My Bed In The RV

Early on after we moved into our tiny home I figured out pretty quickly my bed wasn't going to be the most comfortable one I'd ever slept on.  It is one of the standard issue RV mattresses and although it is in perfect condition, plenty firm, it lacks much in the way of any padding.  In fact I can feel the springs through the fabric when I lie down.

I had planned to do something about it right away but then, as often happens, other things seemed to take precedence.  For one thing both of the girls needed their mattresses replaced, much more so than I did.  They were not in very good shape.  Fortunately the camping section at Fred Meyer had replacement mattresses for RV bunk beds at a much more affordable price than any RV store or even online.  I bought one at the end of February and the other one at the first of April.  Now my girls sleep peacefully and comfortably.  I feel better about that too.

Now it was my turn and I had been looking at all my options and checking online as well as visiting several mattress stores.  I discovered that the mattresses sold now are tall and have thick pillow tops, which sounds incredibly comfortable, however they are also incredibly heavy.  I'm glad I didn’t rush right out and buy one when we first moved in because the more I thought about it the more I realized what a mistake that would have been.

The biggest thing about my current mattress is that it is very light which I realized is quite important if I want to have easy access to the big storage bay underneath my bed and I do.  I keep a lot of things under there that we may not use every day but we still use often.

If I had put a commercial mattress on there the hydraulic lifts couldn't have supported the weight let alone how difficult it would be to lift it in the first place.  It isn't all that easy now.  Not to mention that a taller mattress wouldn't have been able to clear the angle at the head of the bed and undoubtedly would have caused it to bind up against the wall.

I researched all kinds of mattress covers and pads and made my decision to go that route.  I pretty much figured I didn't want memory foam because a lot of people complained in online reviews that they hold in body heat and caused them to sweat and be uncomfortable at night.  I didn't want that.  Now to just find one that would be affordable and do what I hoped it would do.

I checked all my options online and I also stopped in the bedding section of several stores to see what they had.  Either they didn't have what I was looking for or they did and it wasn't in my budget.  Some of these pads are almost as much as a mattress!

While picking up supplies to change the oil on my truck we stopped in at the bedding section at Walmart and I was amazed at all the options they had.  Tons to choose from and if I didn't like my choice I could return it.  I picked out a 5-In-1 Comfort Zone foam pad with all kinds of grooves, swirls and ridges to keep me from overheating and getting sore spots and I also bought a brand new mattress cover to go over it.

All I can say is Wow!  What a difference!

I sleep so much better now.  I figured all that mattress needed was a little padding and now it definitely has some.  I am comfortable and no sweating unrelated to hot flashes occurs at night.  I paid $12 for the foam pad and $14 for the mattress cover.  I would say that is quite a bargain for a comfortable night's sleep and much less expensive than a new mattress.  Plus the bed still lifts just fine to access the storage area. 

If you are thinking you need to replace your bed or just the mattress you might try one of those pads.  It would buy you some time while you save up your money or research your replacement options.  Just a thought.