Mattress Forum

They complicate it just to prevent the kind of consumer education that would cause their sales to suffer.

I would probably tend to a known ILD as foam by mail may be risky in terms of what you actually get. Some of the stories on the forum have confirmed that sometimes you get what you order and sometimes you don't get even close.

If the topper from Costco is in a reasonable range of ILD (and I'd call them first just to check), then this is the way I'd probably go if for no other reason than their return policy.

If the springs start "giving" in a few weeks (as opposed to the foam) enough to make a difference, then that would be bad news since they should be consistent over many years. You want the springs to remain firm and use the comfort layers to provide pressure relief.

Phoenix

What range of ILD would you consider suitable if I go with the 3 inches from Costco? If only purchasing another inch, who should I go with that doesn't charge an arm and a leg to deliver in Canada? FBM was pretty cheap all the way around. Only bad thing is that it took a full 2 weeks from the time I ordered to get the parcel.

I'd probably be looking for around 24 ILD give or take (it's impossible for me to know for sure without some specific feedback from you knowing what latex you have laid on and how it felt)

I really like the rejuvenite but you'd have to call and see what it would cost to ship. If the 28 worked it would be great and the 19 may be OK too but probably a little soft for you.

The STL one is a great deal but I'm pretty sure it's 14 ILD which I think would be too soft. Don't know if they ship  to Canada or how much.

In general I would probably go with either places like Costco and Sams club for the return policy or mattresses.net and sleepez since they seem to have the best price/selection combination and you won't go far wrong with either of them. Make sure about shipping to Canada and returns first though. Also make sure they are either covered or that you order a cover with them as latex breaks down without one. I wouldn't take the chance on just covering them with sheets or a mattress pad.

Dunlop in a little softer ILD's is another option that may work and when I have the chance I'll post some sources for that as well that weren't in the Talalay list.

A few more that I haven't had a chance to check out in in any real detail yet are ...

http://foamandhomedecor.com/foam.php#latexfoam Canadian but don't know their prices

http://www.supremecomfort.com/shipping.htm They may have a warehouse in Canada that ships toppers

http://www.tmasc.ca/latextoppers.html Canadian. They sell Natura toppers that are very nice but they're a little on the high side (being diplomatic here :))

http://www.idealmattress.com/index.html Canadian and it doesn't say so on their site but they may have toppers

http://www.foamite.com/mat_other.php Canadian and sells Dunlopillo but rather expensive.

http://www.dreameasy.com/products/100-natural-latex Canadian and might sell toppers

http://www.snugsleep.com/latex-toppers.html Canadian and sell toppers but they're Dunlop and probably cheaper to buy from US. Don't know for sure

http://www.discountfoam.ca/usesoffoam/usesoffoam.htm Canadian but I don't know if they sell latex

http://www.foamshop.com/ourProducts.shtml Canadian but I don't know if they sell latex

http://www.bfffoamcorp.com/products.php?id=35 Canadian but I don't know if they sell to little guys like us. Would sure be worth a call

http://www.thefoamking.com/mattress-toppers.html Canadian but I don't know if they sell latex

http://www.sureline.ca/mattressproducts.html Canadian and sell Resilitex which is "fake" latex with similar properties. Don't know if they have actual latex

http://www.thefoamstore.ca/pro_mattresses.php Canadian and doesn't look like they carry latex but may be worth a call

http://www.foamorder.com/clearance.html#foam-toppers These guys are American but often have some pretty good deals in their clearance section. They sell Talalay and Dunlop but mostly Dunlop.

There's more (including checking out local foam shops) but I still plan to fill in the blanks regarding Canadian sources for toppers (and other things). For now the best prices may be ordering from the US and shipping across the border. It may also be worth calling some of the Toronto and Quebec manufacturers I listed earlier to see if they will sell you a topper as well.

Phoenix

I contacted Foam and Home Decor, waiting for a reply.

I have a feeling that my back is in a state of shock right now, so to speak. Even lying on the couch or sitting in my old chair starts to hurt within minutes while they use to be comfortable enough for me to watch a whole movie. I'm therefore unable to make any valid statement about what feels comfortable or not, just what hurts more or less...

Now that we have a "more suitable base" I want to just review some of your options and also confirm what you have to "play" with.

My understanding is that you have a 1" piece of latex of unknown ILD bought from foambymail (unknown because you never know exactly what you get from them and it feels firmer than the 20 you had ordered), 3/4' of soft eggcrate, and you were mentioning earlier that you also had a 2.5" piece of quality foam as well. Would you say this piece is softer or firmer than the doubled or tripled latex? ... and how big is it (does it cover the whole mattress?)

It would also help to know what kind of pillow you are usually using.

Phoenix

If you have a thin firm blanket (say wool but any thin firm piece of material that is big enough... even a thick flat sheet, carpet underlay etc) ... fold it in 3 ... and then lay it sideways over the middle third of your bed and tuck it under. It should be under your hip/lumbar area but not under your ribcage. If the material is thicker (carpet underlay etc) then just double it but make sure it is laying up to but not under your ribcage.

Double up your latex and put it on your side of the bed over the material. Double up your eggcrate and put it on top of the latex. You should now have 1.5" of eggcrate over 2" of latex over the middle third support material over your mattress.

Take a look at the drawing here http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/my-design-custom-sleep-design/16344-0-1.html and you will see what I've been trying to "simulate" before you buy anything.

Lets see what happens.

And the pillow?

Phoenix