Hi DIYJoel,
The closest factory direct manufacturers that I know of within reasonable driving distance of Gulfport would be some of the manufacturers that are in the Baton Rouge/Lafayette, LA list in post #191 here or …
http://www.mermat.com/ Factory direct manufacturer in Meridian. They make a range of traditional innerspring mattresses including two sided using better quality polyfoam (1.5 and 1.8 lb generally) but they also make other mattresses including latex hybrids and microcoils which may also be of interest.
Some of the local retail outlets that carry some alternative brands that may have some better value in either memory foam or latex (or at least may be good for testing purposes) include …
http://www.beddingplusmattress.com/ Gulfport, D’Iberville, Slidell, Covington, Hammond, MS. Carry Jamison which make a range of high quality latex and latex hybrids that can be good for testing latex and other mattresses that in some cases can be better value (depending on the price at the outlet). They also carry other types of Jamison mattresses as well.
http://www.graysfg.com/ Gulfport, MS. Carry sleep-Designs but no latex.
http://www.roomstogo.com/index.jsp Chain store (which means be careful here and make sure you can find out the quality/density of the materials in their mattress). They carry Therapedic but no latex.
www.furnituremarts.com/ Covington, Hammond, LA. Golden, Restonic.
If you wish to use any of these for testing either memory foam or latex … I would definitely phone first and “interview” them along the lines of this article to make sure that they are able or willing to tell you the details of the layers in their mattresses and to give you a sense of the level of service and knowledge you could expect if you visit them. The specs for Jamison are on their site.
While none of these are likely to be in the same value range as the online manufacturers I listed earlier … there may be some surprises or they may just be good testing grounds.
This is not at all uncommon and is often the result of testing for somewhat vague and subjective ideas of “comfort” in the highly managed environment of most mainstream mattress outlets. If instead you spend enough time on a mattress that you are seriously considering (at least 15 minutes) making sure you are fully relaxed and your muscles have “let go” and test more specifically and “objectively” for pressure relief in your most pressure prone position (for most people on their side) and for alignment in all your sleeping positions and also test for any preferences such as motion isolation and freedom of movement etc … then mattress testing can be much more “accurate”. It’s especially important to make sure that you are fully relaxed and so that as much as possible the mattress does all the work rather than any tension in your muscles so that you can sense any areas of pressure or tension while you are testing. It also helps to have someone else make sure that you are in good alignment because this can be more difficult to know for yourself except for any obvious tension in your muscles which are trying to hold up the parts that are sinking in too deeply.
Most full latex cores range from about 5.5" - 7" so this would be the “norm” for the thickness of a support layer (or combination of layers). Polyfoam would be similar. There are no specific rules here though and it will vary with the design and layering of the mattress and with the body type and sleeping style of the person. Heavier weights may need thicker layers to accommodate the extra weight. With basic and less complex types of construction though … in the range of 6" for a support layer would be fairly typical.
Phoenix
