Help picking a bunkbed mattress for my cabin.

Just joined this site today. I’ve been looking for a few weeks to find info on buying a mattress for a bunkbed in my cabin, the more I look, the more confused I seem to get. It will be used about 25 nights a year so it does not have to be top of the line and I will probably be sleeping in a sleeping bag on top of the mattress. The mattress should be about 6" thick. What do you suggest to get and where to purchase? Thanks for any help.

Hi Polaris,

You haven’t provided much information to go on but the first place to start your research is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Because you will only be using your mattress for a very limited amount of time each year it would probably be fine to choose a mattress that used lower quality/density materials than I would normally suggest if you were using the mattress on an ongoing basis (see the guidelines here) but I still wouldn’t use materials that are less than about 1.5 lb density for polyfoam or less than 3 lb density for memory foam. Of course if your budget allows it then any type of latex would be fine.

There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to make specific suggestions for someone else for a mattress that would be a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or theory at a distance (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here) and looking for a mattress that is only 6" thick is also somewhat limiting but if you can provide a budget range and let us know the types of mattress or materials that you tend to prefer sleeping on then it would be easier to at least provide a starting point.

The tutorial post includes some links to lists that include the better online options I’m aware of and post #4 here also includes some lower budget options that would be worth considering as well. A thinner futon type mattress may also be worth considering and there are some options for some of these in post #2 here. If you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

Phoenix