Sheets

Though it’s a plus to have quality dorm bedding that’s both cozy and comfortable, we don’t recommend spending too much on a set. Many dorm rooms come equipped with extra-long twin beds, which measure 80 inches long compared to twin and full size mattresses that are 75 inches—meaning you’ll probably get only a few years of use out of your sheets. There aren’t a ton of good-quality, affordable twin XL sheets out there, and after considering 29 sets and testing six, we think Bed Bath & Beyond’s Heartland HomeGrown 400-Thread-Count Solid Sateen Sheet Set is the best for most dorm beds. These sheets are as soft and durable as sets we’ve tested that cost three times the price. Though they usually come in tons of colors, right now, many of them are out of stock. We’re looking into it and will update this entry when we have more information.

For a fun printed sheet, we like Garnet Hill’s Polka-Dot Percale Sheet Sets because they’re bright, and the color choices will go with anything. We’ve noticed that they’re also more reliably stocked year-round than the Heartland Homegrown sheets. After a full school year of testing, these sheets showed no sign of damage, and our college tester said they were comfortable to sleep on. It took a couple of washes to get them really soft, she said, but eventually they were just about as comfortable as the Heartland HomeGrown (but they cost twice as much). Garnet Hill has frequent sales that bring the price down, and they offer lifetime returns, which might make up for the higher price.

Comforter

Buying a comforter for college is a tricky proposition: If you’re in a dorm with a twin or twin XL bed, you might need a comforter that size for just a few years, so investing in a down-filled comforter (or in another high-quality material, like wool) doesn’t make sense. We like the Utopia Bedding Comforter Duvet Insert, Twin for dorm use. (Although Utopia does make the comforter in a twin XL size, the company’s regular twin size is 88 inches long, so it should fit either size bed.) You may eventually want to transition to a down-filled comforter, so the Utopia is the cheapest down-alternative comforter we recommend. In our testing, we found that it beat out all down-alternative competitors and kept us warm but not sweaty.

Duvet Cover

Our pick Brooklinen Classic Duvet Cover Stylish geometric prints This soft and comfortable percale cover comes in the most stylish and interesting prints we’ve seen. It’s one of the least expensive covers we tried, but it feels like nice hotel bedding. Buying Options Buy from Brooklinen

(twin) May be out of stock *At the time of publishing, the price was $93 .

The Brooklinen Classic Duvet Cover has been one of our absolute favorites since 2016. Made from long-staple percale cotton fabric, it’s one of the most durable, soft, and comfortable options we’ve tested. We’re consistently impressed with its quality and construction—it should easily last through years of abuse during your dorm years. It comes in both solid colors and prints, and the choices are sophisticated, fun, and more modern than most competitors we’ve tried. The patterns do tend to change frequently, so if you see something you like, don’t wait. Although this duvet cover is available only in a twin size, it’s still an ample 90 inches long and should fit an 80-inch twin XL bed just fine. If you want to match your sheets to your duvet cover, or if you’re a hot sleeper looking for a more breathable set of sheets than the Heartland Homegrown and Garnet Hill sets, we also recommend Brooklinen’s Classic Core Sheet Set, which is available in twin XL.

Throw blanket

We’ve spent more than 500 hours researching and testing blankets and another 70 hours on throws, and the Garnet Hill Plush-Loft Blanket and Throw is always a favorite. It’s double-sided, with cool, quilted sateen on one side and super-soft faux fur on the other, which made it the coziest option we tried. The Garnet Hill kept its shape better than the other heavy blankets we tested, and it didn’t pill or snag. It’s also one of the few throws we tried that’s machine washable, and it felt even plumper afterward. We think the throw size of this blanket is perfect for lounging in your dorm room or wrapping up in to watch TV. However, the twin size is only 86 inches long (twin XL beds are typically 80 inches), so as a blanket, it may be on the short side.

Pillow

If you’re looking to buy new pillows for college, we found the Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow to be one of the few pillows in our tests that suited a variety of sleep positions. It’s one of the most comfortable shredded-foam pillows we’ve found, and it doesn’t have a persistent problem with smelly foam. You can also unzip the Easy Breather’s cover and scoop out as much shredded-foam filling as necessary to get your ideal loft; it can be a messy process, but it does let you achieve a precise fit. In our testing, it was most popular with back- and side-sleepers. Nest Bedding offers a 30-day return policy and a two-year warranty on the Easy Breather, one of the shortest return and warranty windows among our picks, but that still gives you plenty of time to see if the Easy Breather is the right pillow for you. If you sleep on your stomach, you might prefer the down alternative Sleep Number PlushComfort Pillow Ultimate, which is also adjustable—our testers preferred its softness, loft, and feel when your face is nestled in the pillow.

Mattress topper

Many dorm beds are hard and unforgiving. The best way to fix this (without ordering your own twin XL mattress) is to add a mattress topper. Most colleges will give you the option of buying an egg-crate foam topper for a few bucks at the beginning of the school year, and we think that’s a great route to go. But if you want something a bit more luxurious, we’ve got you covered. The Sleep On Latex Pure Green Natural Latex Topper is the best mattress topper for people who want foam cushioning but don’t like the characteristic sinking sensation of memory foam. Latex has a texture similar to memory foam, but it’s springier, so your body will rest on the surface without sinking in. Many latex toppers are expensive, but the Sleep on Latex is the most-affordable, well-reviewed option we found. It’s available in three thicknesses and three densities: soft, medium, and firm–offering more levels of customization than any other topper we considered. You can also buy a separate washable encasement for this topper, making it easier to keep clean over time.

Eye mask

If your roommate frequently pulls all-nighters, we recommend the light-blocking, contoured Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask for keeping the light out of your eyes. Out of 11 sleep masks we tested, the Nidra blocked the most light on the most faces. It’s contoured to rest on your face like a pair of soft goggles, with fabric lenses that sit around your eyes (instead of directly on them), providing more space for your eyes to flutter during REM sleep. (And if you wear makeup, Nidra’s elevated eye cups make it so there’s a smaller chance of it smudging during naps.) This design also helps achieve a more lightproof fit on more testers’ faces compared with flatter sleep masks we tested, and the Nidra’s strap is also more comfortable—its wider, temple-to-temple coverage makes it a little more forgiving on larger heads than others we tried. If you sleep on your stomach, or if you try the Nidra and find it doesn’t work for you, we also recommend the Alaska Bear mask.

Earplugs

Disposable earplugs can help block the sound of noisy neighbors or your roommate’s personal business while you study or sleep. We spent about a dozen hours researching earplug contenders and tested three top-rated models before determining that Mack’s Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs are the best earplugs for most people. Their 37.1-decibel noise-reduction rating was one of the highest among the models we tested. The Mack’s earplugs are particularly effective because they stay put once they’re inserted—although one tester couldn’t get them to fit and preferred Flents Quiet Time Foam Earplugs, which reduced noise nearly as well. Other earplugs we tested fell out in the middle of the night, failed to block loud noises like planes overhead, or, in one case, caused a tester’s ears to ache. The Mack’s Slim Fit earplugs had a tapered-cylinder shape that proved to be consistently comfortable and noise-blocking for those in our test panel.

Book light

Our pick TopElek Rechargeable Book Light For late-night studying This light has three brightness settings (with both warm and white lights) and a rechargeable eight-hour battery life, so you never have to worry about running out of power. Buying Options $10 from Amazon

When you’re in college, a reading light can come in handy, especially if your roommate goes to bed early. If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of replacing batteries, and you don’t mind sacrificing a little brightness, we recommend the TopElek Rechargeable Book Light. It’s not quite as bright as the Original Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 we tried, but it’s enough for reading or for using as a flashlight. The TopElek offers three brightness levels, and in our tests, the battery lasted about eight hours on the highest setting. It fully recharges in about two hours when plugged into a computer via a Micro-USB cable. It’s also lightweight, so when it’s clipped on, it won’t weigh down a paperback or a notebook.

Condoms

After we spent 40 hours on research, read hundreds of reviews of more than 50 condom types, interviewed nine experts (including a chemical engineer and two sex workers), and had 40 volunteers try 32 different types, the LifeStyles Skyn condom won out in our tests, for average-size penises. It’s made of polyisoprene, which is hypoallergenic and better at transferring sensitivity compared with natural latex. We determined that next to the competition, the Skyn was more attractive, less expensive, and available in more styles (for example, ribbed, ultra-thin, and large). For slimmer penises, the Okamoto 004 Zero Zero Four was our testers’ favorite condom, and larger testers preferred the LifeStyles Skyn Large. To read more about why we like our picks, see our review of the best condoms.

Alarm Clock

There are bound to be mornings when you need a reliable alarm. The DreamSky Compact Digital Alarm Clock offers a lot for a nice price. It is both an alarm clock and a USB charging station, and the huge display is easy to read from a distance. Also, a wide range of customization options make it easy to set. The DreamSky is not fully battery operated, but two backup AAA batteries keep the time in case of a power outage. There are two USB ports in the back, one to charge most mobile devices with 5 V output and the other to power the clock via USB (or you can plug directly into the wall). If you prefer a different aesthetic, check out the other picks in our alarm clock guide.