Latex mattress that I can fly with?

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hello, I’ve been reading and skimming the website and forums for a couple of months now and have to really congratulate Phoenix on a really amazingly informative and unbiased resource. This here is truly a gift to humanity. Thank you Phoenix!

So, on to my question. I am looking for a new mattress that’s larger (queen vs full) and more comfortable (I’m looking to spend around $1000) than my current mattress, which will be relegated to the guestroom. I am intrigued by latex.

Here’s the catch. I live in Mexico, and while I do have the means to buy a mattress in the US (either online or else locally in the Bay area), it needs to be small and light enough to fly with. I am limited to 70lb and 62 linear inches. So far, I have found that the Casper qualifies, and was disappointed to discover that the Dreamfoam beds are too big (even though one of their more basic models does fall within my 70lb limit). I also travel frequently to Canada to visit family, so I could purchase there, but on the surface it would seem that’s a more expensive option.

Of course, ideally, I would buy in Mexico and save all the trouble, but from what I’ve seen, options are limited (for latex) and it’s hard to get detailed information regarding what’s in the mattress in terms of materials and density, as well as toxic flame retardants and toxic off-gassing. I will keep searching though.

Besides Casper and Dreamfoam (which I’m only likely to buy if a friend drives down and has a LOT of extra space in the car!) I’m also considering a firm, simple locally bought foam mattress with a latex topper, or perhaps a Tuft and Needle Five (if within flying size limit, not sure yet) with a latex topper.

I’m also considering Factory Mattress in Pickering, which I could even physically visit on my next trip to Toronto. I called them and they seem eager to help and even to look into the potential of vacuum packing a mattress down to make it smaller (so long as their latex manufacturer doesn’t recommend against this), but at present I’m having a difficult time pinning down what I should be asking them for amongst their many varied options.

I’m about 5’9" and 160lb and my wife 5’8" and about 150lb. We’re both athletic and tend to sleep mostly on the back or side, and occasionally on the front.

I appreciate any and all help.

2

Hi basily,

Unfortunately I have no knowledge of the Mexican market so I would be of little help there although I’m certainly happy to share my thoughts about any mattress you find there if you can find out the specifics of what’s inside it.

The tutorial post includes this link to some of the members of the site that sell latex mattresses and latex hybrids online that may be helpful and some of them may be able to ship to Mexico which means that you wouldn’t have to fly with it and wouldn’t be as “weight restricted”.

Casper uses 1.5" of synthetic latex (synthetic latex is lighter than natural latex) and an additional 1.5" of 4 lb memory foam in addition to their 1.8 lb polyfoam support core so they are more of a hybrid comfort layer than a latex hybrid mattress and will have some of the feel of both materials. It may also be worth checking with Dreamfoam about the specific weight of any of their mattresses that have a choice of firmness level because softer Talalay will weigh less than firmer Talalay (and Talalay is also lighter than Dunlop).

Besides any local sources in Canada … the tutorial post also includes a link to post #21 here which includes some retailers and manufacturers that ship across Canada which may be helpful as well.

Casper and Dreamfoam are both shipped compressed so they may not take up as much space as you think in a friends car. You can get some sense of the bulk of the Ultimate Dreams when it’s compressed and wrapped in plastic from some of the youtube “unboxing” videos such as here (although this is full size so a queen size would be a bit bigger). Polyfoam mattresses such as the Tuft & Needle will also tend to weigh less than latex although the thickness and density of the polyfoam will also make a difference. They should be able to tell you the accurate weight of any of their sizes. The 12 in 1 customizable mattress here also seems to be inside your weight restrictions.

[quote]I’m also considering Factory Mattress in Pickering, which I could even physically visit on my next trip to Toronto. I called them and they seem eager to help and even to look into the potential of vacuum packing a mattress down to make it smaller (so long as their latex manufacturer doesn’t recommend against this), but at present I’m having a difficult time pinning down what I should be asking them for amongst their many varied options.

I’m about 5’9" and 160lb and my wife 5’8" and about 150lb. We’re both athletic and tend to sleep mostly on the back or side, and occasionally on the front.[/quote]

There are really only two ways to choose a mattress that is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and decide on which options would work best for you. The first is with careful and objective testing on a mattress using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post. When you can’t test a mattress in person though then a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced manufacturer where you can provide them with the information they need to help “talk you through” the options they have available is the “next best” way to decide on which options would likely be best for you (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

Some of the other options and possibilities in the Toronto area are listed in post #1 here which may be helpful as well although I don’t know which if any of them can compress their mattresses.

Phoenix

3

Thanks for your detailed response Phoenix.

The few manufacturers that I’ve asked so far do not ship to Mexico. I think it’s a complication that most companies would rather not get involved in, plus, for me, the cost of such shipping plus the unknown of customs duties (despite NAFTA) and brokerage will raise the price significantly. Seeing as my budget is for around $1000, tacking on a couple of hundred $ for delivery seems unreasonable, that’s why I’m hoping that I will be able to fly with it without going overweight (70lb in my scenario) or oversize (62").

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.

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.

RIght now, I think I might get the best value from Arizona Premium Mattress. The fact that they ship their mattresses in pieces and in 2 or 3 boxes might do the trick for me. I’ll be getting in touch with them to get the details of shipping and see if they can help steer me down the path to the right mattress.

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?

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:

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.

4

Hi basily,

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).

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).

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.

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

5

Thanks for all your help and all the resources that you provide.

I spoke with Ken over at Arizona Premium Mattress Company today, and, I’m going to sleep on it, but I’m about ready to pull the trigger on a Queen Adjustable Ultra Plush Latex Sleep System from them. Based on my and my wife’s sleep history, it seems the obvious choice, and I think the value can’t be beat. Plus, it comes in 3 boxes, which once removed, the remaining rolls should be airline bagaggable for my wife and I.

I’m really looking forward to our new sleep system. I will let you know how it goes.

6

Hi basily,

You are certainly looking in a great direction and as you know I think very highly of Ken and the quality and value of the mattresses he makes not to mention his knowledge and the guidance he provided to his customers.

Assuming you decide to pull the trigger … congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

I hope you have the chance to share your experiences with your journey home with your mattress in tow and of course your feedback once you’ve had the chance to sleep on it as well.

Phoenix

7

Well, it took a while but between my wife and I we managed to get the mattress down here in 2 large duffel bags each. After a few days to recover from a lot of travel, we unwrapped everything and put it together.

Our first impression was that it’s incredibly soft! I asked for a medium base (both halves) plus the 3" toppers now available in #19 for side sleepers. On the base slabs of foam is stamped “Talalay W7 32 ILD” - from what little I’ve skimmed about ILD, I think that’s about a medium, no? I do like soft beds, but this is by far the softest I’ve ever slept in, and quite frankly, at this point I’m wondering if I made a mistake. We’re both around 155 to 160lb in weight, so I really didn’t think we needed a firm base, but perhaps with the combination of the 3" topper, it might have been a better bet.

I realize that there’s a 60 day satisfaction guarantee, and I may have to take Ken up on that (although the timing is going to be pretty tight because of various commitments we have coming up and because we’ve already used up much of those 60 days with getting the mattress down here).

We only slept on the mattress for one night, so I know we need a few more before we can make any decisions, but I just wanted to share our experience so far and hope for some insight from you Phoenix and perhaps other forum readers too. This is our first experience with a latex mattress (except for one night on a friends bed during a visit several years ago), so maybe we just didn’t know what to expect.

8

Hi basily,

Thanks for the feedback … and it’s good to see you made it home with everything in tow :slight_smile:

Yes … this would be in the medium range and your top layer would be in the soft range.

Latex is a very different material and has an unusual combination of properties including point elasticity (the ability to contour to the shape of the body), surface softness, and deeper support (as you sink in more deeply) so I would always give things a few weeks with any new mattress so that your body can adjust to a new sleeping surface that is different from what you are used to (see post #3 here). It’s always interesting to me how different people react to latex and there are also many (perhaps more than the other way around) who are surprised at how firm latex feels to them as well but all of this is very subjective and relative to each person and what they are used to.

Once you have adjusted to your new mattress … how well you sleep and how you feel when you wake up in the morning is always the most important test of how suitable your choice is for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).

Phoenix

9

Thanks Phoenix. We’ll hang in there - it might just take some getting used to. Aside from it being “different” I have no complaints in terms of poor rest or pain, so maybe it’ll be great.

10

OK, we’re getting used to the mattress. I like it more and more every night, but still not sure about the quality of my sleep and if the mattress is helping or not. I may try it without the 3" comfort layer at some point and see how that feels.

We’ve been using it atop our previous bed base, which is a… they call it “matrimonial” here, the mattress only overhangs slightly. Anyway, I’m about to order a proper foundation for the mattress from a local “rustic” furniture maker. Luckily, they’ll make it to spec, as Mexican queen is a slightly different size that US queen. Anyway, the furniture maker that I’ve decided on (as well as another local carpenter) wants to make it with a solid sheet of plywood to support the mattress, as opposed to slats. They say it’s better because slats will deform the mattress. Now, I know that a solid sheet of plywood is cheaper than slats for them to make, and I also know that the mattress will only deform is the slats are too few and far apart.

I have no issues either way, but I don’t want to stray too far from the foundation’s original design, so I’m tempted to stick with the solid sheet of plywood, but I’m worried that moisture may get trapped between the wood and the mattress, causing damage to the mattress. Is this a valid concern?

11

Hi basily,

You can see my thoughts about a solid surface platform in post #10 here. It would have a higher risk than a slatted surface but whether the higher risk actually translated into any issues in real life would depend on the other risk factors involved.

Phoenix

12

Thanks again. Very helpful!

13

I read somewhere in the forums that a 3" gap between slats is good as a maximum for good latex mattress support. What about the width of the slats? Does that matter?

14

Hi basily,

The foundation post here and the posts it links to has more information about the types of foundations or other support surfaces that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses. A gap between the slats that is 3" (or preferably less) with 1" x 3" slats (which are actually .75" x 2.5" when they are finished) is a good guideline for mattresses that have a latex support core. It’s usually a good idea to have a support surface that is about 50% of the total surface area of the support surface so if you use thinner slats then I would use smaller gaps so you have a stronger and more evenly supportive surface.

Phoenix