What is a Short Queen Mattress?

Everyone knows what a queen mattress is, but what is a short queen mattress? It’s not something that you commonly see in mattress stores unless you’re looking for it, but it has some really good, specific uses.

A short queen mattress, as the name suggests, is simply a queen-sized mattress that is a little bit shorter than the standard queen. Specifically, a standard queen is 80 inches tall by 60 inches wide, and a short queen is 75 inches tall by 60 inches wide. That’s it—just a five inch difference.

Now that might not seem like a lot, and depending on the height of the sleeper it may never matter, but for tall sleepers or active sleepers (people who move a lot in bed) you may notice that difference.

Why Would You Want a Short Queen Mattress?

The main reason people have a short queen mattress is because they’re using the mattress in an RV. RV short queen mattresses are shorter for several reasons, but the main two are weight and size.

Weight

Every vehicle that tows an RV has a maximum weight they can pull, and mattresses (and every other thing inside the RV) count toward that total. When you buy an RV, look at the weight listed. It determines whether your vehicle can safely tow your RV and whether the RV is street legal. And everything inside the RV counts toward that weight, from the fridge to the carpet to the--you guessed it--the mattresses. RV manufacturers cut weight wherever they can, and with mattresses being on the heavy side, it makes sense to cut weight there.

Because of this, the typical short queen mattress that comes with the RV can be quite flimsy and uncomfortable – it’s mostly air! Often the short queen mattresses that come with your RV are nothing more than a sheet of foam rubber. For this reason, many people immediately decide that they need to invest in a better, more comfortable short queen mattress after buying an RV.

And speaking of cutting corners, RVs are narrow and tight, thus every inch is used to its maximum. If the manufacturers can trim five inches off a mattress, that's five more inches where they can expand the kitchen or the bathroom. This, ultimately, is the reason that short queen mattresses are short. There’s simply no room for a bigger mattress in the space. The RV's walls and cabinets have been built to accommodate a short queen mattress, and no amount of pushing and prodding is going to get a regular queen sized mattress into the space set aside for a short queen mattress.

So while a short queen mattress may seem like a tight fit, sometimes it’s exactly what you need.

Is a Short Queen Mattress Comfortable?

Yes! A short queen mattress can be every bit as comfortable as a standard queen, if you know which kind to buy. An RV manufacturer might sell their RV with a subpar mattress that won’t lead to the nicest night’s sleep, but you can swap out that mattress with a gel memory foam short queen mattress. Memory foam is a product invented by NASA to cushion astronauts, and it’s made specifically to reduce the pain of strenuous travel, particularly by cradling the body to ease pressure points. Memory foam conforms to your body so that every part of you is snug and cushioned equally, from your neck to your shoulders to your hips. The only problem with memory foam is that sometimes that snug fit leads to overheating—it absorbs your body shape a little too well. But that’s why we use gel memory foam. Gel beads are incorporated in the memory foam to disperse heat and take away that sweaty feeling. On a gel foam mattress you can get a perfect restful night’s sleep.

Can You Put a Regular Mattress In An RV?

There are some RVs that can accommodate a regular sized mattress, but they are few and far between. But did you know that there are even short king mattresses? Yes, short queen mattresses and short king mattresses are just a part of spending time in an RV. But if you have your heart set on a particular mattress, be sure to ask your RV salesperson if it will fit inside (and it wouldn’t help to bring your own tape measure along to make sure.)

Fortunately, Dynasty Mattress makes short queen mattresses that are every bit as comfortable as regular queen mattresses. They also have CoolBreeze Plush GEL Memory Foam mattress technology. If you’re looking for the best night’s sleep you can get in an RV, replace your factory-standard queen with a Dynasty Mattress short queen mattress and you’ll soon be drifting away into dreamland.

What Are the Sizes and Weights of Mattresses in RVs?

Here’s how RV mattresses break down vs standard mattresses:

Standard King: 76” x80” 120 lbs.
Split Cal King: 72” x 84” 50 lbs. (comes in two pieces)
Standard Queen: 60” x 80” 100 lbs.
Short Queen: 60” x 75” 75 lbs.
Full: 54” x 74” 65 lbs
Twin XL: 38” x 80” 50 lbs.
Twin: 38” x 74” 58 lbs.

The RV short sizes are both slightly smaller and lighter. This is a good thing because the whole point of the RV company selling you a cheap lightweight mattress is because it weighs so little and can therefore be towed more easily. So you wouldn’t want to pull out a very light mattress and replace it with a very heavy mattress. It may not seem like much, but the 25 pound difference in a queen vs. a queen short is a substantial difference. Every decision you make with your RV will be based on these factors, from what type of appliances you have in it to what kind of storage you keep.

Conclusion

The difference between a queen mattress vs a short queen mattress may seem like a small one, but it's something you should know when you're shopping for your RV. You would hate to buy a better mattress and discover that it's five inches too long for your RV.

Fortunately, Dynasty Mattress has you covered. We carry all sizes of RV mattresses made with our special CoolBreeze Gel Memory Foam. You’ll experience the level of comfort you’re looking for every time you lay your head down to sleep on your short queen mattress.

Take Dynasty Mattresses with you on all your RV adventures--you won't regret it!