Hi,
I spent some time reading up on selecting a mattress here and shopped around online and in stores. I wanted to find something in the $1000+ lineup and make sure that it would last and sleep cool.
I’m 6’3" and about 350 lbs so I’m definitely in the high BMI range. I’m also a side sleeper with some lower back issues and needed something that was firm yet yielding/supportive. I also run really warm so cooling/air circulation is important.
I did find a few options among hybrid mattresses in stores. I was just unsure about their ability to stand up to someone my weight over the long haul. I’ve had problems with that in the past.
I found this site and asked for help. I got a response from the Sleep-EZ folks so I checked out their offerings. I looked at other choices as well and finally decided that the latex layers system offered by Sleep-EZ made the most sense to ensure I got what I wanted. They seem to offer the best range of choices for doing that customization via all latex.
I first ordered the 10 inch mattress (three 3 inch layers plus the zipped mattress cover with 1 inch cotton/wool pad layer). Then, after ordering, I went through their FAQ and am VERY glad that I did! It turns out that for anyone approaching 300 and above, they strongly recommend going with 4 layers of 3 inch latex pads. So, I opted to go this route:
13 inch mattress cover (zipped)
3 inch firm top layer of Talalay latex
3 inch firm second layer of GOLS Dunlop latex
3 inch extra firm third layer of GOLS Dunlop latex
3 inch extra firm bottom layer of GOLS Dunlop latex
The difference was that additional bottom layer of extra firm Dunlop. I’m actually pretty glad I did that. More on that later.
Note - should you NEED to swap out a layer/pad, it will cost you $30 plus shipping to do so. They do want you to get what you need but do need to charge something to keep people from endless experimenting. I know I might have been tempted otherwise. (I hope their showroom people are patient.)
The order arrived (free shipping) via FedEx ground in five boxes. I had ordered their big foundation along with the 4 layers. One of the extra firm layers came already inserted into the mattress cover. All layers were folded in half and then rolled up very tightly to force a good chunk of the air out. The free pillows came in one of those other boxes. The free mattress protector didn’t make it for whatever reason. I still need to ask about that …
Each of the four mattress layer boxes weighed in at under 60 lbs so I was able to hike them up the stairs to my apartment without too much difficulty. The foundation pieces got brought up in multiple trips after opening the box as the unopened box weighed over 120 lbs.
Assembling the foundation went pretty smoothly. Others are right though - getting those huge cardboard box staples out is a pain without the right tool. I used a very large flat bladed screwdriver.
That and some kitchen shears were the only tools needed. The shears came in handy to cut the shipping straps and the plastic wrapping without damaging the merchandise.
The foundation assembly instructions were reasonably clear after some reference back and forth between the pieces and the paper. No actual tools were needed once everything was unwrapped and staged. I WAS able to do it myself but a second person would help things go MUCH faster and with less fumbling. The cover for the platform was the most difficult part to get on as one person.
With that done, the next step was getting the mattress layers down and positioned properly. Do NOT attempt this without watching their short video on how to do it right! Latex is MUCH more tender than the usual polyurethane sponge rubber while still being fairly heavy so you’ll damage it easily if you don’t follow directions.
My recommendation would be to remove the outer plastic layer with the roll upright near but not on the platform. That gets you to the point where the latex layer is still compressed but folded in half. You can use the enveloping plastic to flop it up onto the platform or prior layer and get it positioned so that it’s pretty closely aligned at one end to the prior layer or platform corners and then remove the top half of the plastic using shears.
Then you can flop that half over and align it more exactly how you want. Then flop the still encased in plastic half over the other layer and remove the remaining plastic. Then flop it back into place and do final adjustments to get all four corners squared away. If you take that approach, there’s minimal need to flop things around to get all the corners squared up.
When you have the bottom-most layer in place the way you want, you’ll need to attach the top half of the mattress cover via the zipper. The zipper goes all the way around the mattress so it comes apart as two halves. The beginning of the zipper is positioned in the middle of a short end of the cover. Each half of the zipper has the usual solid tang, one already inserted into the cup at the base of the zipper. You feed the other solid tang through the zipper pull and into the cup as usual.
You’ll need to position the top half of the cover so that the other tang for that half of the zipper can be inserted into the cup and then the zipper tag can be used to start closing the zipper. I got it close to just short of the corner going from the bottom up the side. That way I could follow the directions from the video guide to roll up the top cover and flop it over the end of the bed out of the way of adding the other layers.
If you’ve followed their recommendation to tuck the mattress cover out of the way, it’s time to finish zipping it up after all the layers have been added. I HIGHLY recommend having a second person to help with this! It’s difficult to do by yourself as you have to be pushing down hard on the mattress layers, tucking in part of the top part of the cover that is behind the zipper and then aligning the halves of the zipper properly so that it can be pulled along, zipping the cover up.
Once the cover is zipped up, you’re ready to add the mattress protector. Do get one as the cover for the mattress would stain easily. It’s a very nice fabric but it is soft cotton and would wick up any moisture easily.
So, after all that, I had to try out the edge test. That’s where you see how easily the mattress dumps you off when you sit on the edge of the bed - as if you’re getting pants on or reading Reddit.
I was very surprised and pleased, actually! It was very supportive compared to other all foam mattresses I tried and even some hybrids. It held up pretty well and I didn’t feel like I’d be struggling to balance myself while putting on trousers and shoes. That’s been born out in the days since.
So how does it sleep? I had an old body pillow that was pretty badly flattened and a pretty fluffy comforter along with some new latex pillows to try out. I’m still adjusting to the pillows. To be frank, it does sleep a bit warmer than my old spring mattress. Not by a lot but some. That’s saying something as I run pretty warm.
I did go shopping and found a lightweight waffle Tencel blanket and a lightweight quilt to use together instead. Those have made a big difference and I’m sleeping much better.
The top layer provides good support but does conform to my body so I get up with no back issues whatsoever. I’m still getting used to a relatively flat mattress compared to my old, abused one but that’s quickly becoming a non-issue. With the new quilt and blanket, I’m sleeping very comfortably as far as staying comfortably cool goes. I’ll be sticking with wool, cotton or Tencel sheets, blankets and quilts from now on.
As for isolation and bounce, both seem pretty decent and match what review sites have had to say for the brand. The isolation is not quite as complete as for a pocket spring mattress but is pretty close. The bounce is very nice and should be quite helpful if I ever have occasion to share the bed with someone special.
My only issues so far with Sleep EZ is that they needed to make it MUCH clearer that I needed four layers rather than three at my weight and that the mattress foundation cover and mattress cover itself are difficult to get on. But I’m not sure how to make putting on the covers easier and still have them hold up to the stress of normal use.
The mattress layers proposed by their recommender tool for the organic latex did a great job of predicting what I needed. I’m optimistic that I’ll continue to adjust to them and be very happy with them over time. It will be interesting to see how latex foam holds up to someone of my weight and height.
I’ll update this review at six and twelve months so there’s more data to help others with their shopping.