Hi smmimp14,
The mistake you are making is thinking that any individual layer is responsible for how a mattress feels and performs because every layer and component in a mattress will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component both above and below it and the mattress as a whole. In other words a specific layer may work as part of one combination of layers but not as part of another combination that includes different layers. For example your topic title is asking about a suitable comfort layer but it would depend on the combination of layers underneath it because a comfort layer that is suitable for you on top of one combination of layers may not be suitable on top of a different combination of layers.
It’s also not possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because they can be very complex and there are too many unique unknowns, variables, and complexities involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP or any “symptoms” they experience but there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here (at least to the degree that any symptoms are the result of a mattress and not the result of any pre existing issues or circumstances).
In order to provide you with any meaningful suggestions about layering combinations that may be worth trying (which as you know from your reading here would only be “educated guesses” that would still need to be confirmed based on your own actual experience) I would need to know all the specifics of each layering combination you have tried listed from top to bottom (or bottom to top) and a detailed description of your sleeping experience and “symptoms” on each combination along with how your experience and symptoms changed from one combination to the other.
It would also probably also be a good idea to reread my previous reply in post #2 here in one of your other topics.
It’s somewhat difficult to follow the specific layering combinations you have tried and your layer purchases seem to be somewhat “random” to me and if you are attracted to making a DIY mattress with all the risks involved I would follow a more specific plan that I mentioned in the previous reply that I linked.
Again … the only way that I can even guess at combinations that may be worth trying is to know the specific combinations you have tried already (with every layer listed in order every time you are making comments about a specific combination) and the specific symptoms you experienced on each of them and how your symptoms changed from one combination to another so it’s possible to have some sense of whether your symptoms are most likely related to support/alignment issues or comfort/pressure relief issues. Each combination that you describe needs to include every layer in the combination listed in order (not just comments such as I changed this layer for that layer) with the detailed description of your experience and symptoms and how it changed relative to the previous combination underneath it.
Unfortunately nobody has a crystal ball that can predict which specific mattress or combination of materials and components you will like best or that you will sleep best on with any certainty based on specs or “theory at a distance” so again the only way I can provide any meaningful suggestions about a layering combination that may be worth trying is based on providing information that is clear enough and specific enough about your experience on each combination and how your experience changes with each combination to identify any patterns in your experience and gain some insight about what may be the underlying cause of the symptoms you are experiencing and be able to make an educated guess about the type of changes that would have the best chance of success.
Phoenix