Hi mattressgeek,
[quote]I can’t really figure out what the cover is made of…except that it’s washable and there is no layer of wool. Not sure if this will make the mattress sleep hotter. Not sure what ILD the layers are.
Phoenix, I get the sense that you feel there are more reasonably priced choices for the same construction. What other choices to I have?[/quote]
You can see the specs of the PLB Nature here. The details of the cover are here.
In general there are 3 ways to buy a mattress and each person may be more comfortable with one or the other of them based on their risk tolerance or the parts of their personal value equation that are most important to them. One is making a purchase of a local mattress that you have carefully tested and are confident that is a good match for you in terms of PPP. The second would be an online choice where you use your local testing and any other information that may be helpful to choose a mattress from an online retailer or manufacturer that you believe would be functionally similar to the one you tested in terms of PPP (and in the case of a latex mattress this may be a component mattress where you have the option of choosing the firmness of one or more of the layers). The final way would be a complete DIY mattress where you buy the exact same materials and components (or as close as you can) and put the mattress together yourself. There is more about these options in post #2 here.
There is also more about the different ways that one mattress can “match” another one in post #9 here and the posts it links to.
If the PLB Nature is the best of your local finalists and you are confident in your testing and are most comfortable with buying the actual PLB Nature vs a different mattress then post #32 here includes several PLB dealers that can ship across the country that you can use for value comparisons (make sure you call them because the listed prices for PLB are controlled and may not be the actual selling prices).
If you are comfortable with an online component latex mattress that would be similar in terms of PPP but may not be exactly the same and where you have the option of customizing the layers both before and after a purchase if you need to then I would consider some of the manufacturers or retailers that are members here that sell latex mattresses online. There is a link to a list of them in the tutorial post.
If you are comfortable with the additional risks of a complete DIY mattress and any extra research, testing, or trial and error that may be involved along with any extra costs involved if one of your layers needs to be changed for something else (if there is no refund policy) then a DIY approach may be the best approach for you and the component post here has some of the better sources I’m aware of.
The PLB Nature uses blended Talalay. You can read more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.
You have lots of good options … but which one is “best for you” really depends on which direction you are most comfortable with.
Phoenix