The 5 Most Comfortable Mattress Toppers I’ve Tried

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Contents

• Introduction
• Panda Memory Foam Topper
• Sleep Innovations Dual Layer
• Lucid 5 Zone
• Latex Sense
• Wool Room

Introduction

In this article, I’ll be sharing my experience of five different mattress toppers I’ve slept on for many nights during the last couple of years.

If your current mattress is uncomfortable, adding a mattress topper can be an effective way to change the way it feels. Whether you want to increase the softness, firmness, breathability, motion isolation, or support for your body, it’s likely there’s a topper for the job.

It should also cost significantly less than replacing the entire mattress (unless you have a low-cost mattress and an especially fancy topper has caught your eye).

My need for a good base for cooling and heating pads

If you spend any time on my website or YouTube channel, you may notice that I’ve been using bed cooling and heating systems for years now. They typically involve a mattress pad which goes on top of a mattress and topper.

When I change the system I’m testing, I sometimes spend a few days with a new topper to see if there’s a better base. I need it to be comfortable, but also work well in tandem with the cooling system. I’ve found that medium or medium-firm density memory foam or latex works best. And the first topper below is the one we currently have under the Eight Sleep Pod 5.

A note about availability in different countries

An important point I’ve learned over the years is that while some companies have a global presence, others can be much more expensive if they are imported by third parties on sites like Amazon when the company itself isn’t based there.

My advice is to keep in mind that if there are very limited sizes available and a long delivery time where you live, the price may be much higher than it would be locally. And in that case, there may be local options that are equally good (or better) for a lower price.

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1. Panda Memory Foam Topper

A comfortable med-firm memory foam mattress topper, with excellent body support and cushioning

The Panda memory foam mattress topper is the one we’re currently using. I bought it six months ago, and it’s proven to be a great choice so far for several reasons.

Most importantly, the memory foam is denser than the typical blue slabs of memory foam I’ve tried over the years. To be fair, it’s also a blue slab underneath the bamboo cover. However, it’s firmer than the Sleep Innovations or Lucid, for example, and therefore provides effective support without feeling like it compresses a lot under your body weight.

They list the density as 5 lbs per sq ft (80 kg/m³), which makes it a med-firm topper. It only comes in one thickness – 5 cm / 2 inches, but it’s dense enough for that not to be a problem. Even when I squeeze the edge firmly, there’s still a decent thickness left once it’s compressed.

Both my partner and I (she is much lighter) find it comfortable to lie on, whether that’s on our front, back, or side, which is ideal as we don’t tend to stay in one position all night long (who does?).

In the photo below, you can see well the relatively dense memory foam supports my body. It still has enough give though to feel comfortable.

The cover is made from soft bamboo fibre and has a high-quality look and finish, with very neat and robust stitching. There are also useful adjustable corner straps to help it attach to mattresses of varying depths. It’s unusual to have adjustable straps, so I was impressed by that addition. The underside has an anti-slip polyester mat attached, which further helps keep it in place.

The motion isolation is very good, and we don’t find we disturb one another on restless nights, which is a typical benefit of memory foam generally.

My main criticism, as always with memory foam, is the heat retention. Panda says they use open cell cooling technology in the form of HydroFoam. When I removed the cover, I could see all the dark blue gel beads that are meant to absorb body heat. I’ve seen similar beads on other memory foam toppers before, but they never seem to stop it from feeling warm.

Perhaps it’s better than not having them at all, but ‘cooling’ isn’t the word I’d use for the Panda. My partner loved it because she typically sleeps cool anyway. I found it a bit too warm when sleeping directly on it. But since I also use a cooling pad over the top, the temperature of the topper we use isn’t really relevant. But it’s worth keeping in mind that if you’re a hot sleeper, you may find it just sleeps a bit too warm.

On balance, the Panda is a comfortable mattress topper that supports the body well from head to toe. And it’s a step up from basic slabs of memory foam because of the stylish and practical cover it comes with.

I think the price is reasonable for a high-quality memory foam topper. You can find cheaper ones, but you might find they don’t come with a cover at all, or only have a basic cover without the straps and nonslip mat.

Read my full Panda topper review

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2. Sleep Innovations 4 inch Dual Layer Memory Foam Mattress Topper

Thick memory foam and fiberfill combine to create a very soft surface

There are three versions of the dual layer Sleep Innovations to choose from, and I bought the plush support to try out.

It has three inches of memory foam as the base, with one inch of fiberfill in a separate layer that goes on the top. The other versions have an equal split of two inches in each layer, but I wanted to max out the memory foam to see how it felt. And how it feels is very, very soft.

I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but my partner kept saying that it’s like ‘sleeping on a cloud’ when discussing what we did and didn’t like about the topper.

The main reason we get that feeling is because there’s so much soft cushioning that we just didn’t feel any pressure on any body part. No matter which position we were lying in, the memory foam absorbed our weight and allowed us to lie there comfortably for as long as we wanted.

In the photo below, you can see how thick the memory foam layer is. It’s dense enough to support my body well in all sleep positions.

It’s important to understand that this is still a relatively low-cost mattress topper in the grand scheme of things. The memory foam layer is a typical blue slab, albeit with ridges to give it some more spring and air circulation.

The top layer is polyester fiberfill, with a polyester exterior, and it does look quite basic. It was also very creased when I got it out of the bag, so it doesn’t exactly look beautiful when you first get it. And although it’s described as being one inch thick, it of course compresses under your body weight.

What I did like, however, is that the top cover has a very deep fitted skirt, which helps keep the memory foam layer in place when you tuck it under the mattress. I also think it’s nicer to lie on than the memory foam, giving more of a barrier than just a bed sheet and reducing the feeling of getting ‘stuck’ in the memory foam.

As for the temperature, the gel memory foam may be better than very dense standard memory foam, but the topper definitely feels quite warm. When we used it during the winter, the cozy feel was lovely, but I don’t think it will be the best choice for hot sleepers in hot weather.

On balance, if your main need is to create as soft a surface as possible and cushion your body, the Sleep Innovations is one to try – especially if you’re on a tighter budget. As with all toppers sold online, I recommend checking the dimensions listed in the country where you live to be sure it matches your actual mattress size.

Read my Sleep Innovations topper review

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3. Lucid 5 Zone Gel-Infused Memory Foam

Memory foam designed with cushioning and temperature regulation in mind

The Lucid memory foam topper is one of the more recent I’ve tried, and it has now taken up residence in the spare room.

I initially bought it to see if the combination of gel-infused foam and the ridges (which create ventilation) would work well in warmer weather.

I’m a naturally hot sleeper, but I like the body support and cushioning that memory foam provides, so I’m always curious to see how breathable memory foam can get.

After sleeping on it for two weeks, I came to the conclusion that it was indeed cooler to lie on than denser ‘slabs’ of memory foam. However, it still warmed up under my body heat as the night progressed if I stayed in one position, especially compared to latex toppers.

What I did like a lot about it was how soft it felt. It added a really nice layer of padding to the mattress and was very comfortable to lie on. It supported my body well, and I found it was particularly good when lying on my front or side.

In the photo below, you can see how well the memory foam holds my weight when I lie on my back.

I’m not sure how much of a difference the five zones made, which are designed to have different levels of support. It seemed to compress to a similar height across the whole surface when my weight was on it or if I squeezed it. Perhaps the effect is more subtle than I was able to judge though.

On balance, the Lucid is one to consider if you’d like some soft memory foam cushioning that’s designed with temperature regulation in mind.

While the lack of a cover stops it from looking like a premium topper, and it doesn’t exactly feel ‘cool’, it shouldn’t heat up quite as quickly as very dense slabs of memory foam.

A final plus is that the price is very reasonable, even for the largest bed sizes, so it’s one to think about if you’re on a particularly tight budget or just don’t want to splash out on a premium topper.

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4. Latex Sense

A dense latex topper that supports the body well

The Latex Sense mattress topper is only available in the UK, but I wanted to include it in this article because I was very impressed by the overall quality and feel.

I tried out the 5 cm Dunlop latex version for several nights during the summer of 2024. While I was initially most interested in how breathable it would be, it was the supportive feel, excellent structure, and robust design that really stood out.

To start with temperature (always my obsession!), I didn’t find it was quite as breathable as some other latex toppers I’ve tried, though it still felt cooler than pretty much every memory foam surface I’ve slept on.

When you open the cover and look at the topper, it’s visibly very dense and doesn’t have any larger ventilation tubes running through it. Still, I didn’t overheat when using it, with the temperature under my body staying comfortable enough.

The cushioning and support for my back, hips and shoulders was very good. It has that unique combination of springiness and supportive cushioning that latex is known for, and I found it comfortable to use when lying on my front, side, or back.

In the photo below, you can see that the Latex Sense topper has enough give to cushion my body, but doesn’t collapse under my weight.

The dense latex and robust design also means it doesn’t sag in the middle, even when two people share the bed and lie close together in the middle. This definitely isn’t always the case with mattress toppers, especially softer foam ones, so the Latex Sense could be a good option for couples who like to keep some space between them in bed and not slide into the middle.

It comes with a soft, well made Tencel cover, which gives the impression that the company behind it cares how the topper both looks and lasts.

The price is reasonable for a latex topper with a good quality cover included. As always, it gets more expensive if you want the largest bed size and the thicker option. On balance, if you’d like to try a latex topper and live in the UK, this is one to consider.

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5. Wool Room Organic Wool Topper

A soft wool topper that doesn’t overheat

Wool Room is a British company that specialises in wool bedding (as the name would suggest). They only use British wool, with an ID program to trace the wool back to approved farms that have been audited under the Animal Welfare Act.

Other than their efforts around ethical sourcing, there were three main points that I liked about the topper on the nights I slept on it.

Firstly, it looks and feels well constructed. The stitching is neat and strong, the straps to attach it to the bed are firmly attached and robust, and the cover is made from soft cotton.

Secondly, it provides a nice layer of soft padding to lie on, making my medium firmness mattress feel more cushioned.

Thirdly, it has good temperature regulation, as I’ve come to expect from wool mattress toppers. I didn’t overheat when using it in warmer weather, but it also felt cozy when I tried it again in colder weather.

However, there was one downside that’s important to note; it provides noticeably less support for the body than any of the other mattress toppers in this review.

Below, you can see that the Wool Room topper is relatively thin when I lie on it, especially compared to more substantial toppers.

They list it as 2″-3″ or 5-8 cm thick, but when you lie on it, it compresses significantly. What that means is that there’s less support around the hips and shoulders, especially when lying on your side.

I don’t think this one will be the right choice if your main need is to create substantial support for parts of your body that ache when you lie on a firmer mattress. However, if all you need is a bit of extra padding, and you’re looking for good temperature regulation created by natural materials, it could be one to try.

As is often the case with wool, it’s more expensive than basic memory foam, especially if you need a larger bed size or order it in the US.

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Further reading

If you’re still unsure which style of mattress topper would suit you best, you might find it helpful to read my guide to choosing a mattress topper.

And if you’re interested in a more high-tech way to cool your bed surface, take a look at my comparison of cooling mattress pads and systems.