Foam mattress

[ethernectar]

First, a memory foam bed is not just memory foam. It is a layer of memory foam over one or more layers of regular foam, usually of differing densities and firmness (ILD) levels. Memory foam alone doesn't provide all of the necessary support. When you put a memory foam "mattress topper" on a standard mattress you are using the standard mattress for the required support. How well that works depends on the style and quality of that mattress.

Without going into all of the detail I discovered, here are some valuable summary facts. You should know the density (weight per cubic foot) and firmness (how easily the foam yields to pressure) of the memory foam and the underlying foam (or other substance if you have something else under there) in order to get the arrangement that is most durable and comfortable for you. Density and firmness are independent measures, BTW.

You should also know who made the foam. A lot of foreign manufacturers are flooding the US market with cheap copy-cat foam, often made with toxic chemicals (that may out-gas) and/or clay particles to make the foam seem denser than it really is. This is done to cheat you because the denser the foam, the higher the cost. Their foam is also low ILD. The bottom line is that you should only buy memory foam made by one of these companies if you want your money's worth and to avoid possible health hazards: Tempurpedic, Foamex, Isoform and Novoform.

Each company makes various product lines. For example, Foamex makes Venus (8 lb. density & 15 ILD), Sensus (5 lb. density & 13 ILD), Aerus (4 lb. density & 12 ILD) and Comfort3 (3 lb. density & 10 ILD). ILD is a measure of firmness: higher number is more firm. Memory foam should generally have an ILD in the ranges Foamex uses. The support layers, OTOH, should have densities in the 2.5-3 lb. areas and ILDs of 35-45.

http://www.foamandupholstery.com/Foa...20Foam%20Specs

It's best to have a three layer support mattress with the density increasing from top to bottom or have the most dense foam on the bottom.

Right now my wife and I are experimenting with a topper and air-mattresses. I'm trying to duplicate a select number bed.

Wow again.

Ok, just tell me what setup you purchased and I'll trust it.

[jronwood]

Great to share that info with us, THANKS.

Ironwood

[Telcobilly]

Thats exactly what I did when I was trucking. The sleeper mattress was like concrete, so I ended up with 3 of the waffle foam mattresses. I like the idea of a cheapo sleeping bag stuffed with the foam, I'm going to do that when I get my utility body camper project off the ground.

[Hilldweller]

Our Little Guy came with two foam mattresses that were 34.5" x 80" x 3". They're not bad but I'm pretty dense and wide so I cut down a 2.5" gel memory foam topper from BJ's (~ $140) and stuffed the other mattresses under it in the poly/cotton wrapper it comes with. Put a regular king mattress protector over that and it's just as comfy as our cal-king Tempurpedic at home.

[dwh]

Thats exactly what I did when I was trucking. The sleeper mattress was like concrete, so I ended up with 3 of the waffle foam mattresses. I like the idea of a cheapo sleeping bag stuffed with the foam, I'm going to do that when I get my utility body camper project off the ground.

Yea. It worked well. I just remembered something else about that setup. In the winter, I added a slim foam camping sleeping pad to it. One of the blue ones with the egg carton texture on one side. So it was 3 layers of the 1" open cell foam, and that sleeping pad on the top (closed cell IIRC) - all inside the sleeping bag.

I remember that you could literally FEEL the heat being reflected off that mattress when laying on it with that blue pad added.

Not what you want in summer, but as a winter mattress - I was a tent camper back then - it was awesome.

[Wyowanderer]

I bought a couple pieces at my local upholstery shop years ago- 1 1/2 " of really soft foam, and 3" of denser foam, and had them glue it together. It's 4 1/2 X 48 X72 and it's like sleeping at home. The soft foam has some give, and the dense foam provides support as needed by my large frame.

[IdaSHO]

I didnt see it mentioned here, could have missed it though...

But memory foam will NEVER find its way into our camper. We do a ton of cold weather traveling. Camper is not heated while on the road, and can get pretty cold.

My wife brought a memory foam pillow along once.... fun times.....

I slept WITHOUT a pillow that night, she used mine.

The memory foam pillow was tossed into the corner. Cold, and hard as a rock.

[TheDriver]

I bought a mid range ikea multi layer foam mattress (twin I think) and trimmed it to fit in three big pieces (Jeep JKU). I had a local shop cover it with some softer sunbrella like fabric and it's worked out great! Better than sleeping on our regular inner spring at home. Because the jk floor is not flat with the rear seats folded down I ended up pulling them and putting in a kilby flat floor. Loving the stealth jk rv and glad we spent the money on a good donor foam mattress - it blows away the lighter foam roll material that I've checked out and it's thick enough to be super warm even in the snow (using a down comforter).

Chris

[AUTO360]

I got my mattress from a website called Truckermattress.com . It was $200 but worth it. Quality foam and hospital grade cover for it. Plus it was custom sized to my specifications. Worth the money? Hmm. I sleep very well on it and the quality is excellent. But at the same time I have a cheap stock mattress in my toyhauler with an egg crate foam from Wally World and I sleep great on that also. I will say that on a hot day the mattress does seem to hold alot of heat. And like Idasho said, in cold weather it can get rather cold and hard. Tough to say. Those Ikea mattress's are really nice....I bought 2 off CL, never used for $20. Slept great on them! Too big for my Van camper though. Hmm, maybe tonight I'll sleep on my gravel driveway and see if that works also. LOL..kidding

[Stumpalump]

There is nothing like crashing onto a real sleep surface after a day of driving or your outdoor activities. My limited time to play results in long hard days of often strenuous activities. I personally demand the absolute best sleep surface like the kind that I hit at night and wake up in the same position I crashed in 7 hours earlier. The quality sleep allows me to have a quality day to do it again. I see too many people mope around the campsite till 10:00am because they are still wiped out from the day before. I sleep on a surface worthy of a crash victim with a broken back. Foam/air bladder combo with the right support in the right place. I'd post some links but am currently reduce to a toy commuter iPad thing but you can google " stretcher sleep surfaces" I use a Stryker Pioneer but their are others available in all sorts of widths, lengths and thickness. Air, foam, or a combination are all available. A stretcher is not an ambulance cot. They are called cots. It's not a hospital bed, those are called beds. A stretcher is in between and is used to transport patients within a medical facility. They are a medically engineered sleep surface for people in dire need of quality rest. That would be me after a day of hiking ,biking,driving, swimming, fishing metal detecting or riding the dirt bike. I hit that surface and it's like God has me in his hands. I used to say that the 12v fridge was the best piece of camp gear I owned but now the top spot is the stretcher surface.