mattress toppers

albro · Veteran Member

mattress toppers

Cupie · Guru

We have an innerspring that has given good service for 18 years.

On our first trip we found it a little hard so we fitted one of those foam egg carton profile toppers plus a good quality wool filled mattress protector. We got then from Pillow Talk (I think) in Hervey Bay. The foam topper is about ready for replacement after all this time.

We find the caravan bed almost as comfortable as our (not cheap) heavy 350mm Wool topped Latex mattress at home.

My advice is that if you are going to keep the van for some time invest in an innerspring plus the egg carton foam & mattress protector.

We also retired our good quality doona from home to the van, when we replaced it with a pure silk one that we got from the factory when we were in China. The extra size of the Queen doona works very well on the caravan double bed. In the van we only ever need the doona & fitted sheets in summer or in winter. Easy to make the bed too.

-- Edited by Cupie on Friday 15th of April 2016 01:44:34 PM

Desert Dweller · Senior Member

We have woollen mattress protectors on our double bed at home & in our caravan. They definitely add a little more comfort & warmth in cooler weather.

BaupleNut · Senior Member

Sorry but I do not think a foam eggshell or even latex is going to make any difference to a foam mattress,best to get an innerspring and then add an eggshell if necessary.

BNut

Bricat70 · Veteran Member

Yep we also have an inner Spring, but today we purchased the egg carton type. Will try it out in two weeks when we head of for a couple months.

beej · Member

just got a new van with innerspring mattress,first 2 nights I found the bed very hard, and cold ,went and got woollen mattress protecter and eggshell foam and the difference is amazing.It is heaps softer and warmer.Dont think you would get as good results with foam mattress though.

Bruce and Bev · Guru

having sold 1000's of mattresses, I wouldn't expect my dog to sleep on a foam matt sorry. They provide no lumber support, hot in summer, start to smell after a while and eventually disintegrate.

Buy a decent innersprung matt albo and do your bodies a favour. Toppa pads provide extra comfort and protection for a good matt which will last for years

Oh, and bear in mind that the matt sizes for RVS are not the same size as the double you will buy in a shop. Most capital cities have a matt manufacturer who make them or google caravan mattresses and find a maker that way

Philw · Senior Member

Our motorhome came with an innerspring that was too hard. We went to pillow talk and bought a memory foam gel mattress topper. I have chronic back issues and a good bed is critical. We havehad this on now for 3 years and it is awesome. Comfortable, good support and doesntget too hot. We tried the egg crate type foam on a previous van and there is no comparison. Because the bed has a taper onthe end, the good wife cut down the side and restiched it. It fits snugly onto the bed. I think it cost around the $200 mark but not sure.
cheers Phil

Meredith · Senior Member

We have a memory foam topper on our too hard innerspring mattress and we find its great for that problem. But if the issue is that your mattress doesn't have enough support then I would suggest it wouldn't really help. I would definitely look into replacing the foam with an innerspring.

Sheffield-er · Senior Member

Does anyone know if you can safely use egg carton overlay on top of (or under) an electric blanket ??
... Val confuse

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Definitely not on top Val due to the heat created. I was told when using one not to use electric blankets on top or under for same reason

Apparently there is a chance of the blanket over heating and burning out. There is a chance of toxic fumes as well. Not being 100% convinced I decided not to just in case.

I ended up getting a magnetic woollen underlay. Niiiice. However if you have a pacemaker the magnets are out as they interfere with the pacemaker.

Keep Safe, well warm anyway.

dishlicker · Senior Member

Hi Albro

We replaced ours a while back in our other vehicle. We went to Clack Rubber and found what we were after at a very good price they have a good selection of different types of mattreses for different situations check em out.

Chris61 · Senior Member

albro wrote:
Our foam double mattress could do with a little more umph and we are thinking of a mattress topper, either the egg carton stuff or maybe the flat memory foam. Can anyone advise on this topic?

-- Edited by albro on Friday 15th of April 2016 01:05:07 PM

One vote for memory foam, very comfortable.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/371314874350?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

You can get it in 5cm, 7cm or 8cm thickness. I am pretty sure I purchased the 7cm thick version.

We have a light weight inner spring mattress and the memory foam topper just made it.

-- Edited by Chris61 on Monday 18th of April 2016 03:42:23 PM

Cupie · Guru

Chris61 wrote:
albro wrote:
Our foam double mattress could do with a little more umph and we are thinking of a mattress topper, either the egg carton stuff or maybe the flat memory foam. Can anyone advise on this topic?

-- Edited by albro on Friday 15th of April 2016 01:05:07 PM
One vote for memory foam, very comfortable.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/371314874350?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
You can get it in 5cm, 7cm or 8cm thickness. I am pretty sure I purchased the 7cm thick version.
We have a light weight inner spring mattress and the memory foam topper just made it.

-- Edited by Chris61 on Monday 18th of April 2016 03:42:23 PM

At the risk of going off topic .. I looked at the link above & saw that it refered to a Bamboo fabric, which prompted me to find out what 'bamboo fabric ' is.

Seems like it is a form of Rayon ...

.....

Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. It is made from purified cellulose, primarily from wood pulp, which is chemically converted into a soluble compound. It is then dissolved and forced through a spinneret to produce filaments which are chemically solidified, resulting in synthetic fibers of nearly pure cellulose.^[1] Because rayon is manufactured from naturally occurring polymers, it is considered a semi-synthetic fiber.^[2] Specific types of rayon include viscose, modaland lyocell, each of which differs in manufacturing process and properties of the finished product.

THE VISCOSE PROCESS

There is more than one way to make rayon. The most common wayand the one widely used for bamboois called the viscose process. In this process, cellulose material (such as bamboo) is dissolved in a strong solvent to make a thick, viscous solution that is forced through a spinneret into a quenching solution where strands solidify into fiber.The dissolved bamboo material is forced through a spinneret where strands solidify into fiber.

This is sometimes called hydrolysis alkalization or solution spinning because the fiber is spun in a chemical solution. The solvent used for this process is carbon disulfide, a toxic chemical that is a known human reproductive hazard. It can endanger factory workers and pollute the environment via air emissions and wastewater.

The recovery of this solvent in most viscose factories is around 50 percent, which means that the other half goes into the environment. Other potentially hazardous chemicals are also used in the viscose process, including sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid. Because of these environmental issues,

...........................

Sounds like a typical Chinese manufacturing process to me . But I may be biased, having spent only a few weeks in the Shanghai and similar micro manufacturing areas.

so there you go.

Back on topic .... I think that I might top my innerspring mattress with a bamboo rayon covered memory foam.

-- Edited by Cupie on Monday 18th of April 2016 04:07:37 PM

jules47 · The Happy Helper

We had a foam mattress in our camper, and it served us quite well for a few years (we both liked a firm bed) - when it started to feel a bit uncomfortable, we purchased an eggshell foam overlay, and the difference was amazing - so comfortable and warm. We had the trailer for ten years and never changed the mattress, occasionally put it out to air, at home on top of the clothes line.

In the motorhome we have an innerspring mattress, not too thick, and use a memory foam ball topper, which is like sleeping on a cloud.

PeterD · Guru

Sheffield-er wrote:
Does anyone know if you can safely use egg carton overlay on top of (or under) an electric blanket ??

We have had an egg crate overlay on our mattress. There is a woollen under blanket over it and the electric blanket on top of that. The egg crate has stood up OK.

baysidetas · Veteran Member

We put up with an innerspring mattress that caused us to wake up with a sore back. After about 3 years we bought a memory foam topper and cut it to fit on top of the inner spring.

An excellent result, a good night's sleep and very happy with the result. It is only about 25mm thick.

TheHeaths · Guru

We have memory foam toppers on both our van and home innersprings.

They are very good, if somewhat expensive. My wife used an egg shell one for a number of years on an innerspring in our previous van, and also found that was helpful, though not to the same level as the memory foam

Adding either to a foam mattress would be a waste of time in my opinion, as it is just another layer of foam on top of the existing foam. It won't add support ( or oomph as you put it), it just makes it softer, and I would suggest it will make it worse rather than better for you.

Sheffield-er · Senior Member

Thanks for the advice Doug and Peter. Think I'll leave the egg crate topper off. Electric blanket more important. Had a few cool nights now in Tassie. Days pretty nice though.

.... Val smile

BaupleNut · Senior Member

Just a tip if you want more warmth the Vellux blankets are twice as warm as synthetic or woolen blankets at about 25% of the weight.

BaupleNut

Sheffield-er · Senior Member

Thanks BaupleNut - will check them out.

Val

Cupie · Guru

BaupleNut wrote:
Just a tip if you want more warmth the Vellux blankets are twice as warm as synthetic or woolen blankets at about 25% of the weight.

BaupleNut

I was interested in carrying one 'just in case' till I had a look at the prices

From DJs Queen $179

From Ebay/US F/Q $107

I might just stick to my usual Down filled Doona plus the spare one that is stored away with all my cold country emergency stuff in a small compartment under the linen. As the King size doonas from our bed at home & the guest room age, we dry clean them & then move them to the van.

ps. My cold country emergency kit includes ... A doona, warm coat, Jeans, vest, balaclava, football sox, gloves & a spray jacket.

BaupleNut · Senior Member

For those interested the Vellux blankets are on special at JC Penney in the US, I wouldn't normally buy when the dollar is down against the $US, but at $163.50 AUD for two queen size blankets plus $19.95 shipping to Australia, well that's still value. I have used JC Penney twice now as it worked out at half price and they are one of only a few stores that ship to Australia.

BaupleNut

www.jcpenney.com/vellux-blanket/prod.jump

meetoo · Guru

I am wondering if the 2 inch thick toppers can get too hot.

Would a thinner one, say 1 inch thick be better in that regard or would you lose too much in the comfort area then?

Have been reading your comments with interest as the mattress in my van is on the hard side and gives backache.

Thanks, John

meetoo · Guru

Just reporting back for those who maybe interested. I bought a 3 cm CoolGel Memory Foam mattress topper. It was bought online for about $170. from Kogan. Received in 4 days and worth every penny. No more backache, thanks to this forum. I had not heard of these before reading of them here. I chose thinner to avoid getting hot, and for me this was a wise decision. I think there is still the possibility of getting too warm with it in summertime though. We'll see.
Cheers, John

TheHeaths · Guru

Albro,

what did you do about the topper?

Philw · Senior Member

Hey John. It wont get too hot in summer. We have the memory foam gel mattress for our house bed and the topper for the motorhome. Have been through summers and winters with them. They are awesome and cool in summer and cosy in winter. Enjoy.
phil

meetoo · Guru

Nice to know.

Thanks Phil, Cheers

albro · Veteran Member

Hi Ian, sorry for the late reply, haven't been on the site for a while.
I bought an egg carton topper and it has made quite a difference. I have only tried it out once (sleeping in the caravan on the drive) but we will be checking it proper in a couple of weeks. My guess is it will be okay.

-- Edited by albro on Wednesday 28th of September 2016 01:46:24 PM

CC Bear · Senior Member

Out mattress is 120 mm under a double and when we ought it had two foam mattresses. We have always had good mattresses on our home bed for the last 25 years so ditched the foam and went to Makin Mattresses at Nundah, Brisbane. Bought a double designed for a van and a topper And they trimmed them down at no extra cost.They may have cost a good bit but very nice when we have tried it out.

Why sleep on crap in your van when you sleep on a good mattress at home. We are not getting any younger or fitter why not have comfort while we enjoy ourselves travelling.

-- Edited by CC Bear on Wednesday 28th of September 2016 09:46:26 PM