Hi Lookingforacloud,
There is more detailed information 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.
There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”.
These posts are the “tools” that can help with the analysis, detective work, or trial and error that may be necessary to help you learn your body’s language and “translate” what your body is trying to tell you when you sleep on a mattress so you can make the types of changes or additions to your mattress that have the best chance of reducing or eliminating any “symptoms” you are experiencing.
I would need need more detailed information about how your experience and symptoms changed with each incremental layering combination you tried with your component mattress to be able to guess at the type of changes that may be a better “match” for you in terms of PPP but it’s possible that the top layer was too firm for you (although that’s less likely if you were sleeping on a soft Talalay layer) or that the cover was affecting the contouring of the latex underneath it more than you would prefer (which you could have tested by unzipping and removing the top of the cover for a few nights and sleeping directly on the latex with just your protector and sheets on top of it) or that you just aren’t comfortable with the “feel” and resilience of latex.
It’s possible that a different latex mattress design (other than a 3 x 3 combination) or softer latex in the top layer or a different more stretchy cover (see post #12 here about quilted covers vs more stretchy non quilted covers) would work better for you and it’s possible that a softer latex topper would also have helped but there are so many variables involved that there is no way for me to know the type of changes that may have helped you and the only way to know for certain would be based on your own careful testing or personal experience.
It’s unlikely that if the Savvy Rest you tried didn’t work out for you that another similar mattress with a similar design and cover would work well for you either so if you did try again with a component latex mattress I would make sure you are comfortable with the return policy just in case.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of that are reasonably close to you (subject to the quality/value guidelines here) would be in the list for the greater Los Angeles region here or in the list for the Hesperia/Rancho Cucamonga/San Bernardino areas here. These would give you a chance to test some different types of latex or latex hybrid mattresses to see if you feel the same way about them as you did with your Savvy Rest.
I also took a look in the Acton/Palmdale area (from Santa Clarita to Lancaster) and based on their websites the better options or possibilities I’m aware of that are closer to you (subject to the same quality/value guidelines) and the manufacturers they carry that I would focus on include …
http://www.lunamattressstore.com/ Palmdale, CA. Stress-O-Pedic, Spinal Care, Therapedic.
http://www.sitnsleep.com/ Palmdale, CA. Sherwood, Dormeo.
http://www.selecthf.com/ Palmdale, CA. Diamond Mattress
http://avfurniturenmattress.webs.com/ Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond CA. Diamond Mattress
http://avmattresswarehouse.com/ Lancaster, CA. Maxim
http://avfurniturenmattress.webs.com/ Santa Clarita, CA. Natura, Coco-Mat, Carpe Diem, Hastens. These are in more premium budget ranges.
http://www.consumersfurniture.com/ Santa Clarita, CA. Diamond Mattress, Stress-O-Pedic.
http://www.aroyalsuite.com/ Santa Clarita, CA. Diamond Mattress
I don’t know the specifics of the mattresses they carry on their floors so I would call them to see if any of them carry any mattresses that fit your criteria that you would be interested in testing and to make sure that they will provide you with the information you need to make an informed choice (see this article).
Phoenix