Can You Put a Regular Mattress in an RV?

On this page (13 sections)

1. Can you put a regular mattress on a short queen platform?
2. What a regular queen changes in your RV layout
3. Check doors, drawers and cabinets before you buy
4. Weight matters more on a lift bed
5. Foam and feel can differ within one brand
6. Delivery, compression and expansion
7. Common naming mistakes
8. Sheets and covers need the right length
9. Underlays need to match the bed too
10. What to ask the seller before you buy
11. A five-step check before you buy
12. When a regular queen is the better buy
13. Pick a regular queen only if the bed is 80 inches

You can put a regular mattress in an RV, but the answer depends on your bed's length, the height above it and the route into the rig. Most RVs use a short queen, and a regular queen runs 5 to 6 inches longer, so it will overhang the foot of most RV beds.

Measure before you order, and check the path into the RV, since a longer mattress is harder to carry through a narrow door. For the differences beyond size, read RV mattress vs regular mattress.

Can you put a regular mattress on a short queen platform?

Not without overhang, because a regular queen is 80 inches long and most RV short queen platforms are 74 or 75. The width matches at 60 inches, so length is the whole question.

An overhang of five to six inches at the foot can block a door, a drawer or the walkway next to the bed.

The Zinus 8-inch short queen uses green tea memory foam that is CertiPUR-US certified. It weighs 40.2 pounds.

For a side-by-side look at the two lengths, see short queen vs queen mattress.

What a regular queen changes in your RV layout

A longer mattress changes more than the bed itself, because it moves the foot of the bed into the room. That can block the walkway, a closet door or a storage drawer, and it can crowd a dinette or a slide-out.

Walk the route once with a tape measure, and mark where the foot of the bed would land. If the mark lands on a door or a drawer you use every day, the short queen is the better pick.

Check doors, drawers and cabinets before you buy

Measure the route into the RV, including tight turns and the door opening, before the mattress arrives. Check the height above the bed with any slide-outs in their sleeping position, because a thicker mattress uses up clearance.

• The door and hallway the mattress must pass through.
• Drawers, storage and the walkway at the foot of the bed.
• The height from the top of the platform to any cabinet or ceiling above it.
• The weight rating of the lift, if your bed raises on struts.

Our RV mattress sizes guide lists the typical platform sizes, so you can compare your numbers with them.

If you can, tape the 80-inch length on the bedroom floor so you can see the walkway before you order.

Can a regular mattress get through the RV door?

Measure the door opening and the tightest turn on the way to the bedroom. A regular mattress is 80 inches long, so a short hall or a sharp corner can stop it.

A mattress that ships compressed in a box is easier to carry in than one that has already expanded.

Weight matters more on a lift bed

Regular queens are heavier than short queens, and the difference adds up when a bed lifts. In our set, the 10-inch queens weigh 48.9 to 56.8 pounds, and the 8-inch short queens weigh 34 to 40.2 pounds.

The Zinus short queen weighs 40.2 pounds and the EGOHOME queen 48.9, so the queen is about 9 pounds heavier before you add bedding.

Your lift's limit comes from the bed maker, not the mattress, so check that rating before you order. Then read how thick an RV mattress should be for thickness limits.

EGOHOME rates its 10-inch queen medium firm, and its foam is CertiPUR-US certified.

Foam and feel can differ within one brand

Zinus rates its Green Tea short queen medium firm and its 10-inch queen medium. Feel can differ even within one brand, so compare the firmness rating and the foam layers as well as the length.

Zinus says open air pockets in the middle layer encourage airflow, and that the green tea infusion helps retard odor. For an RV-size alternative to a regular queen, read our Zinus Ultima short queen review.

Delivery, compression and expansion

The Zinus 10-inch queen ships compressed and needs 24 to 72 hours to fully expand after you unbox it. The Zinus Green Tea short queen is compressed, rolled and shipped in a box, which helps it get through a narrow door.

Clear a space for the box before delivery day, and plan for the expansion wait before you sleep on the bed.

If the mattress arrives compressed, keep the box flat and dry until you're ready to unroll it.

Common naming mistakes

Some mattresses are sold as an RV queen even though they're shorter than a home queen, so the name alone can mislead you. Kogler's 4-inch RV Queen Mattress measures 74 by 60 inches, which is a short queen length.

• Check the length in inches before you read any size name.
• Look at whether the name says short queen or queen, then confirm the length.
• Trust the measured dimensions over the headline size.

Kings follow the same rule, because a home king is wider than most RV king platforms. Our RV king mattress size guide lists the widths to check.

Sheets and covers need the right length

Regular queen fitted sheets are 80 inches long, which is too long for a 74 or 75 inch RV bed. Choose a short queen sheet and confirm the size before you order, since the short queen dimensions guide explains why the two lengths differ.

Underlays need to match the bed too

An 80-inch underlay will overhang a 74 or 75 inch platform, so trim it to fit before you lay it down. Trimming is easy with scissors, since the mesh is made to be cut to match queen, king or twin beds.

What to ask the seller before you buy

Ask for the exact dimensions in inches, not just the size name, because names can be loose. Ask whether the mattress ships compressed and rolled, and how long it takes to fully expand, since the Zinus queen needs 24 to 72 hours.

Check the lift's weight rating for the mattress you plan to buy, and ask whether cutting the foam changes the return policy. Those answers settle more of the decision than the name does.

Warranty terms also matter for a mattress you can't easily return. Zinus backs its queen with a 10-year limited warranty and EGOHOME backs its queen with 10 years, so ask whether cutting the foam affects that coverage.

A five-step check before you buy

Work through these steps in order, because each one can rule out a mattress.

1. Measure the platform length at the head and the foot, and write both numbers down.
2. Compare the length with 80 inches for a regular queen or 74 or 75 inches for a short queen.
3. Check the door, the hall and any drawer or slide-out the extra length would block.
4. Check the height above the bed with each slide-out in its sleeping position.
5. Check the weight and the lift rating if your bed raises on struts.

Cutting a mattress to fit usually makes it non-returnable, so check the return policy before you trim anything.

When a regular queen is the better buy

A regular queen is the better buy when your platform is already 80 inches, the walkway and doors are wide enough, and the bed doesn't lift. In that case you skip both the trimming and the return problems that come with cutting foam.

If your bed is shorter, a regular queen is the wrong size even when the weight and thickness work, so the length decides it. Our best memory foam RV mattresses compares short queen replacements for those beds.

Pick a regular queen only if the bed is 80 inches

Pick a regular queen only if your platform is 80 inches long and the doors, drawers and cabinets clear it. Pick a short queen if your bed is 74 or 75 inches, which is the usual RV size.

If you still can't tell, how to measure an RV mattress before you buy walks through each number.

Frequently asked questions

Can a regular queen mattress fit in a short queen RV bed?

Usually not without overhang, because a regular queen is 80 inches long and most short queen RV platforms are 74 or 75 inches. Both are 60 inches wide, so the extra length is the only problem, and measuring the platform before you order confirms it.

What if my RV bed is 80 inches long?

Then a regular queen may fit, as long as your doors, drawers and cabinets clear it. Measure the length at the head and foot, check the height above the bed, and measure each corner if the bed has angled corners or an unusual shape.

Can I cut a regular mattress down to fit?

You can trim foam, but cutting a mattress usually makes it non-returnable, so check the return policy first. Trimming can also change the edge support and how the mattress sits on the platform, so a short queen bought for the bed is usually the simpler choice.

Does the weight of a regular mattress matter on a lift bed?

It can, since 10-inch queens in our set weigh 48.9 to 56.8 pounds, while 8-inch short queens weigh 34 to 40.2 pounds. Check the lift's weight rating before you buy, and measure the clearance above the bed, because a thicker mattress needs more room.