<p>Thanks for this thread!! You’ve answered all of the questions I was going to ask also!!</p>
<p>I like the egg crate/pillowy matress pad combo because the memory foam type toppers tend to get warm (and sweaty) IMO. Also, the combo seems to cost less than a memory foam topper. (DS is on year 4 of egg-crate/pad combo)</p>
<p>bought my son a memory foam topper, at Target, or Best buy–was about $80, which seemed like an expensive purchase, but my son was comfortable in his new dorm bed from day one and slept well which he attributed to the memory foam.</p>
<p>Memory Foam must have…plus a very nice mattress pad. Everyone thought my D had the most comfortable bed. Worth every penny and last for years.</p>
<p>I am loving the new feature at the bottom of the threads that pulls up similar threads. Take a look below! This is a very popular topic that has been discussed many times before, some of which are linked in thes threads below. Another time honored topic is the “egg crate” topic (short summary of the egg crate topic- many dorms don’t allow them as they are not fire retardant).</p>
<p>I just went to overstock.com, and they have memory foam pads in 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4 inches … What did everyone get?</p>
<p>We got an el-cheapo pad at Target for S. As far as I know, he likes it and it makes the bed more comfortable.We also got one for his “home” bed. Seems fine. (We are within 3 hrs by car, so shipping and storing is not an issue. So far.)</p>
<p>I think the one we got was 4"</p>
<p>’
'we had tried a thinner one on his home mattress and he found it sunk in and wasn’t very comfortable.</p>
<p>Consolation - when you transport it by car does it roll up or do you have to lay in flat?</p>
<p>Yes, on the memory foam. I go with the 3". The “real” memory foam pads are very heavy so we did not open it up until we got to the dorm. It is now in a storage locker for the second summer and going on it’s third year. Son reports it’s in good shape. They are great. I did not have any problem finding a Twin XL.</p>
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<p>Since he’s only a freshman, and hasn’t come home yet, I’ll have to let you know in a couple of weeks! 
(When we took it there, it was in the original packaging.)</p>
<p>But seriously, I’m fairly certain that it will roll up.</p>
<p>They roll up for transporting/storing. We got ours from Overstock and the kids love them. I think we went with the 2" under a nice matress pad.</p>
<p>Thanks consolation - I hope your son has had a great freshman year! </p>
<p>I am glad to hear they roll up my-3-sons - I think 2" memory foam with a mattress pad is where I am heading on this monumental decision.</p>
<p>Is there any problem putting on the fitted sheet over layers that include memory foam and a thick mattress pad?</p>
<p>Not in S’s case. It would probably depend on the fitted sheet. If it is skimpy, it might be a problem. I got him sheets on sale from The Company Store, and they are constructed to fit over anything.</p>
<p>We had no problem fitting the sheet over the memory foam and the regular cotton-type quilted mattress pad that covered it. I doubt most college mattresses are super-thick. You definitely wouldn’t want to put the sheets directly over the foam, though.</p>
<p>We got a very thick one that came in its own zipped cover. I saw them for as much as $150 and got it at Walmart last summer for $75. It is 4" thick and is memory on one side and I think a little eggcrate like or tecxtured on the other… It was not XL but those 3-4 inches were not missed. The school mattress was so thin that we did not have a real problem with sheets fitting even though it is really thick. Once you take it out of its vacuum packed plastic the only problem is that is is HUGE to move when the end of the term comes, but we rolled it up tight as we could and tied spare ribbons around it and dealt with it. As I was rolling it up helping her pack up I asked if she really liked it or just something she slept on because mom gave it to her for graduation and the biggest smile came over her face. She said it was better than great, and that all her friends asked where she got it. She slept like a baby on it.</p>
<p>Best thing we ever bought for my daughter’s comfort was a 2" thick soft latex pad to put on her college bed. She just puts it on the hard thin mattress and then covered it with a thick, pillow top mattress cover. She is sleeping on a cloud!</p>
<p>Check it out here:
[Talalay</a> Latex Foam Toppers, Custom Cut Latex Foam Mattress Topper, Dust Mite Resistant](<a href=“http://www.foambymail.com/LatexTopper.html]Talalay”>http://www.foambymail.com/LatexTopper.html)</p>
<p>This company also has egg crates and memory foam toppers as well as the latex ones.</p>