Dorm Room Essentials For Boys: Let’s talk about packing boys’ essentials – which means they are moving out to stay in the college dorm. And when it comes to the essentials, they are never-ending because when you have to stay away from your house and your room, you need to pack every single thing of your need.
However, you can’t keep the whole house inside your suitcase, so be selective with your essentials and don’t overload your bag. Additionally, only pack stuff that you will definitely need and not what you might need.
But one more thing you all need to know; packing for a trip is different but packing when you’re moving out from your home is the opposite. What if you forget the essential things to bring with you? It’s like a bad dream, I know, so you all need to make a dorm room shopping list.
But don’t worry, I got you, and I’ve made up a list of the best room essentials for boys, and this list includes all those things which make you feel at home when you’re away from your home. So, please stick with me through the end to know about all of it.
What Should Boys Pack for Their College Dorm Move-In?
If you are going to move into a dorm room, you must be wondering what things you need. Indeed, you will want to make yourself feel comfortable. Add the following items to your list to adorn your dorm room to create a homely environment.
You can decorate your room any way you want, and you can have anything you like, whatever you need. But please keep those things that are your necessity instead of filling your room with junk that you’ll regret later.
I’ve compiled a list of all the essentials you need to take with you before shifting from home to the dorm so that all these questions do not bother you. Check out this quick list of dorm room essentials for guys and where you should buy them.
- Wayfair– Here, you will find all the bedding essentials you’ll need to make your bed.
- Kitchen Essentials– Here, you will find all the tools, accessories, small appliances of kitchen essentials.
- The warehouse– You can visit this website to buy all your electronic essentials.
- Urban Outfitters– They have a wide range of bathroom accessories; you can check out this website for your bathroom essentials shopping.
- Wayfair– Here are so many great kits available for organization tools, do check it out.
- Walmart– You can purchase your School/College supplies from here and many other dorm room stuff including, college essentials.
- Dormify – a pretty cool, one-stop-shop for all the dorm room things one might need.
Bedding Essentials for Dorm Room
Firstly, let’s talk about sleep – everyone needs a nice, warm good night’s rest because believe it or not, your day depends greatly on how you spent your night. Actually, let me be clearer, it depends on how much sleep you got – not how you spent your night.
And getting a good night’s sleep isn’t possible without comfortable bedding.
1 – Mattress Topper:
The standard size of dorm room beds is XL, so keep in mind that you have to buy bedding-related stuff in XL size before purchasing anything.
If you don’t know the importance of a good quality mattress topper! Then it’s time to know about it; otherwise, you’re doing wrong with yourself. Investing in buying a mattress topper is not a bad thing to do. All I can say is that it’s a good and one-time investment and a long time comfort.
2 – Nice and Tidy Bedding:
Bedding is basically clothes for your bed. It’s important to have different options for bed sheets so that you can change them (hopefully every few weeks if not days).
A nice set of bedsheets helps you to have a good sleep at night. The bedsheet fabric matters a lot so choose the best for yourself because unlimited options are available. I would steer clear of white-ish colours as they tend to get dirtier quicker – instead opt for shades of blue, grey and green.
3 – Pillows:
As mentioned above, I’m talking about bedding-related stuff; how can I not mention the “Pillows”?
There are many options out there but, it all depends on you. Which kind of material do you prefer and it also depends upon your sleeping style.
Some people sleep on their stomachs, and others people sleep on their backs; some people like their pillows under their hands and feet, and some of them like their pillows under their heads. So you better know yourself and your choices.
You might even choose to take your old, most loved pillow along – no judgements here!
Dorm Room Appliances You Should Buy
You will need a few home appliances to have everything you need for your dorm room. And trust me, these appliances will save your time and life too. I’m not kidding. They can be a bit costly, but it is a one-time investment. Check out these life savers:
4 – Mini-Fridge:
Schools and Colleges don’t allow full-size appliances, as they will obviously take lots of space, but they do allow their mini sizes, so what are you waiting for? You know you need a fridge so your sodas, soft drinks, and other essentials can stay cool and chilled.
5 – Microwave:
Can anybody compromise on their food? NOBODY NOBODY! I know. We all like our food fresh and hot, and for that, you need a microwave, yes you need it!! Because compromise on food? Haha, is that some kind of a joke?
But also keep in mind to buy a mini-microwave as per the school and college policy.
6 – Coffee Maker:
Everyone needs a boost kick to start our day, and for that, some caffeine intake is required to alert our mind and wake us up from sleep, so it is an essential appliance for the guys, especially otherwise you’re going to miss all of your lectures and keep on sleeping.
This machine will make good tea and coffee for you, and it can warm the water as it is a multi-purpose machine, but you know the size for this too, “MINI.”
7 – Snacks:
There is no right time to be hungry, and it is always possible at any time of the day or night. So it would be best if you guys filled your kitchen with lots and lots of snacks such as chips, popcorns, fruits, granola bars, soft drinks, and instant ramen. Because you may feel hungry in the middle of the night and crave some snacks so get the stock in advance.
Gadgets & Devices You Need for Your Dorm
Besides all the kitchen essentials, what’s the other most important thing in our life? Agree or not, but the second most important thing for us is our mobile phones and laptops. We can’t function without our electronic devices.
We can’t live a single second without our gadgets because the century we live in is all about media and artificial intelligence. Now we are so used to all of it that we need these gadgets around us all the time, so for that, you need these electronic essentials in your dorm room to keep ongoing.
8 – Grooming kit
Hair, beard and skin all need special care in college, whether you like it or not. So pack a grooming kit with all essentials that you might need such as a trimmer, shaving stuff, nail clipper, hair gels, etc.
Of course you can also buy these things after you move but it’s good to have the basics with you as you don’t know when you’ll be able to go out shopping.
To further help you out, here are some Cute Hairstyles for Teen Boys and Beard Styles for Teens.
If you’re short on time, I recommend the above convenience kit for men as it has every item one would need at the start of their college year.
9 – Phone Charger:
As I said, we can’t live a single second without using our gadgets, and when our phone battery is down, then our battery also starts getting down, so we need a long phone charger to keep using our phone when it’s on charge.
Long cord chargers are best to cover the distance from the switch to your bed.
10 – Laptop Charger:
I don’t think so I need to explain anything here; why is this necessary? Because it is the essential end of the discussion, there is nothing more to tell about chargers because we all need them. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to pack an extra laptop charger.
11 – Power Bank:
It is the simplest and easy way to charge your phone, wherever you are. Because it is wireless and you don’t need a switchboard to charge your phone, you can carry it anywhere with you.
It is an on-the-go charging device; you can see different types of power banks on Amazon.
Things You Might Need for Your Dorm Bathroom
12 – Bath Towels:
You can share anything with your roommates but not bathroom-related stuff because it sounds gross. Everybody needs to have their bathroom appliances.
13 – Shower Caddy:
A shower caddy is a tote bag for your bathroom to store all your toiletries together. Because of this, all your stuff stays in one place and does not take up much space. It’s convenient.
Other Important Items for Boy’s Dorm Room Packing List
14 – Hangers and Hanging Racks
One of the things I found most useful during my dorm days was this space saving pants hanger. You can hang a number of pants and jeans on it without taking up a lot of space in your wardrobe. You can also try this similar and very sturdy space saving hanger for shirts.
15 – Air Freshners and Deodorants
Let’s accept it, most of us guys are not very high on hygiene – we’ll try to get away from laundry for as long as possible so try to pack 2-3 good deodorants and air-fresheners so both you and your room can smell fresh in times of need.
My personal recommendations are these anti-perspirent deodorants as they’ve lasted me for a long time and they keep both sweat and odor away for hours.
Apart from air-freshner, I also recommend investing in these bamboo bags and placing them in the room and your wardrobe, suitcase or other storage units (including shoe storage) as they will keep odor and moisture away.
16 – Plastic Storage Drawer Set:
You need these storage drawers because there will be less space for your luggage in a dorm room, and for that, you need to have some extra storage drawers to keep your luggage in place and save the room from being messy.
These storage boxes are for multi-purpose use, and they do not take much space, but they can store a lot of things. Boxes like this can easily be kept under your bed so that they won’t ruin your room view.
17 – College Supplies:
College essentials include all your stationery items, just like notebooks, pens, calculators, paper clips, sticky notes, scotch tapes, scissors, highlighters, rulers. These all are the basic stationaries which you will need in college.
If you are going to college and don’t have these stationaries, what’s the point of going to college? Whether your heart needs to buy it or not, you still have to buy it. And what’s not there to buy? By looking at these cute, eye-catching, colorful stationery sets, who wouldn’t want to buy them? I guess everybody wants.
18 – Medicines:
Take some important medicines with you if needed such as pain killers, vitamins, allergy medicines.
19 – First Aid Kit:
You don’t know when you need it? It is very important to keep it with you all the time.
20 – Clothing Checklist (Printable):
If you’re having trouble deciding what clothing items to pack for your dorm, here’s a very useful checklist:
Note that the items may vary based on weather, for example if your college is in a colder region, you will need lesser shirts and more jackets.
21 – Footwear:
Pack the comfiest pair of sneakers and flip-flops with you and a nice pair of formal shoes like loafers, in case you have to attend some event. If you haven’t tried loafers before, do go through these Men’s Outfits With Loafers.
You’ll also need at least 1 pair of flip-flops or shower shoes.
22 – Journal/ Planner:
A planner journal is a must to plan your whole day; try to write down your schedules, assignments, test and due dates, etc.
Lastly I would say that don’t stress too much about the things you (or your son) will need for his dorm.
It is natural to be nervous about the move and want to prepare everything but no matter how hard you try, you will only find out what you truly need after you move.
And when that time comes, you will have plenty of people around to guide you on where you can get the things you need from. Best of luck for the big move, make sure you enjoy this time!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What clothes should freshman boys bring to college?
You need to bring decent jeans, shirts, t-shirts, sweats, pajamas, pair of comfortable walking shoes, some formal clothes for events and most importantly don’t forget your inner garments that’s necessary too and try not to overdo your dress, keep it casual, simple, and nice.
Q: How many clothes to pack for college?
Don’t bring bundles of your clothing, try to avoid putting unnecessary clothes in your suitcase which you’re not going to wear, pack according to weeks, I will suggest bringing only two weeks of clothes 7 8 shirts would be enough and 2 to 3 jeans. Don’t let the space of your room only be filled with your clothes. It will look messy.
Q: What are the top 5 things a boy will need for college?
Top 5 things for a guy would be his electronic gadgets, clothes, backpack, college supplies, kitchen appliances to make quick food.
Q. How do boys decorate their dorm room?
Boys don’t usually work too hard on decorating their dorm rooms – at the most, they will put up a few posters, a flag and perhaps their caps. A neon light, however is a pretty cool addition to dorm room decor these days as it makes your room unique and awesome.
