Mattress for larger guy - a bit overwhelmed by options

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi,

I’ve been reading through the forum and a number of articles on here and SLTD over the past few days trying to get my head wrapped around a base level of knowledge. Phoenix, I’ve appreciated some of your comments that it’s not as pertinent for me to know and understand everything as it is to be able to tell if I’m getting a line of BS from the Salesman.

About me:
I’m about 6’3"~ and ~330lbs, my girlfriend is about 6’ and about 190lbs

We currently have a Simmons BeautyRest Cal King that is about 7 years old at this point, I don’t feel it’s all that supportive anymore and lately by back and shoulders have been in a fair amount of pain. My GF generally is fine and seems to be decently happy with whatever it is she sleeps on but tends to prefer firmer mattresses.

We’re both side-sleepers and I’ll sleep on my back on occasion.

This past weekend we spent time at a number of local (Denver) mattress stores, both big and small (American Furniture Warehouse, Mattress King, Sleep Nation and Urban Outfitters)…We found that we’tend to like the overall feel of Memory foam over just about anything else, although the Latex is a close second.

At AFW we initially liked some of the BeautyRests again, but I had my doubts on another innerspring (and had not yet read your articles on why not to buy mass market mattresses). We also laid on a memory foam that felt nice (http://www.afwonline.com/ic280frm.asp?prodno=GEL-11-66SET&COMBO1=4020) no idea on real quality though and in hindsight probably not the best.

We then went to SleepNation which seems to generally specialize in Latex and various variants of it. They seemed quite knowledgeable and genuinely pushed the quality of their product. The product seemed quite good; however, we weren’t quite sure we actually liked the feel of it compared to memory foam and ended up looking at these main options from them:
http://www.mysleepnation.com/mattresses/latex-mattresses/wazee-st (told base was ILD 40, not sure on top)
http://www.mysleepnation.com/mattresses/memory-foam-mattresses/bonnie-brae-blvd which appears to be gel on Latex…we liked this one quite a bit, but did not feel it felt quite as good as some of the other Memory Foams we’ve tried…not sure if it was the gel piece or what, but did not seem to be quite the same ‘cradling’ feeling of others. However, in hindsight I was quite impressed that they readily just pull the cover up on the mattress itself so you can see the composition, and generally between these two it was just two pieces…latex base and either latex or gel top…that’s it.

We then went to Urban Outfitters and tried their Latex and Memory Foam offerings (as well as VI Spring, because if you have the opportunity to try a $30k mattress, why would you pass it up!)…generally we both liked the EvoSleep Conforma Cool Perfection 7 Buying Your New Mattress is Easy at Urban Mattress as it seemed to have that overall cradling feeling we liked. However, after reading some posts on here and looking at the total construction I’m not sure on overall durability over time.

Finally we went to Mattress King (where I bought my current Simmons) for the hell of it, and generally was not that impressed. The only thing that stood out was we laid on the ComforPedic, and I know the quality is an issue., but they showed the construction ‘cross-section’ that had HD foam on the side for edge bolstering…we noticed with some of the other Mattresses (EvoSleep and SleepNation) that if you got close to the edge it got a little iffy…

So all of that said, I felt the most impressed with the quality of SleepNation, but wasn’t sure if their MF Gel setup was quite the comfort level we’d want. We liked the feel of the EvoSleep and ComforPedic, but we had concerns of overall quality (moreso with the latter).

My big concerns are that I tend to like the feel of a bit more plush/pillowtop feel, but I know that at our collective sizes (especially me) we will have a tendency to wear through something faster, and from what I’ve read so far it sounds like softer = less durable.

I’ve also had thoughts of just picking up a Spa Sensations or Brooklyn Bedding option too given the price delta, but still have mixed feelings for an online purchase (although via WalMart or Amazon respectively I guess that is less risky)

Overall, I could really use some advice as to what else should we be looking at/considering given the impressions above? Could we get one of the higher end Latex mattresses and use it as a base and get a thicker memory foam/gel topper and DIY?

Thank you for all the help and insight!

Edit: Also, I tend to sleep rather hot, and so I have some general concerns with MF, but it appears between the new Gel options and an Outlast cover that could be pretty well mitigated…thoughts?

2

Hi Edvard_Grieg,

As you probably know … the tutorial post has most of the information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make a great choice but when you are in a higher weight range then you will be harder on any mattress and the quality/durability of the materials will be an even more important consideration than it would for those that are in a lower weight range and post #3 here and the other posts it links to about heavier body types would also be well worth reading.

The choice between memory foam and latex is a personal preference and some people will prefer one and some the other. Either way … it would be important to make sure that there are no weak links in any mattress you are considering relative to your weight. There is more about differences between memory foam and latex in post #2 here but your own personal testing and experience is the best way to know which one or which combination of materials you prefer.

Many of the newer generation gel memory foam variants have a faster response and are less temperature sensitive than the non gel memory foam variants. While many people tend to prefer this because it has less of an “stuck in the mattress” feel and has benefits in terms of temperature regulation and motion restriction … there are others who prefer the slower responding and more “enveloping” versions of memory foam. This again would be a personal preference.

I don’t think that many people would be able to resist the temptation either :slight_smile:

It’s good to see that you are considering the quality/density of the materials in your mattress because no matter how a mattress “feels” in a showroom or it’s cost … it would have little value to you if the materials were lower quality and you end up losing the comfort and/or support that was the reason you bought the mattress in the first place much too quickly.

You can also read a little more about edge support for foam mattresses in post #33 here and post #3 here. In most cases it’s not a significant issue if the support layers are firm enough for your body type and sleeping style but if you do sleep with more of your weight concentrated on the outside edges of a mattress then it may be more of an issue for some people. I would make sure that any edge support isn’t “masking” support or comfort layers that are too soft for you because this can also cause “roll together” in the middle of the mattress where there isn’t any edge support.

In addition to careful and objective testing for PPP … I would make sure that you know all the information in this article about any mattress you are considering and if you list them on the forum I’d also be happy to make some comments about the quality of the materials or the mattress as a whole or help you identify any potential weak links in any of your “finalists”.

Once again … I would make sure you know the quality of the materials before you buy anything (particularly the Spa Sensations which uses lower quality memory foam) but many of the online suppliers listed in the tutorial post also have great return policies.

The most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase is to make sure that it’s a good match for you in terms of PPP and the only way to know this is either your own personal testing or if that’s not possible then more detailed conversations on the phone with an online manufacturer or retailer will give you the best chance of success (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). No matter what the cost of a mattress … if it’s not a good match for you then it would have little value to you if you don’t sleep well on it.

Assuming that you are confident that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP … then the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is to make sure that the materials inside it are durable and suitable for your body weight. No matter how well a mattress feels and performs in terms of PPP … if it loses the comfort and support too quickly relative to the price you paid … it would also have little value to you. Higher quality materials will last longer and maintain their initial properties longer before you cross the threshold between sleeping well on a mattress and just “tolerating” it.

After these … then the other parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase would depend on the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including cost of course).

Based on the stores you are mentioning I’m assuming that you are in the Denver area so you’ve probably seen the Denver list but just in case you haven’t then better options or possibilities I’m aware of are listed in post #2 here.

The tutorial post includes links to the better online options that I would consider if you are also open to an online purchase.

Buying a base mattress and then adding a topper can have some advantages because you can customize the comfort layer/topper based on thickness and softness and it allows you to replace just the topper instead of the whole mattress when it softens or breaks down faster than the mattress itself (which will usually be the case because a sleeping system will tend to soften or break down from the top down) but there are also more variables and additional risks involved when you can’t test the combination in person because you would have to make a “best judgement” choice about which topper will work best for you on your mattress and just like buying a mattress you may not always end up making the most suitable choice.

It’s usually “safer” to buy a mattress or a mattress/topper combination that you have tested in person and where you are confident that it’s a good match for you but this would also depend on the options you have available after you purchase a topper to exchange or return it if you make a choice that isn’t ideal in combination with your specific mattress. A topper that works well on one mattress may not work nearly as well on a different mattress. If you do decide to go in this direction then I would start with just the mattress itself and use your actual sleeping experience as a reference point to help you choose the topper that you believe would be best for you based on the topper guidelines in post #2 here and the posts it links to.

There are many variables that affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress besides just the materials in the upper layers of a mattress including your sheets and bedding but in general the newer generation of memory foams (gel or non gel) tend to be a little cooler than the slower responding and more temperature sensitive “older style” memory foam variants because they are less temperature sensitive, faster responding, and more breathable. There is more about the different factors that can effect sleeping temperature in post #2 here and I would keep in mind that all of them work together to either enhance or offset each other.

Phoenix

3

Hello Phoenix,

Thank you for the great and detailed reply! I’ve been through a lot of the posts and as much as it hurts (my back literally at this point) we’re being careful and methodical with the way we find a mattress. I did actually use your list of preferred Denver retailers when deciding where to go- the ones we went to were nearby…might venture out further to find others.

The one other question I had too really ties in with my weight- it appears that quality/durability directly correlates to ‘firmness’ and that over time MF or Latex will break down and become progressively softer. While I tend to ‘prefer’ more medium/soft on the firmness scale I can make do with firmer. Given my size am I better off getting a very firm mattress knowing that it will soften up over time to a point that I’m comfortable with, or should I get what’s comfortable and just know I’m going to replace it more quickly?

From some of your comments below regarding toppers, it sounds like I might also be able to infer that with a substantially strong enough base/core I could just look at replacing the topper instead on a more frequent basis- is that accurate?

Thank you again, and I’ll be spending the rest of the day reading through the all the articles you linked to! :slight_smile:

P.S. the VI Spring is beyond nice…the one we laid on was about $8,500 for the mattress and another $3,500 for the box spring/foundation…felt incredible. For anyone that’s never had the opportunity I would highly encourage it.

4

Hi Edvard_Grieg,

All foam materials will go through an initial break in period and then soften more gradually over longer periods of time but some such as latex will soften less and more slowly than less durable materials such as memory foam that are either a similar softness or that compress the same amount under pressure although higher density memory foam can also be a durable material. You may have read this but post #4 here has more information about the many factors that can affect the useful life of a mattress relative to each person.

The type and density of a foam material is the main factor in it’s durability and the softness/firmness is a secondary factor but the mattresses you are testing on the floor would likely already have gone through their initial break in period so I would personally choose the mattress that is most suitable for you as it is or perhaps only “very slightly” firmer rather than trying to anticipate any changes years down the road. This way you will end up choosing a mattress that will be more suitable for you rather than having to “tolerate” or “make do” with a mattress that really isn’t the best match for you in terms of PPP. In other words if you choose the most suitable firmness level and also choose the most durable materials you will have the best of both worlds to the degree possible.

Phoenix

5

Hi Phoenix,

Just wanted to thank you and the forum for all your help and advice and provide a brief update. After laying on countless mattress with my girlfriend we determined we both preferred the feel of memory foam and we arrived at two that we liked-

Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe Breeze

and

SleepNation (local dealer) Wewatta (6" Firm Talalay core + 5" firm Talalay comfort) + separate MF topper

After looking at cost etc we actually decided to go with Brooklyn Bedding and their PureCool Luxe which appears to be equivalent to the Tempurpedic above, although with a better base/core. We liked the idea of the SleepNation, but felt that adding in the separate topper etc was trying to customize something more than another option we felt we knew we’d like with the TempurPedic/BrooklynBedding. We got the Genius HiRise steel frame to go with the PureCool Luxe, and from reading some of the other threads this sounds like a good combination as it’s the HD foam base etc.

I’ll update again once the mattress arrives and we have a chance to sleep on it a few nights, but thank you again for the help!

6

Hi Edvard_Grieg,

Thanks for letting us know what you ended up deciding … and congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

If you are confident that the Cloud Luxe Breeze worked well for you in terms of PPP then the Pure Cool Luxe would likely be a good choice and I’m looking forward to your feedback when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it.

Phoenix