I think I need to learn more about layering. I have read some stuff on here. I think I want a progressive design with something like 12 ILD then 20 then 30. I haven’t had luck with latex, memory or HR foam. Feedback? Thickness of layers? Where to buy?
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i got anxious and tore off the top 1.7 and metal 2 loop springs. I’m about to use that 2" 30 ILD under my 4" 5lb 12ILD from foam factory. hmm maybe i would just a top layer of memory foam followed by other foams
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If the Helix with the microcoils was not comfortable, I would have just returned it. What is interesting is since I have the Luxury Firm, same upper layer and microcoil layer, just a 52 ILD base and for me and my wife 6’ 220 and 5’4 135 respectively, we love the feel, and it is not too firm. I would have tried the luxury plush, but that seemed like it would have been to soft.
Perhaps you should have just flipped it first and placed the 30ILD base on the top then microcoils and had the 12ILD top act as a transition layer between the mattress and topper.
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i did do the luxury plus with the 12ILD on top and the 30ILD on the bottom
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I migrated to recommending simple soft foam and standard polyfoam. Especially with a complicated situation. It’s a pain in the butt to move around a bunch of full size toppers. If you order a few layers of 1" super soft foam and polyfoam, you can arrange it however you want.
I do not like the smushy feel of memory foam, and i don’t think i enjoy the buoyant feel of pure latex either. Memory foam feels under responsive and dead, and latex feels too alive.
This is why i like recommending either hybrid foams, standard foams, material layers like wool or cotton, or the quadmini spring.
It seems many underestimate standard foams. I like it because it’s neither overreactive or smushy. It just is what it is, either soft or firm.
Yes, I knew that, since you bottomed out on the 12ILD top, you should have flipped it to see how the 30ILD would have felt on the top. I was saying that for me, the luxury plush would have been too soft.
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i gather you got these from foam online. How durable are they? I tried to google polyurathane. I guess that was what they used to use for couches before this whole debacle in quality. Dunno if it’s the same stuff. I want my old bed and couch back dang it
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Foambymail is the site. I don’t worry about durability since they’re only $20 per 1" and if you get 5 that’s enough for free shipping
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So after tearing about the helix and using only the 30ILD layer, I put it under my 5LB 4" 12ILD foam. I just bottomed out on the 30ILD and that felt like a table. I got problems. I’m still desperate. I ordered a 2" Talalay 19ILD from Latex Mattress Factory. I was hoping that even though I don’t like the pushback of latex, it might stop me from feeling i’m bottoming out through the 4" 5LB 12ILD layer of memory foam. I also ordered a 2" 5LB 12 ILD layer from foambymail. I guess I still need a middle layer? I dunno. Any suggestions?
update. Ordered 1" of serene and 2 inches of serene. Ugh, I might be going from the ground up instead of relying on this Bedgear bed as a foundation
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At this point, I think the most important thing for you to do is stop adding more soft material and simplify the build. At 185 lbs, stacking 4–6 inches of 12 ILD memory foam is almost guaranteed to let you sink very deeply before you engage real support. When you finally hit the 30 ILD layer, it will feel abrupt and “table-like,” even if you’re not truly bottoming out. That sensation is usually a lack of progressive transition, not a lack of softness. Before introducing any more layers, I would scale things back to no more than 2–3 inches of comfort material over the 30 ILD layer and test it that way for a few nights. This will tell you whether the core is actually inadequate or whether the issue has been too much ultra-plush foam on top.
I would also strongly suggest testing the 30 ILD layer directly on a solid surface (even the floor) to rule out any flex or inconsistency from the Bedgear foundation. If the feel changes noticeably, then the base is contributing to the problem. If it still feels overly firm with only 2–3 inches on top, then what you likely need is not more 12 ILD foam, but a true transition layer in the mid-20s ILD range to create progressive support between plush comfort and firm core. Right now the goal shouldn’t be chasing softness, it should be building a stable support structure and then fine-tuning pressure relief from there.
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I like that, but i can’t seem to find foam in that area. So far, I have this idea;
- comfort layer - 2 inch 12 ild memory foam or 2 inch 15ILD memory foam or 3 inch 15ILD memory foam or 2 inch serene foam (all ordered)
- transition layer - 2 inch 19ILD talalay (ordered) or some sort of 20 something ILD foam
- support - Bedgear or diy foundation or 30 ILD from the Helix topper or HD36 foam (2 inch HD36 ordered and 1 inch ordered)
I did try the 30ILD on the floor. I guess I mostly went through it. This supports your idea of me just having too much comfort layer making me think i’m bottoming on a hard surface. .
I don’t trust the bedgear’s longevity even though I believe it to be ok for now. I see people using 6.5 or more inch spring foundation. I have other bedrooms. i could do a full diy in one of them.
I don’t know if I have that luxury. My fibromyalgia is pretty picky. I’m lucky to sleep, but I’ll do what I can to try 2 or 3" comfort over the 30ILD.
Everything I’ve bought in the last 1.5 years that is remotely soft has seemingly collapsed in a few weeks. That’s including what I thought would be a nice idea of HR foam (3 inches of ILD 28 high resiliency and 3 inches of 34 ILD high resiliency.)
Thanks for the time you’ve spent and the patience you have.
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