Multiple Ways to Make a Fitted Sheet Fit an RV Mattress

Typical residential mattresses usually come in pretty standard sizes, which is handy for buying the right size sheets, particularly fitted sheets. Some mattresses are thicker than others, but at least the widths are pretty standard. The same isn’t true for all RVs, however. So, in this post, we’re sharing multiple methods for how to make a fitted sheet fit an RV mattress.

How to Make a Fitted Sheet Fit an RV Mattress

Although we have personal experience owning only two RVs, we know we’re not the only ones who’ve found that “King” and “Queen” beds in RVs aren’t always the same size we were used to in a sticks & bricks house. Actually, most RV mattresses aren’t standard sizes.

RV mattresses tend to be narrower than equivalent standard mattresses. They’re often substantially thinner, too. This causes fitted sheets, in particular, to be quite loose because there isn’t enough mattress to hold them tightly in place throughout the night. We’ve heard so many complaints about this issue from other RVers over the years, and we’ve had to solve the issue ourselves in both of our rigs. We’ll report back on our new towable rig when we get it.

Here are several ways to solve the problem so that your sheets will fit tightly and more comfortably and remain that way all night long.

Suspenders

This is the method we first came up with about 20 years ago to resolve the issue in our first RV. The “queen” bed was smaller than a traditional queen mattress, so the fitted sheet was very loose on it. All those wrinkles make for a poor night’s sleep.

We figured that some sort of elastic strap beneath the mattress would keep a fitted sheet pulled tightly. During a walk around a Wal-mart store during a typical overnight stop, we happened across a great improvised solution: suspenders!

You’ll need two sets of regular suspenders with clips on the ends (not the type with button holes). Be sure to check the back of the suspenders to make sure they aren’t sewn permanently into a “Y” or “X” shape but instead have the two sections held together by a metal guide.

Carefully cut off the metal guide with a pair of wire cutters and remove it, separating the two straps from each other. Clip the elastic bands top-to-bottom and side-to-side so that the fitted sheet stays tight on top. Now you’ve got your solution — elastic strips with clasps that you’ll attach to the sides and ends of the sheet under the mattress to hold it tightly in place.

Making the bed up with clean sheets does take a minute or two longer, and requires two people. The way we do this is that one of us stands at the foot of the bed and holds up the end of the mattress while the other connects the straps. It’s not a difficult task once a week after doing laundry, and it’s well worth the effort since it keeps the sheet as tight as a drum.

The suspender below is the type we used. Again, make sure to avoid suspenders that are sewn together. You’ll want the type with a metal clasp that you can cut off, that also has clasps/clamps at each end.

We’ve got a friend who had a Class B Roadtrek and used this method to secure twin sheets to mattresses that are considerably narrower and thinner than a normal twin-sized bed. She used the shorter mitten holders successfully for her application.

Bed Sheet Fasteners

Another option is to use bed sheet fasteners created specifically for this purpose. These are a bit easier to use because you only have to lift the corners to put them in place (although getting to all four corners of many RV mattresses can still be a bit of a reach).

We haven’t tried these ourselves, but we’ve heard many positive things about them and they’re very well-reviewed.

QuickZip

QuickZip offers another option for dealing with sheets that are too large for an RV bed. They offer some RV-specific options designed to fit common RV mattress sizes correctly. Plus, this is a two-piece, zippered fitted sheet that lets you deal with the hassle of getting the elastic base in place just once.

These sheets consist of a base + a zip sheet on top. The base gets fitted around the mattress once and then flexes to fit and stay snug. The top part zips off and on in seconds for quick changes so you don’t need to lift or move the mattress each time you change the sheets.

QuickZip is a more expensive option but may be a great choice for situations where getting around the bed is difficult. You can see how it works on their website.

Custom Sized Sheets from Mattress Insider

Another option is a set of custom-sized sheets from Mattress Insider. They offer sheet sets in a wide range of common RV mattress sizes, but you can also have them make a custom size to fit your needs exactly.

Mattress Insider also makes custom-sized mattresses for RV and boats that’ll fit your rig’s bed exactly. They have a range of choices for the type of mattress you’d like. We slept on an awesome M.I. mattress for years and absolutely loved it. You can read more in our post about RV mattress sizes.

If you’re interested in buying anything from Mattress Insider, be sure to use our RVGEEKS coupon to save yourself some money:

And there you have it – multiple options for making your sheets fit an RV mattress.

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