am a 5ft 7 strict back sleeper 196lbs fairly muscular and have wide large hips and shoulders 41in chest 18 in arms and a 33in waist I am wanting to try Texas pocket springs would you recommend 14.75 or 15.5 I have had an all latex build and found it way to rigid and pressed up uncomfortably on my back causing upper back pain. I loved the feel of latex as a comfort layer. So I will plan to use either a 2/3 inch medium layer on top of the coils
I want to see if a combo of latex the coils will finally get me a good night rest. I am getting good alignment and my body aches are better but damn I’m waking up constantly due to firmness of the intense pushback
I plan to get stretch cover premium cover from pocket spring store and one of their Texas pocket spring units. And he’ll even the micro coils seem awesome
The mini coils are awesome. I’m 6’0" 215 pounds and have the 14.75g, quadmini and use a 2" layer of soft latex on top. I do sleep good on it but I think I would rather have the 15.5g coil base. For reference my nest and wild mattress has the 15.5g but has less coils than what they sell for the diy models. Meaning it’s even softer and he still recommends it for up to 245 pounds.
I have a hack for you btw. Use TMU10 at engineeredsleep.com on their toppers and you get an already sewn up version of whatever you want to use.
So what I would do is put the 15.5g quadcoil and quadmini in an 11" encasement, then you can make that into a modular mattress using different toppers depending on what feel you want.
In my opinion, having your base too firm doesn’t make sense. It removes the total conformity of the bed and forces the responsibility into the comfort layers. That’s one reason I like my nest and wild hybrid a lot, the springs are a touch soft but with the foams it all works together very well. I’m not trying to push that bed on you I just like it a lot
I just really think I’ve decided I like the modular idea. You have your medium-firm springs and use whatever topper you want.
That’s really helpful information. I think I will go 15.5 and use one of my three inch layers to start. If I need a bit more something I will put the quad mini inside the case and use a 2-3inch on top. That’s kinda what I was leaning towards anyway to be honest.
Why do you wish you got the 15.5 is it just a tad to firm and feels like it’s pushing back up on your body causing pressure point pain? That’s what I’m dealing with now and want to avoid it
That’s good to know because I’m 5ft 7 196 pounds arthritic and muscular and want some flex in the bed. The current all latex build is way way dense and pushing back up aggressively and causing discomfort so I think this is the right move. Start with the coils and latex and add quad mini if needed I also plan to get the stretch cover from pocket spring so it has a nice compartment to house the coils and allows some stretch in the comfort material so it does feel like a tight drum
Yep latex feels like that because it’s literally rubber. I like the springs because they’re equally responsive. They do still have some bounce but it’s moderate while latex is high.
Had a 30 minute conversation with an amazing gentlemen named Matan at Texas pocket spring. I am going to go with 14.75 and get their premium stretch cover and rock the medium 3in inside to start
Well that’s gonna be pretty firm but he is smart you might like it. When I had the quadmini with the 14.75 and a medium Dunlop on top it was too firm for me. Hope what you pick works for you though it definitely could and you could add softness on top. Id rate the 15.5g at a 6.7 and a 14.75g at an 8 firmness
I think I made the right decision… Worst case I scrap my partner’s Sleep Number bed that she really doesn’t like anyway and use one of my covers from my latex set up and give it to her with the 3 inch soft latex
I will come back here and give me thoughts and opinions I’m gonna start with the 14.75 and the 3 inch medium for a few nights and see how I adapt.
Worst case I will use the 2in Dunlop in its place AND if it’s to firm overall the 3 and 2 OR get the micro coils Matan was raving about and then get a small pad to mark the metal coil. Many options to choose from.
I did spend about 4 months sleeping on a yoga mat and folded up blankets and got great sleep. Yet was bitched at to get back into a “bed” by my partner so got the latex and now I’m trying this.
I just thought I would chime in here for a quick opinion.
At close to 200 lbs and sleeping strictly on your back, I wouldn’t be worried about the 14.5 gauge being too much, especially with 3" of medium Dunlop on top (2" may feel a bit firmer). That should give you plenty of compliance while the coils provide the support underneath.
If you were going with firm Dunlop, I’d be more inclined to soften up the spring unit and use the 15.5. But with medium, I think the 14.5 is a very good match for you.
I’d almost be tempted to put a 2" wool topper over the whole thing too. As a back sleeper, that could fill in those minimal voids around the lumbar/hip area and add some pressure relief without introducing a bunch of extra sink or pushback. You should give it time once you have it set up, as jumping onto a brand new system needs time for the foam to relax a bit and your body to adjust, so do not be in a hurry to start swapping layers. The biggest issue that many folks run into is making the assessment that their mattress it too this or that without actually giving it a chance to break in. I like a wool topper here too as wool will maintain heat neutrality, reduce some of the pushback feel of the latex, and mold to your body a bit.
I think this has the makings of a combination that has a lot of potential.
Thank you very much for your input Maverick. That is funny you bring that up because this was actually something I was thinking about doing. I wanted to first test the medium 3 inches on its own inside. The premium stretch cover from pocket spring with the 8 inch 14.75.
Then my thought was if after a few weeks, I feel like I still need a little something. I’m either going to get a one or 2 inch wheel topper to soften things up a bit with the latex.
And if I’m still not liking the latex very much, I plan on getting the 3 inch quad mini coils, and then putting the topper over that to minimize the coil feel
Just out of curiosity, do you have one that you recommend will topper wise like Sonoma wool company or shepherds dream or perhaps something a little less expensive?
Mine was from Natural Felt before it was sold and became Oregon Natural Fiber Mill, but they are quite pricey. 3" Organic Wool Heavyweight is close to $900. 2" would ne considerably less. Check with @Shepherds_Dream , @TheCleanBedroom, @OrganicBedroom and possibly @PlankAndCoil. I have purchased products from Sonoma Wool and they are very nice folks.
You just want a quality one otherwise you will be buying one again in a couple of years.
Thank you so much. I will check these out. I do appreciate that. I think I went down the wall rabbit hole like a year ago and Frankenmuth. Wool mill was one I was looking at and it’s like $300 for the twin XL, which is not a bad price.
I’m a strict back sleeper, 5’7", 196 lbs, fairly muscular with wide hips and shoulders (41" chest, 18" arms, 33" waist). I previously had an all-latex build and found it way too rigid — it pushed up uncomfortably on my back and caused upper back pain, even though I loved the feel of latex as a comfort layer.
I’m now considering a Texas pocket spring build with a 2–3" medium latex layer on top of the coils, hoping the combo gets me better rest. My alignment and body aches have actually improved on the latex build, but I keep waking up because the pushback feels too intense/firm.
I’m planning to go with a stretch premium cover and one of the Texas pocket spring units — possibly with the micro coils on top, which look promising.
Would you recommend the 14.75" or the 15.5" unit for my stats? Trying to figure out if the taller unit would give a softer initial feel or just more total travel before bottoming out.
I have the 14.75g base with the quadmini (a medium firmness transition layer) and a 2" layer of latex/memory hybrid foam that is very soft (14ILD)
If I were to use only the 14.75g coils with medium latex on top, I would not feel comfortable because the 14.75g is firm. That is just my experience though so others might feel differently. It’s an 8/10 firmness, and their 15.5g is a 6.5/10 while their 13.5g is a 10/10. One member “JayinSeattle” who I recommended the 14.75g to said it was too firm for him in his naturepedic EOS diy build. Which was surprising because I was sure he would be in the zone of needing the stronger gauge springs. So it seems like which coil to use is very preferential.
Then you can search on reddit about it and another guy with the same stats and similar body construction (timbuktree) as me says he sinks in too much with the 15.5g, while I don’t feel like I had an issue with that..well, I don’t on the nest and wild and it has a softer version of the 15.5g.
When I used a 2" layer of medium Dunlop (29 ILD) on top of the quadmini I was annoyed by the resilience and pushback…though I do sleep very well on the 14.75g+quadmini+2" very soft. It is still a firm setup but somehow even my girlfriend who is 105 pounds likes it a lot too. It feels like the quadmini and top layer is doing most of the work though so if I were to try it again I think I’d use this cotton encasement Amazon.com for the coils alone (the 12" works for the 11" of coils without needing to add anything) , id personally do the 15.5g instead with the quadmini and then the same top layer. Though my preference is for a little more give, but supportive at the same time.
Just an observation from the nose bleed section of the bleachers.
Let’s just clear one thing up here. Generally speaking, and with many manufacturers, a thicker-gauge wire is going to tend to produce a firmer spring or I should say companies align their support firmness characterization with the guage of their spring being used. A lot of the DTC mattress companies seem to follow this general philosophy when they spec out their coil units.
But I don’t think we should treat coil gauge as a direct indicator of firmness. The height of the spring, number of turns, diameter of the coils, amount of preloading in the pockets, coil count, and the overall construction of the unit can all affect how those springs actually respond to a load.
So while you might generally expect a 13.5g coil to be firmer than a 14.75g, and a 14.75g to be firmer than a 15.5g, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will feel that way in every mattress or for every person.
And I think this is where some of the confusion comes from when people compare their experiences with different coil units ie. quad coil design vs standard x&y row pocketed design
. Two people can have very similar builds and come to completely different conclusions about which coil is “too firm” or “too soft.” The coil itself is only one part of the equation, and the layers above it can have a huge influence on what you ultimately feel.
That’s also why I think coil selection is much more preferential than people sometimes make it out to be. So, yes, generally, when most mattress manufacturers use a thicker gauge coil with the intention of that mattress have a firmer support system, but in the overall scheme of things, it is a bit more nuanced than that.
Interestingly enough, my mattress uses a 13.5-gauge, 6" coil unit, 36 ILD HD polyfoam, and a 50 ILD quilted cover. I also have both a 3" Firm Talalay latex topper and a 3" organic wool topper. Right now, I’ve removed the wool topper because it made the bed too high, but I’d bet the mattress has a similar feel to yours. Of course, I also have my CozyPure Baa-Noodle pillow in my pillow rotation. Enough about me.
I think your combination will work fine. Just be certain your CozyPure has enough fill and isn’t too soft, causing you to sink too much. I needed to add some fill to mine, and once I did, it became very comfortable.