HI Daudi, and welcome to the Mattress Undetround 
glad too have you here!
I am looking for a mattress for myself and my partner. We are moving from a furnished to an unfurnished place soon and we want to buy a mattress once moved, since we cant take a mattress on a plane. This means we have a small window to test mattresses out, so I want to get as much of a good idea as possible of what we need BEFORE testing so we can make a quicker decision.
My budget: 2000 Canadian Dollars (will consider stretching if necessary).
I’m 5’9, 165lb, age 31 and she is 5’4, 155lb, age 25.
We’re both 90% side sleepers
Good thinking, doing the ‘leg work’ in finding a new mattress that will be ready for your new apartment! You have a fairly generous budget for your mattress. Keep in mind, any mattress you finally decide on will be based on your Stats (height, BMI, sleeping position(s) and underlying health issues) - thanks for providing those! - and your PPP (Posture & alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). If you haven’t, you may want to read the Mattress Shopping Tutorial as well as the Mattress Specifications You Need To Know and the Mattress Durability Guidelines to get an idea of how different mattress materials hold up over time.
with the BMIs of you and your partner, and no pertinent health issues, you have many sleep system options that can provide both comfort and support…let me answer your questions in order:
Size: King or Super King?
Firmness level: 4
Top layer: 2-3" Talalay Latex (ILD 9-20)
Support layer: Dunlop Latex (ILD 28-35)
While I’m fairly confident that Talalay as a top layer will fit our needs, the layer/s under it I am not. Any suggestions there?
Latex is one of the most durable mattress materials, and you have decided on Talalay latex for a top comfort layer…Talalay and Dunlop latex have quite different feels, and if you’ve been reading the forum I’m sure you have read the comparison: Talalay is ‘bouncier’ and can be compared to angel food cake whereas Dunlop is more like pound cake. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer…either can be used for the lower layers of the mattress, depending on how it feels for you both and how well it supports you.
Is it better to look at local independent places OR a sale (black friday etc.) with some of the bigger brands? E.g Purple, Simba, Temper
The reason we recommend local manufacturers as opposed to the big brands is basically, most of the major mattress manufacturers base their business on ‘volume, volume, volume’. They have large advertising budgets and are aimed at broad demographics for comfort and support options, and they tend to not be transparent with the construction and materials of their components, often using proprietary names for the components themselves - which often make it impossible to assess the durability, and can hide inexpensive ‘filler’ in their mattresses.The salespeople are often given limited info on their products and may not even be trained in how to asssess sleepers needs in any useful way.
They can also offer deep discounts, because again, volume…but if the mattress ‘wears out’ after a couple years, the savings may end up not being savings at all. Not that you cannot find a good mattress from the major retailers, but it can be very difficult to research before you ‘take the plunge’. If the price is ‘too good to be true’…it’s probably exactly that. Sales are also used to clear out old stock before new lines are introduced; price is many times not a good thing to base your purchase on. A local manufacturer looks at satisfying each individual consumer and has the knowledge and experience to assist you in finding a perfect match.Their name ‘rides’ on each and every sale and they can answer questions more fully, and also take greater care in construction than a ‘volume’ manufacturer does.
Size: King or Super King?
Firmness level: 4
Top layer: 2-3" Talalay Latex (ILD 9-20)
Support layer: Dunlop Latex (ILD 28-35)
Most obvious question is are my aims a good match to suit our variables?
Not sure the scale you are thinking of - assuming you mean ‘firmness 4’ with 5 being maximum? A Talalay comfort layer with ILD of 9-20 will be extremely plush, and you both may sink in too far and bottom out on the support layer below which can cause aches, pains and even alignment issues. The Dunlop support layer should be properly supportive, but you may want to consider more of a medium firm comfort layer on top, as you want it to be ‘on the firmer side’. In a properly supportive mattress, laying on your side, your back should look the same as if viewed from behind while standing.
A DIY mattress can certainly give you the ability to ‘ultra customize’ for your specific needs, but it can take a good deal of effort to ’zero in’ on the right combination by switching around, or exchanging layers. Not being confident on achieving your goal with a DIY is a good indication you may not want to wade in to such a project - definitely not for the faint of heart!
One way to proceed would to visit any local showrooms you have access too, to potentially try a few mattresses - Dunlop or Talalay, all latex, hybrid, etc. - to determine what you do and don’t feel comfortable on, which can help you decide on a suitable, similarly constructed mattress online. A good local manufacturer will take you and your partners Stats and PPP, along with what you are aiming for - depending on their experience they can even try to ‘match’ the feel of a big-brand mattress. As far as suggesting where to purchase your mattress, where are you moving to? You are in the UK at present, correct? With shipping costs being what they are, knowing the destination of the new mattress will help us to make some suggestions. How long until you move? Let us know and we can see how we can give you a little guidance.
~ Basilio