Alternative to Comfort Mattress

ParachuteMan · Aug 31, 2023

I‘ve just had three days in an Ocean on the VW Try Before You Buy rental scheme. I’ve got a couple of questions for the dealer, but this one for the Club members please. I slept on both levels and I like the lower one - quieter and easier to get in and out. But I don’t want to spend £350 on the VW comfort mattress. What sensible priced non-VW options are there ? Make my own from foam ? A Dunelm mattress topper ? Etc. Grateful for any ideas please.

Corradobrit · Aug 31, 2023

Some people have repurposed an Amazon Basics memory foam mattress, and cut away the excess material. The disadvantage is that the mattress has to be rolled away rather than concertinaed, which is not so convenient.
Another thing to consider is that the base created by the drop down bench seat is not completely flat so any thin ie cheap solution might be a compromise. I guess it depends how sensitive you are to sleeping on imperfections. The OEM comfort mattress evens out those undulations. Thicker options overcome the problem with extra material.
My personal recommendation is to buy a S2S or OR self inflating mattress.

teeboy · Aug 31, 2023

We use the Comfortz Leisure Memory Foam matress - which is the same design as the VW one, but half the price. £149

ParachuteMan · Aug 31, 2023

Corradobrit said:
Some people have repurposed an Amazon Basics memory foam mattress, and cut away the excess material. The disadvantage is that the mattress has to be rolled away rather than concertinaed, which is not so convenient.
Another thing to consider is that the base created by the drop down bench seat is not completely flat so any thin ie cheap solution might be a compromise. I guess it depends how sensitive you are to sleeping on imperfections. The OEM comfort mattress evens out those undulations. Thicker options overcome the problem with extra material.
My personal recommendation is to buy a S2S or OR self inflating mattress.

Many thanks !

ParachuteMan · Aug 31, 2023

teeboy said:
We use the Comfortz Leisure Memory Foam matress - which is the same design as the VW one, but half the price. £149

Thanks a lot !

dspuk · Aug 31, 2023

ParachuteWoman said:
I‘ve just had three days in an Ocean on the VW Try Before You Buy rental scheme. I’ve got a couple of questions for the dealer, but this one for the Club members please. I slept on both levels and I like the lower one - quieter and easier to get in and out. But I don’t want to spend £350 on the VW comfort mattress. What sensible priced non-VW options are there ? Make my own from foam ? A Dunelm mattress topper ? Etc. Grateful for any ideas please.

The best answer in our opinion is the Duvalay made to fit option. We use it on top of the VW one and the combo makes a goods night sleep. On its own you can still feel the seat underneath so we view it as a combo to get the best nights sleep. The VW one on its own is even worse.

Corradobrit · Aug 31, 2023

dspuk said:
The best answer in our opinion is the Duvalay made to fit option. We use it on top of the VW one and the combo makes a goods night sleep. On its own you can still feel the seat underneath so we view it as a combo to get the best nights sleep. The VW one on its own is even worse.

Especially true for side sleepers.

Paulro · Aug 31, 2023

You’ll receive lots of different views on this. Lots will differ depending on how you use the vehicle, on sites or wild camping and what you will compromise in looking for the best sleep.
We originally had a 5” gold foam mattress that went on top of the original upstairs mattress. We stored it on the back shelf but it was pretty large, took up lots of space and wasn’t that easy to handle.
We have Brompton bikes that sit on the rear shelf along with pillows and a double sleeping bag so there’s not much room for much else. We wild camp quite a bit, mainly in France and after trying about every combination possible with 1” memory foam, the original mattress with different types of made to measure covered foam (but not duvaley) we have gone for a sea and summit self inflating mattress.
1. It’s given us the most comfortable nights sleep and
2. We can leave it up top therefore saving some room in the back to fit in items that accommodate reasonably long stays away.
So with us it’s space saving, ease of use plus a great night’s sleep but I know it won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Good luck.

dspuk · Aug 31, 2023

Paulro said:
You’ll receive lots of different views on this. Lots will differ depending on how you use the vehicle, on sites or wild camping and what you will compromise in looking for the best sleep.
We originally had a 5” gold foam mattress that went on top of the original upstairs mattress. We stored it on the back shelf but it was pretty large, took up lots of space and wasn’t that easy to handle.
We have Brompton bikes that sit on the rear shelf along with pillows and a double sleeping bag so there’s not much room for much else. We wild camp quite a bit, mainly in France and after trying about every combination possible with 1” memory foam, the original mattress with different types of made to measure covered foam (but not duvaley) we have gone for a sea and summit self inflating mattress.
1. It’s given us the most comfortable nights sleep and
2. We can leave it up top therefore saving some room in the back to fit in items that accommodate reasonably long stays away.
So with us it’s space saving, ease of use plus a great night’s sleep but I know it won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Good luck.

We agree on the storage - ours sits on the back shelf or back seat when travelling and we have a pop up tent that we throw up behind the van and it sits in there. Still. It's large (Duvalay). During the day though we just fold it in three with the comfort mattress and it sits behind the seat when pulled back fine. We have the S2S as well, and it's good, but I found the inflation and deflation a faff. Even with a USB pump. It's a great size when collapsed though. When sleeping up though we sleep just fine on the mattress already there and the Froli springs.

Grigio Van Grigio · Aug 31, 2023

I’m currently sleeping on the lower bed with just a double sleeping bag as a sheet and it’s pretty flat. I get a good nights sleep on this but my wife wants a bit more comfort. I’ll be going for the Comfortz Leisure Memory Foam mattress as this will add all the comfort I need (I know others want more). It’s cheap, folds into three on the back shelf and easy to deploy. As I find the seat comfortable enough with no mattress, I’m sure 2” of memory foam can only improve things.

capt kirk · Aug 31, 2023

ParachuteWoman said:
I‘ve just had three days in an Ocean on the VW Try Before You Buy rental scheme. I’ve got a couple of questions for the dealer, but this one for the Club members please. I slept on both levels and I like the lower one - quieter and easier to get in and out. But I don’t want to spend £350 on the VW comfort mattress. What sensible priced non-VW options are there ? Make my own from foam ? A Dunelm mattress topper ? Etc. Grateful for any ideas please.

£20.00 air bed from decathalon, 1200 wide fits a treat, put it in a single duvet cover with a 40mm topper and roll it up into the boot space when done sleeping on it, you can have the rear shelf on the upper seting so more space in boot and its toasty on the cold days. mattress, topper and duvet cover £60.00 tops and takes up less space than a sip. im 18 stone ish and have no trouble sleeping on side or back.Ive been using this for 6 years now and only takes a minute to inflate with a 12 volt pump.

ParachuteMan · Aug 31, 2023

dspuk said:
The best answer in our opinion is the Duvalay made to fit option. We use it on top of the VW one and the combo makes a goods night sleep. On its own you can still feel the seat underneath so we view it as a combo to get the best nights sleep. The VW one on its own is even worse.

Thanks. developing a great range of options

ParachuteMan · Aug 31, 2023

Paulro said:
You’ll receive lots of different views on this. Lots will differ depending on how you use the vehicle, on sites or wild camping and what you will compromise in looking for the best sleep.
We originally had a 5” gold foam mattress that went on top of the original upstairs mattress. We stored it on the back shelf but it was pretty large, took up lots of space and wasn’t that easy to handle.
We have Brompton bikes that sit on the rear shelf along with pillows and a double sleeping bag so there’s not much room for much else. We wild camp quite a bit, mainly in France and after trying about every combination possible with 1” memory foam, the original mattress with different types of made to measure covered foam (but not duvaley) we have gone for a sea and summit self inflating mattress.
1. It’s given us the most comfortable nights sleep and
2. We can leave it up top therefore saving some room in the back to fit in items that accommodate reasonably long stays away.
So with us it’s space saving, ease of use plus a great night’s sleep but I know it won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Good luck.

Thank you. We have Thermarests (20 years old plus) so that could be the answer

66tim99 · Aug 31, 2023

Paulro said:
We can leave it up top

Do you close the rood with it up top? On top of the VW mattress?

Corradobrit · Aug 31, 2023

66tim99 said:
Do you close the rood with it up top? On top of the VW mattress?

Thats just asking for trouble. Without the Cali mattress should be OK.

66tim99 · Aug 31, 2023

ParachuteWoman said:
Thanks. developing a great range of options

If you decide on the Sea to Summit, I have one for sale. We slept on it (under a sheet) for 4 nights only, then bought duvalays which are ok for us on the VW mattress.

ParachuteMan · Aug 31, 2023

66tim99 said:
If you decide on the Sea to Summit, I have one for sale. We slept on it (under a sheet) for 4 nights only, then bought duvalays which are ok for us on the VW mattress.

That's interesting - this is much more than a Thermarest ! I've dropped the Try Before You Buy Cali off this afternoon to be be told they have a cancelled order which is in build right now. The optional extras include the VW comfort mattress at £354. They can't remove that. So I'm discussing with them tomorrow what they can do to get the price close to the original quote. The extras include metallic paint which is too expensive for me. But the Cali could be with me in mid - late October, so it is tempting...I don't know how to DM you to ask what you want for the Sea to Summit.

dspuk · Aug 31, 2023

ParachuteWoman said:
That's interesting - this is much more than a Thermarest ! I've dropped the Try Before You Buy Cali off this afternoon to be be told they have a cancelled order which is in build right now. The optional extras include the VW comfort mattress at £354. They can't remove that. So I'm discussing with them tomorrow what they can do to get the price close to the original quote. The extras include metallic paint which is too expensive for me. But the Cali could be with me in mid - late October, so it is tempting...I don't know how to DM you to ask what you want for the Sea to Summit.

You can't DM unless you join the group (paid member). We would never sleep on the comfort alone unless an emergancy, but we would not be without it. As mentioned we find the combo of the (un)comfort plus some other solution is what works. I see it in my head as a multi layered compression mattress! We would never leave the S2S in the roof either - I would not find the inflation risk worth the cost of the roof repair (many have done though and never had an issue, sods law is we'd be the first).

Corradobrit · Aug 31, 2023

dspuk said:
You can't DM unless you join the group (paid member). We would never sleep on the comfort alone unless an emergancy, but we would not be without it. As mentioned we find the combo of the (un)comfort plus some other solution is what works. I see it in my head as a multi layered compression mattress! We would never leave the S2S in the roof either - I would not find the inflation risk worth the cost of the roof repair (many have done though and never had an issue, sods law is we'd be the first).

Well a common problem with the S2S mattress is micro holes. Once they have formed the mattress WILL self inflate. The thin aluminium roof skin is too delicate to risk an expensive mistake.

66tim99 · Aug 31, 2023

ParachuteWoman said:
That's interesting - this is much more than a Thermarest ! I've dropped the Try Before You Buy Cali off this afternoon to be be told they have a cancelled order which is in build right now. The optional extras include the VW comfort mattress at £354. They can't remove that. So I'm discussing with them tomorrow what they can do to get the price close to the original quote. The extras include metallic paint which is too expensive for me. But the Cali could be with me in mid - late October, so it is tempting...I don't know how to DM you to ask what you want for the Sea to Summit.

Yes metallic paint is very expensive - looks great though. I think the comfort mattress is worth having (esp if you can get it thrown in!) to level the seat contours and make a flat bed, but I agree with @dspuk - you're likely to want something on top of that too, especially if you sleep on your side.
The sea to summit fits the bottom bed perfectly, and could be used on top of the comfort mattress. In my view you would not need the comfort mattress in addition, but might allow the S2S to be less inflated if you like a softer bed.
The S2S also fits the upper bed of course (that bed is slightly wider), and again, can replace that mattress and be left in the top deflated (note others' concerns above). It is much more comfortable than the VW mattress.
I would take £130 for the S2S. I'm in London if you wanted to pick up, or I could get a price for postage - probably under £10.
I can recommend joining this forum - its a gold mine. We can then message each other directly.

ParachuteMan · Aug 31, 2023

66tim99 said:
Yes metallic paint is very expensive - looks great though. I think the comfort mattress is worth having (esp if you can get it thrown in!) to level the seat contours and make a flat bed, but I agree with @dspuk - you're likely to want something on top of that too, especially if you sleep on your side.
The sea to summit fits the bottom bed perfectly, and could be used on top of the comfort mattress. In my view you would not need the comfort mattress in addition, but might allow the S2S to be less inflated if you like a softer bed.
The S2S also fits the upper bed of course (that bed is slightly wider), and again, can replace that mattress and be left in the top deflated (note others' concerns above). It is much more comfortable than the VW mattress.
I would take £130 for the S2S. I'm in London if you wanted to pick up, or I could get a price for postage - probably under £10.
I can recommend joining this forum - its a gold mine. We can then message each other directly.

Thanks - that's very helpful on several counts. Let me see how I get on tomorrow with getting the prices down.

CaliforniaCylus · Aug 31, 2023

ParachuteWoman said:
That's interesting - this is much more than a Thermarest ! I've dropped the Try Before You Buy Cali off this afternoon to be be told they have a cancelled order which is in build right now. The optional extras include the VW comfort mattress at £354. They can't remove that. So I'm discussing with them tomorrow what they can do to get the price close to the original quote. The extras include metallic paint which is too expensive for me. But the Cali could be with me in mid - late October, so it is tempting...I don't know how to DM you to ask what you want for the Sea to Summit.

I think on a factory order, Drive-The-Deal achieves a 9% discount off list price so that's probably the absolute max you might hope them to agree to. I couldn't get anything like that from a stock model so I went for a factory build but I think there are more vans out there at the moment so you might be able to get a deal...

Good luck

ParachuteMan · Aug 31, 2023

CaliforniaCylus said:
I think on a factory order, Drive-The-Deal achieves a 9% discount off list price so that's probably the absolute max you might hope them to agree to. I couldn't get anything like that from a stock model so I went for a factory build but I think there are more vans out there at the moment so you might be able to get a deal...

Good luck

Thanks. Yes, I tried Drive the Deal on the advice of a neighbour and on the total like for like package, they were £394 more costly. I also want a relationship with the dealer over the next few years so I need to balance that with getting costs down - so we both feel it’s a Win Win. Thanks for your wishes

Grigio Van Grigio · Sep 1, 2023

If you go with the van in build, I think I would see what the comfort mattress is like on its own then make a decision. There’s no way I’d want more than one mattress taking up space and, as I said, I’m currently on the seat alone so anything extra would probably be fine for me. Even the (un)comfort mattress! But it is a very personal thing and it depends on how you sleep. What are you like at home and in hotels or even camping? Can you sleep on anything or do you need a certain level of comfort? Or a certain type of mattress (hard, soft etc). I also find a certain amount of gin helps too!

ParachuteMan · Sep 1, 2023

Hi. Yes, I’m thinking on the same lines. Try it on its own first. I’ve used thermarests when camping and the home mattress is pretty firm. I certainly agree about the gin ….

Alternative to Comfort Mattress

ParachuteMan

Corradobrit

teeboy

ParachuteMan

ParachuteMan

dspuk

Dave

Corradobrit

Paulro

dspuk

Dave

Grigio Van Grigio

capt kirk

ParachuteMan

ParachuteMan

66tim99

Corradobrit

66tim99

ParachuteMan

dspuk

Dave

Corradobrit

66tim99

ParachuteMan

CaliforniaCylus

ParachuteMan

Grigio Van Grigio

ParachuteMan

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