Vegan, natural mattresses - Avocado and?

[shawnfs]

First of all, thank you for putting this website and forum out there. They have been immensely helpful.

My partner and I are looking for a new mattress. I am 5’ 8" and 185 lbs.; she is 5’ 1" and 110. We are both side sleepers. I sleep very hot, and our dog also usually sleeps with us, so a cool mattress is paramount. Neither of us is a particularly light sleeper, so motion transfer is not very important.

Our current mattress is an IKEA Hesstun. I don’t remember what firmness level and it doesn’t appear to be on the tag, but I think we probably would have gotten medium-firm. We’ve had it for six years and it’s been fine. Occasionally I will wake up with minor low back pain if I really sleep in (10 hours or so), but it dissipates as soon as I get up. We’ve both slept on some really terrible mattresses before without any pain or soreness issues, so I don’t think either of us is particularly sensitive that way, at least thus far.

I came into the process without too many strong preferences (other than temperature), but as I’ve been researching I’ve become intrigued by mattresses with all-natural materials and no polyfoam. I like the idea of a latex or latex hybrid. The wrinkle is that my partner is vegan, so wool is out for us, and most of the “all-natural” mattresses out there seem to use wool at least as a fire barrier.

With that in mind, I’ve gravitated toward the Avocado Vegan hybrid. I’m hesitant because many people seem to think the mattress is too firm, even with the pillow topper, and especially for a petite side sleeper like my partner. I’ve looked a couple other vegan latex mattresses like the one FloBeds makes, but they seem to run $3000 or more for a queen. I would prefer to spend $2000 or less.

My question is this: other than the Avocado Vegan, are there any other vegan, all-natural latex or latex hybrid mattresses, under $2000 for a queen, that we should be looking at that might be better suited for a small side sleeper? I might be talked into doing a DIY but I’m hesitant to take that project on if I don’t have to. Thanks in advance.

[Sensei]

Hey shawnfs,

Welcome to The Mattress Underground ! Thanks for your question.

First of all, thank you for putting this website and forum out there. They have been immensely helpful. My partner and I are looking for a new mattress. I am 5’ 8" and 185 lbs.; she is 5’ 1" and 110. We are both side sleepers. I sleep very hot, and our dog also usually sleeps with us, so a cool mattress is paramount. Neither of us is a particularly light sleeper, so motion transfer is not very important.

Thanks for your kind words regarding the website and forum! They are much appreciated! Thanks too for including your personal stats, as they play a key role in understanding the materials and mattress designs that may be better suited for your personal preferences.

Our current mattress is an IKEA Hesstun. I don’t remember what firmness level and it doesn’t appear to be on the tag, but I think we probably would have gotten medium-firm. We’ve had it for six years and it’s been fine. Occasionally I will wake up with minor low back pain if I really sleep in (10 hours or so), but it dissipates as soon as I get up. We’ve both slept on some really terrible mattresses before without any pain or soreness issues, so I don’t think either of us is particularly sensitive that way, at least thus far.

Good to know that your current IKEA Hesstun has served you well thus far. You both are fortunate to not have any particular sensitivities as that can make mattress shopping a little more challenging for anticipating materials may trigger an allergic response.

I came into the process without too many strong preferences (other than temperature), but as I’ve been researching I’ve become intrigued by mattresses with all-natural materials and no polyfoam. I like the idea of a latex or latex hybrid. The wrinkle is that my partner is vegan, so wool is out for us, and most of the “all-natural” mattresses out there seem to use wool at least as a fire barrier.

Yes, wool is often blended into the covers or other materials of a mattress for use as a natural fire barrier. There are latex/ latex hybrid options out there that use other materials besides wool. For example, Avocado uses a fire barrier protectant of natural hydrated silica in its Vegan mattress.

With that in mind, I’ve gravitated toward the Avocado Vegan hybrid. I’m hesitant because many people seem to think the mattress is too firm, even with the pillow topper, and especially for a petite side sleeper like my partner.

The Avocado Vegan Hybrid Mattress/ Standard model features 3" of dunlop latex as a comfort layer (14-19 ILD/ soft) over a Quantum Edge Elite Combi-Zone pocketed coil support core of 5 zones. Adding the optional pillow top provides another 2" of dunlop latex (14-19 ILD/ soft) for a total thickness of 13". Combi-Zone coil systems do provide a somewhat firmer feel to a mattress’s support and are often designed with back/ stomach sleepers as well as larger BMI individuals in mind. Your petite partner may find it too firm for her preferred side sleeping position but until she can try it or something similar in a showroom setting, there is no way to predict that with certainty.

I’ve looked a couple other vegan latex mattresses like the one FloBeds makes, but they seem to run $3000 or more for a queen. I would prefer to spend $2000 or less.

Thanks for considering a purchase from expert trusted member FloBeds! I regard them quite highly in terms of product quality, latex expertise, and customer support post-sale. While there is a price difference, Flobeds Organic Vegan mattress is a 9" Talalay latex mattress, a more expensive design than Avocado’s 3" of dunlop latex Hybrid model. The cool aspect of FloBeds Vegan mattress is that it is a split construction, allowing you each to choose both the comfort and support you each prefer. Generally speaking, if you want to go with an all latex mattress, you can get in for $2,000 or less if you choose a support core of Dunlop latex.

My question is this: other than the Avocado Vegan, are there any other vegan, all-natural latex or latex hybrid mattresses, under $2000 for a queen, that we should be looking at that might be better suited for a small side sleeper? I might be talked into doing a DIY but I’m hesitant to take that project on if I don’t have to. Thanks in advance.

You may want to check out TMU’s trusted members in the Latex/ All Latex Mattressescategory for quality, high-value all natural and latex hybrid mattresses. Keep in mind while researching the Vegan category that you will find mattresses that are technically speaking “vegan”, as they do use cruelty free components but they don’t necessarily carry a “Certified Vegan” credential issued by vegan.org . According to vegan.org’s site, only 3 manufacturers are paying the annual fee to carry their certification for particular mattress models, those being Avocado, Brentwood Home, and Naturepedic. Hope this helps some and good luck with your research .

Thanks,
Sensei