Hi jsawhite,
Unfortunately there is no formula that can turn body types and sleeping positions or any other specs into the choice of the best mattress design for you except perhaps based on “averages”. There are just too many variables to do this with any kind of accuracy. There is more information about some of the “theory” behind mattress layering in general and how body weight, sleeping positions, and different preferences can affect the design that may work best for you in the mattresses section of the site but these are more generic and not meant to be specific for any particular person. They can give you an idea of the many interacting “influences” involved and can help guide your decisions and help you work with a manufacturer more effectively.
I would suggest having a more detailed conversation with them about which of their models “on average” may work best for you because you will find that any manufacturer will know much more about the specific models they make and how each one interacts with different body weights and sleeping positions than anyone else (including me).
While they would be the best source of guidance for their specific mattresses … I personally would rather use a reference point that I had personally tested as a guideline whenever that is possible because the feedback and cues from your own body can be more accurate than any “theory at a distance”. Because they design and test their models to be similar in both layering, feel and performance to the Tempurpedic lineup I would use this to your advantage. The key here is to test the Tempurpedic mattresses as objectively as possible. Post #1 here has some guidelines for testing for pressure relief and posture/alignment that will be helpful in this and increase your odds of making the best choice for your “blueprint”.
When you are testing … make sure you wear loose and thinner clothing which interferes less with your testing and also make sure you do your testing with a suitable pillow as well (either your own that you take with you or one from the store that is suitable for your body type and sleeping positions). Be prepared to spend at least 15 minutes fully relaxed on each mattress and in the case of memory foam a little longer because it can take longer to warm up and respond the way it does over the course of the night.
This kind of more objective testing along with more detailed feedback and conversations with the manufacturer will greatly improve your odds of making the best choice.
[quote]Additionally, I notice on selectfoams site that each of these 3 beds have different covers, are there any that have any significant advantages over the other?:
regalis: some cool underarmour type material (is it really that much cooler than the covers on the aurora/grandis?)
aurora: silk/bamboo
grandis: cashmere[/quote]
I know from my conversations with them that Select Foam is particularly interested in cooler sleeping covers and they are constantly evaluating covers to see which ones are the “best” in this. We have talked about this in “theoretical” terms on several occasions but practical experience is even more valuable because theory doesn’t always agree with what happens in real life. Of course all of this can also be very subjective and vary with each person because there are many factors besides just the covers involved in sleeping temperature and it’s very difficult to isolate all the different influences to know which component is having the most effect on any person’s experience. Once again though … they will have by far the most experience with their own components and are the best source of information about how each of them compares to the other. I have never slept on any of their mattresses so I have little practical knowledge of any of them.
Post #2 here along with post #29 here has a lot more information about temperature regulation and the many factors and material combinations that can make a difference. If sleeping temperature is one of your biggest priorities though I would let them know when you talk with them so you can use their knowledge of their own mattresses to your advantage and this may tip the balance between one mattress and another that otherwise may seem to be very close. I don’t have the detailed knowledge or practical experience with their specific covers to be able to to be able to meaningfully compare them other than saying that all of them have 'cooling benefits" rather than “heating tendencies”.
Phoenix