FWC mattress update

[ottorogers]

I've been very polite and respectful in discussing this topic with you, and anyone following this thread will be able to discern that; I'm most certainly not argumentative. You've called into question the worthiness of latex as a mattress material in our campers, and I'm merely trying to determine why your results seem to vary so much from my own. I've asked you to please point me to Web documentation or other sources so I can get on board with the facts as you see them. The unsupported claims about apparent shortcomings of latex are puzzling, and could dissuade WTWers from consideration of latex as a quality product and a material they might want to have for their campers (which is the very subject of this forum topic).
Rico

i posted a web site that listed clear reasons, you must have missed it

https://www.off-grid.net/memory-foam-cold-climates/amp/

 

[rando]

Otto, I think you may be confusing memory foam (a type of polyurethane) which is temperature sensitive with latex which is not temperature sensitive and does just fine in the cold. The web link you posted deals with memory foam, which I think we all agree is not good in the cold, not latex.

 

[ottorogers]

Otto, I think you may be confusing memory foam (a type of polyurethane) which is temperature sensitive with latex which is not temperature sensitive and does just fine in the cold. The web link you posted deals with memory foam, which I think we all agree is not good in the cold, not latex.

I think you might be absolutely right about that, my apologies to the group, I was confused, I apologize

 

[badtoytrd]

Well...I am a happy camper. I picked up the new mattress last week and have tried it out.... incredible. It is amazing how better one's day is after a sound night's sleep..no aches and pains... no tossing and turning. I am very glad I got this. I had contacted FWC and was sent the specs of the new 3" mattress material. I went with a tad softer (though I like a real firm mattress) and stayed at 4" as our cover is 4". I can't tell you how big an improvement this is. Now the Eagle is perfect. Here is a reprint of the mattress foam type:
This is what Terry sent me .... the new 3" foam:
"We were using a 4” foam with a 1.8# density and an ILD number of 48. We have gone to a 3” 2.5# density and an ILD number of 40. The higher the density the better the foam and the lower ILD number the softer the foam. We buy our foam from Keyston bros. Several people have purchased a memory foam topper and use it on top."

And this is what I bought (4"x 48" x 66"):

I'm reviving an old one here but do you remember how much you paid for your foam from New England Foam? I'll try giving them a call tomorrow but thought I'd reach out to you first.

 

[EnviroProf]

My wife and I took a shakedown camping trip in the new camper over the weekend before our 6-week trip in three weeks. One conclusion was that while the mattress was OK, we needed a bit more to avoid soreness in our hips from sleeping on our side. Luckily we had a couple of the memory foam pads at home, so we tried a couple to see what would still allow the top to close. With the 1.5 inch memory foam, sheets, and comforter, the top closed no problem. With the 2 inch pad, no-go. So, today I ordered a new 1.5 inch pad. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073HFL96Z/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[ckent323]

I previously posted details on our new mattress (in comment #79 on page 8 of this thread) which we bought from David at Decorative Specialties. He also owns the following website and can ship a custom foam mattress to you:

http://www.foamonline.com/

We went with 4" High Resilience (2.8 - 3 L foam in a "firm" ILD (around 50). We have slept on it over 40 nights and while much more comfortable than the original mattress it is a bit firm so we added a soft 1" foam topper. If I were ordering again I think I would opt for the High resilience in a medium firm ILD 40.

David said he can combine different foams into a customized mattress so I plan to take the mattress in before our upcoming Alaska trip and have David modify the mattress by cutting off 1" of the firm foam and bonding a 1" softer top layer so that it all fits in the OEM mattress cover.

David really knows his stuff and his website is informative if you take the take to read the FAQs and other info.

​I strongly encourage anyone who is shopping for a mattress to go to the foamonline site (link above) and learn about the different foams so you can make an informed purchase. I recommend considering the high resilience foam in an ILD (ranges from very soft - extra firm) that meets your needs.

I hope this is helpful

Craig

 

[Vic Harder]

For those in Canada, we ended up buying at a local Calgary oufit - https://www.sleepboutique.ca/

They too can customize for any need. We have two separate and different two layer mattresses for the missus and me to fit in the queen size (when pulled out) bed of our Hawk. Very happy with their assistance and selection and service.

 

[radarcontact]

FWIW, my wife and I bought a 4" queen size memory foam from Costco a year ago and threw that over the stock mattress. Works great. Even with sleeping bags on top of the foam, we can still close the pop-up. I do have to pull down a little on the outside of the camper roof to engage the front buckles, but no big deal. We have the pull-out drawer for making the sleeping area queen size, so when we're driving we let the edge of the memory foam hang over the edge of the stock mattress, with the drawer in...the memory foam hangs down into the dining area. When we're parked and the top is up, we just tuck the dangling edge up under itself so it's out of the way when we're using the dining area. Not the most elegant solution but works ok for us. I may go to an upholstery shop and do what RC did, replace my lame cushions for something better.

 

[sourdough]

I was quite happy with the mattress after I put Froli Springs under it. Froli springs bed system
The springs worked so well they are now under the bed my Tiger RV. Excellent for air circulation under the mattress. No more moisture buildup. Highly recommended. Should be considered a must have item on truck camper over-cab beds.

 

[XJINTX]

I was quite happy with the mattress after I put Froli Springs under it. Froli springs bed system
The springs worked so well they are now under the bed my Tiger RV. Excellent for air circulation under the mattress. No more moisture buildup. Highly recommended. Should be considered a must have item on truck camper over-cab beds.

How much thickness do they add as far as closing the top? I have a HAWK and would like to add a double sized one don't need queen.

 

[BrianG]

How do folks deal with the pull out queen in the Hawk with Froli springs?

 

[Durango1]

How much thickness do they add as far as closing the top? I have a HAWK and would like to add a double sized one don't need queen.

Froli has either a 1 3/8" size or a 1 3/4" size. We went with the 1 3/4" and then added a pillow top mattress pad on top of the new mattresses the factory is installing. At least on the 2018 Flatbed model with a little bit of effort the top closes even with a comforter left on top. More importantly, Sioux likes the set up...

 

[Durango1]

How do folks deal with the pull out queen in the Hawk with Froli springs?

We are using the pull out in the flatbed Grandby to sleep north-south but could not figure out how to turn the Froli. So we put our heads to the front and add the little cushion extenders. They are 1 3/4" below the rest of the bed but honestly only our feet hang over and it hasn't been an issue.

 

[JonnyJ]

There's a lot to read here. I briefly skimmed. My FWC in my Scout didn't come with a mattress. Would an air mattress work? Or am i better off with an actual mattress?

 

[radarcontact]

Did the same with the "egg crate",but placed mine inside the mattress cover.Works well,makes the 4" foam mattress nice to sleep on.
Frank

Frank....were you able to stuff the 4" foam and the egg crate into the zippered slipcovers? Haven't tried this yet...I have a 4" foam mattress that I got at Costco, it's really comfortable. Was thinking about trimming/cutting it to fit inside the mattress covers, but am concerned it's too thick for the covers (my covers in my Hawk are measuring a little over 3" thick). It does compress obviously, so I guess I can cram it in there - is that what you did?

 

[radarcontact]

OK, wanted to post an update, if anyone is still reading this thread.

I was using a piece of 4" memory foam on top of the factory cushions - comfortable, but not an elegant solution. The edge of the foam would hang over the edge of the bed when the shelf was in all the way (I have a Hawk with a full bed that expands to a queen), and the thickness of the foam made it a tight fit when the top was lowered.

What I ended up doing, after some deep thought, was ordering another, thinner piece of eggshell memory foam, 1" thick:

https://express.google.com/u/0/product/1734321396851337237_4028335866324439023_8175035

I cut it to the dimensions of the original foam in the slipcovers, then placed it on top OF THE ORIGINAL FOAM, and slid/worked it into the slipcovers. So, the original foam + the 1" gel topper is all inside the slipcover. Our complaint about the original foam was that it was too hard. Putting the 1" gel foam on top of that seems to have the right combination of firmness and softness.....firm enough that your butt or back isn't hitting the floor of the camper, and soft enough that it doesn't feel like a rock anymore. We're going to take it out camping locally overnight this coming week - I'll post a quick update on how it feels. Working the 1" + the original padding into the slipcovers takes a little work, but you can get it w/a little effort. We thought about ordering the 2" thickness, as this particular manufacturer offers it in 1" and 2" sizes, but felt that it might be too much bulk for the slipcovers.

 

[radarcontact]

There's a lot to read here. I briefly skimmed. My FWC in my Scout didn't come with a mattress. Would an air mattress work? Or am i better off with an actual mattress?

Jonny - IMO a regular mattress is the way to go. I've used air mattresses in other trucks I've had, to sleep in the bed, and they all eventually fail. Since you don't have any cushions/slipcovers, probably buying a 3" or 4" piece of memory foam will do the trick. Foam does stiffen when it's cold outside, but we've used it in cold/winter camping and once your body warms it up it's fine. I would also suggest layering the bottom of the sleeping area with some interlocking foam mat pieces, like these:

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Exercise-Foam-Interlocking-Tiles/dp/B0719BBFP2/ref=sr_1_5_acs_sk_pb_2_sl?ie=UTF8&qid=1530401253&sr=8-5-acs&keywords=interlocking+foam+mats

They will act as a box spring, if you will, and give you some extra cushion if your butt sinks all the way down through the foam when you're lying on it.

 

[JonnyJ]

Jonny - IMO a regular mattress is the way to go. I've used air mattresses in other trucks I've had, to sleep in the bed, and they all eventually fail. Since you don't have any cushions/slipcovers, probably buying a 3" or 4" piece of memory foam will do the trick. Foam does stiffen when it's cold outside, but we've used it in cold/winter camping and once your body warms it up it's fine. I would also suggest layering the bottom of the sleeping area with some interlocking foam mat pieces, like these:

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Exercise-Foam-Interlocking-Tiles/dp/B0719BBFP2/ref=sr_1_5_acs_sk_pb_2_sl?ie=UTF8&qid=1530401253&sr=8-5-acs&keywords=interlocking+foam+mats

They will act as a box spring, if you will, and give you some extra cushion if your butt sinks all the way down through the foam when you're lying on it.

So just memory foam cushion and those mats will be fine?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Aussiedor]

I had a problem with the Four Wheel camper mattress that comes along with the camper. I spoke with customer service at FWC and was told that they've not had many people complain about the mattress that comes standard. I did not feel like arguing with him either. I have a few choice words for their standard mattress but will refrain. I also asked him why they could not offer a couple different options for people to choose from. This sounded like a reasonable question. But I just ran into the same old response that FWC could not solve sleeping solutions for everyone. Well we took the situation into our own hands. First I have to say that we should have called FWC when we ordered the camper and asked them to not even put the "bed pads" in the camper. It was hard to get these things recycled. The foam should not be thrown into garbage. We solved our sleeping situation by purchasing two "MegaMat 10" sleeping pads from REI. These pads put side by side fit perfectly into the foot pad of our Hawk sleeping area. On top of these pads we have put a "SuperLoft" mattress topper from Pacific Coast Bedding. I would have paid FWC to install this for me initially if they would have offered it up. Anyway this all stays in the camper and allows us to close the camper lid.

 

[Occidental]

After tuning into this subject a year or two ago I'd endorse an Exped mattress if you think an inflatable will work for you. I woke up on one this morning and having about 100 nights on one I was wishing I had another night to spend on it, but alas, we're home for a stretch.