SleepNation Larimer Cushion Firm

So my search, had led me to thinking a Latex/pocket spring mattrress is going to be a great fit for us? I was looking into “my green mattress” which I decided against. So I kept searching and came upon “Sleepnation”, which also happens to be in my state, Colorado.

I’m looking into the Larimer Street cushion firm, please see specs below.
15″ Thick
5 Zone Individually Pocketed Coils
Foam Encased Edge Support
Lumbar Support
100% Natural Talalay Latex Foam
Antimicrobial fibers
Bamboo stretch knit cover

I talked to a Gentleman at Sleepnation, he said it contains 4" of all natural Talalay latex. Right now they’re having a sale King for the price of a twin, so the mattress is $1099. Seems to be a good value??

What do you think? Anything else I should be looking at?

Hi Bryce720,

The specs you listed are incomplete so I can’t make any meaningful comments about the mattress but if you can provide more information about all the layers and components in the mattress (see here) and post them on the forum I’d be happy to make some comments about the quality and durability of the materials and let you know if there are any lower quality materials or weak links that would be a reason for concern.

If you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

Phoenix

Thanks so much for the reply. I will shoot then a call tomorrow and see if I can get some more info?

I’m in Windsor Colorado, 80550.

Will post some answers for you tomorrow. Thanks again!

Hi Bryce720,

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Fort Collins, CO area which would include Windsor (and subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in post #4 here. There is also a list for the Denver area in post #2 here.

Phoenix

Het Pheonix, thanks for the reply. I read your reply a couple of times, but don’t see where you made any recommendations in my area? Sorry if I misread or misunderstood your reply?

Bryce

Hi Bryce720,

Did you click on the links to the Fort Collins list and the Denver list?

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

I don’t keep a record of the individual mattresses or their specs that the retailers and manufacturers in the hundreds of forum lists throughout the forum carry on their floor or have available online (it would be a bigger job than anyone could keep up with in a constantly changing market) but checking their websites and making some preliminary phone calls to the retailers/manufacturers that are on the local lists is always a good idea before you decide on which retailers or manufacturers you wish to deal with anyway. This will tell you which of them carry mattresses that would meet your specific criteria, are transparent about the materials in their mattresses, and that carry the type of mattresses that you are interested in that are also in the budget range you are comfortable with. Once you have checked their websites and/or talked with the ones that interest you then you will be in a much better position to decide on the ones that you are most interested in considering or visiting based on the results of your preliminary research and conversations.

I or some of the more knowledgeable members of the site can help you to narrow down your options, help you focus on better quality/value choices that are available to you either locally or online, help you identify any lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress, act as a fact check, answer many of the specific questions you may have along the way that don’t involve what you will “feel” on a mattress, and help with “how” to choose but only you can decide which specific mattress, manufacturer, or combination of materials is “best for you” regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or whether anyone else (including me) would have the same criteria or circumstances or would make the same choice.

In its simplest form choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …

  1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.

  2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.

  3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

Alright I just got off the phone with Steve at Sleepnation. He said actually the Larimer is 1" of Latex and 3" of Polyfoam. So that ruled that our right away for me. He said he would look into the “Arapahoe Road Cushion Firm” which is what they call a Latex Core bed. It has a 5.5" base of “plant/soy based foam”, he said it was 5.5# foam on top of that you have approx. 4" of Natural Talalay latex. Please see specs below
12″ Thick
All Natural Talalay Latex
Bio-Flex plant based support core
Silk/Wool blend barrier
Bamboo stretch knit cover
This mattress is on sale for $1599, according to him this is there top seller and he feels a better choice than the hybrid??

Hi Bryce720,

There is more about so called “soy based” or other “plant based” foams in post #2 here. They are just versions of polyurethane foams (polyfoam) and I would use the same density guidelines as I would use for any type of polyfoam.

[quote] Please see specs below
12″ Thick
All Natural Talalay Latex
Bio-Flex plant based support core
Silk/Wool blend barrier
Bamboo stretch knit cover
This mattress is on sale for $1599, according to him this is there top seller and he feels a better choice than the hybrid?? [/quote]

What you need to know to make an informed choice and make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses is the thickness of each layer, the type and blend of any latex, and the density of any memory foam or polyfoam in the mattress. Unlike memory foam and polyfoam where the foam density is the single biggest factor in durability … the density of latex is more related to firmness not to the quality or durability of the material.

If you can provide all the information about each of the individual layers in the mattress (listed from top to bottom or from bottom to top) and post them on the forum I’d be able to make some more meaningful comments about the quality and durability of the materials and the mattress “as a whole”.

Phoenix

12″ Thick
All Natural Talalay Latex, 4" 100% NATURAL Talalay Latex
Bio-Flex plant based support core, 6" of 5.5# poly foam
Silk/Wool blend barrier- 1"
Bamboo stretch knit cover

This is the info I got from SleepNation

Hi Bryce720,

[quote]All Natural Talalay Latex, 4" 100% NATURAL Talalay Latex
Bio-Flex plant based support core, 6" of 5.5# poly foam
Silk/Wool blend barrier- 1"
Bamboo stretch knit cover[/quote]

The 4" of 100% natural Talalay is certainly a good quality and durable material.

The density of the Bioflex support core isn’t correct and wouldn’t be 5.5 lbs per cubic feet (this would be a density that is more typical of some types of memory foam or polyfoam). While the deeper layer of a mattress isn’t likely to be its weakest link … I would still want to know the correct density of the polyfoam and make sure that it was at least 1.8 lbs/ft3 or higher.

Phoenix

I checked out the list of vendors you linked. Made a few calls and I will be stopping at Verlo in Longmont on my way down to Sleepnation. I spoke to the manager in Longmont, super nice, super knowledgeable and very helpful. I will be looking at what they call the Triumph mattress.
9" in height
4" of all Natural Talalay Latex (3" of 24Ild and 1" of 19"Ild)
4" Base of Polyfoam 2.2lb
Bamboo Cover with 1" Quilted Organic Wool & Cotton fill

This sounds like it could be a winner. I will post back tonight:0). Thanks for all the help.

Bryce

Hi Bryce720,

Just to add some additional information … if the Bioflex polyfoam is the same density that is mentioned in post #2 here then there would be no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress relative to any weight range and if you are confident that the Arapahoe is a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP and if it also compares well to your other finalists based on all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you then it would certainly be well worth considering.

[quote]9" in height
4" of all Natural Talalay Latex (3" of 24Ild and 1" of 19"Ild)
4" Base of Polyfoam 2.2lb
Bamboo Cover with 1" Quilted Organic Wool & Cotton fill[/quote]

All the foam layers in this mattress are also good quality materials and there are no lower quality materials or weak links in this mattress either so if you are confident that it’s a good match for you as well and it compares well to your other finalists (including the Arapahoe) based on all the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you then it would also be well worth considering.

Phoenix

So we made it down to Verlo and that is as far a we made it, traffic on I-25 was a NIGHTMARE… The Store closed at 7 and we got there about 6:50. I called ahead and talked to Brandon the store manager and he said not to worry, he would wait for us. When we got there he was awesome!!

I tried the Triumph, which is the polyfoam /latex combo. It was really nice but I didn’t love it? He let me know E could make adjustment’s to the latex layers to get a different feel. He was already staying late and I didn’t want him to have to go through all the work, he would have happily done it though.

On the way out of the store they had a store display mattress on sale. I thought I’ll lay on it just for the heck of it. It was a 9" organic Talalay latex bed, firm/medium/medium. It was just a little to firm. They could not change this mattress, the layers were glued:o (. Brandon said he had just the trick. He grabbed a 1" topper in soft Talalay. I thought no way in the world is this going to make a difference.

Then I latex on it, it was literally the most comfortable mattress I have every layed on! I have no idea how a 1" piece of latex could transform a mattress??

Were purchasing the mattress and going back tomorrow morning to try out a 2" and a 3" topper. The floor model without topper was $1000 for 9" of purgatory latex, WOW. The being glued doesn’t matter to me, all I have to do is purchase the topper?

Brandon was by far the most awesome informed guy I have spoke with on the phone! Went above and beyond.

Thoughts?

Hi Bryce720,

I think it can be surprising to many people how much difference even a relatively thin topper can make to the “feel” of a mattress. If a mattress is just a little too firm then a 1" topper can make what I call “a touch to a little” bit of difference in the comfort and pressure relief of the mattress and if that all you need then it can turn a mattress from being “close” to being great and either more or less may not work nearly as well.

[quote]The floor model without topper was $1000 for 9" of purgatory latex, WOW. The being glued doesn’t matter to me, all I have to do is purchase the topper?

Brandon was by far the most awesome informed guy I have spoke with on the phone! Went above and beyond.

Thoughts? [/quote]

I’m not quite clear what you mean by “purgatory” latex :). I’m assuming that this was a misspelling for something else but I couldn’t figure out what you meant?

If your mattress is all latex and doesn’t contain any polyfoam (you can also check the law tag to make sure there isn’t any polyfoam listed) then of course latex is a very high quality and durable material and there certainly wouldn’t be any lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress. You can also see some comments about a latex/polyfoam hybrid vs an all latex mattress in post #2 here.

Some of the information about buying a used mattress in post #2 here would also apply to a floor model as well.

Outside of how you feel about sleeping on a mattress that many other people have been lying on (some people would be quite comfortable with this while others may not be) … I would also make sure that you are comfortable with purchasing a mattress that most likely has no warranty. Most manufacturers don’t normally warranty floor models but I would check to make sure that this is the case with Verlo (their warranty page here doesn’t say) because there are a few exceptions. Most floor models are also a final sale as well so I would confirm whether it would also be eligible for their comfort guarantee as well.

If you are comfortable with all of this then it would certainly be well worth considering.

You are certainly looking at some good quality options :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Good Lord, auto correct is a monster. I meant to say Talalay. So it is 9" of Natural Talalay latex, it will have the same warranty as a new mattress. I will have to double check on the comfort guaruntee . He did say we would have the comfort guarantee on the topper though.

It does bother me a little buying a mattress that quite a few people have tried. I’m going to talk to Brandon tomorrow about buying a new mattress cover? To me the mattress would be “new” enough with a new cover.

I’ll post back tomorrow, hopefully after purchasing a mattress. Thanks for all the help so far.

Bryce

Hi Bryce720,

That’s hilarious … from Talalay to purgatory :slight_smile:

I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding.

Phoenix

Well I stopped in to Verlo and Bandon was off today, bummer. There was a super nice sales lady, (don’t remember her name). I didn’t want to make her get the latex toppers out. So I thought I’ll just shoot down Monday when Brandon is in.

I was already 1/2 way to sleepnation. So I headed down to the Cheery Creek Store. I talked to Steven. Super nice knowledgeable guy. I laid on the Larimer, seemed like a nice very well made mattress. For me it was comfortable, but I didn’t love it.

Then I tried the Bonnie Brae, which I loved! The mattress has a Latex base and 3" of plant based ecofoam/memory foam. Please see specs below.

Cool Max cover
Celliant technology for increased oxygen
3" Plant Based EcoGel ® Memory Foam 5lb
Firm All Natural Latex Support Core 24ILD.

I wanted to post and see what your thoughts and or anyone else’s thoughts were. The mattress was one of the most comfortable I have laid on as of yet. My main concern would be sleeping hot?? What are your thoughts?

Hi Bryce720,

5 lb memory foam is certainly a good quality and durable material so along with the latex there would be no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress.

While it won’t make a difference because when you are testing a mattress locally your own careful testing and personal experience will tell you much more about whether a mattress is a suitable “match” for you in terns of PPP than knowing the ILD of the latex layers … it’s unlikely (although it’s possible) that the base layer of a mattress would be as soft as 24 ILD.

Latex and memory foam are completely different materials with very different properties and there is more about the general differences between memory foam and latex in post #2 here.

While it’s not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

Some types of memory foam are more breathable than others and/or have less effect on sleeping temperature but memory foam or gel memory foam in general tends to sleep warmer than other types of foam materials (latex foam or polyfoam). There is more about the different properties that can be formulated into memory foam in post #9 here and post #8 here but latex in general is the most breathable and temperature neutral of all the foam materials. While only a minority of people will have temperature regulation issues with memory foam to the degree that they will be uncomfortable … if you tend to sleep hot then the odds are higher that you may be one of them.

Phoenix