Been reading this site for a couple hours, this is one of the best informational sites I have seen.
I have a budget of about $300 at the moment, I was wondering what I should look for in this range knowing that I am a side sleeper?
Looks like the closet approved underground member is Beloit Mattress Company which I will be visiting soon.
Thanks,
Jason
Hi LightningBed,
As you probably know your budget is very limited and not enough to find the best quality materials in a mattress (depending to some degree on the size you are looking for and on whether you also need a foundation) so I would tend to focus primarily on what I call PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) more than the durability of the materials. Probably a good quality innerspring with reasonable quality polyfoam (1.5 lb or better) will be the best you can do but the bigger challenge may be finding a mattress that has enough padding and the right design to be comfortable for you. Some of the better quality and value options in your area I’m aware of are listed in post #5 here and you are fortunate that two of these are members here and would probably be the first places I would call and visit.
Phoenix
I went to:
Beloit Mattress Company in Beloit, WI and Gateway Mattress Factory in Milton, WI.
At Gateway Mattress Factory I got a tour of the factory which was fascinating! The lady that helped me was amazing and extremely nice and patient. The full sized mattress set in my price range I liked the most in my price range was this one for $339:
http://www.gatewaymattressfactory.com/19.html
Spirit Mattress Set
390 Coil (Queen) Bonnel Spring Unit uses a 13 gage – 3 active turn wire coiled in an hourglass shape to provide stability. It is a medium-firm, quality unit and a tried and true standard in the industry for years. The coil ties run left to right, again to provide more stability to the unit.
Flexpan – Extruded plastic netting used on the sleeping surface to help keep the padding layers on top from migrating into the coils over time.
JXF Padding – an Insulator Pad made from resin bonded recycled fabric trimmings in the midsection of the mattress for weight balancing. Helps the Flexpan do its job, plus helps to minimize the feel of the coils.
Polyboard – Thermal bonded Polyester Fiber padding part insulator pad and part transitional layer between the spring unit and the top padding layers.
White Convoluted Foam – a 1.8 density / 28# Compression Foam which has a softer feel. Above the industry standard for longer lasting performance. Convoluted Foam helps to minimize linear compression, so there is less partner disturbance and promotes air circulation within the bed.
Top Quilted Layer - Damask Fabric / 1oz. per Square Foot Visil-Polyester Fiber / 3/4" 15019 Foam.
Box Spring Internal - Standard Wooden Foundation - 6.5" height.
It felt very well made, and it was a joy to see exactly how the mattress would be made right there at the factory, I love the transparency.
I then went to Beloit Mattress Company and the man I spoke to was a fountain of mattress information and confirmed several things that the mattress underground told me about, I was amazed how much information he was being open with and I spent about 50 minutes asking him all sorts of technical questions one after another. His values truly align with this site.
I ended up buying this full sized mattress set for $349:
http://www.beloitmattress.com/mattressess/value-line/natural-classic-rest/
Comfort Gel
The Limited Edition Comfort Gel mattress is handcrafted with a InnerRest encased coil spring system and G-Flex Gel infused foam. This comfortable mattress appeals to people who prefer the cool comfort of Gel foam and want to minimize motion transfer when more than one person is sleeping in the bed.
Majestic
Build Specifications
Innerspring:
850 “InnerRest ™” Pocketed Coil Spring System
15 -gauge, 7 turn coil
Comfort Layers:
Upholstered with:
410 center â…“ cotton/polyester insulator pad
3/4″ 1.8lb 28ILD polyfoam
1″ 4lb 10ILD G-Flex gel infused foam
Comfort knit cover quilted to cotton/rayon fire barrier and 1″ 1.5lb 19ILD polyfoam
Foundation
Wood on wood construction
Seven 1″ by 2″ heavy duty slats per unit
Twin foundation Only $60.00
I was pretty amazed that I was able to get a mattress with g flex memory foam gel and pocketed coils for such a bargain.
Thank you The Mattress Underground for making this possible! I wouldn’t have discovered all of this info without you.
I will be back when I get enough money to upgrade to latex based bed.
Hi LightningBed,
Thanks for the feedback and for posting the specs for the mattresses you were looking at … I appreciate it.
You were fortunate to have such good options available within reasonable driving distance and your experience goes to show that there is excellent quality and value available even in lower budget ranges if you know where to look.
You clearly did some great research, made some good connections with real experts, and ended up making a high quality choice with exceptional value.
Thanks again for sharing your feedback and experiences and most of all … congratulations on your new mattress 
Phoenix