Mattress foam for 2001 Hawk

[erika]

8.1.23 UPDATE: the trial setup we used for 9 days in the CO mountains worked great. Ordered 2 pieces of Foam Touch firm/high density foam, links below. I'd recommend ordering directly from the company as amazon sucks and screwed up both times I ordered - sent wrong size first time- which we ended up keeping, second piece was damaged. I would have ordered directly from Foam Touch but it would not arrive in time for our trip.

1. One piece 2"x30"x84" (cut to 77") with older basecamp thermarest on top. (not room to store two 3" foam when camper closed - thermarest is easy to fold up on bench.) $44 ($48 thru FoamTouch.com)
https://foamtouch.com/product/foamtouch-upholstery-foam-cushion-high-density-2-height-x-30-width-x-84-length/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JJLFDL6/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2. One 3"x 30"x84" Foam Touch firm density $64 (Amazon screwed up and sent us a 72" length piece, which we managed to use and fill the space with the extra cut off from 2" piece. We didn't have time to wait for the correct size to be sent.)

https://foamtouch.com/product/foamtouch-upholstery-foam-cushion-high-density-3-height-x-30-width-x-84-length/

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original post:
Does anyone know the type and firmness of the stock 2" mattress foam in a 2001 Hawk? I'm looking to replace one of the 2 pieces and have no idea what to look for. Anyone tried 44ILD high density or 36ILD medium density foam? I'm looking at ordering one of these inexpensive 44ILD foams to experiment with: https://www.amazon.com/FoamTouch-Upholstery-Cushion-Density-Height/dp/B01JJLFDL6/ref=sr_1_7?crid=DXH81KXAAA6B&keywords=2%2Binch%2Bmedium%2Bdensity%2Bupholstery%2Bfoam%2B30%22%2Bwide&qid=1688860651&sprefix=2%2Binch%2Bmedium%2Bdensity%2Bupholstery%2Bfoam%2B30%2Bwide%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-7&th=1
- OR https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S25D97K/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A3NPIZCIJWVGEB&psc=1

We have the small cabover bed that only has about 4.75" of height once the lid is closed - therefore no way to add more thickness without storing one piece of foam elsewhere (not a good option for us).
The stock foam is 32"x77"x 2"; the second piece is 1.75" thickness since the bed platform pulls out.
We are pretty lightweight people - ranging between 120-150lbs.

I've searched all over - to no avail - in our small town in Colorado for upholstery foam to compare to and see what density and firmness is comparable.

The mattress foam that came with our used camper had a strong toxic smell & mold stains when we bought it, so we never used them. The upholstery cover seems to be the origin of the toxic smell. We've been using a lightspeed air mattress for 7 years. Not ideal for many reasons and ready to upgrade.

The latest experiment is using one of the old pieces of foam that doesn't smell, and putting a 1.5" thermarest on top. It's been fairly comfortable and a lot warmer, therefore I'm looking to order another similar density of foam in order to sleep 2 up top. I don't want to spend a lot of $ on foam at this point while we are experimenting with what setup works best for us. It would be more ideal to have 3" high quality foam and not deal with thermarests, but, we already own them and they are easier to fold up flat vs one big piece of foam that won't fit up top once the lid is closed. - Also open to hear of others solutions that have a similar camper setup.

 

[ckent323]

I cannot answer your question about original foam.

We replaced the original mattress in our 2007 FWC Keystone camper with high resilience foam in medium firm firmness.

Ours is 4" thick. I recommend no less than a 3" thick mattress. Our previous 19984 FWC Keystone had a thin mattress and our hips got sore at night from bottoming out.

It is available online and cut to dimensions you specify at:

https://foamonline.com/mattresses/foam-mattress/


There are likely other sources of ths foam and shopping around may result in a lower price source.

I hope this is helpful,

Craig

 

[erika]

Thanks so much, Craig. That is helpful. I have looked at that website and wondered which type of foam most people went with. Given the prices for the high resilience foam ($400-600), we want to experiment with some cheaper foam before investing that much. Our camper unfortunately doesn't have room for 4" foam, hence our current trial setup with 2" foam plus thermarests.

 

[Vic Harder]

we have 3" to work with as well, and went with two different 1.5" densities of foam.... softer on top and very firm underneath so as not to bottom out. Works VERY well.

 

[Ruck_and_Roll]

We ended up just finding a mattress topper we liked that had similar height to the stock foam and just cut to dimensions. Unfortunately I can't recall the brand. It works great.

 

[erika]

we have 3" to work with as well, and went with two different 1.5" densities of foam.... softer on top and very firm underneath so as not to bottom out. Works VERY well.

Vic - I'd love to hear more about this, what a great idea. Do you recall where you bought your foam and which densities you got? The IDL 44 (firm) and IDL 36 (semi firm) are the only ones i've found, unless ordering from foamonline.com. How do you keep the 2 layers together?

Does your cabover also have 4.75" of height that both pieces of foam need to fit in (double stacked) when closed? I imagine the foam will compress some, but not sure we could fit 6" of foam in there.

 

[Vic Harder]

Vic - I'd love to hear more about this, what a great idea. Do you recall where you bought your foam and which densities you got? The IDL 44 (firm) and IDL 36 (semi firm) are the only ones i've found, unless ordering from foamonline.com. How do you keep the 2 layers together?

Does your cabover also have 4.75" of height that both pieces of foam need to fit in (double stacked) when closed? I imagine the foam will compress some, but not sure we could fit 6" of foam in there.

yes, the front is super tight. We keep the 3" of mattress up there and that's it. Blanket/quilt/pillows do NOT fit. We sourced our foam locally in Calgary. If there is a foam mattress store near you, go there to try out (we lay down on a LOT of foams). We chose not to use memory foam because it is super heavy and it gets rock hard when cold.

Those two densities that you list may work well. The foam/bedding place we bought from made a bamboo slip cover for the foams that keeps them together.

 

[erika]

We ended up just finding a mattress topper we liked that had similar height to the stock foam and just cut to dimensions. Unfortunately I can't recall the brand. It works great.

I had started to look into those awhile ago, but recall most are memory foam (not good for cold temps we camp in). Plus we have to have 2 pieces of foam in order to slide the bed in and stack them. Do you know what type of foam your topper is, and the thickness? Did you have to cut it in half?

 

[erika]

yes, the front is super tight. We keep the 3" of mattress up there and that's it. Blanket/quilt/pillows do NOT fit. We sourced our foam locally in Calgary. If there is a foam mattress store near you, go there to try out (we lay down on a LOT of foams). We chose not to use memory foam because it is super heavy and it gets rock hard when cold.

Those two densities that you list may work well. The foam/bedding place we bought from made a bamboo slip cover for the foams that keeps them together.

Great, that all makes sense. I wish I could find foam locally to try out but have not been able to. Hence trying out some cheaper foam first. Thanks for your help!

 

[ckent323]

Some foam suppliers will glue two different types of foam together if you ask.

Perhaps a softer topper type 1/2" to 1" thick foam on top and a firmer foam with most of the desired overall thickness on the bottom.

Often the foam vendor can make suggestions/recommendations.

I hope this helps

 

[buckland]

2011 Eagle... after 1st year I cried uncle. The foam was killing my back. I was fortunate that there was a factory 2 hours south. Here is the composition of the foam you want to buy from wherever you can local. I can say that I sleep as well or better than home since the change. So comfy !

 

[erika]

Some foam suppliers will glue two different types of foam together if you ask.

Perhaps a softer topper type 1/2" to 1" thick foam on top and a firmer foam with most of the desired overall thickness on the bottom.

Often the foam vendor can make suggestions/recommendations.

I hope this helps

Great idea, thank you!

 

[erika]

2011 Eagle... after 1st year I cried uncle. The foam was killing my back. I was fortunate that there was a factory 2 hours south. Here is the composition of the foam you want to buy from wherever you can local. I can say that I sleep as well or better than home since the change. So comfy !

Thank you, that is very helpful info! Great to hear you found a great solution. How thick of foam did you buy?

 

[buckland]

I stayed with the 4" foam

 

[Defulmmt]

I am experimenting with ditching the standard foam mattress in favor of a Thermarest
Luxory Map pad. I tried this on a 10 day trip to Utah this spring and was satisfied. The pad is 3 inches thick and has an R6 rating. We’ve placed 2 of them side by side which requires the extended bed out by at least 6 inches.

The 48 inch bed in our ATC Panther is a bit too tight and carrying the 2 extra cushions can be clumsy. The R6 insulation value and ease of dealing with any condensation issues are pluses. So is the ability to easily remove the pads for cleaning etc.

I find the pads to be comfortable, I am 5’9” and 165#.

 

[markturnip]

Just ordered a king size 5cm memory foam mattress with the plan to cut it to size.
Do wonder if I should have ordered thicker.

 

[achiral]

We have the 2" thick mattresses, and simply went with a moderately dense open cell foam. This is just adequate for side sleeping, and more than good for back sleeping. Cost was quite reasonable (<$100 to redo two mattresses), and there has been no degradation in a few years of use.

Foam Factory
Cushion, Lux Foam - High Quality

 

[erika]

I am experimenting with ditching the standard foam mattress in favor of a Thermarest
Luxory Map pad. I tried this on a 10 day trip to Utah this spring and was satisfied. The pad is 3 inches thick and has an R6 rating. We’ve placed 2 of them side by side which requires the extended bed out by at least 6 inches.

The 48 inch bed in our ATC Panther is a bit too tight and carrying the 2 extra cushions can be clumsy. The R6 insulation value and ease of dealing with any condensation issues are pluses. So is the ability to easily remove the pads for cleaning etc.

I find the pads to be comfortable, I am 5’9” and 165#.

That's a great idea. The older Basecamp Thermarests we have are also R6 (probably 1.5" thick), and have been working well on top of 2" foam. I just ordered some of the above foam from my original post and we will see how this setup goes for a week in the mountains. Hopefully the moisture is not too much of an issue.

 

[erika]

We have the 2" thick mattresses, and simply went with a moderately dense open cell foam. This is just adequate for side sleeping, and more than good for back sleeping. Cost was quite reasonable (<$100 to redo two mattresses), and there has been no degradation in a few years of use.

Foam Factory
Cushion, Lux Foam - High Quality

Great to know, thank you!

 

[erika]

Just ordered a king size 5cm memory foam mattress with the plan to cut it to size.
Do wonder if I should have ordered thicker.

The memory foam turns to a brick in the cold mountain temps we camp in. We'll see how our new setup with the 2" foam plus thermarests works for a week.