Hi burntsienna,
That’s too bad about the odor issue with the topper. I’d be sure to let Tim know about that, as I’m sure he wouldn’t have wanted to send you a topper to test that was objectionable in odor. Unfortunately, not being able to try the item for a long period of time didn’t give you the best chance for analysis, but you did get a bit of a confirmation on what you had experienced in the showroom.
It may end up being the case that you do not prefer the buoyant feel of latex and you may decide to go back to the feel you had before of memory foam. There is also the strong possibility that your current options for customization aren’t allowing you to achieve the comfort you desire, and if you decide you’d like to investigate latex again from another manufacturer you may benefit from a component system with more choices and layers in the 3" range, along the lines of something like this. Manufacturers like this will offer a wider range of latex softness (ILDs) from which to choose, and some even allow for a substitution of a memory foam layer for one of the latex layers in case you wanted to keep some of the feel of memory foam. But that’s just a thought in case you wish to continue to pursue latex. If you do wish to look online, a good place to start is to use the experience and expertise of the members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices. There are a wide range of latex and memory foam and other options included in the choices there and I believe that all of them compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency.
I’m interested to learn if you get a new topper to test of if you decide to make another choice.
Phoenix