Traveling salesman needs help

Hi, this site has a great wealth of knowledge! I am a salesman that works within each market for about 9 months. I rent houses and most of the time there is no bed. I almost purchsed a mattress through fbm but stopped after reading great points made by Phoenix. I am comfortable spending around $500 as this is s mattress that I would leave behind and deffinetly upgrade to a premium solution once I am able to have more of a home site. If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be most awesome. I am comfortable taking someones recomendation and running with it as time is scarce and the couch option has to go. I live in Baltimore now and I am willing to order. I am just under 6’ 2" and weigh 220 lbs and I don’t have any special needs. I am one of those ppl that sleeps in many positions, back, side, stomach. I’m looking to take someones expertise and just run with it. I am shooting for a full size. Please help. Thank you.

Looking at latexmattresscompany. Seem to have a good deal. Any thoughts or opions. Thanks

Item #: full-7-zoned-natural-latex-mattress

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

^ Phoenix, wonderful response, thank you. I think that I will go with the ultimate dreams option or the 7 zone. The ultimate dreams mattress has tons of great feedback, I just need to figure out the firmness option. As for a foundation what do you suggest? What do you expect I would pay for a foundation? Thanks again for your great help!

Hi Illumin8,

Both of these are great choices and both of them will give you good guidance as well in terms of any choices you have. They are well worth taking to on the phone. If you have done any local testing on mattresses that indicates any preferences as well then that can also help them help you better but they’re both very good at what they do.

I wrote a “foundation” post today here that amalgamated most of the foundation posts in the forum and there are lots of links and choices that will give you a good sense of the different types and prices from very low cost (a little over a hundred dollars) to much more for some of the more specialized ones.

I hope you let us know what you end up with :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Thanks for all the help. I ended up going with Ultimate Dreams Latex Mattress - Queen Size Ultra Plush. Purchased a metal frame base also. The amazon review I find very helpful in selecting a good product. Both items I purchased through Amazon. It is hard to beat Amazon’s shipping costs which allowed me to upgrade to a queen and at the same time save money to use towards sheets and stuff that I otherwise would have had to spend on shipping costs through other sources. Thanks again and I will post a review. I should be sleeping in comfort by Aug 1st!! Awesome forum, super helpful!!!

Hi Illumin8,

It’s always great when you have choices between “good and good” instead of what most people end up having which is between “better or worse” or between “unknown and unknown”.

Thanks for the kind words … and I hope you remembered to let them know you are a member here so they will include the free pillow your mattress forum membership entitles you to :slight_smile:

You made a great choice and congratulations on your new mattress!

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix,

The only reason I had the ability to choose between gooad and good is because of this site. Without this resource and your hel I would have gone to some run of the mill shop… Jumping into looking for a mattress, like anything else, is overwhelming with the amount of information to be digested if you want to make a value driven choice. I can not stand purchasing anything without research and I for sure did not want to compromise a good nights sleep. It is at the end of the day a investment towards your future and should pay off many times over in promoting a sucessful mindset. It is to much of an important tool to skimp on or make a rash purchase. Again thank you very much! I will report back.

Cheers,
Illumin8