Hi ThisGuy,
[quote]What is the general consensus about the Island Dream brand on the site? I found maybe two threads about this brand, both of which don’t include much information. Is this generally a brand one should stay away from?
What about PostureLoft?[/quote]
I would be very cautious about brand shopping in general because you are buying a specific mattress not the brand and most manufacturers have access to the same or similar components and materials. Many manufacturers make a wide range of mattresses that can vary from lower quality and less durable materials to higher quality and more durable materials in a wide range of prices. The name of the manufacturer on the label or the price of the mattress won’t tell you anything about whether a specific mattress is suitable for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or whether there are any lower quality materials or weak links in the design that would affect the durability and useful life of the mattress. There is more about the risks of brand shopping in post #5 here and post #12 here.
In other words I would assess whether a specific mattress would make a suitable choice for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP … that uses materials that are durable enough for your weight/BMI range … and that meets all the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you on a “mattress by mattress” basis rather than on a “brand by brand” basis.
There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
The Island Dreams Wailea does say that it uses a 3" layer of 4 lb gel memory foam which would be a suitable density in your BMI range but it doesn’t mention the density of the polyfoam base layer so I would want to know this before before considering it.
The PostureLoft doesn’t mention any specs about the foam layers so I would make sure you find out the thickness and density of all of the foam layers before considering it.
Without knowing the type and thickness and density of all the foam layers in a mattress it’s not possible to make any meaningful comments about the quality or durability of either either of them.
I would also keep in mind that Overstock doesn’t allow any returns on their mattresses so if you purchase a mattress from them and don’t sleep well on it then you are plain out of luck and the only options you would have would be to add a topper (if it’s too firm because a topper won’t help a mattress that is too soft) or sell it again to someone else at a greatly reduced price and start all over again.
Warranties are also useless with a mattress in this budget range because it would cost you more to ship it back for a warranty claim than the mattress costs in the first place so adding any length of warranty on an online mattress in this budget range is just about about marketing and has nothing to do with the quality, durability, or useful life of the mattress.
I would also be very cautious about the accuracy of the listings on Overstock.
[quote]Would either of these two be anything anybody would recommend? There’s a reason why they’re so cheap, no?
At this point, I’m more concerned about getting a good, or dare I say great night’s sleep for the amount of time I’ll actually be in the van. I’m a side sleeper, I have suffered a broken hip, and have shoulder, and knee pain(racing motorcycles, car accidents, and triathlons). I sleep with a body pillow, and hold that bad boy tight and between my legs as if my life depended on it. My hip hurts if I don’t. I don’t know if that matters, just figured I’d throw it out there.[/quote]
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Again I would avoid any mattress where you don’t know the specifics of the materials and components inside it and I would also be very cautious about any online purchase that doesn’t have an exchange/return policy if it’s not suitable for you to sleep on unless you can either sleep on anything or you are confident that the mattress would be a suitable choice for you because there is little value in a mattress that you don’t sleep well on regardless of what you pay for it.
The “bottom line” is that a mattress purchase from overstock would be a very risky purchase unless you have tried the mattress in person and you also know the type and quality/density of all the materials and components inside it. I would personally look at Amazon before I considered buying anything from Overstock because they at least have a 30 day return policy (although there can be costs involved in returning a mattress on Amazon).
I would personally be cautious using plywood for a platform bedframe because it can bend and warp and even with holes it won’t provide great ventilation under the mattress and if the plywood has any moisture in it then it can create mold or mildew issues … particularly if you are in a humid environment.
There is more information about the different types of support systems (bedframes and foundations or platform beds) that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses and some examples of each of them in post #1 here. Some of the wire grid platform bedframes would probably be worth considering in your budget range and circumstances and there are also some DIY platform bed designs that may be worthwhile considering as well.
[quote]Any input including “you’re nuts dude” is appreciated. lol
And of course, if both of those are unquestionably bad ideas, could you recommend something decent, but cheap!? I’m absolutely not set on foam, or anything in particular for that matter, I’m guessing no waterbeds though, due to weight and I assume they’ll get too cold in the winter.[/quote]
While again it’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for all the reasons I’ve mentioned in this reply and your budget range is also very low even for a mattress that uses reasonably good quality materials … outside of any local options that may be available to you if you are only considering online choices then some of the better quality/value lower budget online options I’m aware of (less than $600 in queen size) are listed at the end of post #4 here although some of them are priced higher than your budget range.
A futon mattress may also be worth considering because they tend to be in lower budget ranges but once again the only way to know how well you will sleep on any mattress or futon will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience. While it’s certainly not a complete list … there are some sources for futons in post #2 here that may also be helpful.
Phoenix