Phoenix:
Hi FaceOnMars,
A couple of additional comments that may be helpful …
There are some latex topper sources in post #4 here that are less costly than SLAB (although SLAB has a great latex selection).
… then again, as I mentioned, would be willing to spend the money if I knew it was going to be a good fit. I actually prefer a very firm matress … so might be able to get away without the topper. However, was kind of wondering if the presence of a topper mitigates impressions by dispersing body weight to the lower level (actual mattress)?
Yes … a topper will extend the life of the upper layers of a mattress (which is usually the weak link) because they will absorb some of the compression and forces that would otherwise soften and degrade the upper layers of the mattress. The other advantage of a topper is that if it wears out faster than the mattress … it can be replaced without replacing the whole mattress. Latex is much more durable than the polyfoams that are used in the Lumina although the extra firm would be more durable than the other models because there is less polyfoam in them and firmer foam is more durable than softer foam (it doesn’t compress and wear as much).
Phoenix
Thanks for the reply Phoenix, you seem to be very knowledgeable & are certainly helpful!
yeah, was kind of thinking about it in terms analogous to wearing snow shoes … where you don’t sink into the snow to your waist like one would without wearing them. Same sort of concept of dispersing impacting horizonatally. Just not sure if it applied directly to mattresses.