Layered latex configurations ???

calling all current users of layered latex

I have narrowed down that we want a layered latex bed…but the configuration possibilities are enough to cause a decision paralysis. I know we can exchange (more easily with some companies than others) but all together that seems like a laborious process. So I am seeking common configurations so we can at least start off with potential success. Here are the stats:
Him: 6’1 180lbs , back sleeper, like the soft feel of a pillow top, but needs support
Her: 4’11" 120lbs , all over the place sleeper…mainly side and stomach, like to feel hugged with support, currently having pain on old lumpy mattress

Company recommendations have been all over the place. As follows bottom layer up:

Soft Dunlop
Soft Dunlop
Medium Dunlop

Firm Dunlop
Med Dunlop
Soft talalay

Firm Dunlop
Med Dunlop
Soft Dunlop

Firm Dunlop
Medium Dunlop
Medium talalay

As you can see…I am overwhelmed with options!! Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Hi Indylady18,

I think I’ve seen your name before, so hopefully someone has mentioned to check the Mattress Shopping Tutorial. If not, the link is in the top right, but I’m going to assume you’ve checked it out.

To determine which combination is best for you really takes testing for PPP, and as the tutorial says in the optional step, the only other way is to really discuss with a retailer of these kinds of mattresses to solicit their expert knowledge about the product they sell. Some retailers offer excellent comfort exchanges or guarantees also, which can provide the ability to tune the mattress after you actually start sleeping on it.

Unfortunately, besides your own testing, there’s no real way to know. Everybody is unique, both in what they need, how they perceive various sensations, and how sensitive they are (can sleep on anything vs princess and pea type).

That’s also why you’re getting conflicting info… Everyone has an opinion, but at the end of the day only your actual experience with the mattress will matter.

Also, if you and your partners requirements for good PPP in mattress varies, especially with latex you can get a single mattress with each side tailored to your specific needs and preferences (side-to-side split zoning).

All the layering options you’ve listed are fairly common, except for for (bottom to top) soft / soft / medium dunlop. That’s a bit unique. There’s nothing wrong with it if it provides good PPP (there’s a similar discussion about a similar design in another thread) although I don’t think I’ve seen anyone advertising that layering before.

Thank you for the feedback! Flobeds is actually the one that made the corky recomendation…and they seem like a solid company…but they all do…sleepez, foamsweetfoam,astrobeds, and savvy rest. Still deciding on company, but more pressing is all the options. Just dont want to hassle with continious exchanges. Was hoping to get end user comprable spec reviews. I did read the main post, and love it. But My main issue is there is no where to try them out around me. Some places have Pure Bliss, but only two models…super firma nd super soft…really wish i could try and test before i buy, but unfortunatly without a flight coming into play, its just not an option.

I am nervous about the soft top layer, because even though we like soft, i don’t want to feel like I’m sinking…
Does soft talalay or dunlop make you feel like your sinking?

I’d help if I could… But what you feel as ‘sinking’ isn’t something I can say.

I have experienced soft talalay and soft dunlop latex, and compared to memory foam I don’t describe either as ‘sinking’… But as sure as I don’t describe it that way, someone else will… There’s no way for me to know how you will perceive it, except to feel it yourself. In talking with the retailers on the phone, they can tell you what the majority of customers say, and based on the averages what they think you will feel, but the retailers would be the best experts about their products.

Which was the too soft PLB you tried, and the too firm also? I believe the ILD (firmness ratings) for most PLB mattresses are known, so at least you’ll know for talalay latex what you consider too soft and too firm, and use that as a reference point.

The good news is some or all of the retailers you’ve mentioned have various means to perform exchanges (although I appreciate it can be a bit of a hassle), and some are also members of this site.

Hi Indylady18,

I think dn has covered most of the comments I would make but I would keep in mind that each of the different manufacturers you are considering may have differences in the the design, materials, and components of their mattresses which can make a significant difference in the suggestions they make to you (see post #8 here).

If you can test a mattress in person then I would use the results of your testing to make a choice but if you are dealing with an online manufacturer I would make your initial choice of layering for the mattress you are considering based on your conversations with each one … even if they seem to be different from each other. They will know more about their own mattresses and the combinations that they have had the most success with than anyone else.

I’m guessing that you may have misunderstood their suggestion and it’s probably upside down because I doubt that Flobeds would ever suggest having two soft layers on the bottom of their mattress. It would make no sense and the convoluted layer would never be on the bottom.

The manufacturers you’ve mentioned all use good quality materials but there are certainly some significant differences between some of them.

Savvy Rest is in a higher price range than both SleepEz and Foam Sweet Foam which offer very similar mattresses and options (assuming you are choosing the same type of latex in all the layers in the same firmness levels) and Flobeds is a different design from any of these. You can also see some comments about AstraBeds in post #2 here and post #3 here (they are more of a marketing company than a mattress company) and a forum search on Astrabeds (you can just click this) will bring up more information about them as well.

Phoenix

Hey Phoenix, flobeds is the only one I did not actually speak to, just filled out the on line questioner and yup, the soft soft medium was the recommendation…I thought it was goofy too and they are on my list to call. Maybe that was just an error on the web site form.

Finally found a local spot that has all PLB models. They have the Beautiful which felt very different in their store than than the last one. The last one felt like jello and this one was amazing. The salesmen said it was probably due to the foundation and we would have “bunkie” boards making it a harder foundation…overall I really liked it. I cannot seem to find the ILD for the bed though. I really like the concept of layers…mainly for moving purposes and it I ever need to replace the top or something I can do it fairly easily without having to buy a new bed. So I think I should configure a layered bed with comparable specs as PLB Beautiful…or if I should just go with PLB since I was able to try it and I like it.
Although after only 20min on these soft beds I have an ache in the small of my back. They felt so comfortable, I’m wondering if the ache is just because I have not laid on something so soft and comfy before. Should I be concerned?

Hi Indylady18,

The medium would be the bottom layer with the softer layers on top of it but I also wouldn’t have a great deal of confidence in an “automated firmness picker”. It may give you some generic guidelines but I would make sure you talk with any online manufacturer in person to choose the layers of your mattress.

When you are testing a mattress in person the ILD’s of the layers isn’t important to know and can actually be more of a distraction than a help. ILD is a comfort spec and your testing is a much more reliable way to decide on whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of softness/firmness and PPP than the comfort specs of the mattress.

Having said that … the PLB specs to the best of my knowledge are in post #2 here.

That would entirely depend on the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. While both ways you would be using good quality materials and there would be no weak links in the mattress … I would be aware that when you are trying to “match” one mattress to another then even seemingly small differences in layer thicknesses, the type and ILD of the latex, the design of the mattress, and the type of cover and quilting can have a surprising effect on the “feel” and performance of a mattress (see post #9 here). The only way to “match” one mattress to another with any certainty would be to use exactly the same type of layers in the same firmness level with the same design and with the same type of cover as the mattress you are trying to match. While you may be able to “approximate” it (and any differences may turn out to be better or worse in terms of PPP), and in most cases a component mattress gives you options to rearrange or exchange the layers to do some fine tuning based on your actual sleeping experience … the only way to know how close you came to another mattress (or whether the other mattress is even a good “target” would be based on your own personal experience.

I would be cautious yes because a mattress that has comfort layers that are too thick and soft can be more risky in terms of alignment. In many cases what you feel after testing can be an indication of what you may feel even more after sleeping on a mattress over the course of the night and these are the types of “signals” that I would be cautious about.

Phoenix