Hi cfralick, and welcome back to the Mattress Underground (after several years) 
My reply to your questions may be long and windy but you have many things to consider before narrowing down your mattress options.
I have done a tremendous amount of reading and research from here as well as reddit. Learned a ton, but feel just as torn for a new mattress as I did when I started
Previously I had a Tempurpedic from 2008 and I loved the feeling of laying on memory foam (Iāve always enjoyed being engulfed in the bed and linens) but it got so hot and made me sweat something fierce.
Sleeping āfierce-fully hotā is something that most memory foam beds have in common. This is the case even with the more specialized gel-memory foams which inundate the market. You were fortunate to get 15 years of use from your mattress except that there have been many changes in the industry since you purchased your Tempurpedic and unfortunately most of them havenāt been for the better (see post #3 here. In the current market, itās a good idea to avoid many of the major brands as they tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than many of their smaller competitors. I would also avoid any mattress regardless of the name of the manufacturer where you arenāt able to find out the quality and durability of the materials inside it to make sure there arenāt any lower quality materials or āweak linksā in the mattress (see the guidelines here ).
It looks like your 15 years old Tempurpedic used the 5.3 lbs/cuft density memory foam (a good and durable grade of foam) Tempurpedic stopped disclosing foam densities and construction of their beds. This discourages consumers from making comparisons with similar beds manufactured by their smaller competitors. Itās good to see that you are keenly aware of this practice which often hides the use lower grade materials that greatly diminish the longevity and useful life of a mattress,
I know latex is the opposite of hugging feeling so will I even like latex for a full night?
I cannot say if youāll like the latex feeling as this is something very personal but ā¦.latex is very close to the āhuggingā and cradling feeling of memory foam. How "hugging: it also depends on the firmness/softness of the comfort layer(s). The softer the latex is, the more youāll sink in.
Latex, like memory foam, is very point elastic which means that it compresses at millions of specific points across the surface to take on the shape of the body profile with much less effect on the area around the point of compression but it is also highly resilient which means it absorbs much less energy than memory foam which has little to no resilience at all. If you throw a ball at memory foam attached to a wall it will just drop to the floor while if you throw a ball against a wall with latex it will bounce back.
While Memory foam does a very good job at minimizing motions transfer, it will generally be the least breathable and most insulating of the foam comfort materials, so as you noted temperature can be an issue and youād want to make sure that you donāt choose something with too much memory foam on top that you sink in too deeply as the more you sink into it the more will sleep hot.
In summary, latex conforms well to any body shape, it also provides additional secondary āsupportā for the recessed areas of your body, sleeps much cooler, and has a livelier response than memory foam but it is more expensive than memory foam. Memory foam is great at pressure relief but sleeps hot and is not as lively and conforming when changing positions during the night.
Would a good mattress cover like in hotels combined with softer latex help add some of this feeling? ā¦//ā¦
Additionally, a thought Iāve had is that I usually sleep great and not too hot in hotel beds. Not sure if its the mattress or environment, but I get great sleep when in nice hotel rooms and typically love the mattresses and linens. I have the Marriott credit card so I can get a decent discount on Marriott branded beds (St. Regis Mattress below $3,000 after discount.) After doing some research though, it seems like most of the Marriott beds are either Serta, or the Simmons higher end Beautyrest Black models. I would hate to pay that price for a name brand bed where you donāt get the quality or longevity of a smaller company.
You are quite right! Hotel mattresses can be deceiving as oftentimes just about any other mattress youāll sleep on can feel better than a mattress that started to fail. āHotel mattressesā tend to be of lower quality and value than the consumer mattresses made by the same manufacturer in the same price range and more basic versions of the retail products that many mattress companies offer (which isnāt a good thing). One of the āsecretsā to many hotel mattresses is that they usually use a bedding package that includes a mattress pad or topper that is a big part of how the mattress feels and can also add to the durability of the mattress (replacing a mattress pad or topper can be less costly than replacing a whole mattress because a mattress or sleeping system will usually soften or break down from the top down). In many cases, the more subjective short-term experience of sleeping at a hotel is an improvement over the mattress that people sleep on regularly and this often ātranslatesā into the perception that hotel mattresses are better than they are. They are a frequent source of buyerās remorse. They tend to be firmer products using softer ātop-of-bedā materials to create extra plushness. Thereās more good information about hotel mattresses in(post #3 here)
All in all, outside of whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP ā¦ a mattress is only as good as the quality of the materials inside it so regardless of the name of the manufacturer
I like the idea of the zoned latex mattresses, but is it really necessary? Also, would a hybrid latex be just as comfortable/good? - I know its subjective and the issue is that I canāt try any out unless I purchase them.
Again, I am nervous about going with a latex and not liking it then having the hassle of shipping it back. My overanalyzing Engineering brain working at its finest.
All your questions are excellent but Iād set out for a mattress testing trip (not shopping) There are too many personal variables and unknowns that nobody can answer for you. A hybrid latex can be just as good as an all-latex bed or even an all-foam bed with good high-density foams your answer though is all in the details and how a particular style of a bed or a specific material feels to you. Zoning can certainly be useful and well worth considering for people that have more difficulty finding a mattress with the right ābalanceā between comfort/pressure relief (under the shoulders especially) and support/alignment (under the hips/pelvis especially) or who have more challenging circumstances or sensitivities, body types that are more difficult to āmatchā to a mattress, more complex medical issues, or who have a history of having more difficulty in finding a mattress that works well for them. There is more info in this article about mattress zoning .
Any mattress will feel and perform differently for you and your wife, based on your PPP (Posture & alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences and your stats (height, BMI, sleeping position(s), age, and any underlying health conditions) ā thanks for providing those! You are both higher BMI sleepers, and as you sleep hot, you likely want to avoid memory foam. Lower-density memory foam can prematurely ābreak downā causing the mattress to sag over time which will likely affect your spinal alignment.
Firstly Iād go for a mattress-testing spree. Iād make a list of shops to visit based on their willingness to provide the Mattress Specifications You Need To Know to the Mattress Durability Guidelines. (I would personally not try any mattress unless they are willing or knowledgeable enough to provide this info). Because of your larger BMIs, you most likely need a thicker mattress. (11") or more. Thicker mattresses and layers can āactā softer so with a slightly thicker mattress you can use firmer layers on top that are more adaptable to a greater range of weights and sleeping positions. See post #14 here for more about layer or mattress thickness.
Latex is one of the most durable mattress materials available but higher BMI individuals will wear out the softer comfort options even for latex. Even though you say you like being āengulfedā in a mattress, you need to ensure you both have adequate support especially as you are both stomach sleepers. Latex is more supportive and has a unique feel, that you may find pleasant even though people that transition from memory foam to latex need a bit of adjusting to the new feel.
I believe I have narrowed down my choices to a latex mattress (largely in part from all of the recommendations here.) However, the only location I could lay on or āfeelā a latex mattress was from the Original Mattress Factory and that was only for 5 minutes. They have a latex model that is flippable, but I donāt know much more about it. It felt good for the 5 minutes I laid on it, but other than that, I have no sample size. Iām not sure what else to do since there arenāt any in stores around me. (Cincinnati Ohio)
The Serenity Flippable Latex mattress at The Original Mattress Factory; has a 1" 19 ILD and 2" 24 ILD latex layer on each side, with a 4.5" hq foam of 2.5lbs/cuft density these are good and durable materials. What would probably work against you is that larger BMI sleepers youāll probably sink through the 3" of soft & medium latex comfort layers and ābottom outā on the foam support core. Also being flippable it acts more like a 8-9" thick mattress as the bottom layers will compress under the weight of the sleepers and the top layers. Iād recommend looking at slightly higher profile mattresses so that you can trade the thickness for a little more firmness in the comfort layers (thickness and softness are interdependent ā¦ the thicker the mattress the softer will act given the same materials)
The brands I think Iāve narrowed it down to are, Flobeds, Custom Sleep Tech, Saatva has many lineups, Avocado, Flexus, Naturepedic, my green mattress, or Brentwood homes. Any I should be considering that I donāt have on the list? I also like Aireloom, but donāt think I can justify the cost.
Of the mattress models you listed,
Yes Sattva has many lineups one general observation is that it does not list many of the specs youād need to know such as densities of the gel memory foam they use in some of their mattresses
Avocado has good durable materials but some of their customers complain about being too firm and you may not have the āhuggingā feeling you are looking to replicate.
Naturepedic uses good materials but again it depends on which of the lineups you are considering (classic, Pillow aTOP, Trilux)
Brentwood also uses good materials and construction but for higher BMI I would not recommend: anything with BioFoamĀ® memory foam density: of 4lb/ft3, ILD: 14, and the same for their AirLuxe Foam at 1.8lb/cuft
I am glad to see you are considering quite a few of the Trusted Members of the site, which have all been vetted for quality, transparency, great customer support, and generous exchange and return policies. Custom Sleep Technology has several customizable latex and latex/foam mattresses and has many years of experience in guiding consumers,Flexus Comfort carry several natural & organic latex and latex hybrids,
@FloBeds has V Zone latex mattresses Dave and Dewey along with Bob @CST are among the most customizable and versatile mattresses on the market (assuming you like the style and materials) My Green Mattress too has a number of latex and latex hybrid mattresses, and at a variety of price points, as you didnāt state a budget.
If you reach out to any of them, youāll be reaching out to the people that manufacture the products and have great knowledge, experience, and are extremely versed in guiding potential buyers with the highest probability of a good-fit mattress.
But first things first ā¦ youād need to determine what type of mattress style and type of materials you like, in combination with your personal stats and level of comfort. So again a mattress testing trip would be most revealing.
Phoenix
