Mattresses......

[LucyImHome]

Oh, for a good night's sleep, to not be awakened by pain in my back!
I'm still in the travel trailer. It's the bunk style. I took the upper berth out so I could sit up in bed. That allowed me to have two of the foam cushions/mattresses.  This is slightly better than just one. The problem is that they are original, from 1982. Yeah..... 
I don't have the funds to pay for a custom mattress. So I'm brainstorming for alternate ideas. The space is 30" wide, so I wonder if a good quality crib mattress would work. They are about 28" wide and 51" long. I'm 5'8" so I'd have a little overhang, but that could be filled at the foot with the foam. Sealy makes a 204 coil for $90. Reviews say it's comfortable. How does that work? Hey little baby, that a comfy bed?
I like a firm bed so I don't thing memory foam would work.
Ideas?

 

[msbarth]

We bought a twin size foam mattress at Sam's Club for about 150 bucks.

 

[LucyImHome]

A conventional twin mattress is 38" wide and my space is 30". It's a bunk so there's wall on each side.

 

[Canine]

Upholstery shops in larger cities usually have several different sizes and firmness of foam.When me and Vic were van dwelling we got one in Idaho Falls.

 

[Wabbit]

Have you thought of a futon mattress? There is a Japanese floor mattress that I am planning on using for both bunks in my build. I have a few issues with my back and sleeping on normal mattresses leads to some severe pain in only a night or two. The firmness is what I need. If you like firm, this may work for you. They are 30 inches wide.

http://www.amazon.com/Traditional-J...+Mattresses%2C+Foldable+Cushion+Mat&submit=Go

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Lots of options at The Foam Factory

Regards
John

 

[Tin Can Express]

Lots of options at The Foam Factory

Regards
John

I'll second this, they were helpful and had good customer support . Free shipping too.

 

[Bela's Mom]

I bought one of these  www.walmart.com/ip/5-Zone-2-Convuluted-Foam-Topper/15581041ht 
 in a queen size and cut three pieces out of it for my twin beds and one  for a bed I make up when needed using the swivel, reclining passenger seat and the ice chest.

If money is an issue, this might work for you.  You could buy a full size and cut it in half since you have two beds.  Or put both pieces on your bed when alone.

When I am on a trip alone, I use two pieces.  Very comfortable.  I get pain from pressure points on my hip joints and these work well.

 

[Donedirtcheap]

Foam factory. Some showrooms will have various densities of foam on display. I went with a more firm type and an additional 2 " softer egg crate style to provide a pillow top effect. Cut to any size you like.

 

[decodancer]

Ebay search for truck mattresses.  I bought a 32 x 80 very comfy mattress for $119 and they shipped it free.  

 

[karl]

Another foam factory advocate here- I have back issues and am happy with the 4" HD foam I bought there....I bought a queen size and cut it to fit my 4' bed for about $100.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Another place to look is JoAnn Fabrics...in the back of the one here they have all kinds of foam of all sizes as well as a massive pillow selection. I'd like to get a foam topper like my daughter got with her dorm bedding package---it makes whatever bed it's on so comfy to me that when she gets a larger bed I'm swiping it!!! :dodgy:

 

[FALCON]

So I'm thinking about mattress thickness. At foam factory, they sell foam matresses like this:

With 3-4" of memory foam on top of another 5" of "poly" or "medium" foam. Says they glue them together and send them as one piece. They also just sell memory foam toppers, which they say you would put on top of your current mattress.

Are you guys buying the combined thing (8-9" total thickness) or just the topper and sleeping on that alone? I'm trying to set up my bed so I can sit upright on top of it, but also with some storage space underneath - so the mattress thickness is important.

 

[Almost There]

I've slept quite comfortably for almost 20 years now on a 4" foam slab, first in a van and now on a platform bed. It is reaching (or most likely has reached) it's life expectancy so I'm replacing it when I move into the van. I'll replace it with another slab of 4" foam.

Foam comes in different density/firmness. The one designed for sofa cushions is amongst the firmest so that it doesn't break down from total body weight being confined to one's butt!

Actually, I sleep quite comfortably and often on the sofa cushions too come to think about it....

If you get the right foam there's no need to go to anything near 8" unless you think you're a princess and are afraid of a pea. Out of necessity for storage needs, my bed frame is going to be rather high anyways so if I used an 8" mattress I'd need a ladder to get in to it...

Also, if you possibly can, design the bed mattress so that you can flip and reverse it just like you should a regular mattress.

 

[FALCON]

Thanks Almost there.

Yeah, I don't need a particularly fancy mattress at all.. I also found other threads with people here saying 3-4" works for them.

Good point about being able to flip it.. That's something I'll need to keep in mind vs making it an odd shape to fill all the space at the rear of my van (if I make it symmetric going back in to both sides, flipping it would still work)

 

[compassrose]

If any of you are in or going to be in the Chattanooga TN area, Murmaid Mattress will make custom mattresses for a decent price.

www.murmaid.com

 

[Free Range Chicken]

So I'm thinking about mattress thickness. At foam factory, they sell foam matresses like this:

With 3-4" of memory foam on top of another 5" of "poly" or "medium" foam. Says they glue them together and send them as one piece. They also just sell memory foam toppers, which they say you would put on top of your current mattress.

Are you guys buying the combined thing (8-9" total thickness) or just the topper and sleeping on that alone? I'm trying to set up my bed so I can sit upright on top of it, but also with some storage space underneath - so the mattress thickness is important.

Ive slept in memory foam for over two years. I'm a bit of a princess for sleeping quality. So I've tried 3" of memory foam, i picked the firmest one and it was too rough. But then got another 2" of memory foam and stacked them and I sleep ok ish. Perhaps my personal sweet spot may be at six inches. The other foam is way too soft so I just disregarded it.

 

[GotSmart]

Ive slept in memory foam for over two years.   I'm a bit of a princess  for sleeping quality.  So I've tried 3" of memory foam, i picked the firmest one and it was too rough.  But then got another 2" of memory foam and stacked them and I sleep ok ish. Perhaps my personal sweet spot may be at six inches.  The other foam is way too soft so I just disregarded it.

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Goldilocks was very tired by this time, so she went upstairs to the bedroom.  She lay down in the first bed, but it was too hard.  Then she lay in the second bed, but it was too soft.  Then she lay down in the third bed and it was just right.  Goldilocks fell asleep.[/font]


[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]3rd time is the charm.[/font]

 

[ccbreder]

I have a FoamFactory HD foam cut 3 inches thick, upholstered to a folding bed. I can bottom out an elbow if I try, but it is comfortable for this hard mattress guy.

 

[Canine]

My .02, I bought one of those camping self inflating 2 inch pads and threw an inexpensive 2" memory on top. I did this as I like to be able to roll things up and remake the van without having a permanent bed. Now if and when I ever decide between a cot or a permanent bed, I'd probably go to an upholstery place and purchase their high density 4 inch foam. Did that years ago in the class C for the couch and cushions, great way to redo things. Your particular bed setup and preferences will of course dictate what you need, however, these are all good ideas the posters have given you.