Posted this in the general forum, but figured I may get better responses here:
Me: 5’7", 205 lbs - side sleeper, primarily on right side (but usually end up partially on stomach/side due to hip and shoulder pressure) - also, almost always end up sleeping with right arm extended under pillow
Her: 4’11" 175 lbs - side sleeper, starts out on her back and then switches sides all night
Neither of us have any underlying diagnosed medical conditions causing pain… I have issues with shoulder pain, she has issues with hip pain…
Current mattress - King Koil Laura Ashley Audrey Firm with 1.5" memory foam topper since its always been too firm
So I’m thinking we may want to try a DIY hybrid pocket coil/latex setup this time around. I’m thinking of using the Quantum Edge Elite Bolsa 8" from Arizona Premium Mattress as the base… From what I understand, this is non-zoned (which I think may be a good idea given that she is only 4’11 and I am not the tallest at 5’7"). For the next layer, I was thinking of either 2" or 3" on Dunlop from APM (Medium, ILD 28-33) or from Sleep on Latex (Medium, ILD 34). For the top layer, I was thinking of either 2" or 3" in either Talalay from APM (Plush, 20-24 ILD), Dunlop from APM (Soft, 19-22), or Dunlop from Sleep on Latex (Soft, 20 ILD)
I would likely wrap everything up with the Bamboo-Wool zippered cover from APM. I wanted to know how my proposal sounded… I’m probably most unsure of the thicknesses of the transition and comfort layers… Would 3" transition and 2" top comfort be a better approach?
Mattresses we’ve tried previously and results (much of this detailed here years ago - https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/switching-from-air-to-brooklyn-bme-questions/59585 ):
Brooklyn Bedding BME Medium (2015) - I believe that was 7" HD foam with 2" middle dunlop layer with ILD of 28 and a 2" top talalay layer with ILD – that didnt work out as I often felt like I was bottoming out on the mattress and developed lower back pain. We were both happy with pressure point relief on it though.
Personal Comfort Air Bed - I replaced the comfort layers with 2" SOL Dunlop (30 ILD) and 2" SOL Dunlop (20 ILD) - we were generally happy with these comfort layers as well – but it was impossible to dial in the air mattresses for a good support layer without either being too soft (develop back pain) or too firm (develop pressure point pain)
Novosbed Sonata – Returned, too firm
Novosbed Aria - Kept to use in guest bedroom, but ultimately dislike of memory foam was main reason it got moved out of the room.
Side sleepers do like it on the softer end of the scale so you picked the perfect coil. Talalay latex also works better because it’s less dense and conforms to your body curves better than dunlop so you definitely want 3" of #20-24 on top but I would also recommend a 2" Talalay #25-29 as the transition layer. Alternately you could use dunlop in it’s place. This should end up being just what you are striving to achieve.
Do you have any thoughts on reversing the thicknesses of the transition and comfort layers, i.e. 3" of either dunlop or talalay as the transition layer, and then 2" of the #20-24 on top? I only ask because of my tendency to start sleeping on my side, and then twist my spine (i.e. upper body ends up mostly on side, stomach and legs end up almost flat against mattress) - my concern there is maintaining enough in the support sections.
Thanks again for all your help. I think I will try your suggestion with the 2" for the medium and 3" for the soft.
I had two more questions. First, the Quantum Edge Elite coils at 8" Quantum Edge Elite Bolsa, DIY Latex Mattress Components – references both the 6" and 8" coils, which one is it?
Second – to pull all of this together, assuming the coils are 8" – I should be ordering a 13" cover, correct?
Hey RickNY!
I was wondering if you have received your order or an indication of when it might come in. I have placed 4 calls to APM and have left messages beginning 5 days ago. I am wary of ordering from them if they are currently having issues with customer service. As I understand, they are a great company, but I’m wondering if they are having internal issues that will affect my trying to order from them.
I had no problem at all reaching them via the chat feature on their website. I was told the current lead time on all mattresses and DIY parts was currently 4 weeks. I ordered on 10/1, so that’s about what I expected.
Sorry if you had difficulties getting through. We are extremely busy and our customer service girl was out all of last week but is returning tomorrow to catch up. Like Ricky said, the chat button as I usually can get back to you much quicker via chat.
So, we’ve had two weeks or so with the new mattress. We’ve made some changes, as the initial configuration with 2" medium transition layer and 3" plush layer ended up being way too soft and caused us lower back pain. I wanted to try swapping out the middle 2" medium Talalay layer for a medium Dunlop layer, and initially I did that with a topper from Sleep On Latex. That still ended up being too soft for us, and I ended up putting the 2" medium Dunlop in the middle, and the 2" Arizona medium Talalay on top. We’ve had several nights of this, and this appears to have resolved the issue of lower back pain - and we’re still soft enough for pressure point relief.
With that said - my original configuration was for 13", and now I’m down to 12". The cover is just a tad loose, and was thinking of just ordering a 1" queen foam topper to go between the Bolsa coils and the latex layers. Any suggestions on what will have the least impact on overall feel and heat retention? I’m looking at either a 1.8 lb/ft3 HD (35ILD) or a 2.8 lb/ft3 (35lILD) at the moment.
Thanks
Rick