Why Top Online Mattresses May Not Come Rolled In A Box
The mattress industry is undergoing a bit of a revolution. These days, consumers want more quality in the surface they’ll spend a third of their lives sleeping on. They want longevity and sustainability, and they want something that’s going to leave them feeling rested instead of reaching for the SNOOZE button. That’s meant a lot of new companies and brands developing mattresses that can be easily had — some for cheap — by ordering online. But has that created a potential problem in and of itself?
If you’ve ordered from places like Casper, you probably know the situation. You order a new mattress, and what arrives at your door is compressed or rolled up into a much smaller container than you imagined. The mattress is easy to get up to your room and then when you open it, it magically unfolds before your eyes. It begs the questions though, how can a mattress that is supposed to last for the next ten years of your life, be so malleable that it fit into a box that is about 1/8th of its overall size? Maybe it’s a feat of genius engineering, but maybe it’s just not.
It’s not always the case, but keep this in mind: A mattress that can be compressed and contorted before it ships will almost certainly compress and contort as you use it. What I’m hoping to see more of from online mattress sellers is more accessible hybrid beds that take the benefits of foam and put them on top of a more stable spring base. These may be harder to ship, but they’re going to offer a lot more support for most sleepers while still providing the contouring comfort people like about foam. Over the long term I suspect they will prove to be more durable as well.
Compressible mattresses do save on shipping costs, which makes them more affordable. And for some people that’s all that matters. But take it from me: I’ve tried a whole lot of mattresses, and while there are certainly some good bed-in-a-box options out there, a lot of them are unfortunately not for everyone.
There are a lot of good things about these spring/foam hybrid mattress products: As I said in my Saatva (one newer hybrid option) review, they can be supportive and comfortable, but also quiet, which is something traditional spring mattresses usually lack. (Some companies now individually wrap the springs to reduce friction and noise.) They’re not rock-bottom cheap, but a few brands are made in the U.S., and by selling directly to consumer, these companies charge about a quarter of the price of in-store hybrid beds like the Simmons Beautyrest Black.
While size isn’t everything — and again, I’ve slept on some great foam mattresses — hybrids feel more like actual beds than many of the compressed models I’ve tried recently. They come as-is, without any unfolding, decompressing, or unvacuuming. They also manage to impress on both robustness and softness — not an easy feat to achieve. I’m looking forward to trying them out long term to assess their durability, and I hope more online mattress companies consider adding hybrid foam/spring models into their consumer options. That means more options that can only benefit consumers.
This is the first time someone made sense in regard to compressing a mattress. Straight up and honest. I’ve never felt confident with compressing a mattress due to how it affects long term durability. I will “never” buy a compressed mattress. Alot of these companies made the price point $1200-$1800 for a queen and then have the audacity to charge near double when using the term “organic”. Off-gassing, Organic, and other terms that appeal to a certain type of mind-set, and all this does is open the door for dealer mark-up and it is absolutely off-balance when it comes to dealer cost and what we as buyers end up paying when we choose things like “latex” or Organic” etc…
Nobody should sleep against the mattress directly and whatever type of material is preferred or required for specific skin conditions is achievable via mattress protectors, pads, covers, and the linens. To say a mattress “NEEDS” to be latex is nonsense to me. These companies are ripping us off when we fall into the marketing of these different options. Pricing is already too high for the more affordable product lines as far as I am concerned. We are actually paying the sleep trial, possible return, and in some cases a warranty replacement when it comes right down to it. based on loose terms that favor buyers for one reason or another. but when it comes right down to it.
A cheap mattress from Amazon that comes compressed, whether latex, gel infused, innerspring hybrid etc….. can sometimes be had for less than $300. And some defy cost rules completely and come in under $200. Are they just as good as the Nest, Casper, Dreamclous Saatva and the like? Maybe not all but some are equal to or even better. But too many people are brainwashed by what others say and have little knowledge to justify rating a product good or bad. Some people don’t know what high quality and give 5 stars to what I am certain is only a 3 star product which is the highest rating I would give ANY of these BIB mattresses. Anyone rating a BIB 5 stars would have to give 15 stars to REAL high quality mattresses that I am already aware exist and have slept on. Not one company, whether it be NEST, SAATVA, CASPER, or any of the others we all know about, is selling their ;product for a fair price. These are $300-$400 mattresses and that’s it. I am tired of the idea of paying for someone elses lack of knowledge, indecisiveness, or just outright stupidity for not knowing how to buy a mattress. Hence why I will always buy a mattress that is in it’s original form after it was made and I will be more certain to get that good nicht’s rest. I am sleeping on a Simmons Beauty Rest that STILL has perfect edge support and enough comfort to keep it longer and I have had it more than 15 years so far. If I bought a new mattress, I would only do so for the sheer enjoyment of getting that new and fresh mattress but it will be something comparable to what I have, NOT compressed
Great article here. People should be talking more about it and learning what makes a good bed GOOD instead of letting marketing agendas coax their thinking. Purple is one of the worst mattresses I have ever tried. And I am talking about their most recent top end offering that sells for more than double their original Purple sold for.
Thanks for sharing, Thanks for caring. Appreciate you very much
FINALLY! This whole ‘rolled-up mattress’ (?!?!) thing is explained! The amount of wordy searches I’ve done just to find out answers-in layman’s terms-is all right here in the first paragraph of this person’s blog thing. My thoughts concurred, and it feels good to know I’m not the only one who isn’t so much about saving on shipping in lieu of comfort. :-/ sorry
Thank you so much for this article! I’m presently searching for a mattress, and all I’ve found are compressed/boxed mattresses.