Latex mattress that I can fly with?

[phoenix]

Hi basily,

I’ve eliminated Dreamfoam, because, in their latex queen mattresses, they all seem to big and heavy, and there are no friends driving down any time soon.

This would probably depend on which specific mattress you were considering (they make many mattresses). Talalay latex in lower firmness ranges is actually lighter than 4 lb memory foam and some of them would be inside your weight restrictions (although you would need to check with them about the size of their mattresses after they are compressed).

From what they told me at Casper, the Casper easily fits in under my 70lb, 62" limit. I’m both concerned and intrigued by their combining latex with memory foam though. On one hand, it sounds like it could be a perfect combination, on the other hand I worry about all the bad stuff I’ve heard about memory foam; feeling stuck, and possible off-gassing.

Unless you have unusual health issues or sensitivities (such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) there wouldn’t be any “safety” issues with any materials that were either CertiPur or Oeko-Tex certified. While the type or combination of materials in a mattress is always a personal preference (materials that one person’s favorite may be the least favorite for someone else) … you can really only really know how you feel about different materials or combinations of materials or how well any mattress matches your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on your own personal testing or experience. When you can’t test a mattress or at least a very similar mattresses locally then more detailed conversations with a knowledgeable retailer or manufacturer is the “next best way” to decide on which choice would be best for you in terms of PPP (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

One thing I’m a little puzzled about is their use of 1.5" of “New Zealand Zoma Wool” in the cover. Doesn’t that take away from the latex feel? Doesn’t that trap heat? On the subject of heat, I’ve alternatively read that latex sleeps cool and that it traps heat - which is it?

Wool is among the best temperature regulators of all the materials used in the industry which is why it’s used in both desert and arctic environments (although in different thicknesses). Latex in general is the most breathable of all the foam materials (polyfoam, memory foam, latex foam) but natural fibers are better at temperature regulation than any foam because all foams have insulating properties to different degrees. There is more about the tradeoffs involved in a wool quilted cover vs an unquilted cover where you sleep more directly on the latex in post #6 here. There is also more about the many variables that combine together in a sleeping system (including any mattress pad, mattress protector, and your sheets and bedding) that can affect sleeping temperature in post #2 here and the posts it links to which will also explain why you see so many different opinions about the sleeping temperature of the same materials or even the same mattress.

By the way, the one Mexican seller of latex mattresses with an online presence that I could find has me a little puzzled in how and what they are layering:
www.feeltex.com.mx/

They stack layers of latex (no mention of what type, except “natural”) with henequen (was universally used to make rope before the invention of nylon) or coconut fibre layers.

I can’t read the website because I don’t speak Spanish but from what I can see in google translate it looks like they are using some type of natural Dunlop latex that is sourced from rubber grown in Mexico. The Coconut Fiber is coir (see post #6 here) which is a rubberized fiber that comes from coconut husks. You can see some pictures of it here. It is a good quality material that is very firm and is often used in firmer support layers of a mattress. The henequen is most likely the source for a viscose/rayon type of fabric (see here) that is used in the cover. Bamboo, Beech trees, Eucalyptus trees and many other plant based cellulosic sources can be used to make different types of viscose/rayon fibers as well.

Phoenix