Which Talalay latex topper is right for us?

Greetings,

This site is an invaluable resource when trying to navigate through the mattress world. Thank you so much.

We have learned a ton of information here, but need help to seal the deal. Basically, although we know that the right thing for us can only be determined by usā€¦we need someone to tell us what to do! Lol

We have a 13+ year old traditional innerspring Sealy Posturpedic firm on a platform bed that is still as rock hard as it was the day it was delivered. We are aging even if our mattress isnā€™t, and chronic back and neck pain made us realize we need to do something about our sleeping environment. A friend introduced us to the new world of foam mattresses and we decided weā€™d like to buy a latex topper to extend the life and increase the comfort of our existing mattress.

Our research, especially on this site, has narrowed down our choices as follows:

  1. Talalay is a better choice for a topper on a firm spring mattress
  2. Blended Talalay is a more durable choice for a topper
  3. 2" is usually the right choice for a topper.

We visited The Clean Bedroom in NYC and layed on a 3" soft 100% Talalay Savvyrest and a 2" soft 100% Talalay Royal-Pedicā€¦and frankly had a hard time determining if we liked one or the other better. I donā€™t think our backs are descriminating enough to tell the differenceā€¦we just know they all feel better than what we have now.

Those brands are out of our price range, but gave us the chance to lay on a latex topper. We also went to Ikea and layed on their latex topper (1 5/8") and did feel that we could likely find something a bit better quality for about the same price ($349 for queen.)

Soā€¦we are considering a 3" Ultimate Dreams blend on Amazon ($354 with cover) and a 2" Natural Comfort 100% Talalay on Amazon ($253 without cover.) We are leaning toward the Ultimate Dreams based on recommendarions here but donā€™t know if 3" is too thickā€¦and of course if soft or medium are the right choice for us in whichever topper we choose.

We are both side/back sleepers, average height and weight.

Please help us make the right choice for us!

Hi moboe,

Post #2 here and post #8 here include the topper guidelines I would use.

The thickness and ILD that is most effective will depend on the firmness of the mattress underneath it because all the layers of a sleeping system will interact together (the same topper will feel different on different mattresses). I would tend to follow the more subjective criteria in the guidelines and if you are looking for ā€œa little to a fair bitā€ more softness then I would go with 2" and if ā€œa fair bit to a lotā€ is more in the range of your experience on your mattress and the extra softness you think you will need then I would go with 3".

Phoenix

Thanks for the info. Even though Iā€™ve read tons of posts, you still referred me to some I hadnā€™t yet seen. Such invaluable info available here. Thank you!

Yes, part of our concern has been knowing how a topper we try in a store might feel when placed on our bed, knowing that our old, firm innerspring mattress is quite a bit different from those in stores today. At The Clean Bedroom, the salesman said the Royal-Pedic topper was on their firmest spring mattress, so I think that was likely our closest comparison.

We have decided to go for 3" blended. We are pretty set on soft as we definitely want a ā€˜fair bit to a lotā€™ of softness. With such a firm mattress beneath, we are a bit concerned of ā€˜bottoming outā€™ but are pretty certain the medium would not provide enough softness for us, so are taking our chances with soft.

Thank you for your help. We look forward to making use of this fantastic resource when we are ready to replace our mattressā€¦hopefully some years off, yet.

Hi moboe,

Based on your description ā€¦ it sounds to me like a 3" topper would likely be the most suitable choice.

Phoenix