I’ve had kids at 4 different colleges, mattresses were camping mattresses, a hard rectangle encased in vinyl. A lot of freshman dorms don’t have a/c, multiple fans are needed, usually a box fan (one of my kids was on the 9th floor of a 10 story dorm with super narrow windows so couldn’t even use one)
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I don’t think my daughter could easily get herself to college. The airport is a 2 hour drive from the college, she’s not old enough to rent a car, we will be picking up items like bedding when we arrive (after getting our rental), we are packing her clothes in the blue ikea bags and checking them. My others were 2 hours max away, so very simple.
Your kid will need a mattress pad of some sort. College dorm beds are super hard and covered with indestructible plastic stuff, for obvious reasons. Just order one and have it shipped if you are flying to college. They come compressed in boxes. Once it comes out of the box, it will never go back in. Many people just get a new one each year, especially if coming from a distance.
Some families turn their kid’s move in into a family excursion. Our family of four filled the car with her stuff and drove up together that first year. In subsequent years she lived in singles and had more stuff: a real rug, a lamp, a night stand, a potted plant… Those trips were just her and a parent.
Quite a few bigger colleges have a bedding and linen package that students can order and pick up when they get to campus. That would include all the blankets, towels, etc… Check and see if your college offers that. The packages are pretty economical. @ShamrockLotus
ok I am assuming if so many of you all are recommending the mattress pad / mattress topper (still figuring out the difference) there must be a reason for this.
just checked BBB and the prices range from $20 to > $200.
For something I have never heard of before, it looks like I have a lot to learn in short order.
I still remember helping my son move into his dorm last fall. We fit everything he needed, including a large monitor that was very useful for his CS major, into our small car.
The people parked next to us had two Chevy Tahoe size SUVs that were completely packed. To be fair, the parents were helping with move in for both their son and daughter, who attended different colleges in the Boston area. But the son’s stuff was only about two suitcases, and the daughter’s was the rest of all the stuff in both SUVs.
Reports from students I know about the linens packages from the colleges…they aren’t that cheap and they aren’t that good.
Really, it’s so easy to order at BBB near home and pick it up at the college….or have it shipped via Amazon or someplace else to the student at college.
When we took our kid cross country to college, there were two of us flying so we had four suitcases. One was dedicated to linens. The kid wanted her comforter from home. And we did take one set of sheets so we wouldn’t need to rush around the first day.
I think the OP probably didn’t think about those bulky items. Adding in…if the kid is going to a cold weather place far from home, bulkier winter clothes (at least something) might also need to be in the mix. We didn’t have that issue because our kid went to college in a year round warm climate. But that’s another thing that can take up lots of space.
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I’ve got a college kid and a college grad. IMO, the best height for a mattress topper is 2-3”. Any deeper, and it’s hard to turn and roll over in bed. Too much sinking in. I think it’s worth spending a bit more for a quality memory foam topper, ideally with cooling tech. My son’s topper was 2” and he thought that was perfect.
@thumper1 , I don’t know much about them. A couple of friends got them for their kids are were satisfied. My kid didn’t like the designs on offer so he passed.
FWIW, my D said a mattress topper was the most useful purchase she made for her dorm room. As others have said, dorm mattresses are not comfortable at all and the topper makes the difference between good sleep and bad.
Toppers aren’t cheap. It’s what we used our BBB coupon for and yes, I believe it was roughly $200. A mattress pad is totally different. That’s the thing that you put between the mattress and the sheets, even on a comfy bed.
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Assuming the mattress is new, and at most colleges that’s a huge assumption, I can guarantee that the college is not outfitting dorm rooms with Stearns & Foster or Casper mattresses. Some type of topper is wanted for comfort.
That said, these can be bought locally or online rather than packed.
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My kids had mattress toppers, even on their beds at home. Many of their friends were jealous and soon had mattress toppers too. One daughter went to a
‘cold’ school and she needed her winter coat immediately - one September day woke up to a 25 degree morning.
One daughter was a minimalist and when the year was over packed everything she owned, less one suitcase she was taking home for the summer, into 3 rubbermaid containers for storage. One of those was a lot of decorations she’d accumulated from sorority things (couldn’t throw out until she graduated). No winter clothing because she was in Florida.
Yes, she can go to college with just 2 suitcases. I think she’ll be more comfortable with a delivery from BBB or a trip to Target for a mattress topper, a lamp, a fan. Some schools also have a garage sale a week or so into the semester where she could pick up some of this stuff. My daughter scored a dorm fridge and some other things. This year she’s going to grad school and I reminded her of this sale and she said she can easily wait to get a dresser and whatever at the sale. She’s living in a house owned by the parents of the other occupants, so they likely have everything for the house, she just needs to worry about her room.
So on BBB site the most popular mattress topper appears to be the most expensive as well.
I don’t know if in the store one can see these things and understand how it feels to sleep on one vs without. I have literally never seen or heard of this before.
Any opinion on this one:
Not crazy. Remember you have to store the suitcases too. Duffel bags or the IKEA bags are a good thing. Also, whatever you move-in has to be moved out. Start minimal and add as needed. Moms love them but shower caddies are overrated. Especially for boys. I still think a fridge is a must.
We fit all bedding in two Samsonite tote-a-tons with a little space to spare in the second one - that included pad, topper, sheets, pillows, towels, weighted blanket, and comforter. Filled two additional tote-a-tons with clothes, shoes, wall decorations, extension cords, first aid kit, tool box, desk lamp, shower caddy, etc…
We bought all school supplies and toiletries when we got there and S bought a rug a month into the semester.
I don’t really understand the U-Haul idea but the only people I know who did that had girls who wanted headboards and extra storage and curtains and rugs upon arrival. Maybe they also brought microwaves and/or refrigerators but those can be delivered and many times colleges have a way to buy them there and they are in the dorm when you arrive.
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The mattress pad topic is discussed every year here, so there there are lots more recommendations somewhere in the forums. For my oldest we got this one, not the cheapest nor the most expensive, just 2", 7.5 lbs, had it shipped from Amazon to the hotel. I think we may have opened it up in the hotel room and let it expand, then rolled it up and put it in a trash bag for moving in. Plus a fluffy mattress pad/cover, ok I splurged here, probably didn’t need both; a regular thin mattress pad/cover would be much cheaper and smaller. For my next, I am under the impression that the mattresses are ok at their colleges, so I am NOT getting the above 2" foam pad. Then we’ll see - I can always send via Amazon later if needed.
Ship anything that doesn’t fit - directly from Amazon. Paying shipping on your own can be much more expensive. If flying with another adult, then I would feel free to send more storage totes with the bedding.
Some colleges might arrange a bus trip to Target during the first weekend of college. And/or the kid could uber. But, often a Target near a college will be very low in stock of key college items. Bottom line is that almost anything can be shipped Prime from Amazon.
Agreeing with the consensus above- get the big stuff (bedding, fan, printer type things) there (or have it shipped), and adding that there are storage options at most colleges for over the summer (usually paid, but sharing storage is common, & they aren’t expensive).
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FWIW, I have never bought a mattress topper for my kids. My eldest didn’t even have a mattress pad the first year. I can’t remember if I bought him one after that. I am pretty sure I did get one for younger S, but all of them were just the cheap walmart ones. For me, it was more for an extra layer between what might be an icky mattress and them, but not really necessary.
We took a fair amount of stuff to college for mine. My kids have so… many… shoes… And they are boys! But the winter semester one went to Scotland, he went with just two suitcases and a carry on, so it can definitely be done. We bought bedding through the company provided by the school and he left it there when he came back.
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I just had this conversation with my BFF today; her son is headed my way for college. She looked at all the lists and asked “what does he really need?” I told her to lay everything out they said to pack and take half of it away; he’ll probably never use it. 
D20 could fit everything she truly wanted/needed into 3 zipper ikea bags and a backpack. 1 for bedding, 1 for clothes and 1 for all the misc “stuff:” toiletries, pics, lamp, alarm, power strip, decor, back rest pillow, etc. She didn’t want a mattress topper; she doesn’t care for them, so one less thing she needed to pack. She’s probably unusually low-maintenance, but it made it easy for move-in. The only other thing she ended up getting was a fold-out, reclining lounge chair from Amazon for under her bed.
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You don’t need the most expensive Tempurpedic mattress topper, you can find a more reasonable one for sure. If you have a chance head to Bed Bath & beyond, Target or even a place like Kohls, they won’t have them all out but you should be able to feel one or two just to see what they are. And I agree, even if the mattress is brand new it is still most likely very thin and covered in thick plastic which makes it pretty uncomfortable. If you do get one check to see if the dorm beds are Twin XL.
Here are some more reasonable options. This one from Amazon:
Target
Kohls:
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Would it be better to send the student to the dorm without it, then order one for delivery to her dorm if she complains about the bed in a way that it would help? I.e. first see if the student actually needs it.
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FWIW, none of my kids had mattress pads, mattress toppers or refrigerators in their rooms - in boarding school or in college. They were happy without them, even when offered free by graduating seniors…
I agree with @ucbalumnus - wait until they ask or complain about their bed.
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