What's the thinnest comfortable mattress out there?

May 8, 2014 12:45 PM

I want to put a mattress up in my loft, which has low ceilings, and I'd like it to be as low as possible while still providing support. Would a mattress topper from Tempurpedic be too thin? There's carpet in the loft for some slight cushioning. I usually sleep on my side and like a medium-firmness bed--I usually like pillow top mattresses. Does anyone have any suggestions? As a bonus question, how do people usually get mattresses up in lofts, if the only way up is a ladder?
posted by three_red_balloons to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

my solution to this, which was VERY comfortable, was to get a really thin ikea foam mattress(the sultan fakhir i think which may or may not exist anymore. cheap, too!) and put a generic, like novaform or something mattress topper on it. The total cost was under $300, it was very thin, and multiple people who stayed over commented on how comfortable it was.

It was very light, and since you take it up in two sections i was able to totally solo it in two different spaces up and down. And yep, i just used the ladder. I think i may have used a stepladder too to shove one end up first... but just folding it like a taco and climbing up the ladder also worked fine.

The best part was that since it was so cheap i didn't feel bad about anything i did with it, or that happened to it, or eventually just trashing it years later.

Also be aware that mattress+carpet=kinda gross. after doing it a few times i'd at least slap some slats underneath that have a # sort of pattern.
posted by emptythought at 12:53 PM on May 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You could buy a Tuft and Needle mattress. They come rolled up and highly compressed, so just toss it up the ladder, cut it open, and let it expand (takes about two hours).

I sleep on one of these daily. They are futon thin (so not incredibly thin, but not bad) and very comfy at that firm-ish level. And they can just be put right on the floor. You can put a sort of moisture-proof bag around it if you're concerned about putting it right on the carpet.
posted by selfnoise at 1:05 PM on May 8, 2014

An Ikea adjustable slatted bed base (like the Sultan Laxeby) can be used with a very thin mattress and is still extremely comfortable and supportive (with adjustable support, which is awesome, if somewhat tetris-like at first). We used it directly on a hardwood floor with a thin memory foam mattress for a while and it was excellent.
posted by erst at 1:09 PM on May 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

I was just coming in to suggest Tuft and Needle! They are really comfortable and reasonably firm. We use one for my three-year-old flat on the floor, and have another for a guest option. I've napped on them and found it very nice (we have a tempurpedic on our bed so that's what I'm used to). You can buy them on Amazon now with free shipping!
posted by handful of rain at 7:24 PM on May 8, 2014