4 inch matress topper

[Unstable_Tripod]

I've done a lot of research on memory foam because I wanted to get memory foam beds for home and camping. First, memory foam should not be used alone because of the "sink through" issue previously mentioned. Get a topper and put it over the TM mattress or "build" a true memory foam bed which is a combination of the memory foam and two layers of regular foam. The bottom layer of regular foam should be more firm (have a higher ILD number) than the layer immediately under the memory foam. Ideally the two layers of regular foam are (when combined) twice as thick as the layer of memory foam but that usually isn't possible in a camping trailer.

The bed I have at home has 4" of 38 ILD regular foam as a base, then 4" of 35 ILD regular foam and then 4" of 13 ILD, 5-pound density memory foam. The one I have in the trailer has 2" of 38 ILD regular foam, 1" of 35 ILD regular foam and 2" of 13 ILD, 5-pound density memory foam and it is wonderful. BTW, ILD is a measure of firmness. The number, e.g., 38, refers to the number of pounds of force required to compress the layer of foam 25% of the way or, put another way, to push it down to 75% of its actual thickness. Higher ILD numbers mean more firmness. Firmness is different from density, which is measured by how much a cubic foot of the material weighs in pounds. My advice is to never get memory foam with less than 4-pound density. You will sink through it too easily and it won't be durable enough to last a long time.

Also, only buy memory foam made by one of these companies: Foamex, Novoform, Isoform or TempurPedic. The rest of the stuff out there is foreign-made and comes primarily from China. This is not just a patriotic, "buy American" point. The stuff from China is often made with noxious substances that can out-gas from the memory foam for years. Also, some Chinese factories have been known to add clay particles to their foam mix to make it seem more dense than it really is.

You can get good memory foam made by one of those companies at Overstock.com but you have to know exactly what you are doing as they also sell a lot of crap. The same is true with the big box stores. I'd recommend the following two on-line companies because I've used their products with great success and satisfaction. (I do not work for them or have any connection to them.)

Sleepwarehouse

The Foam Factory

These companies sell memory foam made by Foamex. The Foam Factory also sells regular foam made by Foamex if you want to build a bed like I did. Both companies sell toppers. With The Foam Factory you can specify a custom size for each piece of foam.

Sweet dreams!

[Joesjunk]

Been looking and I never realized that a camping matress could be so difficult to locate. I think I will wait until I pull the camper out of the garage and check the clearance between the current matress top and the shell when closed. If it is sufficient to just install a topper, I'll go that route. Otherwise a new foam replacement is necessary.

Sleeping on the current matress is painful on my shoulders and hips. Too hard...

In my case with the king sized bed, a foam replacement is difficult to find. I see several on "Overstock.com." But how hard or soft they are is just a guess. And they have a no return policy.

Has anyone looked at two twin matresses for the king bed? Might be able to set it up similar to a regular king bed. Just a thought.

[Barb&Tim]

We bought a 2 inch memory foam topper from overstocked.com and made a bag to cover it with by sewing 2 twin sheets together on 3 sides. Have to fold it up and remove it from the bed to close down but it's not that much of a bother.

Have not sleep tested it yet, but got a trip coming up in a week.

Tim

[countrygirl]

We have this one from Walmart. It is comfortable for us. When we first got the Tm we did not have a topper for it. Then when we were on a 18 day trip we decided to get one...and I picked this because they had it in the store and it was less then 2 inches tall. We have been happy with it. I think it is 78 by 72 and the real mattress is 78 x78 so it is a little shorter at the foot of the bed but has not been a problem.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/FASTTRACK-...opper/15581050

If I were shopping for one today however ...this one would tempt me:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Spa-Sensat...opper/10924578

It has 55 five star ratings.

Hey Wayne, I want to buy your TM when you're ready to sell. You have every whistle & Bell I'd ever want! You should write a book on how to make life better in a TM.
Regards
Gary

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by Joesjunk

Been looking and I never realized that a camping matress could be so difficult to locate. I think I will wait until I pull the camper out of the garage and check the clearance between the current matress top and the shell when closed. If it is sufficient to just install a topper, I'll go that route. Otherwise a new foam replacement is necessary.

Sleeping on the current matress is painful on my shoulders and hips. Too hard...

In my case with the king sized bed, a foam replacement is difficult to find. I see several on "Overstock.com." But how hard or soft they are is just a guess. And they have a no return policy.

Has anyone looked at two twin matresses for the king bed? Might be able to set it up similar to a regular king bed. Just a thought.

Joe,
I felt your pain. There's not a lot of clearance, which you can see by opening just the front shell and then standing inside while the rear shell is still locked down.

I'm sure the inflatable idea is effective, but I'd prefer to not add any more setup/takedown steps. And, of course, whatever height you add to the bed also raises the stakes for bed climbing.

Incredible as it seems, our cheapie $10 mattress topper from Family Dollar really was enough to make a huge difference (it's maybe 3/4").

Joe - this works for DW and I and I have a bad hip. We first put an underlayment of 3/4" closed cell foam (two interlocking camp mats) below the TM mattress. The upside is that the unit closes easily even with bedding in place and it gives some thermal protection. The downside is that it didn't provide enough padding for my hip.

Step 2 was to buy 2 Therm-A-Rest self inflating camp mats. We bought the 2 inch thick "camp rest" models. They exactly fill the mattress frame of our 2619 and go between the TM mattress and the closed cell foam mats. The downside is you can't close the TM with them in place. (Although we simply open the valves, fold them in two and set them on the floor to cushion the TV or microwave while traveling. They also make good mats for an outdoor nap or even as floats when swimming.) The upside is that now the TM is as comfortable for sleeping as our bed at home. You don't need to blow them up when you arrive at your campsite - just unfold them and close the valves. Better yet, you can add a few puffs of air by simply blowing into the valve and DW and I can have our own "sleep number" beds - a little firmer for support to my hip and softer for her. Placing or storing them takes less time than reading this! - camp2canoe

[Bill]

Like Mr. A, we simply added a 1" egg crate on top of the mattress. The result is more comfortable than our expensive mattresses at home, the fitted sheet goes over it plus the mattress just fine, and the TM closes perfectly.

Not everyone needs an expensive retrofit. Don't get carried away until you are sure you need to.

Bill

We tried several things on the bed to improve the comfort, seems they all needed to be removed to close the TM, what we finally settled on was 2 self inflating "camp pads" from REI on top of the mattress. They are the 3.5 camp beds. Basically the same as what Camp2canoe does I think.

This setup is EXTREMELY comfortable, no out gassing, adjustable if needed, and nothing to blow up with your mouth. They are priced about $100 each though, so look for the 20% coupon REI sends out a couple times a year.

It's pretty surprising how cold it gets between the camp pads and mattress when the temps are low, so they insulate well too.