Bunk Beds for Adults
Published November 1, 2011 | 
Most of us associate bunk beds primarily with kids sharing a room but, if we think some more, we know that they are often used by grown people, most often in millions of college dorm rooms and military barracks all over the world. Still, with the worldwide economy in what we might politely term “a state of flux,” bunk beds for adults are going to become increasingly common.
In the United States, the large amounts of student loans and the poor job market are driving more and more graduating college students to return to the nest. So, an ever growing number of brothers and sisters might well find themselves bunking with each other or even, perhaps, other relatives as well. Not that there’s any shame in that and certainly not that there aren’t lots of fine bedding options available. In fact, while the traditional twin bed over twin bed remains the bedrock of the bunk bed industry, so to speak, we are seeing more and more creative combinations involving full size mattresses either used together (i.e., “full over full”) or in combination with twin sizes. Usually, of course, the twin size is on the top for reasons having to do with safety, gravity and physics.
What we’re curious about, however, is how full over full bunk beds for adults are being used. While those of who remember the 1970s might go to a slightly naughty place imagining possible sleeping arrangements, we’re sure these are primarily used by very large families, where the kids might well be sharing a mattress. Though it’s now rarely done, there was once a time when living standards in the U.S. were low enough that it was once standard practice for, not only siblings, but male or female roommates to share a single bed, and then often a twin. (History buffs will note that this has, among other things, led some probably false theories about Abraham Lincoln’s personal life, due to his sharing a bed with his best friend, Joshua Speed, for several years.) For the sake of the bed industry and the sake of those of us whose roommates might be in the habit of kicking in their sleep and hogging the blankets, let’s hope that the present economic situation doesn’t drag us back quite that far.
