Are you aware of any manufactures that offer this type of setup?
We are looking for a new mattress our stats are as follows:
Side and back sleepers
6’2" 170 and 5’6" 130
prefer soft yet supportive Cal King bed. Thinking a 3" soft top but unsure on the recommended ILD’s for our stats. If an air base layer is not available what would your suggestion be for the ILD for the base in Latex?
Plushbeds Air Mattress with Talalay
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I may have answered my own question. Plushbeds offers the exact product I was looking for.
I was going to go with Sleepez or AZ premium mattress but they would tax an Arizona purchase. The price is slightly higher than a latex base but I am leaning this way unless someone can convince me that the latex line is superior to the air core that comes with 4 zones.
Hi Kopavi,
While I am not a fan of airbeds for the reasons discussed in this article … there are at least some better choices including latex comfort layers. Some examples of either part latex or all latex comfort layers in various airbeds includes (and this is not a comprehensive list) …
https://www.isleep.com/ made by Land and Sky and latex is an available choice
Just for reference … some other manufacturers that don’t offer latex comfort layers but do offer memory foam and/or HR polyfoam or conventional polyfoam and may also be worth looking at for those that are looking at airbeds are …
http://www.selectabed.com/adjustable_air_beds.htm
https://www.naturalform.com/ (unusual because they use SAT or Self Adjusting Technology)
myergobed.com/index.php Also sells the SAT bed (Naturalform) with a longer free trial and a more customized customer service approach.
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http://www.boydspecialtysleep.com/airbeds.html (keep in mind that “engineered latex” is not latex but polyfoam)
http://www.watermattress.com/airbeds
http://www.strobel.com/airbeds.htm
The two largest brands are …
These are both owned by Select Comfort and I would tend to avoid both of them.
I would suggest using personal testing to get a sense of the latex ILD that may work for you because there are just too many variables (different thicknesses and ILD’s of comfort layers will affect the best choice for a base layer etc) to make specific recommendations for any individual. This is best done by the actual manufacturer of a mattress or a knowledgeable salesperson who is much more familiar with how all the many components of their specific mattress may interact together with a particular individual.
There are some general guidelines regarding height and weight here and regarding different sleeping positions here as well as how the different ways of layering a mattress can affect pressure relief and support in the “putting the layers” together overview here and the sub pages that lead from it.
In general though the subject of ILD and layer thickness and all the other many variables that are involved in how all the layers and components of a mattress work together and affect each other and also how they may interact differently with each individual is an incredibly complex subject and it’s usually far more effective to let a knowledgeable manufacturer make these types of recommendations rather than try to figure them out yourself because they have the long term experience and customer database that is connected to their specific mattresses to be able to translate some very complex and interactive “specs” into meaningful information that most consumers can understand without being overwhelmed.
The specs that I would pay the most attention to as a consumer are the “essential” specs about the quality and type of materials used and the overall material content of the mattress. The “performance” specs which involve the design theory and layer thickness and ILD and all the other factors that are part of the design of a mattress are usually best left in the domain of a manufacturer or knowledgeable salesperson except for learning enough of the basics that can help a consumer ask better and more meaningful questions.
With a reference point of specific feedback about a mattress with a known construction that performs and feels a certain way … it’s much easier to share ideas that can adjust what someone is experiencing on that mattress but making suggestions without a specific reference point is more a matter of giving guidelines that work “on average” for many people but may not apply to any particular individual or mattress.
Phoenix
Thank you so much! We are retired, seventy-five years old. I had thought we should get an air mattress for two reasons: 1) to avoid the necessity of rotating a heavy king-size innerspring, and 2) so it would be light enough I could change the bedding easily by myself. I would have bought a basic Sleep Number, but my spouse, wisely, would not pay that much money. We have looked at Select Comfort in their L.A. showroom, and have watched You-tube ads on Innomax and Boyd. We like a firm feel & dislike the feel of sinking-in that memory foam usually provides. At the same time, I greatly fear (perhaps unreasonably) pillow tops that have too much fiber which will compress and leave a body impression. I am attracted by a six chamber air bed, otherwise Innomax would likely be our choice. I am writing to thank you for the list above. This gives us more to choose from. We would not have been able to easily locate these sites on our own.
Thank you also for the list of mattress companies that you have invited to be associated with your site. There are four I noticed in Phoenix, though I have not checked them out yet. Though not likely, it is possible we will end up with innerspring and latex, or just latex. It may depend on how heavy they are. It is scary to buy a mattress online without trying it out.
Incidentally, since I was going to be in VA in May, I thought I would check out the store in Newport News, VA that has the You-tube ads for Innomax and Boyd air beds. My husband noticed an online ad offering the store for sale. Disappointing. I had so hoped to actually try out those two mattresses, or a lower priced version, from those companies. I don’t know the status of the store.
Thank you again for this site!
Hi pesmith,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! 
I’m glad the information here is providing to be helpful as you search for a new mattress.
You’re wise to compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials in the comfort layers of any mattress you choose. Whether or not it is a pillowtop (pillowtop is just a tailoring process and not an indicator of the softness, quality or specific materials contained within a mattress), you’ll always want to find out the information listed here so you can compare products to each other and evaluate them independently.
You are lucky, as there are quite a few good retailers and manufacturers in your area (as you’re already aware). I’ll be interested in learning about what you find and any decisions that you might make, or of course questions you may have after your search.
Phoenix