Full size beds are an often overlooked, definitely underappreciated option for many people on their journey to buying a new bed. This isn’t totally unsurprising, since it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what the right situation for a full size bed is, especially when it’s compared to a twin or queen. Since everyone has their own unique reasons for needing a new bed, it’s important to consider who and what the bed will be used for.
Twins, as you probably know, are usually the go-to beds for single individuals, especially when you’re buying for someone on the younger end of the age spectrum. At just 40 inches wide and 83 inches long, twins are a good for one person and can provide a perfectly comfortable night of sleep.
On the other hand, it does sound nice to think of yourself sleeping like royalty. Queen’s are the most popular bed size for good reason: they’re great for two people sharing a bed on an ongoing basis, and so they’re usually the first choice for most couples. They’re longer and much wider than twins, so they provide plenty of space for two people and even some additional room for any kids or pets that want to hang out. But is an oversized bed always the right choice? And where does the full (also known as “double”) size bed fit into all of this?
Big Enough for the One of Us
At 55 inches across and 83 inches long, full size beds can be a tight squeeze for two people and borderline unworkable if at least one of those people really needs to have space to themselves. The simplest way to look at it is that full size beds are basically built for individual adults or teens.
If you’re buying a bed for yourself, a full provides enough room for almost any adult to stretch out, move around, and sleep comfortably, all without taking up as much room as a queen. If you’re looking into a loft or bunk bed as a way to save space in your sleeping area, the queen size bed may prove to be intrusive and likely not worth it considering how little you would use those extra inches when you’re asleep. Rather than go big for the sake of it, a full size bed would let you save some coin that would go toward buying a bigger bed and mattress (which will run you at least an extra one hundred dollars more than a full size mattress).
Depending on what the general clientele is like, vacation rental and hostel owners would probably also benefit from going the full size bunk bed route in the name of saving space and money. In places where visitors are likely going to be traveling alone, a full size bunk bed would provide them with all the sleep space they need and prove to be the more economical choice for the owner. And if they happen to need to share the bed, fulls are big enough to provide good sleep for two people on a limited basis (in most cases).
Full XL
Although the width of a full size bed is usually enough to satisfy even the most active or spread out sleepers, tall adults my feel a bit claustrophobic in them, forced to curl into a fetal position to avoid having their feet slip off the edge. That is why Francis Lofts & Bunks also offers all of our beds in a “Full XL” size, which extends the length 5 inches to be the same as our queen and king size beds, making them much comfier for our tall friends.
As noted, there are many factors to take into consideration when you’re trying to decide what size bed to buy, such as cost, size, and how many people will regularly be sleeping in the bed. For this reason, it’s a good idea to not write off the full size bed option too early, as it may just end up being the perfect fit.