Hi Jiggerjuice,
[quote]Let’s say I wanted to get a new mattress. I’m seeing all these beds with all their layers of foam… Latex mattresses are just way too expensive. However, I envision a 3" thick latex topper as being “good enough”. But what to put it on? I can swing another 200 or 300 bucks on a foundation mattress, but which one? I see all sorts of foam mattresses on Amazon, but they all seem so shady. Can I just shove a latex topper on top of a foam mattress, or should I get some superfirm coil mattress to have the latex topper on?
- Can I get a cheap coil mattress and shove a latex topper on it and have it be nice and latexy for, say, 5 years.[/quote]
You can see my thoughts about the risks of buying a mattress/topper combination where you can’t try the combination in person in post #2 here. The three biggest issues you will face are …
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Even a firm base mattress may have too much lower quality materials or foam in the comfort layers which can soften or break down too quickly and become a weak link in your sleeping system … even underneath a topper.
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The cost of a mattress/topper combination can be more than buying a comparable mattress that already includes similar components that already include the same comfort layer (and don’t have the lower quality materials which also adds to the cost … and the risk).
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If you can’t try a mattress topper combination in person then choosing a topper that is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) on a specific mattress for a specific person can be almost as difficult as buying a mattress in the first place.
If you do decide to go in this direction then I would buy the mattress first and then post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to can help you use your actual sleeping experience as a reference point for choosing a topper that has the best chance of success.
The topper guidelines also include a link to a list of some of the better sources for latex and polyfoam and other mattress components that I’m aware of.
[quote]This thing looks sweet, but I can’t figure out how to get one:
www.kymdan.com/[/quote]
I don’t think they are available here … although other similar mattresses with a 6" Dunlop latex core would be.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of for lower budget online latex mattresses and latex hybrids are listed in posts #3 and #4 here. While you can find a latex mattress in this budget range … it will tend to include thinner layers of latex than latex mattresses that use more latex in their design and may be a better match for you in terms of PPP.
[quote]I’m not sure why just having bigger polyfoam bases would make any difference in comfort, like say in the 10 inch to 15 inch range. Like is there any difference between 5" and 8" of polyfoam base?
- Why is thicker layers of high density foam base better or worse? Does thicker/denser base foam extend the life of the mattress?[/quote]
The thickness of a mattress is just a side effect of the design and by itself isn’t particularly meaningful because whether a thicker or thinner base layer would be better or worse for any particular person will depend on the specifics of the material (type, firmness etc) and on the other layers in the mattress. Thickness is only one of many specs that are used to make different mattresses that perform and feel differently and that makes a mattress suitable for one person and not another. The thickness of a mattress or of individual layers doesn’t necessarily make any mattress better or worse … it’s only one of the specs that affects the overall feel and performance of the mattress. There is more about the effect of thickness in post #14 here. Regardless of how thick or thin a mattress may be … the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase is how suitable it is “as a whole” for your body type, sleeping positions, and preferences in terms of PPP.
You can often find a polyfoam mattress in a local foam shop. Tuft & Needle sells a firm polyfoam mattress and Dreamfoam also sells their 12 in 1 customizable mattress which has 3 layers of polyfoam as well. Even if you did this though you wouldn’t have the same mattress as the Dreamfoam (or another similar mattress) because all the layers and components of a mattress including the type of cover and quilting it uses are all part of the feel and performance of a mattress and you would need to “match” every layer in terms of the type, thickness, and firmness of the foam and all the other components of the mattress including the cover for it to “match” another mattress.
[quote]
I’m thinking about getting this topper:
www.mattresses.net/3-inch-latex-mattress-topper.html[/quote]
This is certainly a good quality/value natural Dunlop topper and Mattresses.net are one of the topper sources that are linked in the topper guidelines. It would be a good choice if the thickness and firmness level was a good match for your specific needs and preferences on a particular base mattress or with the right firmness polyfoam layer underneath it with a suitable cover.
As you can see from the earlier information … this would entirely depend on the specifics of the mattress and what was in it and whether there were any lower quality materials in the mattress and also on how suitable the combination was for you in terms of PPP. In theory … if you buy a combination mattress and topper that don’t have any weak links and is a good match for you in terms of PPP then yes it would be possible but it may cost you more than some of the other alternatives that are available to you.
Phoenix