SleepNation Hybrid Gel-foam/latex longevity and offgassing

Hello,

I’ve found this site so helpful and am hoping someone might be able to address a couple of questions I have. I have looked at just about every mattress manufacturer in Denver and think I’ve found a mattress that’s a good fit for me at SleepNation (I will also add that, contrary to what others have said on here, I had a horrible experience at InnoMax and question the integrity of their sales people and consequently their mattresses).

After buying a Casper a couple months ago, I developed some neck pain that could not be corrected by switching pillows. This was a learning experience for me in that I decided I would like something memory foam/gel based. The Bonnie Brae at Sleep Nation has 3" of Eco-Gel foam on top of talalay latex, I am wondering if there are concerns about the longevity of the foam, or if there could be chemical off-gassing.

Does anyone have experience with this? The salesperson told me that the density of the foam was 24 ILD (I think that’s the spec) if that makes a difference.

Hi paulfranco89,

I’m sorry to hear that your Casper mattress didn’t work out as well as you hoped for.

If you have a horrible experience with any retailer or manufacturer or if you aren’t able to find out the information you need to know to make an informed choice about a mattress then I would certainly be cautious about dealing there as well. It’s also possible that the particular salespeople you were dealing with weren’t particularly knowledgeable or helpful and it may be worthwhile calling the Innomax head office and talking to their management to let them know about your experience so that they can take any “corrective” action that may be necessary if your experience was more the norm than the exception.

[quote]The Bonnie Brae at Sleep Nation has 3" of Eco-Gel foam on top of talalay latex, I am wondering if there are concerns about the longevity of the foam, or if there could be chemical off-gassing.

Does anyone have experience with this? The salesperson told me that the density of the foam was 24 ILD (I think that’s the spec) if that makes a difference. [/quote]

ILD is only a “comfort specification” that is one of the factors that can effect the relative firmness of individual layers in a mattress (but not the mattress "as a whole) and it really isn’t important to know because with your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post) your body will tell you what you need to know about whether the mattress is “comfortable” and is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).

There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

While you are the only one that can decide whether a mattress is “comfortable” or is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP based on your testing or personal experience … outside of PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability and the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (if two mattresses use equally durable materials then the mattress will also be just as durable).

If you can find out the specifics of all the layers and components in the mattress and post them on the forum (see this article) then I’d certainly be happy to make some comments about the quality and durability of the layers inside it and help you compare them to the quality/durability guidelines here so you can make sure there are no lower quality or less durable materials that would be a “weak link” in the mattress.

While some people may be unusually sensitive to some materials due to certain medical issues such as MCS (multipal chemical sensitivities) or may be sensitive to some materials that the large majority of people would be fine with that are really impossible to predict … if the foams they use are CertiPur certified or they have a reliable certification for the safety of the materials (see post #2 here) then outside of these more unusual circumstances or outside of those people who may prefer more natural materials for “personal” reasons (rather than “safety” reasons) … the materials and the mattress would certainly be “safe enough” for the very large majority of people to sleep on.

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix,

Thanks so much for your help! I am going back in to the store today and will see if they can comment on the memory foam material and density. I am really hoping to make the mattress purchase today, is there a certain minimum density for the material that you’d recommend by any chance, or is it dependent on the material?

Hi paulfranco89,

All the minimum densities I would suggest are listed in the quality/value guidelines I linked in my last reply. For memory foam and for people that are in average weight ranges I would suggest about 4 lb cu/ft density.

Phoenix

Thanks again, Phoenix! I just met with Sean at SleepNation and decided on the Bonnie Brae, feeling very confident in my purchase.

To anyone else that might stumble on to this thread, the eco-gel foam used as a layer over SleepNation’s latex mattresses are made of a mixture of plant based (I believe it was soy) foam and traditional memory foam. The density of the foam layer is 5lb.

Hi paulfranco89,

Thanks for the update and for listing the density of the gel memory foam. I would use the same density guidelines regardless of whether the polyols are plant based or petrochemical based (see post #2 here) and 5 lb memory foam (or gel memory foam) is certainly a high quality material that wouldn’t be a weak link in the mattress.

Most importantly … congratulations on your new mattress.

I hope you have the chance to share an update when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

Phoenix

I’ve now had this mattress for a couple of weeks and wanted to share my experiences thus far.

When the mattress was delivered, the warranty slip they gave me is from Therapedic, so I am assuming Therapedic makes the eco gel foam and talalay latex used in this mattress. I didn’t notice any odor at all on delivery or anytime thereafter. The first couple of nights the mattress felt substantially firmer than it did in the store, though this isn’t surprising. For the first week I spent some time walking evenly across the bed to try to speed up the break in period. It is getting noticeably softer, especially on the side of the bed I am sleeping on (so I am attempting to sleep in different areas of the bed each night).

The foam has a nice supportive “cradle” to it. Unlike the Casper (I know this is apples and oranges in a way) I do not notice the difference in the layers. With the Casper, I felt myself sinking through the latex quickly and could feel the poly-foam beneath it, with this mattress I do not “feel” the latex beneath the foam at all.

I’ve not noticed any problems with heat retention and it is relatively warm right now in Denver (I do not have AC). This was one of my bigger concerns and I am happy to say it doesn’t appear to be a problem.

I’ll post another update in a month or whenever I feel the mattress has fully broken in.

Hi paulfranco,

Thanks for taking the time to share an update with your comments and experience … I appreciate it :).

Their mattresses are a private label that they design that are made by the local Therapedic licensee factory but Therapedic doesn’t actually make the foams themselves … just the mattresses.

I’m looking forward to any additional updates you have the chance to share once the mattress has completely broken in.

Phoenix

To anyone that might be considering this mattress, here are my thoughts 9 months in:

Going off of memory, I would say the mattress softened up for the first month or so of sleeping on it and then didn’t become noticeably softer after that. I did rotate the mattress every month for the first 3-4 months, and then every 3 months thereafter (per the suggestion of SleepNation).

All-in-all I’m completely satisfied with the mattress. It’s getting warmer in Colorado right now and I notice myself sleeping warm (I don’t have AC) but it’s nothing that can’t be solved by using less sheets/comforter. I am also playing around with the idea of finding a more breathable mattress protector as I’m convinced the one I have now (from Target, specifically for memory foam mattresses) is contributing to this. I think in the hot months of the summer that this will be a problem, but to be fair it would likely be a problem for me with any mattress.

The feel of the mattress is extraordinary., it is still supportive but very soft, I’ve had no problems with pain at all (whereas I did with the Casper when I tried that). It appears to be very high quality. I also sleep with a partner now and we don’t notice ourselves sinking towards each other over the course of the night.

I’m still very satisfied with the purchase. Will update again in another year or so :slight_smile:

Cheers,
Paul

Hi paulfranco89,

Thanks for taking the time to share another update … I appreciate it!

A month is fairly typical for the break in and adjustment period for a good quality new mattress.

It’s great to hear that your choice worked out so well for you :).

Phoenix

Hi Paul,

I don’t suppose you have any updates?

I am looking at the 3 models of foam/latex hybrids and am close to buying one. I cannot decide which one I like the most and am overthinking it. The lowest-priced model has 2" of foam on top of latex and is 10" overall, and it is intriguing. Very supportive and yet still soft.

My experience at the store has been positive. It is not beyond sales techniques, but it does seem a cut above the average mattress store. The store would not tell me the density of the foam, but I am going to ask for Sean and check in.

I am a little worried about it sleeping hot, but know this is a problem with memory foam. Their all latex-mattresses feel nice and I like the snappiness of the material, but I actually prefer the memory foam feel quite a bit.

They do not offer returns, but give you a year to decide whether you like the mattress or not. If you want to change your mind, you can return the mattress for credit minus a $170 restocking/disposal/etc fee, which isn’t terrible considering it is a full year.

I like the store, but hoping the “natural” or “organic” materials are not increasing the price too substantially - either in terms of actual cost or in luxury cost of what people would pay for such a label. Just because frankly I think the synthetic high-quality materials are probably no worse health-wise.

Hi sunyata,

I’m sorry, but paulfranco89 never posted back with another update (I looked in other threads on the forum for you), but hopefully he’ll see your comment and can offer his one-year follow-up.

Phoenix

Just wanted to say I purchased the 10" Memory-foam-Latex mattress. The experience was positive. There is a decent amount of sales, but I do believe that I got a quality mattress (assuming the 5lb memory foam is correct as previously stated on this forum) at a fair price, and I am hoping this mattress lasts for awhile.

After trying for 3 days at the store, this “Cherry Creek” model (the thinnest and least experience of the foam/latex hybrids) offers the great combination of softness and support I was looking for, truly a “comfort firm” or whatever they call it. I was surprised at how soft it was given how supportive it felt. I didn’t find anything that similar at any other store I went to.

I receive the mattress in 2 weeks and will keep this forum updated as to how the experience goes.

Hi sunyata,

Congratulations on your new mattress purchase! :cheer: The combination of the higher density memory foam and the latex support core are good quality materials. I’ll look forward to your future updates once you’ve had a chance to sleep upon the mattress for a while.

Phoenix

Mattress arrived. It is about an inch shorter each direction than my previous queen mattress, at least according to the manufacturer measurement attached to the mattress (it says 59 x79). I will measure myself at some point and confirm this is the measurement. But I guess there is no official measurement for a queen mattress and this mattress is probably the way it is supposed to be.

The tag says “all new material” which is 80% Visco Memory Foam and 20% urethane foam. I get paranoid about stuff, and am slightly afraid that I got delivered a pure memory foam mattress rather than one with a latex base (since this doesn’t mention latex) as I don’t feel the latex base the way I did in the store. Would you have any tips on a way I can confirm? I called store and they are looking into it - when I described the tag they said “something didn’t sound right.”

Mattress does not seem substantially firmer as I expected it would. Feels broken in, soft but supportive, like I felt in the store. Will update after a few weeks.

Hi sunyata,

The ISPA (International Sleep Products Association) standard sizing for mattresses are as follows:

Size Dimensions
Twin 38 x 74½
Twin Extra Long 38 x 79½
Full 53 x 74½
Full Extra Long 53 x 79½
Queen 60 x 79½
Eastern King 76 x 79½
California King 72 x 83½

Even though these are the “standard” sizes for ISPA … there can still be some variation between the “standard” sizing made by different manufacturers in the industry. With soft goods like mattresses there can also be variations between different mattresses as well (normally in the range of a +/- 1" variation from their standard sizing) depending on the dimensions of the materials when they are cut (there can be some variance with cutting flexible materials) and the components they use in their mattresses and on the thickness of the cover that encloses them (a cover that is 1/2" thicker or thinner for example would change the length and width of the mattress by 1").

You’d definitely want to confirm that you have the correct mattress. The materials are represented by weight percentage, and the law tag on this product seems to represent a memory foam mattress that has a polyfoam core (not latex). It is possible the incorrect law tag was accidentally sewn into the cover for your mattress. The specs on the web site state that the support core of the mattress is latex, with 2" of memory foam. I’m not sure if there are other materials in the product in the current line up, but the lack of latex being mentioned on the law tag would be a concern to me. I would contact the store again and see if they can find out the reason for this omission or error, just to confirm you have what you are supposed to have.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix.

I was going to edit/delete parts of my last post, as my experience with SleepNation has been very positive and things like this happen, but since you already replied I will leave it as is.

I am happy that I called them. I am a very detail oriented person who always checks and double checks everything. In this case, the problem was an incorrect lawtag. Sean, who I believe you have talked to, came by my place as quickly as he could and confirmed the mattress was made correctly. Literally, within two hours of calling the store he arrived. I saw the latex core with the two inches of memory foam on top, and am very happy with how the mattress feels and how the process has gone.

As far as the size of the mattress goes, I am not concerned with it. I believe my previous bed was pretty much the same. The bed looks and feels great. It felt a little softer than I expected when I press into it with my hand, but feels the same as it did in the store when I lie down. Very supportive and yet soft.

It was nice to deal with a store that knows their mattresses and can respond to issues like this quickly.

Hi sunyata,

Thank you for your reply and information about your mattress. I am happy that it was something as simple as an incorrect law tag. Luckily, it is easy for someone knowledgeable to determine if the product is indeed made with the appropriate componentry, and I am glad that Sleep Nation did this for you so quickly. I am guessing that they were just as curious as you were!

The componentry used in your mattress is very point elastic, so pressing down into the memory foam will feel quite soft, but when you lie down upon the mattress and your weight is distributed over a wider area, it should feel quite supportive.

I’m glad the news for you was positive.

Phoenix