Hi wsmith,
[quote]So, now I’m thinking of another possibility, keeping your advice in mind. Plan C is to keep my current mattress which is a SleepLogic Refresh firm, put 2" of the same latex as is in the Forever Plush on top of the mattress, and put on top of the latex another topper of the same quilted poly cover that is on the Forever Plush. So, the comfort layer would be identical to the Forever Plush. The differences would be the mattress/innerspring and the fact that the latex and poly quilt layer would only be on the top, not on the bottom as in the two-sided Forever Plush.
As I write this, I’m already pretty sure that your response will be that those differences could be enough to significantly affect the feel of my Plan C as compared to the Forever Plush, but I can’t help myself! I feel like I need to consider all the possibilities before I commit to spending $1000 on a mattress.
If you have any other suggestions, I would be very happy to hear them.[/quote]
If your current mattress is in relatively new condition and there is no sagging or soft spots across the sleeping surface (either virtual that you would feel when you sleep on it or visible that you could see when you aren’t on the mattress) and the only issue is that you need some additional softness then a topper can be a good solution and post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to can help you choose a topper that would have the best chance of being a suitable choice on your current mattress.
I would keep in mind that all the layers and components of a sleeping system will affect every other layer so the same topper can feel different on one mattress than it will on another (depending on the mattress) and a topper can also feel different when it is inside the cover and is part of the mattress itself than it does when it is used as a separate topper (see posts #3 and #4 here and this topic).
It probably wouldn’t be identical because of the differences between the quilting materials and the quilting pattern and possible differences between the latex as well (you may not be able to find the same type and blend of latex in a 2" layer) not to mention the differences that you may feel because of the differences between the materials and components that would be underneath your toppers. The only way to know how close you came would be based on your actual sleeping experience.
If you are considering a topper and your original mattress/topper combination worked well for you and your needs and preferences haven’t changed over the past 9 years then it may be worth considering a new topper that is as close as possible to the one you were using unless you think that a different type of topper would be a better “match” for you.
Phoenix