Buying Guide
Whether you are a weekend RVer, spend your life RVing full time or exist somewhere in between, a comfortable and supportive mattress is your ticket to enjoying life on the road.
Does your RV need a new mattress?
A mattress in need of replacement becomes un-supportive and contributes to restless nights with less sleep. Out-of-character poor sleeping habits and the effects of sleep deprivation are usually the first signs that you need a new mattress. How tired are you?
Obvious signs your old mattress has seen better days:
- Sagging across the middle of the mattress or along the sides, making you roll towards your partner.
- The mattress makes creaking noises.
- Soft, non-supportive edges—a sign of edge breakdown.
- Waking up stiff or sore in the morning.
- You have developed reoccurring back pain.
Signs your old mattress is causing you sleep deprivation:
- You are always tired in the morning.
- You find it constantly difficult to get out of bed in the morning.
- You need a nap during the day.
- You become irritable.
- You are unable to concentrate throughout the day.
What to look for—RV Mattress Quality
Quality and Durability
You should look forward to nights on the road in your RV. And your RV mattress should be comfortable, supportive and offer the same pleasure of a good night’s sleep at home. RV manufacturers have never used residential quality mattresses—for quality, comfort and coziness trust Parklane for your next RV mattress. With 8″ thick plush, premium-quilted pillow top, memory foam and innerspring mattresses to choose from the miles traveled on the road will be more enjoyable and the nights are guaranteed to be much more restful.
The RV market is dominated by 5 primary quality categories:
- OEM units with coil counts of 252-390 with less than 1″ of padding
- Aftermarket units (Excel’s) with 390-420 coils and 3-4″ of padding
- Memory Foam units (tempurpedic, Excel’s aero-pedic)
- Basic Foam—polypropylene cut to size
- Air Beds (select comfort, comfortaire)
Safety
Another important factor, besides comfort, to look for when purchasing an RV mattress is safety. It is important that your RV mattress meet standard safety guidelines and regulations. Parklane does not use any chemical treatments to meet fire standards; we use inherently fire retardant rayon fibers to meet safety requirements. Parklane mattresses offer this safety feature and mattresses that meet Federal Fire Safety Standards (CFR 1633), a premium safety feature at no additional cost.
RV Mattress Sizes
Excel offers RV mattresses in both RV-specific and standard residential sizes. With mattresses so comfortable they might rival the comfort of your bed at home, you may want to replace it with one of Parklane’s.
Sizes
- 34″ x 74″ RV Twin (RV Bunk)
- 49″ x 74″ RV Full
- 60″ x 74″ RV Queen (Short Queen)
- 72″ x 80″ RV King
Find Your Mattress Size for RV Living
RVs can come with various bed sizes, from bunk beds to an RV California King. But before you start shopping for a new mattress, here are a few things to keep in mind about the various sizes of your RV beds:
RV Bunks, Full, and Three-Quarters Mattresses
The size of a bunk bed, full, or three-quarters mattress can vary depending on your RV model. Bunk beds have the most variation since they could be built at a compact 28 by 75 inches or offer a little more space to spread out at 39 by 79 inches. An RV full mattress is about one inch wider than a standard double bed, while a three-quarter mattress is slightly smaller.
RV Queen Mattress
Luckily, the RV mattress size for a queen bed is the same as a standard queen-sized bed at 60 by 80 inches. This is convenient for shoppers who want to look at a wide variety of options, as you won’t be limited to beds specifically built for an RV.
RV King Mattress
If you’re trying to find the RV mattress size for a king bed, the choices become more complicated. RV kings can have several different sizes depending on what type of king bed it is. An RV short king is the same width as a standard king mattress, but at 72 by 75 is five inches shorter. A regular RV king, however, is 72 by 80 inches. That’s just as long as a standard king but four inches narrower to better fit in smaller spaces. If you see a bed referred to as an Eastern King, it’s the same size as a 76 by 80-inch standard king bed–which gives you a wide variety of options in your search for a new mattress. And finally, for ultimate sleep real estate, an RV California king is longer than an Eastern king mattress but 72 inches wide.
Finding Your Best RV Mattress
Delivery
We offer a unique “bag & roll” packaging process for easy shipping, storage and installation. We have put a great amount of time, engineering and design into specialized machinery that allows us to bag and package mattresses. Our process is unique in that it allows us to safely roll and box up to a full-size queen mattress and easily deliver it to your door.
We build our mattresses with great detail and quality. With the help of our machinery we are able to deliver them nationwide free from damage and at very low shipping rates (for more information see Shipping). Our machinery secures each mattress in a rolled bundle that is easy to carry and install. Once out of the box and protective bag the mattress will quickly respond back to its full size, length and height. When the mattress is back to its original size it will feel the same as any other top quality name brand mattress.
RV Mattress Options
When choosing an RV mattress you have the option to choose between three types of mattresses:
RV Innerspring Mattresses
These residential quality RV mattreses are built around the industry leading Bonnell style coil system. Bonnell Coils are a very traditional innerspring and the most common coil used in the industry. This hourglass-shaped wire coil is joined to adjacent coils by small wire spirals called helicals. This coil is manufactured with a 13.5 gauge wire which is one of the thicker options used in mattress innersprings. The thicker wire will provide you with great support and durability. We use a Bonnell Coil system in our Classic coil beds to deliver outstanding quality and reliable support at a value price that all sleepers can appreciate. These coils are a great option for children, young adults and guest bedrooms.
RV Gel Memory Foam Mattresses
If you experience pressure points during your sleeping hours a memory foam mattress may be the solution for you. Gel Memory foam mattresses provide a superior body conforming comfort that uniquely responds to each individual sleeper. Gel Memory foam mattresses are heat activated and conform to your body shape, relieving any pressure points you may be experiencing. Additional benefits include reducing the overall pressure placed on your joints by contouring to your body shape without pushing back. A memory foam mattress is also a good option if your partner is waking you up throughout the night as the memory foam material reduces motion transfer like no other mattress design. Parklane uses CoolSleep Gel Memory Foam in our memory foam mattresses as it is specifically designed to sleep 8x cooler than traditional memory foam mattresses. Memory foam is highly resistant to bacteria, mold, mildew, dust mites, and other odor causing germs. There are a variety of feels that you can get with a memory foam mattress and we use a range of memory foams 8lb, 6lb, 5lb, 4lb and 3lb to achieve different feels and firmnesses. If you are experiencing pain in your hips and shoulders and your partner is waking you up throughout the night a memory foam mattress set may be the right fit for you.
Caring for Your RV Mattress
A mattress protector will provide total protection for your RV mattress. When you finally have the RV mattress of your dreams, you want it to last for years of adventures. With an RV mattress protector, your bed will stay clean and pristine for as long as you plan on traveling. Our RV mattress protectors are made of OmniGuard Ultra fabric, perfect for nights on the road. Machine washable. Mold and mildew resistant.
A new mattress, just like a new pair of shoes, requires a “break-in period”—time in which it must be used in order for the materials to soften and conform to your body. This won’t happen over night, but rather over a period of about two months—and it is completely normal—no matter what mattress you purchase.
- Sleep in the middle of your bed or on the opposite side once in a while to even out the feel.
- Rotate your mattress on a regular basis to help keep the compression even across the entire sleeping surface and increase the comfort life and overall durability. Aim to rotate the mattress every two weeks during the first two months and then reduce the frequency to every three months.
- After removing the plastic packaging let the mattress air out for a few hours—longer if the bed was “box and rolled” for it takes about 24hrs for the mattress to regain it’s full shape—before making the bed.
Shop RV Mattresses at BedMart
Whether living in your RV or using it for a cross-country vacation, knowing you can get a good night’s sleep while you’re on the road is essential. While many people might think that sleeping in an RV is inherently less comfortable, the fact is that a great night’s sleep is dependent on the best bed, RV mattress, or otherwise. So how do you go about finding the perfect mattress size for your RV beds? The best place to start is at your mattress store.
BedMart can help you find your RV mattress size and explore all the best options on your journey to a better night’s sleep in your RV.