Discuss beds with me

[i am]

I've always had whatever bed a friend is nice enough to hand down to me. Someday when I actually buy a new bed this will matter more, but right now I'm buying new cushions for a little camper.

 

In Chinese culture, they seem to believe that a firm bed is best, and big soft beds suck the energy out of you. During my short time there, in all but the nicest western hotels, the beds were little more than a very thin mattress on a board, and when I stayed at someone's house, it was literally a thin cotton comforter on a sheet of plywood. I didn't mind it at all.

 

I think some level of compromise would be good...very firm, without being so firm that no woman would stay in my bed. This material will also be the seats of the table when it's not a bed.

 

So, I'd be interested to hear your opinions on firmness of beds in general, as well as what I might be able to use for cushion material in my camper. There may come a time I'm more or less living out of this thing.

Edited February 15, 2013 by i am

[GrandmasterP]

Interesting topic.

I can sleep on a plank but for preference a medium firm mattress suits me best these days.

Very soft beds at holiday cottage and I tend to dull backache after a week on those.

Nothing too bad just a grumble.

Bed shop chap did say last time we bought that the older folk get the firmer a mattress people prefer.

Nice place literally hundreds to try out if you wanted too before you bought and no pressure to buy.

Furniture Village I think it was called, great big out of town jobby.

One thing I can't be doing with is foot board bed ends, I'm not that tall at 5foot 10inches but always seem to have my feet squashed against a bed end if the bed has one of those.

B&Bs seem to be the worst offenders for having bed ends.

[GreytoWhite]

I have a couple of foam pads on the floor covered by a sheet. It's not bad really, more comfortable than the sprung twin mattress I was sleeping on. I can feel the blockages in my lower back on the tops of my iliac crests.

[i am]

Check out this thread.

 

Exactly what I'm looking for, thanks!

 

I think that in my camper, I won't be too bad off. Because there is no mattress, per se. It's foam, on a solid wood platform. So it's some cushion on top of a hard, flat surface, unlike a mattress which would be easily a foot thick with springs and stuff. So I think...I'll start with thin foam. If nothing else, I'll probably want that to sit on. If I find it's too soft for sleeping, I can always just lay some thicker cotton material down on the boards and sleep on that. And I'll have the foam in case I have a friend who likes more padding

 

No matter what, it's going to more firm than my current bed I sleep in every night, so that's good! Which gets me thinking...maybe it's time to toss that old used mattress and get myself some plywood and cloth..!

[C T]

I have always wanted to live in a camper! My idea of freedom..

 

Anyways, if you could, try to look for a latex mattress or padding. Not sure what part of the world you're in (i think its not widely available) but if you can get this material, its so very comfortable/durable its amazing! When its cool, it keeps you warm, and when its warm, it feels cool. More importantly, its really good for posture maintenance, plus other secondary benefits, like keeping away microbial stuff and dust mites, au naturel.

 

I used to sleep on these mattresses growing up, and now, after years of obsessing over spring mattresses, i think my next buy will be latex again. (sigh, unfortunately, they're rather expensive over here in Europe).

 

 

info page: http://www.healthyfoundations.com/latex.html

Edited February 16, 2013 by C T

[Moderator team]

Moved this to off-topic.

[i am]

Moved this to off-topic.

Fair enough...

 

Yeah, we'll see how it goes, if it happens. Will be a year from now if it happens, but there are a lot of things life could throw at me between now and then that would stop it. Either way. I hope it happens, but most of the things that would keep me in town and in a house would be good things, too, so, we'll see.

 

My friend suggested latex foam padding. Her quote, at wholesale prices, for just the latex foam, was $900. This is just for two 2 1/2' x 4' pads, and two 1 1/2' x 4' pads. Crazy. Between that and the new upolstery and stuff, it would cost almost as much as I paid for the camper.

[i am]

Thanks for the link! Still pricy, but the latex covers are affordable...wonder if I could get away with a 2 or 3" mattress cover.