Mattress Forum

Many years ago I did a lot of bicycle touring and at one time rode from Victoria to Ontario (lots of stories about where we ended up sleeping lol). Of course you get to experience every kind of weather there is along the way and I really quickly learned the advantages of "layering" with different materials (cotton, wool, gore-tex etc) with different thermal and moisture properties. I loved a silk Balaclava I wore when needed and was actually quite amazed at it's ability to insulate with such a thin breathable layer.

I noticed this mattress pad in my "travels" and it looks "delicious" (I've never seen one before). Have you had the chance to try something like this or even this one ... and if you have, what are your impressions?

Phoenix

silk is likely cooler to sleep with than wool for most people, so it also depends on what someones goal is as far as heat retention and just plain comfort.  silk (mulberry or tussah) is probably one of the firmest natural fillings available.

if someone wanted a really warm mattress pad than alpaca filled is pretty amazing, a company called crescent moon makes one that can be washed in a front load washer on a delicate setting.  alpaca is pretty soft as well.

I'm (or I should say she's) happy with the natura we have but when I saw that it went right on my "have to try someday" list.

Phoenix

Once again, thanks for your time, Phoenix.

I checked the Brick's invoice and they offer a 'Sleep Better Comfort Guarantee': " a one-time reselection for 90 days from the date of delivery. This offer is extended to 180 days with a matt pad." So, I'm considering one of the following:

1. Buy the Springwall plus a good topper as you suggested (The Sertapedic is the same price as the Springwall, but I'd have to ask about the amount of polyfoam in it: http://www1.thebrick.com/brickb2c/jsp/catalog/product.jsp?id=CELITEQPK&navAction=jump&navCount=5). This option seems practical and economical. I might try a Natura latex topper; I have one of their latex pillows, which I find very comfy and supportive.

2. Do some research this time (!) and try out the Tempur-Pedic RythmicNC: http://www1.thebrick.com/brickb2c/jsp/catalog/product.jsp?id=RHYTHMQPK&navAction=jump&navCount=18 

It's the only full latex mattress offered by the Brick plus it has the wool liner discussed in this thread: "Different layers of natural latex...Organic Cotton Cover quilted with a 100% New Zealand wool liner." But who knows --maybe there's some polyfoam hidden in there. Apparently, the mattress is made by EvenRest though it's labelled Tempur-Pedic. Is this another case of Spring Air/Obus Forme name licensing? I swear, shopping for a mattress is enough to make a person paranoid!

3. If my new mattress is still comfortable as I approach the 180-day trial period, then keep it as a (sadly expensive) "throw-away" item. I'm hoping I can get at least a year out of it (seeing as I'm pretty light--if that make a difference), then start fresh, exploring such options as Keetsa, Natura, SnugSleep...My fear, however, is that the mattress will start killing my back/hips/whatever-body-part right after the guarantee expires and then I'll be one of those irate online reviewers with a raging hate-on!

The best way to launder it is with a silk specific wash or even baby shampoo, basically just let it soak in cool water and then use towels to press as much water out of it as possible before final air drying.  Silk is very durable but its made out of protein like you and me, so it does dry out if you use harsh cleansers on it...I personally would avoid dry cleaning unless you know a really good dry cleaner that you trust.  Silk is more resistant to shifting and compression than really any other fibre because it is the longest stranded filament fibre around (particularly long stranded mulberry silk).  When they make these kinds of pads or duvets they essentially take a single silk cocoon and stretch it out to the full size of the mattress pad or duvet and simply layer one cocoon on top of another until the desired weight is achieved.  Once they stitch through it because silk is almost impossible to break it will not shift at all if made correctly.

There are a few "natural" dry cleaners but I'd probably wash it by hand. That's how I washed down sleeping bags and duvets as well.

I'm noticing too that the stitching seems to be really smooth. I wonder if some of the people on the forum that were very sensitive and bothered by stitching may do well with it as well.

Anyway, I think that's the "next one" I'll buy.

Phoenix

A continuous coil is firmer and less "conforming" as it is all one wire.

A verticoil is more comforming. It is a decent guage of wire (13.75).

I would confirm the stats (I doubt that the brick salesperson would know or they would pretend they know and make something up) and then think about what you wanted to do.

The "latex" Tempurpedic is made by a company called "edenrest" in London, ON which has been "taken over" by Tempur-pedic (their website is now down and their phone number goes to Tempurpedic). It is 3 x 2" layers of Talalay latex (19ILD over 24 over 36) over 4" polyfoam. While this is a much better construction (polyfoam in the support layers doesn't present as big an issue as it does in the upper layers), it is also very expensive and you could "make your own" with an identical construction for about half the cost.

I was curious since I didn't realize that Serta sold what is basically an innerspring so I called them to confirm the stats. Someone is calling me back. I also wanted to know at what level their foam encased verticoil begins as this one is not foam encased.

In any case, if you were to put a good quality topper on a good innerspring with that little foam, you would have a mattress that was comparable in comfort and support to one that sold for much much more where you were paying for polyfoam and fake "thickness". It would also last you a long time.

I'll post again when Serta calls me back. If this really does have only 1/4" thickness then it would be quite a find and I would be grateful that you started this thread as it could help many others.

Phoenix

I did get a call back from the Serta rep and as I suspected there is a little more foam in the Serta mattress but not much. The "bottom end" has 2 x 1/2" layers in the quilting and there is a thin (I suspect 1/2") of block foam over the springs. He didn't know the exact thickness. The amount of polyfoam increases as you go up the line. The lowest end has a 460 verticoil, then next one up has a 504 verticoil, and then the next one up has a 520 continuous coil with foam encasement so none of the verticoils are foam encased according to him. This isn't so bad (there is less foam to wear out) unless you sit or sleep on the edge a lot and find it uncomfortable without. You are quite light so the lack of foam encasing could actually be an advantage. So the Serta uses the continuous coil (which the lowest Springwall already has) in their "3rd up" model.

In terms of value the Springwall is probably better and it also has a flexolator instead of block foam over the springs which may be less likely to wear out (this is rows of a "roll" of paper with wire inside it put over the springs to protect the foam from going into the springs). Link here

The "advantage" of the verticoil is that it would give a little more where you may need it and you could probably use a slightly thinner topper

The "advantage" of the continuous coil is it is a little stronger and would be less likely to let you sink in as far in certain parts if that was an issue for alignment. It may need a slightly thicker topper.

Given your height and weight, which direction I would choose to go (assuming you go in this direction at all) would depend on whether you were more tall and thin or more curvy (more protuding hips) and also on how you tend to sleep (I'm assuming from your "symptoms" that you are likely a back/side sleeper but assumptions can be dangerous :))

Phoenix

PS: Another advantage of going with a latex topper is that because it will last so long, you can "re-use" it either inside (do it yourself) or on top of (manufactured) your next mattress as it could well last even longer than the springs.

I had to laugh when you said the Brick salesperson would make something up if they didn't know the answer. I dropped into a Brick mattress store today to try out the Tempur-Pedic RhythmicNC. When I asked if the mattress was natural latex throughout, the guy said: "Absolutely. 100% pure natural latex from top to bottom. So pure, you could eat it." Then he went on to say the Spring Air Obus Forme was "top of the line" and resistant to sagging unless you have a defective mattress which happens once in a blue moon. The mattress is so popular in Europe that it sells for the equivalent of $3000 due to name recognition!  

As for body type, my hips definitely curve out, it's just that there's not a lot of padding on them. I always sleep on my side (though I wish I could train myself to sleep on my back one day). I also sleep with a pillow between my knees if that counts for anything. Would love any topper suggestions you may have.

When you say "make your own" latex mattress do you literally mean DIY or is there a company that helps you to put together the materials to your specifications?