Hi GT,
You can find a few zippered stretch knit encasements I posted about previously here, including the one I have. If you use the search on the forum (“zippered mattress encasement” or similar search term), there are a handful of other posts that talk about this, too.
As a recap, here are the ones I am aware of:
- DIY Natural Bedding Organic Knit Ticking: Knit Ticking
- An expandable version of (1): Expandable Knit Ticking (<-- This is the one I have)
- Foam Order has several options here: Organic Mattress Covers | FoamOrder
I have found that the quality of the material and construction of the encasement from DIY Natural Bedding is top notch, but if you decide to go that route you’ll need to plan for a couple of weeks lead time as they are made per order.
In addition, Sleep Like a Bear has a couple more options here and another here, but note they are not machine washable (if that matters to you). And Sleep on Latex has one here, but from the photo it looks like it may be a comparatively thinner material as you can see the latex holes through it.
Some factors to consider when evaluating stretch knit encasements, depending on what’s important to you:
- Machine washable or not
- Is the zipper 360 (all 4 sides) or 3-sided? Does the top come completely off for separate washing?
- Is the zipper located at the top/bottom edge/corner or in the middle of the sides? (If zipper is 360, the zipper along the headboard side may be difficult to access if not located along the top edge)
- Thickness of fabric (sometimes expressed in grams)
- Fabric composition (cotton / polyester / bamboo)
- Organic or not
Your other questions are probably best answered by someone else on the forum with more knowledge. I can offer, however, that with our mattress construction having Talalay only on the top layer and Dunlop on the bottom 2 layers, I don’t find the feel to be bouncy and consider the motion isolation to be quite good (we also have split layers, which may contribute to motion isolation).
Emily