Portability of latex mattresses

[granitic]

Hi Phoenix,
Thank you for creating this excellent site. While portability is certainly (for me) a secondary concern compared to “comfort” and PPP, I was wondering if you could provide some insight in regards to the portability of latex mattresses. How would one transport them? Can they roll up? Specifically, I was looking at sleeponlatex (7 and 9 inch mattresses) and the latexmattressfactory (both their completed mattresses and possibly components). Would these types of all latex mattresses (in your opinion) be easier or more difficult to move/transport than a latex/poly foam hybrid like the BME?
Thank you again.

[phoenix]

Hi granitic,

I was wondering if you could provide some insight in regards to the portability of latex mattresses. How would one transport them? Can they roll up? Specifically, I was looking at sleeponlatex (7 and 9 inch mattresses) and the latexmattressfactory (both their completed mattresses and possibly components). Would these types of all latex mattresses (in your opinion) be easier or more difficult to move/transport than a latex/poly foam hybrid like the BME?

With a component latex mattress that has individual unglued layers and an zip cover you can unzip the cover and roll up the individual layers and vacuum compress them to transport them. There are some instructions from one of our members in post #5 here and there are also some instructions here and some videos here and here that will show you how to roll and vacuum compress latex.

With a “finished” mattress with glued layers though like the two at Sleeponlatex or the BME you would need to put them in a mattress box and transport them as a complete mattress because they are too thick to roll them up or compress them.

Once they are in the box then you could carry and transport them relatively easily although it would take two people because they would be heavy. Which one would be easier would depend on the weight and I don’t know the weights of each of the mattresses you mentioned but they would be able to tell you if you call them.

You could also cover them in plastic or a mattress bag to protect them but they will be more floppy than if they are in a box which would make them more difficult to carry and transport.

Phoenix

[granitic]

When moving an unfinished mattresses with layers by rolling them up do you know if it is fairly easy to move without tearing or causing damage to the layers? Would carefully transporting the layers like this perhaps once yearly be likely to cause noticeable damage to them or impact the useful life of the mattress?

On another topic, while I recognize that density is a comfort spec for latex, does the softness or firmness of the latex significantly impact its durability? For 100% natural dunlop or blended talalay would softer layers breakdown significantly faster than firmer ones. In terms of selecting a mattress with glued or unglued layers would the breakdown of the upper layers be a concern? Would unglued layers that enable one to replace the upper layers if they breakdown faster significantly extend the life of the mattress compared to a latex mattress with glued layers. Are these concerns legitimate or largely unfounded and not particularly measurable in real life? Thank you for your input. I sincerely appreciate it.

[phoenix]

Hi granitic,

When moving an unfinished mattresses with layers by rolling them up do you know if it is fairly easy to move without tearing or causing damage to the layers?

Once they are rolled up and/or compressed they are easy to carry and move without damage but latex is easy to rip or tear so you need to be careful not to dig into the latex with your fingers or pull or tug on the latex when you are rolling it up and/or compressing it.

Would carefully transporting the layers like this perhaps once yearly be likely to cause noticeable damage to them or impact the useful life of the mattress?

No.

On another topic, while I recognize that density is a comfort spec for latex, does the softness or firmness of the latex significantly impact its durability? For 100% natural dunlop or blended talalay would softer layers breakdown significantly faster than firmer ones.

In a single word yes. Ongoing foam compression and deflection is the primary reason that foam materials will tend to soften and break down over time. In an apples to apples comparison between the same types of foam … softer foam layers will compress more than firmer foam layers and layers that are closer to the top of the mattress will tend to compress more than layers that are deeper in the mattress so any softer foam layers or layers that are closer to the top of your mattress will generally be less durable than the same type of foam in firmer versions or layers that are deeper in the mattress regardless of the type of material.

In terms of selecting a mattress with glued or unglued layers would the breakdown of the upper layers be a concern? Would unglued layers that enable one to replace the upper layers if they breakdown faster significantly extend the life of the mattress compared to a latex mattress with glued layers. Are these concerns legitimate or largely unfounded and not particularly measurable in real life? Thank you for your input. I sincerely appreciate it.

Because latex in general is the most durable of all the foam materals I wouldn’t have a concern about durability regardless of whether the mattress is a finished mattress with glued layers or a component mattress with a zip cover but a component mattress does have the advantage of being able to replace just a single layer (generally the top layer) if it softens or breaks down before the others or if your needs and preferences change down the road rather than replacing the whole mattress. There is more information about the pros and cons of a component latex mattress with a zip cover and loose layers vs a finished mattress with glued layers in post #15 here and post #2 here.

Phoenix