How to make your dorm bed more comfortable

If you’re used to sleeping like a king or queen at home, that’s going to change when you arrive to your college dorm. Dorm mattresses are notorious for being uncomfortable because colleges use cheap durable mattresses to cut costs.

Even though you’re living away at home, there’s nothing quite like sleeping on a comfortable bed, and you’ll be glad if you take the time to make your new bed as comfortable as you can.

Most dorm beds are extra long twins. So, when you buy things for your bed, bear this in mind so that it will actually fit.

• Buy a mattress pad. Mattress pads add an initial layer of padding that not only feels better for you, but helps protect the mattress.
• Use memory foam. Creates a great padding that molds to your body, look for one that is atleast 4 inches thick.
• Make sure your sheets fit snugly. My bed sheets were very loose for a while, which meant I was constantly laying on uncomfortable wrinkles and feeling the sheets slide under my body.
• Bring your pillow from home. Or, if you don’t want to risk it, buy a new pillow. Make sure the pillow’s size and firmness is ideal for you — using a pillow that’s too large or too flimsy is never any fun.
• Don’t buy cheap/durable sheets. Some sheets are cheap and/or meant to be especially durable. Chances are, your bed isn’t going to go through much wear and tear in one year, so you won’t need extra durable sheets. Finding something comfortable will be worth the money.
• Bring soft blankets. I recommend avoiding Afghan blankets or anything with polyester covering unless you especially like that — these usually aren’t too soft.
• Bring as many blankets/pillows as you want. If you like to sleep with a zillion pillows and ten blankets, then do so! If you only like the top sheet and that’s it, then don’t bother bringing a lot.
• Make it comfortable for sitting. You will be spending lots of time sitting on your bed whether its studying, watching movies or hanging with friends.  A great product to transform a bed into a couch is the SlouchBack.

Of course, the best way to make your bed comfortable is to tailor it to what you like. If you like a soft bed, then adding layers of padding will help. If you like to be really cool when you sleep, then thin sheets will work best. Go with what works for you.

How do you like your bed?

SlouchBack NOT just for the Dorm Room

The SlouchBack was originally designed to provide comfort in compact dorm rooms, however we quickly started receiving emails from from potential customers from across the country wanting to know if it would work for their specific use.  With confidence in our product we provided honest answers and are delighted to hear overly positive feedback over a month later.  Please take a look at the below example and see how Genie finds the SlouchBack to be the perfect addition to her guest apartment day bed.

Hello,
we bought a trundle twin sized daybed for a studio guest apartment behind our home. we need something comfy to put along the back to convert it into a useable couch for tv watching and conversation cause this is the only sitting area in the small apartment. does the slouch back fit along the back of twin sized bed and how comfortable is it, really ! is it deep enough to turn the bed into a sofa or will we also need additional throw pillows in front of the slouch back ?you can email or leave a message at the number below.

thanks, genie

Genie,

Thanks for reaching out to us.  Its exciting to hear your questions as it sounds like you have the perfect set up for the SlouchBack.  Yes, it is that comfortable, and it is designed especially for a twin size bed!  The size of the seat it creates is the same dimensions of your most comfortable couch.  I am sure you and your guests will enjoy the SlouchBack.  If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to call or email me anytime.

Thanks
Andrew

CEO & Founder
Slouch, LLC

Testimonial posted on the DailyGrommet on Dec 02, 2009 

hi ! I love the slouchback and i’m a mature adult, not one of the more typical college users. we built a guest house behind our home and furnished it with a trundle daybed for maximum number of sleepers but also needed that bed to be a comfortable couch. in came slouchback to make our wish a reality. it’s provides a great way to cuddle and get comfy, can’t imagine a solution as optimal, and practical.

genie

You heard it here the SlouchBack is great for any use, so whether its extra seating in the family room, a relaxing couch for your studio apartment, or the perfect entertainment spot at the bachelor pad, the SlouchBack is an ideal seating solution for anyone!

Live Conversations at DailyGrommet

Hello everyone, we are excited to announce that today the SlouchBack is being featured on the DailyGrommet.  A great site that features the hottest and latest products brought to you live with video reviews and lots of community participation. To watch the awesome video created by the DailyGrommet team and and participate in the community conversations about the Slouchback just head on over.  We look forward to answering any questions or comments you might have.  Take me there

Slouchback Makes the perfect Holiday Gift

November 23, 2009

The Holiday season has finally arrived, or maybe too soon?  If you are stumped for the perfect holiday gift for that son, daughter, niece, nephew, and sure even cousin who is stuck living in a cramped apartment or dorm room look no further.  Why not give them the ultimate suede couch!  The SlouchBack comes in a environmentally friendly carrying bag smaller than a 30-pack, quickly inflates to a three person couch and just as easily stores back in the original bag.  Whether they are taking the bus, train or plane the SlouchBack is the only furniture TSA “carry on” approved and sure to be the one gift they really love day after day.

Before your relatives ask you what you want this year visit SlouchBack.com and click on the “Ask for Xmas” button and send your instant request to Santa!

Prime Party

Being squished and unable to move from room to room, steamy dance floors, waiting in line 15 minutes to use the bathroom, and 20 minutes to get a shot, house parties are truly part of the college experience. However, here at SlouchBack We have seen way to many House parties fail to provide the type of atmosphere that these collegiate staples deserve. Here are some good tips to remember in order to throw a successful college house party.

1.) A few days before the night of your party, inform the neighbors around your house (including behind, diagonally, besides, and in front) that you are having a party. Try to speak to them in person if possible, and do not forget to leave them a note with your name, number, address, and the date and time of your party. This way, if the party gets too loud, your neighbors can call you directly instead of calling the cops first.

2.) Depending on the size of the party, you may need someone to stand at the door to help regulate guests coming in and out of the house. If you do decide to charge money at the door, keep in mind that it is illegal to charge money if you are serving alcohol to minors. So instead, you might also want to put out a tip jar on the table next to where the drinks are served.

5.) What about music? If you do not have a DJ for friend, look for a good sound system to borrow and prepare a play list ahead of time. Remember this party is for everyone so plan the music with all your party goers in mind.

6.) Alcohol. If you are not making guests BYOB, make sure that there is a wide variety of drinks, from light to dark, and also a container of mixed drinks (ex. jungle juice). A keg is never a bad idea depending on how many people you are expecting.

8.) Make sure that the bathroom door is clearly labeled and that there is a good supply of toilet paper and the trash can is empty. You don’t want some late night party goers to confuse your bed room with the bathroom during the night. Prepare for a dirty bathroom by the end of the night.

10.) The garage is a good place to set up a beer pong table and to let smokers smoke. Since the garage is usually away from the music, this is an area where people can hang out and talk too. People tend to want to hang out in front of the house. Do not let them do this because it attracts more attention and you are more likely to have the party end early with cops. Instead, lead them to the backyard or garage if they do not want to be in the house.

Major Pain

Choosing and changing your major is an unavoidable part of the college experience. Most people go into college thinking they know what they want to do with their lives. In any case, your major determines what paths of classes are available to you, and in turn what job opportunities you have after school. Freaked out yet? Relax, there’s flexibility within a major, however it’s pretty hard to get hired for a civil engineering job when you studied sociology, so your major does determine your career to a certain extent. 

When selecting your major make that decision for you and no one else.  Liberal arts schools provide you with a vast amount of options, and tech schools tend to be a bit more selective; however the choice is always there. Many people pick a major early because the like the image that goes along with that major. Others make a premature decision because of outside pressure from friends coach, and especially parents. Don’t make these mistakes, you should always take advice, but more importantly take your time. The most important thing about your major is that you have to have a passion for it.

As long as you’re doing well in school, you can change your major pretty often. However, if you’re slacking off a little, maybe partying a bit too much in the dorm room, changing your major might be a problem. It is important to maintain a high grade level not matter what you major you have selected first.  This type of determination can be difficult, especially if you are worried that you current major is not going to help you with the future major. Suck it up. You never know what you skill or lesson you could pick up from your current major and switch over to the new challenge.

So to all of you who are unsure what your major should be, you’ve got some time to pick. If you decide that your major isn’t for you, you can always choose again. 
Just make sure you continue to work hard and choose your major for the right reasons.

Don’t Rush to Rush

Everyone should try to join some form of organization on campus, but the question is whether to join a club or a fraternity/sorority is right for you and your SlouchBack. Many people think that they are not the type of person who would join a sorority or fraternity, but the best choice is to simply check out all of the offered organizations on campus to see which one best fits your interest.

Clubs satisfy a wide variety of options from social clubs, to ethnic clubs, to dance teams, and the best parties you can find. Though clubs do not offer sisterhood or brotherhood like sororities and fraternities do, clubs do offer many other fun and satisfying events and activities. As for sororities and fraternities there are different types that you might want to take note of. Though they are social meccas however they do focus on other things as well. Greek life is about creating life long bonds and giving back to your school. Something else to keep in mind is that anyone can join a club. All you need to do is sign up either at their booth/table or show up to one of their meetings. However, the process for becoming a part of a sorority or fraternity may be not as easy. Sororities and fraternities require you to take part during their rush week, and “rush” for them, which means to go out to their events and learn more about their organization. At the end of the week, there is usually an interview, and finally an invitation called a bid is given to you if the sorority or fraternity that you interviewed for decides that they want you to join. If you are given a bid and decide to accept it, then you will begin the “pledge process” to join the organization. Each sorority and fraternity has a different process, some easier and some harder than others. Take some time to identify which of these two options are best for you, but the important idea is to get involved anyway you can.

Kicking Off the 2009-10 SlouchRep Program

This summer, we searched the country for the most passionate, excited, and driven students to bring the SlouchBack to their college and university campuses.

So were we successful? Let’s just say it’s going to be tough for the average student to get through this school year without hearing about and experiencing the SlouchBack.

And starting today, we are kicking the program into high-gear: A brand-new commission structure, awesome prizes, and a FREE Spring Break trip for the top-performing rep and his or her friends!

You can make up to $20 on every single SlouchBack you sell!

If you are a bit jealous, don’t worry, it’s not too late. We are still accepting SlouchRep applications but make sure you act quickly!

Fresh Tips #2

OK Frosh, here are the next set of tips to help you succeed this year.

Stay organized-

It may have been easy in high school to wait until the last minute to complete an assignment and still get a good grade, but that kind of stuff will not work for you in college… most of the time. Give yourself deadline and stick to them.

Stay healthy-

A lot of problems first-year students face can be traced back to an illness that kept them away from classes for an extended period of time. Remember that moms not around to take care of you any more so get enough sleep, take your vitamins, and eat right. Stay healthy and avoid the dreaded “Freshman 15”

Learn to cope with homesickness-

It’s only natural that there will be times when you miss your mommy, even if you were one of those kids who couldn’t wait to get away. Find a way to deal with those feelings, such as making a phone call, sending regular emails home or cuddling up with your SlouchBack.

Rep Your Campus-

Whether it’s homesickness, a job, or a boyfriend or girlfriend from home, try not to leave campus too soon or too often. The more time you spend getting to know your campus and your new friends, the more you’ll feel at home. Plus why not take advantage of all the “events” that happen on campus?

Watch the cash flow-

If you’ve never had to create a budget, now is the time to do so. Find ways to stretch your money the best you can,  and avoid all those credit card traps. The average credit card debt of a college grad is staggering.

Be prepared to feel overwhelmed-

There’s a lot going in your life right now. Expect to have moments where it seems a bit too much. As one student says, be prepared to feel completely unprepared. The trick is knowing that you’re not the only one!