Toronto: Foam (probably latex?) - short list

[phoenix]

Hi Andy98,

It’s exactly that kind of tweaking that I’m betting (but would confirm) that Dormio can help with should I need it. It sounds like I should err on the side of firm - are there any cautions you have with that approach?

I would choose a mattress as if you only had one chance to “get it right” and do some very careful testing but if you really can’t tell which mattress is the best match for you in terms of PPP or which one you would likely sleep best on and if you have limited options after a purchase in terms of fine tuning or exchanging the mattress then then I agree and the odds would suggest that it would be less risky to choose slightly firmer than slightly softer.

Do you hear a lot about people who just don’t like latex mattresses? I don’t seem to be coming across that a lot. I see people who don’t like memory foam, and people who needed to tweak their latex mattress, but all in all I haven’t seen a lot of people say “I returned my latex mattress and bought coils” or even memory foam. Am I correct in this perception?

I don’t think that I would call it a lot but I have certainly seen “enough” feedback over the years to warrant caution and to make sure that your own experience indicates that you prefer latex over other materials and components because there are certainly many people where latex isn’t their favorite material or an all latex mattress isn’t their favorite mattress design even though it may be “OK” for them to sleep on.

I would also keep in mind that there are so many different versions of latex mattresses that use different types and blends of latex in different firmness levels, layer thicknesses, and with different designs that a specific latex mattress may be “perfect” for someone but another latex mattress may be completely unsuitable for the same person to sleep on. I would always suggest that you treat the choice of materials and the type of mattresses you are considering as a preference choice rather than a “better/worse” choice.

The Ikea Morgongava and the Casper are within $50 of each other. Do you consider these of equal technical quality? And, hypothetically, if you found them equally comfortable, what factors would drive your choice between them?

I can only speak to durability rather than “technical quality” (I don’t really know what that means) but the Morgongava is all latex (85% natural and 15% synthetic) while the Casper has only 1.5" of synthetic latex with 1.5" of 4 lb lb memory foam as a transition layer and then a 7" 1.8 lb polyfoam support core so I would consider the Morgongava to have the clear edge in terms of durability because latex would be more durable than the 4 lb memory foam and the 1.8 lb polyfoam that are underneath the latex in the Casper. Having said that … they will have a completely different “feel” and different firmnesses as well so one of them may be a much more suitable choice than the other in terms of PPP. Neither one of them have any obvious weak links in the design for most people although I would be cautious with the Casper if you are in a higher weight range (say more than the lower 200’s or so) because of the difference in the durability of the materials (higher weight ranges will generally need more durable and probably firmer materials than more “average” weight ranges.

The Dormio Euro gives me 1" of wool casing. How useful is that? Note that I have had problems with moths in the past. Does this give me anything that I wouldn’t be able to achieve myself by throwing a wool mattress topper on top? (or heck, maybe even adding a wool blanket under the fitted sheet). It adds nearly $500 to the Dormio cost, and I feels a lot like I’m falling for marketing.

You can read more about the pros and cons of a wool quilted cover in post #6 here. It would certainly have a positive effect on regulating temperature in both directions (more than just a thinner wool blanket which is a woven fabric rather than densified wool batting) and there are many people that strongly prefer the less resilient “feel” of sleeping on latex with a quilting material in the cover (or wool batting under the cover).

A wool quilted cover can also be used to pass the fire regulations without needing other types of fire barriers or fire retardant methods to pass the regulations.

A wool topper or mattress pad that has a similar amount of wool batting and had a similar cover would have a similar effect on temperature regulation but of course it would have a different “feel” than wool that was quilted in the cover and would affect the feel and performance of the mattress as well. You may like it more or less than the same mattress without the wool topper or mattress pad. If the latex layers in two mattresses you are comparing were also different in terms of the type or blend of latex or the firmness or thickness of the individual layers then a mattress with a wool topper would also be different in terms of PPP from a mattress with a different design that had a wool quilted cover that used a similar amount of wool as the mattress pad or topper. Every layer and component of a mattress will have some effect on the feel and performance of every other layer and component of a mattress both above and below it and the mattress “as a whole”.

There is also more about the many variables that can affect sleeping temperature relative to different people in post #2 here.

Phoenix