Hi Illumin8,
There are not a lot of great choices in the Baltimore area and it would depend on how far you were comfortable driving to find your best value or how comfortable you were ordering online. The advantage you have though is that quality of materials is not as important an issue as it normally would be because you won’t be using the mattress for long enough that most reasonable quality foams or materials will have time to soften or degrade in spite of your slightly higher than average weight.
To keep things simple … I would be looking for a mattress with a relatively firm core and “just enough” of a comfort layer that you have good pressure relief on your side. This way you will have less risk of hammocking (pelvic area sinking in too far) when you are sleeping on your stomach which can be a cause of pain and back issues over time.
Again because of your short term needs I would focus mainly on making sure you had a good supportive support core either an innerspring or 1.8 lb polyfoam or higher and comfort layer(s) that provided good pressure relief without the normal frustration of having to “pull” teeth to find out the quality of the material. This comfort layer could be lower density polyfoam or memory foam (more expensive but 4 lb should still be within your budget).
If you are comfortable with this then another good option would be to order a good value mattress online because if you picked one that was suitable for your needs and preferences in your price range then it would be a simple process to order the same mattress when you move again.
The first step though is to pick which type of materials you are most comfortable with in your mattress. A choice between memory foam, latex or polyfoam would help you exclude many choices and make your choice much simpler. Most local outlets will have the various options so you can test the difference. The choice of an innerspring or polyfoam support core (there’s not enough in your budget to include a latex support core as an option) would be a matter of preference (which you could also test locally) and either way it should be supportive for your weight and sleeping positions.
In terms of local options if testing was important to you before you buy … I would probably go to a local foam shop.
http://www.poptronics1108.com/hofo.html Sells 1.8 lb 45 ILD foam in 4, 5, or 6" layers that would make a good support base (with a zip cover around it) and then you can add a softer topper on top of either softer polyfoam or 4 lb memory foam which they also sell. This would be within your budget in a full size. they don’t have a “showroom” but they do have a “big” table which they use to lay out the foam and you can try the combination out.
Another option which is further away but would give you more options and may be worth a phone call and/or a drive would be http://americanfoamcenter.com/ They are also a foam outlet but more focused on mattresses as well and have a wider choice of materials. If you talk with Robert there he will be able to give you a suggestion within your price range and see if it would be worth the drive to test it.
Online, your best choices would be several of our members here depending on whether you preferred latex (fast response and very high quality foam) or memory foam (slow response and the quality would vary depending on the density of the memory foam). The manufacturing members here also offer forum members either a 5% discount or a bonus with a mattress purchase.
The two latex options either in or close to your budget would be …
One you have already seen which is http://www.latexmattresscompany.com/full-7-zoned-natural-latex-mattress.html This would be a great choice and ken is also very helpful on the phone. It’s a little over your budget though.
Second is Amazon.com. this is right in your budget and if you talk with them they will also customize the comfort layer to your preference (and will make suggestions as to which may be best).
Both of these are exceptional value and would give you the chance to re-order them again in your next city knowing that they “worked”. Latex in a comfort layer is not normally available in a mattress in anywhere near these prices.
Memory foam options at or near your budget would include two more members …
www.rockymountainmattress.com/ (and more options which can be customized by re-arranging layers here)
Or the lowest priced option here http://www.selectfoam.com/cat-conform-8.html
Both of these are also good to talk with and will give you good guidance.
NOTE ADDED: Select foam used to be a member of this site but because of ongoing customer service issues and delays their membership was terminated and I would read the warning here before considering them.
Bear in mind that unless you plan to put the mattress on the floor (which wouldn’t be a good idea for the long term but you may get away with it for the few months you are using it) that you will also need a foundation which would add to the cost as well.
There are more choices in the Baltimore area that are listed in post #2 here that include some of the better options in the general area but I would probably focus on the ones I listed to keep it simple, because the value is better, and for the sake of your time.
Phoenix