have ever tested. If your major concern is sleeping hot, then get this mattress. It beats all the competitors hands down. The Purple ranks extremely high in point elasticity. That means it will collapse where needed without affecting the other parts of a mattress. A traditional inner spring has low point elasticity, think about how you feel your partner moving around. The best example of the Purple point elasticity is their egg test where it rapidly adjusts to the pressure exerted by the egg. The only other mattress with this high level of point elasticity that I have tested i the Luxi mattress.
Luxi calls this their SBT layer (Support Balancing Layer). Here’s a comparison of the Luxi vs. Purple Here’s a video illustrating how each layer works: With this mattress you sleep on it more than in it. Whether or not that’s a good thing comes down to preference. Some people like more of a pillow top feel some don’t. Notice that there isn’t a large amount of sinkage with this mattress however it does a wonderful job with pressure relief. Here’s how it handles motion transfer: I don’t notice my partner shifting around on this mattress. Motion is very well contained and it also bounces back into shape well which is very hard to achieve in a mattress. If you’re looking for sheets for the Purple mattress, I strongly recommend going with a set the Purple Sheets. They are stretchy and breathable so you will get the full performance of the mattress. The same goes with a mattress protector. You can get other brands of performance sheets such as Sheex or Bedgear but I haven’t come across a mattress protector like the Purple Mattress protector.
It is very stretchy but still waterproof, breathable and light. The Purple mattress provides amazing pressure relief and temperature regulation. It doesn’t sleep “cool” or “hot” instead it just passes heat through the comfort grid. I love how it contours so well to your body. In my opinion it truly is a Goldilocks mattress in the sense that you get great support and contouring. However it isn’t a mattress that feels “cozy” or will hug you. I weigh over 210 lbs. and the grid handled my body just fine. According to their side, 300 lbs. is the threshold for weight. That means 300 per person so 600 total. I sleep primarily on my stomach and side and this mattress felt great in both positions. Sometimes I get numbness in my arm from sleeping on my stomach on certain mattresses. The Purple was able to sink enough in the right areas so this didn’t happen. Expect to hear a lot about Purple in the near future. It’s a game changer in the mattress industry and is exploding in popularity.
If you are looking for a mattress with high point elasticity like Purple but also want more “hug” check out my super in depth overview of the Luxi and Purple technology. Purple has recently launched some new accessories including the Purple Mattress Protector and the Purple Pillow. Below is a video overview of the Purple Pillow Purple doesn’t do coupon codes. Click here to Shop Purple and get the best discount. Live in the Twin Cities? Check out some of the online brands in person at the Sleep Sherpa Showroom This type of mattress store is the only one available in the USA! Disclosure: We aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting, and if you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue. I have an affiliate relationship with Purple. If you have any questions about the Purple mattress or any other mattresses I have reviewed, email me direct at [email protected] Pros Smart-Comfort Grid No heat retention Great pressure relief