Thoughts on mattress configuration with Foam Sweet Foam

[phoenix]

Hi Andrew275,

If I understand you correctly your preference was (from top to bottom) …

2" wool
1" unknown latex
2" 75 kg/m3 Dunlop (probably in the range of about mid 20’s in ILD)
6" 28 ILD Dunlop (which is probably slightly firmer than the 75 kg density range)

I don’t really know how to compare wool to latex because it would depend on how the wool topper was made and the tufting, density, and compression of the wool and this is also in combination with an unknown latex layer which is also in the upper layers and would have an effect on the feel of the comfort layers but I would guess that based on your comments it would appear to be in the range of “soft”.

All that said, our love of softness, breathability, and responsiveness is pushing us towards the soft talalay top. My thinking with bottom two layers is that the 25 + 31 dunlop will match up reasonably well with the 6" 28 dunlop we tried, and would perhaps be a bit softer (which is fine with us), while still supportive since it’s dunlop.

I spoke to FSF for a few minutes today, and the person I spoke to seemed to agree with my thinking.

3" of 25 ILD and 3" of 312 ILD would probably be a little softer feeling than 6" of 28 ILD Dunlop because you will feel more of the upper layer than the bottom layer but Dunlop ILD’s are not exact anyway and only a “range” so it may be fairly close. If I’m following you correctly you are considering a “soft” Talalay layer on top of this in the hopes that it will approximate the 2" of wool and the 1" of unknown latex so your complete mattress would be …

3" of “soft” @20 ID Talalay
3" of @25 +/- a few ILD Dunlop
3" of @31 +/- a few ILD Dunlop

My biggest concerns with this setup would be:

#1 - will it be soft enough for us? We can’t get anything softer than the 20 talalay in the top layer, which leaves the middle layer as the thing we can tweak. 25 still seems pretty soft, but I’m hoping that with it also being dunlop, it will be a good mix of soft + supportive. We would like to avoid adding a separate topper if possible.

I don’t know what would be “soft enough” for you but 20 ILD Talalay would be quite soft for most people. The dunlop underneath it would also be softer than would typoically be used so this would be “on the soft side” overall.

#2 - temperature/breathability. I know talalay sleeps cooler than dunlop. Are we throwing away this benefit by doing dunlop in the lower layers?

No not IMO. The upper layer of Talalay, the mattress cover, quilting, mattress protector, and your sheets will have a bigger effect on sleeping temperature than the middle or lower layers (see post #2 here)

#3 - does mixing the latex types like I’m thinking make sense? Especially for two people who really enjoy soft bedding?

Yes … 6" of Dunlop with 3" of Talalay is a popular configuration and many people prefer it.

#4 - enough support? I think so, especially after spending probably 10-15 minutes on the 6" 28 core, but it’s hard to know.

Don’t forget that support is not as important as alignment. Alignment is the goal and support is the means. Your mattress will be a little less firm than the one you tried “in theory” but with the variations of Dunlop and with such big differences in the top 3" materials it really isn’t possible to know with any certainty. I would say that it would probably work well for her but it may be a little on the soft side overall for you but I think that Scott would probably have a much better idea of how it would work for you based on the “averages” of his customers that are similar to you because he knows much more than I do about the specifics of the materials and his cover and how they interact together than I do. He is good at what he does.

Sorry for so much writing; I’m just trying to make sure what I’m doing makes sense before ordering. BTW, I am 6’ and about 185, no back or joint problems, somewhat broad-shouldered, and spend most of my time sleeping on my side. My wife is 5’2, curvy profile, mostly side sleeping, and enjoys as soft as possible (without hurting her back, of course). She also has no back or joint problems.

Overall there are enough differences between what you tested and what you are considering that I would build in a realistic expectation of a layer exchange as a backup (which is a fairly simple process) so that you don’t have unrealistic expectations and you consider ordering the mattress as a three step process. Step one is the layers as you outlined,step two is the top layer with the 31 underneath it and the 25 on the bottom which would increase the firmness of the support layers, and step 3 would be a layer exchange based on your experiences in step one and/or two … and then I would consider it a bonus if it only takes one step or two steps to get to your ideal

Phoenix