Lots of Monkeys

Inundated with questions from friends, I am going to chronicle my decision to purchase a mattress from Casper here.

Flashback to two months ago.

Her: “Your mattress is terrible.”
Me: “Well it is ten years old.”

This is where Past Me promptly forgets about that conversation until:

Flashback to one week ago.

Me: “Hrm. DCIst has an adverticle about a company that delivers mattresses, let me read that and then make a decision.”

So yes, there was an advertisement involved, but then again, it was space well purchased because I’m probably their exact demographic. I live in the District, I’m carless, I needed a new mattress and I wanted it to be as painless as possible.

Honestly, I waited two months for several reasons.

…purchasing a mattress is a pain in the ass.

As a person without a car, purchasing a mattress is a pain in the ass. I’d have to rent a car or ask a friend for help, who then has to empty their car to fit a mattress. That or pay for delivery fees.

Also mattress shopping is confusing. Firm or soft? Memory foam or latex? Spring? A mysterious “number” that really only indicates how much I am willing to spend on a mattress?

I went out and laid down on a few mattresses in a couple of showrooms. It felt like a waste of time to me because I have difficulty making these large dollar amount decisions based on the 45 seconds I spent on a mattress. Research really didn’t help.

Then the ad on DCIst showed up and then I started to check out what the deal was. $750 for a memory foam core mattress with a layer of latex foam on top. The frustrating research I did earlier actually helped here because by all accounts, that was a good price for a full size mattress.

Ordering

So the ordering process was very straightforward. I made an account with Casper, even though I could have checked out as a guest. I immediately received an email and a text, telling me where I could compulsively check my order status.

About three days later I decided that I wanted to see if they had a recommended mattress encasement, and used their online chat functionality. The representative got back to me right away and showed me what they recommended, which unfortunately wasn’t an encasement but they did their best, and that’s great.

Arrival

Then five days later on a Tuesday the mattress arrived. It was in a box, that was perfectly manageable with a small hand cart. Two people could have moved it with no problems.

I prepped the frame and took off the old mattress. I did a couple of things. First, I had extra slats, and turned the supporting surface into a solid flat foundation. Second, I vacuumed the slats because when else are you going to vacuum the slats on your bed?

I opened the box, read the materials and the quick start guide. Removed the letter opener and then was ready to go.

Here, in its tyvek corset, the Casper Mattress awaits release. Also you can see the solid flat foundation below it with the extra slats I had for my bedframe.

I leveraged the box onto the slats, then opened the bottom of the box and then pushed the mattress out of the box onto the slats. Then, using the provided letter opener, cut the tyvek that was holding the mattress in the compressed state. There was a very satisfying sigh from the mattress as it started to expand. I finished unpacking the mattress by ripping open the plastic protective wrap with my hands as they recommended.

What got me right away is the showroom quality of the mattress. Simple grey sides and a breathable, dimpled cream top. It looked unlike any other mattress, but it was very presentable. Everything felt solid, nothing shifted around. It felt like good craftsmanship. I did a cursory examination of the mattress and I’d be hard pressed to even find a stray string.

Ten minutes later my new mattress was in place. Five minutes later I had put fresh sheets on and laying down.

Reaction

Firm, but not too firm. What I can definitely tell you is that it is not a hot mattress. My previous bed had a memory foam topper and I was often feeling too warm. This bed is not the same because they use latex on the top. It’s comfortable and I feel supported when I’m lying on my side.

Unfolded perfectly and showed no signs of transit after being vacuum packed and stuck in a tyvek corset.

Is my sleep better? It’s hard to say, but a week later I am very pleased with the value and quality of the product. I am  not going to return the mattress but it’s nice knowing that I still have about three months to go with their no questions asked warranty.

I feel like I got away with a great deal but this is their standard price. When I remember how simple it was to actually get my mattress and get it into place, it was totally worth it for simplifying what is normally a high stress endeavor.

I feel like I got away with a great deal but this is their standard price.

Highly recommended if you prefer memory foam mattresses. Still highly recommended if you are not sure about memory foam mattresses because from the reviews I’ve been reading and watching, people have had no problems with their warranty.

Also great: I was expecting a bit of degassing from the mattress, but even directly after opening it wasn’t that strong.  A day later I had to bury my face in the mattress to really smell it.

A++ transaction, would mattress with casper.com again.

Obligatory referral linkfor $50 off.