Help in Paradise

[phoenix]

Hi davidj,

As you are aware, the options in Hawaii are limited. I am wiling to go the DIY route. Do you have any recommendation on which of the vendors you list ship to Hawaii without more than doubling the cost?

You’ve probably seen this but just in case … the members here who sell online are listed in post #21 here. I don’t know which of them ship to Hawaii or the cost involved but a few quick calls to the ones that are most interesting to you should quickly find out … and it would be great if you could let us know the results for others who in Hawaii who have the same question.

The wife and I have been sleeping on a Springwall Chiropractic with a 3" Talalay Latex topper (5lbs/ft^2, ILD 24 or 28, don’t remember).

If this is really 5 lbs/ft3 it would be much firmer than 24 or 28 ILD (Talalay in that ILD would be less than 4 lbs). I don’t know what else would be in this mattress (either over or under the latex) but if you are right on top of the latex then it could give a good sense of the comfort layer ILD you would do well with. 24 would be soft and 28 would be in the range of medium.

The best I’ve found locally so far is the Island Dreams Aolani at Slumberworld. Here are the specs they gave me
1.2" super soft foam
3" natural dunlop latex 5lbs/ft^2
2.5" memory foam 4lbs/ft^2 (yuck!)
2" natural dunlop latex 4.4lbs/ft^2
4.75" HD poly support base 2lbs/ft^2 non-woven

Unfortunately I can definitely tell it has the memory foam layer.

The memory foam would change the feel of this mattress compared to latex alone so this really isn’t a good design to use for comparison purposes because of the way the memory foam will change the feel of the latex and you wouldn’t really know how much of what you are feeling is the latex or how much is the memory foam. I personally like the “latex over memory foam over latex” feel (although not as much as all latex) but of course all of this is personal preference.

We also looked at the Aireloom Verbena and Serta Verismo but their materials looked even lower quality.

Interestingly enough … the Verbena here doesn’t seem to contain any polyfoam according to the description but according to a salesperson there it may (see post #2 here). I would check the law tag on the mattress to see if there are any lower quality materials but if it is in the range of 8 to 9" and is all latex it would be surprisingly good value for an Aireloom mattress.

If I go the DIY route, do you have any suggestions on configuration to most closely match the firmness/feel we currently have? (e.g., 3" layers of ILD 36, 28, 24). Since I am not looking for super soft, should I care whether it is dunlop or talalay? Is there a covering that is better for warm humid climates (e.g., wool or something else)?

You haven’t given me much to go on but based on the limited information you provided and because you were quite happy with it … I would tend to use the Springwall as a reference point (assuming that the top layer was the latex and your ILD information is close) and go with atop 3" layer in the same ILD. I would go with layers underneath this that were height/weight appropriate. The manufacturers you work with will give you suggestions here that are most appropriate for their particular designs as long as you let them know your “stats” and the other information they would need to make good suggestions). If you have tested and slept on Talalay and like it … I would stick with what is familiar to you at least in the comfort layer (24 - 28 ILD).

The choice between Dunlop and Talalay is really a personal preference with Dunlop feeling firmer in the same ILD (because it gets firmer faster with compression). Talalay also feels more “lively” than Dunlop. If the Verbena is all Talalay latex then this would be a good reference point for how a Talalay latex core feels. You can read a little more about Dunlop vs Talalay in post #7 here which may also help you choose between them.

I would be surprised if most of the listed manufacturers didn’t ship to Hawaii at a reasonable cost but of course there are advantages to a local purchase if that’s possible and the “local premium” isn’t too high for the type of mattress you want. If you are not confident in either the layering of your old mattress or don’t have the chance to test latex without "“other” materials that would change its feel … then I would go with the more general suggestions of each manufacturer based on more detailed conversations with them and on their suggestion for the “average” choice for your height and weight.

Phoenix