DIY Hybrid Help

Talk To The Experts Sleep EZ
1

Hello Sleep-EZ. Thanks for being an active and valuable member on this forum.

Per Sensei’s guidance from my original post ,I could use your help in sorting out my hybrid build.

Sleepers
5’7" 165lb - me
5"4" 130lb - wife

Sleep Style
[strike]20% Side - 80% Back[/strike]
30% Side - 70% Back
Wife will occasionally rest on her stomach, or we’ll be on our side from tossing and turning.

My spouse sleeps hot
I went with latex over coils to help with airflow.

Lower Back/Hip Pain
My current mattress is giving me lower back, hip pain from what feels like pelvic tilt. My butt sits lower than my shoulders and sits lower than my lower back.

I’ve tried a few versions of builds and looking for help on how to evolve.

Version 1:
1/2" HD Foam
6" QEE Bolsa
3" Medium Dunlop - SleepOnLatex 34 ILD (25%)
No ticking as it was a test

This was too springy, my hips sunk too low into latex and overall felt “push back” with not enough support.

Version 2
1/2" HD Foam
6" QEE Bolsa
3" Firm Dunlop - SleepOnLatex 46 ILD (25%)
No ticking as it was a test

This was way too firm for us. felt very supportive in a good way but my shoulders hurt from side sleep. At this point i knew i wanted firm but not so firm…

Version 3
1/2" HD Foam
6" QEE Bolsa
3" Firm Dunlop - SleepOnLatex 46 ILD (25%)
2" 3.5lb Memory Foam
No ticking

As a test, i wanted to see if some inexpensive memory foam would help. It did however it’s really warm and still doesn’t feel “cloud” like or enough comfort for wide sleep.

Version 4 - Today
1/2" HD Foam
6" QEE Bolsa
2" Firm Dunlop - SleepEZ 46 ILD (25%)
2" 3.5lb Memory Foam

Hard to compare to the previous build but the firmness of the 2" latex feels more contouring however stiffer because of the reduction in latex size, i think. The memory foam needs to go bc it’s definitely a lot warmer but is helping with countering.

I wish i had more contouring and more loft beneath me. It still feels a little firm and i wish i had a more of pillowy feel. I don’t might plushness but don’t love sinking too far like mush.

I don’t know where to go from here and would love some ideas. I think i should try another layer of latex on top of my firm layer but latex but uncertain if it should be soft or medium or dunlop or talalay and 1" vs 2".

As a side note, I am willing to eat some expenses as this is a journey and DIY. I am also grateful for great customer support from both vendors i’ve tried so far.

Looking forward to any thoughts. Thank you!

2

Hello AndyC79 and thank you so much for reaching out on this! Please keep in mind that anything you have between yourself and the latex (even your bed sheets) affects the way you sink into the latex, making for a firmer feel. As such, it always make me nervous when someone is making adjustments to a DIY mattress without a cover, because once you get the mattress dialed in, there’s a good chance you have to start all over again once you get all of the layers in the cover. Aside from the materials of the cover affecting the way you contour into the mattress, please also note that right now your top layer of latex has more spatial freedom to hug up around your body a bit, making for an even softer feel, just because it’s not being held down and restricted by the cover. My advice at this point would be to go back to the original configuration that had too much contour, then add a cotton & wool mattress cover to reduce the amount that your butt (your words, not mine!) sinks into the cover. If that’s no longer an option, then I would go with the last configuration, add 2" of medium Talalay over the 2" of firm, then decide on either a stretch cover or cotton & wool cover at that point. We don’t normally recommend stretch covers for latex and coils hybrids because most stretch covers don’t have enough structure to hold the components together properly over the lifetime of the mattress, meaning you might have to realign the components every few months.

3

This is helpful and makes a lot of sense.

At this point, with the 3" Medium Dunlop packaged up and ready to be returned, the easiest thing to do is put 2" of medium Talalay over the firm. However, if you think it’s a wiser option to use 3" Medium dunlop over 2" Firm and 2" Med Talalay, I can do that and absorb some return shipping costs… specifically to you.

As far as ordering ticking or encasements - I held off until now due to advice on this forum to dial in the mattress height before ordering. Is it safe to order something around the 10" size for me and regardless of the route, I could make up the 1" void? My assumption based on your input and a few others is that I won’t exceed 10" total of height.

4

Sorry for the delayed response! I was off for the weekend. I think two 2" layers is just fine, and it does give you some extra adjustability if you rearrange / exchange layers, either in the short term or long term, so I think you’re just fine to return the 3" layer. If you end up with 9" of mattress material in a 10" cover, you can get another 1" of foam to really fine-tune the mattress if needed, or a 1" HD foam layer or 1" coconut coir mattress pad to put under the coils to keep the coils from digging into the cover. I’m assuming that’s what you’re doing with the 1/2" HD foam layer now but this would just be more long-term protection. Please also keep in mind that, if you’re trying 9" of mattress material in a 10" cover, the looseness of the cover will still soften the feel of the mattress, and once you get the cover filled in completely, it might change the surface tension of the mattress, so it’s still a bit tough to know exactly what to expect from the finished product.