What is the point of a foam pad on top of latex or memory foam?

Am I missing something here? If I am paying for latex or MF, shouldn’t I sleep right on those since the foam pad is the weakest point of the mattress and prone to degrade quickly (probably first 3 years)?

Or does the foam topper help move heat away? I am a very hot sleeper.

Hi Waldamos,

The quilting layers (usually either a foam or a fiber) can have many uses that ranges from changing the feel and performance of the mattress to affecting sleeping temperature to helping the cover keep its “shape”. There is more about quilting layers in post #12 here and the post it links to.

As long as the quilting layer (or any layer of polyfoam in the upper layers of the mattress) is in the range of around an inch or so or less then it will have little if any effect on the durability or useful life of the mattress because it’s there more for “feel” and the layers below it are the main pressure relieving layers. Once the quilting layers or foam in the comfort layers reaches about 2" or more then the density/quality of the foam is more important because it can become the weak link of the mattress in thicker layers.

With memory foam … foam quilting can add some resiliency to the sleeping surface which some people prefer over the more “in the mattress” and less responsive feel of memory foam. In the case of latex it can lower the resilience of the sleeping surface and create a more familiar feel which some people also prefer vs sleeping directly on latex. Every layer affects the feel and performance of every other layer and component to some degree and as long as any polyfoam in the comfort or quilting layers layers isn’t too thick and becomes a durability issue … it’s a matter of personal preference.

Phoenix