Moving mattresses can be heavy and awkward. If you need to transport a twin size mattress from one place to another, you may be curious if it will fit inside a minivan or suv.
Twin sized mattresses normally can’t be transported in a standard size car, but they should fit inside a minivan and certain SUV’s depending on the available space inside the vehicle.
Depending on the structure of the mattress, you may or may not be able to fold or roll them before loading. No matter how you can modify their shape, mattresses can be heavy.
A standard twin mattress should not weigh more than 50 pounds, but once it’s wrapped up, it may be challenging to handle.
How big is a twin size mattress?
A twin mattress is usually 38 inches wide and 75 inches long.
Normal twin size mattresses are used for a single person and are the smallest of the main mattress sizes. Twin mattresses are the standard size used for children’s beds, daybeds, and bunk beds.
If your twin mattress is all foam, you may be able to roll it up before you load it. No matter the makeup of your mattress, make sure you wrap it up in a layer of fabric to protect it from getting dirty or torn.
Once it’s wrapped up, add at least 2 layers of a heavy plastic. While twin mattresses are obviously lighter than larger beds, it’s a good idea to add a handle to your plastic wrap. Looping the whole mattress in a heavy duty tape may do the trick. Just make sure that you layer the tape, sticky face to sticky face, at the gripping points.
If you don’t have tape, wrap the mattress in ratchet straps or heavy duty bungee cords. You will need some kind of handle once you wrap the mattress as the plastic will make it slippery.
Minivan and SUV cargo dimensions
Depending on the make and model of the vehicle, the available cargo space can vary. However, in general, most SUVs are about 196 inches long and 77 inches wide. Minivans are, on average, about 63 inches wide and have a length of 84 inches from the driver’s seat to the rear door.
Will a twin size mattress fit in a minivan?
Yes, a twin mattress will fit inside a minivan. Of course, minivans vary, but for these purposes we’ll take a look at the Dodge Caravan with all the seats folded down. If you’re not hauling much else, you can actually lay your mattress down flat between the wheel wells with room to spare.
A Dodge Caravan, which is one of the most well-known minivans, has a cargo space of 33 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded down. This vehicle has a total length of 202.8 inches and a width of 78.7 inches, but this is measured from the outside of the vehicle.
As a twin mattress is only 38 inches wide and 75 inches long, it will fit with ease.
You can actually fit a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood laying flat inside a minivan. So a twin size mattress is not a problem.
Here’s the proof!
The roof on minivans is generally about 50 inches from the floor, so you can also transport your mattress on its side.
Do push the mattress against the back of the front seats. The plastic wrapping will make it slick. If it starts to slide around, you don’t want it sliding forward and distracting the driver.
Any time you transport lots of objects in a vehicle, take care to secure the space behind the driver and front passenger. One hard stop may send your mattress (and anything else that is higher than the back of the driver’s seat) sliding into the driver’s compartment.
Will a twin mattress fit in an SUV?
Yes, a twin size mattress will fit inside most SUV’s. Like minivans, size varies greatly in SUV. With smaller SUV’s you will need to angle the mattress to either fit through the door or lay on an angle inside.
The Ford Explorer, an SUV, has a cargo space of 18.2 cubic feet before the seats are folded down. The space between the wheel wells measures 48 inches and the vehicle has a cargo space depth of 68.5 inches.
The Toyota Highlander, on the other hand, which is a popular off-roading or camping vehicle, has 16 cubic feet of cargo space before the seats are folded down. This vehicle has a width of 45.5 inches at the wheel well.
I know for a fact that a queen size mattress will fit in an suv, so you should be able to fit a twin size mattress in one without hassle.
Video showing the cargo space for the Toyota Highlander: