If you like to spread out, wouldn't wider make more sense than longer? The other issue with a CalKing sized mattress is fitting the bedding. In general, while fitted sheets are made in the CalKing size, everything else is just king which can be problematic as they are often too short. Of course, if you will have a foot board, that won't be as much of an issue.

We went from queen to king about 12 years ago and would never go back...love the space. Our dear friends, married 35 years, slept in a double until a year or two ago...I can't even imagine!

We have a California king because my husband is 6'5" so his feet hung off a queen and king. We love it. I also like that it isn't quite as wide as a regular king. I have ca king sheets but regular king duvet and comforter.

It is worth it for us to have it comfortable for him and we will never go back. But if you don't need the length you could just go with a regular king.

King and queen are same length, different width. Ca king is narrower than king but longer than both.

We have a king size bed. I adore it. So does DH. I also like to spread out when sleeping (mainly because I'm constantly looking for cold spots, haha.) I don't think you could talk me out of my king size bed. I really think that you will love it.

Good luck!

for us it boiled down to the availability of sheets my hubby is 6'3'' so longer would have been nice but you can't buy California King sheets any where around here so that made our decision for us.

We have a king. DH is 6'2" and has never complained about it being too short. We love having the extra width to spread out. A queen just isn't comfortable for us.

I have been debating between replacing our queen mattress with a new queen or a king sized one.

I browsed at one store and mentioned to the salesman that my parent's bed has indents where they sleep and a big section between them that is higher up. He said that always happens with king sized mattresses when there are two people sleeping on it. Can anyone here confirm if they have had the same problem? I hope you don't mind my asking this question in your thread, Fun2BHere.

I would not choose a California King mattress unless someone exceptionally tall will be sleeping in it. Most people, even tall people, don't need such a long mattress and it will be difficult to find sheets to fit.

Edit to add- I just did the math and a king and queen size mattresses are both 80" long. That's 6 feet 8 inches long - plenty long for most people.

Do a google IMAGE search for the words: mattress size chart.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mattress charts

This post was edited by newbuyer2007 on Sun, May 26, 13 at 23:54

We have a king size Tempurpedic, and we love the width - especially with cats sleeping on the bed with us :) However we didn't know at the time that A. California king is longer - we would have liked that as DH is tall and B. in our area it is very difficult - if not impossible - to find "regular" kind bedding it's all California king (which makes sense I guess as we are in CA).

We have a king and love it...as katlan said, I'm always looking for a cool spot. As for whether it develops a hump in the middle--No, ours doesn't. Perhaps that's due to quality if that happens? Ours is not new, but was expensive when we bought it--pillowtop on both sides (which I'm not sure is even made anymore), and we rotate sides, plus have a 2" memory foam topper we use. Even when we stay at 5 star hotels with luxurious bedding, our bed feels fantastic to come home to. I've heard that if your bed develops a hump in the middle that you can beat it out by hitting it with a baseball bat. (I haven't tried this personally.) :-)

I have relatives who have a CA king because they wanted that little bit of extra length because he's tall, and their bedroom width also worked better with the narrower bed. I think it's not super critical whether it's CA king or king since either one is more roomy than a queen.

I have a 6'4" husband, a regular king, no lumps or valleys in the mattress. I thought valleys/lumps were just indicative that (any size) mattress was too old and needed to be replaced. I'm disappointed when we travel and we can only get a queen because it seems too small. A real first world problem!

The two times in my life when I was mattress shopping, I don't remember even seeing any cal king beds. My husband fits comfortably on our king but we don't have a footboard. I prefer the look and he doesn't feel closed in.

I'm another one with a tall hubby (6'4") and we've had a CA King for 25 years. It gives us the extra length without the massive look of the King, and is still plenty wide. Our MBR is on the smaller side, so this is important. CA King linens are widely available online so that's never been a problem.

We have had both sizes of king beds. My DH is 6'6" but had no problem switching to a regular king. It fits in our bedroom better and sheets and comforters are much easier to find.

Thanks to all of you for your input. I am definitely getting a bigger mattress as I too need lots of " cool spots" and more room! My dh is 6' and I'm 5'2" so we don't need the Cal. King really with the extra length. It just may work better with my nightstands, so that one won't be jammed up against a side wall. Lots to think about. Thanks so much.

I'm 5'7" and I really appreciate the extra length of the california king. Anytime I sleep on a Queen or a king my feet always end up touching the bottom edge for some reason. It could be because I don't like sleeping right up to the top of the bed either.

I have no issues finding sheets or a bed frame. However the selection is much less than it is for a regular king. If you are comfortable with your current length of the queen then I'd go for a regular king. Nice to have that extra space.

We have a Cal king in our guest suite because my stepson is 6'8 and my oldest friend is 6'7. They love the extra length of the bed when they stay here but our shorter guests love it too. Many of them have commented that it is the perfect width.
I have had no problems finding CK sheets as I usually order them online. I also have 2 sets of CK Spalena microfiber sheets.

Mattress peaks and valleys are natural, due to compression of the mattress materials over time where people sleep (and where they don't). The quality of mattress affects the rate of compression, but all mattresses ultimately succumb. It happens quicker for king size mattresses with couples because there tends to be more space between them that never gets slept on.

Rotating and flipping the mattress can help even out the compression valleys, but many mattresses are one-sided (pillowtop, etc) and that limits the variations.

A regular king size mattress is only 4" wider than it is long. We bought a non-pillowtop mattress so it can be flipped. We also rotate it 90 degrees every month, giving us eight mattress orientations to help even out or avoid compression valleys. We don't rotate the box springs. When the mattress is "sideways," only 2" overhangs the box springs on each side. It's actually not noticeable unless you look carefully. Neither of us is so tall to miss the 4" of length when the mattress is "sideways" either.

A California king is 12" longer than it is wide, making a 90 degree rotation pattern impossible. Just another consideration.

I've had both and I think a queen size bed is cozier.

This post was edited by zen4d on Thu, Mar 13, 14 at 18:25

DH & I have a Tempurpedic king mattress. We foster Basenjis--a breed quirk is that they LOVE to be warm & sleep with the rest of the pack, so at any given time there areÃÂ ÃÂ 2-6 dogs under the covers with us. I'd say stick with a queen if you don't have cats, dogs, kids or a supersize hubby hogging the bed. Otherwise it feels like your spouse is on another planet! 'Course, some days that's a good thing...

1) Kings are a LOT more expensive. If you get queen size, you can invest in a great quality mattress for the same price as a bargain bsmt king.Maybe the reason you "need space" is cuz your existing mattress is uncomfortable for you?

2) King bedding is a pain: more expensive, limited selection, never on sale and NEVER wide enough! With a queen, you can buy a king quilt or comforter to use as a bedspread and end fights for the covers.

I recently inherited a beautiful bed and moved DOWN to a queen mattress. I love that sheets are cheaper, the bed is easier to make, to clean under, etc. but it is awfully close. We both have to roll over at the same time, and if he goes to bed first I always have to wake him to move over. Sometimes it is just too hot to cuddle all night!!!!