Body weight - latex vs foam

[phoenix]

Hi swidrosest,

Thanks to all of the info in this forum, I have narrowed down the search for our next mattress to a question of latex or memory foam… but every time I think I’ve decided on one or the other, I read something that pushes me in the other direction. I have tried both, and enjoy them each in their own way, but full latex is pushing my current budget more than I like. However, I have read a few places - not the least of which is a post or two from Phoenix here, pushing heavier people towards latex; at least vs cheaper foam… My understanding is that the sub 4lb comfort foams are more likely to have issues with heavier folks.

While latex foam and memory foam are very different … the choice between them is strictly a personal preference (see post #2 here) … but if you did decide to go in the direction of memory foam and were in a heavier weight range I would lean strongly towards 5 lb or better memory foam unless the tradeoff between durability and “comfort” was worth it to you in a specific mattress.

Given that I’m really only looking at companies that are members of this site, since they have, to some extent, been “vouched for”, I have a reasonable expectation of good quality foam if I go with foam, but there is still a wide variation in the foam used in the comfort levels. There are a number of latex topped foam mattresses available in between the price of full foam and full latex, which I assume would help, if there really is an issue, but I don’t know if there really is.

You can read a little more about a latex hybrid (latex over polyfoam) vs an all latex mattress and some of the issues connected to weight that may be involved in your choice in post #2 here.

So, then, the question: for a 280lb 6’ tall side/back sleeper (sleeping with my 115 pound wife, which does add its own fun to the equation, but let’s leave that off for now…), do I need to pay a lot of attention to whether the comfort levels are foam, or just a little? If I choose foam, do I need to decide on a minimum density for the comfort levels in my searches? I do - as much as possible for somebody new at this - understand the interplay between levels; e.g. if we got a bed with two comfort levels, they’d largely serve as one for me, and a comfort + transition level for my wife - but that doesn’t address the question of how quickly my side of the bed would stop being useful as a sleeping place.

Latex, memory foam, and polyfoam are all “foam” materials so it would depend on the type and quality of the foam you were referring to. All foams have better and worse quality versions that are more or less durable (although there is not really any “bad quality” latex). If there is any lower quality/density foam in the mattress (such as the quilting layers) then I would make sure that it is around an inch or so or less. Once the thickness of any questionable materials in the upper layers are in the range of about 2" or so or more then I would want to know the density/quality of the material. There is more about the many factors that are involved in durability and the useful life of a mattress in post #4 here. You can also read a little more about ways to deal with situations where the needs and preferences of a couple may be very different in the first part of post #2 here.

@ccrain,

Latex and Foam feel completely different to me, especially the non-cooling HD foam which I believe is used in the Tempurpedic Contour and the Select Foam HD series

Latex is as much a “foam” as polyfoam or memory foam. In most cases when people refer to “foam” they are referring to polyfoam which is of course also very different from memory foam. There is also a very wide range in many of the properties of different memory foams that have the same density so Tempurpedic 5 lb (or higher) memory foam may feel and response very differently from another type of 5 lb memory foam even though both of them would be rough equivalents in terms of durability. There is more about the different properties that can be formulated into memory foam in post #9 here and in post #8 here.

@swidrosest

I have not been able to discern a difference in comfort in my in-store testing of various latex and foam beds (i.e. the difference in feel is obvious, but they are both comfortable), but that can be because a: I like the qualities that both latex and foam bring to the table, and b: my in-store testing obviously doesn’t encompass years of use.

Both latex and memory foam can be equally pressure relieving and the upper pressure relieving layers are the biggest part of the subjective “comfort” of a mattress for most people. Both can make good choices for those who prefer either one and if you are comparing good quality latex to good quality memory foam it would really be a matter of personal preference.

if possible… and I have seen a number of posts along the lines of “if your weight is higher, stick to foams > 4 lbs density”. I’m not entirely sure if that’s for durability reasons or collapsability reasons (i.e. a big person on a low density foam will go right through that layer), or some combination of the two… but I don’t hear anything like the durability part of that about latex, really. (Though I do hear the same layering issues; larger people need firmer layers, etc.)

The main reason for higher density memory foam with higher weights would be durability. There is also a difference between how “most” 4 lb memory foams and “most” 5 lb memory foams will feel but this is not always the case. Tempurpedics 7 lb memory foam for example is generally considered to be softer than their 5.3 lb memory foam. I would also avoid lower ILD latex with higher weights for durability reasons as well with the possible exception of thin layers (softness and firmness is one of the factors in foam durability as well)

Hope the links here helped all of you (and that I picked up all the questions) with what can be a “difficult” choice for some people (although it’s a much easier choice for others that have a much more clear preference between latex and memory foam).

Phoenix