Why not buy a memory foam topper instead of buying the whole mattress?

[misterno]

I am in the market for a memory foam mattress. I am thinking why not place a 3" or thicker memory foam topper on top of a regular mattress instead of spending much more money on the whole memory foam mattress itself?
Am I missing something here?

 

[canuck]

Go ahead if your mattress is not old and in good condition. comfort wise you will notice improvements but not as motionless as a complete memory foam mattress.
Make sure you can exchange or refund the topper if not comfortable.

 

[DoreenA]

My niece recently did just that - added a 4" memory foam topper on her extra firm (non-sagging) innerspring mattress and is very pleased with the results.
Her mattress is only a few years old so this was a very economical way to get a new bed.

 

[MarkandJen]

In an older bed a few years back when I was in graduate school I did exactly this. I was able to top my bed very well with '4 memory foam and then got some cover padding to keep it in place. The topper was around $180 from Overstock. I was actually very happy with the solution, it was a "near" tempurpedic experience at a far less cost. I didn't like how it shifted on top of the bed itself though, partucularly from the top it felt like it was "sliding" down. Overall though it was a great solution and the price was great. Personally I'm more into more supportive beds now, but for a student it was great. In fact I still have the 4 inch topper in my closet, which I've used as sort of a "guest bed" more than a few times.