Why have UK standard single bed lengths never increased?

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

All the young people these days are so tall! DS1 is 6ft 3, he can never comfortably fit in a standard single bed if it has a footboard. DS2 will be over 6ft as well. The average adult seems to be getting taller, judging from when I was a dwarf at 5ft6 in a crowd at an event which consisted of 20 somethings.

If Ikea standard singles are longer than standard UK ones, how come standard UK ones have never increased? I assume the standard has been around a long time, way back when adults were shorter?

As for standard caravan single beds....forget it once your child is about 12.....

DS1 was 6' at age 12 and eventually 6'2, DS2 is 6'4". I got each both a double bed when they were around 11/12.
You need to avoid bed frames with footboards, in a divan they can hang over the edge.

[quote Shmithecat2]**@Sunnysal* @BarbaraofSeville* @Foobydoo

IME, I stood out 30+ years ago, and I still do now - I've rarely seen a woman taller than me, ever. And the averages that I posted just show that the average height certainly hasn't grown that much, hence why beds aren't made any longer - because for the massive majority, there is absolutely no need.[/quote]
I agree that as a 6'3 woman, you are unusually tall, but I still disagree that the average UK woman is 5'3'', that has to be an out of date statistic, depending where you look it's more like 5'5 and there has definitely been a significant increase in the number of women who are 5'8 and above over the last 20/30 years.

But to answer the OPs point, Ikea beds are slightly longer than standard UK ones, and the lack of a footboard, and not having the end of the bed up against the wall or other furniture will make a lot of difference to the comfort of taller people.

@SweatyBetty20

Related to this, why do womens shoes usually only go up to an 8? People are getting taller but shoes aren’t getting any bigger unless you go a specialist. I’m only 5ft6 but take a size 9 ( had a tall mum and average sized dad) and I have found it an absolute nightmare trying to get women’s walking boots. I’m a 9 in length but a man’s size 9 boot swamps me volume-wise.

And I have a 6ft4 boyfriend who struggles with the length of my bed!

Me too re the shoes. Weirdly I can slight more easily find women's shoe that are for work etc but for walking shoes/ boots/ trainers I have a lot of difficulty finding women's shoes bigger than a size 8 . All my walking shoes and trainers are mens ones which have their own issues but at least I can get them on !

You don't seem to see 3/4 beds these days - same length as a double, but 4ft wide rather than 4 ft six. We had one at home back in the 1980s. I think my mum used double bedding for it (flat sheets). Just about big enough for two people but better as a spacious bed for one.

It strikes me they'd be a good option for a tall teenager, giving the extra room but not taking up as much space as a double.

When I was a kid/teen (80s/90s) neither me or my friends had double beds. Everyone had single beds or bunk beds. My DC have single beds but a few years ago teen DD told me all her friends had doubles and then reading on MN it seems very common for even very young kids to have a double bed. I must have missed the memo somewhere!
We are all small to average (a standard double is fine for me and DH) so not cramped in traditional length beds and I dont want to buy bedding for, change, and launder bedding for 2 extra doubles

DH is 6ft 4. We have a Super King, which is amazing. But for the first few years we were together we were in a standard double. I've no idea how we managed it now; when we go stay somewhere else that only has a double, it feels so tiny! I guess we were still in that lovely dovey cuddling while we slept phase whereas now I need my own space and do not want to be touched while I am sleeping

Oh and I only ever had a single as a teen. Only one of my friends had a double and it was a double high sleeper too - I was in awe of it! But that was unusual. All my other friends just had singles.

@SquirryTheSquirrel I had a 4ft double until just recently, the bedroom in my flat is small so when I moved in on my own and single it was a good way of squeezing a bit more floor space.

Then 6 foot 2 DP moved in and we managed for a year in it (very cosy!) before getting a proper double. The small double has gone to a friend who's just moved into a flat with an equally bijou bedroom!

The population as a whole isn't getting taller.

@SweatyBetty20

Related to this, why do womens shoes usually only go up to an 8? People are getting taller but shoes aren’t getting any bigger unless you go a specialist. I’m only 5ft6 but take a size 9 ( had a tall mum and average sized dad) and I have found it an absolute nightmare trying to get women’s walking boots. I’m a 9 in length but a man’s size 9 boot swamps me volume-wise.

And I have a 6ft4 boyfriend who struggles with the length of my bed!

I have exactly the same problem with shoes!

As for beds, I bought my dc their “forever beds” when they were 9 or so, the same bed each time, and had the option of 6” wider and 6” longer than standard, which I took, and bought bottom sheets and mattresses to fit from the same shop (children’s bed centres).

Do longer mattresses exist? Or anywhere that makes matters extensions?

DC1 is 6'5" and still growing so we're thinking of making an extension on the end of his bed, we'd just need the mattress to match.

Actually I've just googled and there are a few about.

@SweatyBetty20 @BikeRunSki

All of my ‘active’ shoes are from Columbia. I’m on my second pair of walking boots and have some great walking shoes. The 9 is a decent 9 (not an 8 in disguise) and aren’t boat-like as men’s shoes can tend to be.

When I was a young teen with size 8 feet (early 90s), size 8s were few and far between. I'm a large 8 though, so 9s can be better...if they can be located, as per pp.

I'm 5'11" and there were 3 of us in my year who were around the same height (the other 2 were taller than me) at secondary.

I do tend to see more taller girls these days, I think. Though plenty of shorter ones too. I still think shorter must be the majority as you can buy a petite range off the peg in most shops, but tall people are often limited to online shopping. If we were the majority, I'm pretty sure that would change!

[quote Letsnotargue]**@SweatyBetty20* @BikeRunSki*

All of my ‘active’ shoes are from Columbia. I’m on my second pair of walking boots and have some great walking shoes. The 9 is a decent 9 (not an 8 in disguise) and aren’t boat-like as men’s shoes can tend to be.[/quote]
Surprisingly, active shoes are not a problem. I have leaver over the years that Scarpa boots and Brooks running shoes fit me well- Brooks do a ladies 9 and sometimes bigger!

As a civil engineer I spend a lot of work time in wellies abs safety boots padded out with a few insoles. The rest of the time it’s Clark’s brogues.

It’s “pretty” shoes, for dressing up, going out, weddings etc that I struggle with.

I imagine because bigger beds wouldn't fit in a lot
of bedrooms. A friend of mine has recently moved into a new build and the bedrooms are tiny compared to the older houses in our area.

@BikeRunSki @Letsnotargue

It's funny, I had a pair of Scarpa B2s (suitable for crampons) and unless I doubled up with thick Bridgedale socks, my feet rattled around in them. Sold them on ebay for nearly as much as I paid for them, and had a fitting at Mountainfeet in Marsden where we established that La Sportiva do shoes for skinny feet, so I now have B2s, summer boots, trail shoes, and climbing wall shoes, all La Sportiva. Agree that Columbia now do good 9s, as do Salomon and Hanwag, but I had to try on a hell of a lot of brands to find that out. Boyfriend was similarly trying to find a new pair of boots in a size 14 and I think the woman in George Fisher in Keswick hated us by the end, but she did get £450 worth of sales out of us!

The organisation I used to work for (governing body) were members of the Outdoor Industry Association, and we hosted a meeting dinner for them once, which I had to organise. They invited me to eat with them - 20+ members, all male, from places like Ellis Brigham, Blacks, Cotswolds, Mountain Equipment. I did raise it with them (when would I otherwise get an opportunity to?!) and they just couldn't get their heads around why a men's 9 wouldn't necessarily fit a women's 9. Apparently most are now made in Italy to the Italian industry specification.

Re "going out shoes" - I don't wear them much these days but I've noticed Asos have started selling some styles in a size 9 if that helps anyone?

@SweatyBetty20, you must live near-ish me if you know Mountain Feet! DH worked in outdoor retail for several years and was a boot fitter at a Peak District outdoor shop. He has very high arches, boot fitting is his thing. About 20 years ago we spent a wet day in Chamonix trying on every boot of different makes to work out what worked best for me (they each use 2 or 3 lasts) - dh understood what the code stained on the cuff/box means. I’ve been a Scarpa B last girl ever since (b last, not b1/b2 crampon comparability). My current Scarpas are only a few months old, but I’m going for Altberg made-to-measure for my next ones (would have done this time, but I desperately needed new boots during lockdown).

Going out shoes don’t feature highly in my lifestyle either. I have a pair of wedges that civet must eventualities. I’m 50 now. I’m thinking I might just get silver birkies, embrace my inner hippy and be done.

@BikeRunSki I'm in Chadderton, so Mountainfeet is just the other side of Saddleworth from me. I'm not a dog person but that guy has such a sweet little collie. I know there's also a good shop over in Whalley but haven't checked that out yet. Didn't realise Altberg did made to measure - will have to look into that. Doesn't help that my right foot is a good half size bigger than my left. I'm 49 and was trying to tick off all the Wainwrights before I was 50, but Covid happened and we weren't allowed to travel, so the target is now before I'm 51, hence the new Hanwags which are tres comfy and have stopped my toe jamb. I have to do the remaining 139 fells in about 22 months.

Two years ago I bought a pair of rose gold (I know) Birkies - the ones with the soft footbed. I have LIVED in them through lockdown, to the point where I put a pair of my proper shoes on for my brother's funeral a few months ago and my friend asked "why are you walking so weird?" Took them off and went to the funeral in my shiny Birkies! My bro would have approved, I think. Link below if you're tempted :-)

www.birkenstock.com/gb/arizona-natural-leather/arizona-metallics-naturalleather-softfootbed-eva-w_10544.html

My teens are both over 6 feet so I had to get a 7 feet long bunk bed.

There is so little choice that their room looks like they live in a submarine - huge, grey and not very stylish bed.

@SquirryTheSquirrel

You don't seem to see 3/4 beds these days - same length as a double, but 4ft wide rather than 4 ft six. We had one at home back in the 1980s. I think my mum used double bedding for it (flat sheets). Just about big enough for two people but better as a spacious bed for one.

It strikes me they'd be a good option for a tall teenager, giving the extra room but not taking up as much space as a double.

You can get them from Argos. DS moved into an unfurnished rental and bought one of these, it's noticeably smaller than a double.

Women are three inches taller than 50 years ago according to this
www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/womens-body-changes-1957-self-image-fashion-weight-health-sizes-positive-a7633036.html

Men 2.5.