Trimming a Memory foam mattress

[JCWDCW]

I didn't modify the muslin cover on my rear double. A bit of slop doesn't seem to matter.
I purchased the clips from Amazon. They work for the added mattress cover but they don't do much for the fitted sheet. Mine seems to pull out on which ever side I happen to be sleeping. If you get the ones that go right under the mattress and attach both sides they would probably work. Mine are just short ones that pull diagonally across the corner.
JCW

[Soyboy]

Thanks. The ones I have now stretch across so maybe they will work out. The ones that Nomadleslie linked in her post above really look like they would do the job. I think I am also going to use this moisture barrier underneath the mattress, as a number of people have complained in reviews of foam mattresses on Amazon etc. about mildew/mold problems with the foam sitting right on a platform and not being able to breath. This can happen next n the home, but seems to be especially prevalent in RVs.

[nomadleslie]

Originally Posted by Soyboy

FWIW



Edit to my above post....



What I typed: "Note too that there are WAY less expensive mattresses on Amazon if you are "stuck" on the purple ones (perhaps from personal experience?)."



What I meant to say: "if you aren't 'stuck' on the purple ones".



I caught it too late to use the usual edit method.



BTW I checked out the Purple mattresses, as I am not familiar with them. They look kinda cool.

I knew what you meant. [emoji4]

And thanks for your input re: both mattress brands and the Black & Decker. I checked out the Lucid mattresses online, but we are pretty “stuck” on the Purple mattresses. My husband LOVES ours and I love anything that keeps him happy on the road. That sweet man is very outnumbered—our 4 kids and I are always gunning for another adventurous road trip and he is the textbook definition of “homebody.” [emoji23] He’s coming around to our kind of thinking, but I still want him happy and comfy.

[Soyboy]

I went ahead and cut the mattresses last Saturday. This must have been one of the easiest DIY projects of all time. I am so glad I didn't pay anyone to do it. The key was when folks mentioned using the electric carving knife. Thanks to all for their input on this thread.

I think the whole job from unzipping the covers to rezipping them after the carving only took 10/15 minutes or so. They cut like hot butter. For now, I just tucked the excess part of the inner muslin cover inside the zipper cover, no problem, the extra zipper cover is not in the way all that much and I just used sheet straps to pull it tight towards the other side under the mattress. If I get ambitious, I might get my mom's sewing machine at some point and DIY learn out to cut/trim the covers and re-sew them. That may prove to be more of a fiasco LOL.

Here are some pics just for the heck of it. Maybe they will make someone reading this over time feel more comfortable about DIY mattresses. Likely some folks with queens may have even less carving to do. Note the last pic is in the trailer is with a fitted sheet on it. Also note in that pic we have our original curtains out as we are having new ones made (if they ever finish them - long story - LOL ). Also worth noting the new mattresses were a bit longer than the originals but actually it worked out to have a great fit, not to tight, but a bit longer for my long body. I also feel that these are easier to put the sheets on and such as the bend and they make it a bit less of a wrestling match.

BTW here is a link to the Lucid mattresses I purchased from Amazon. FWIW, here is a link to the Lucid Mattresses website.

[nomadleslie]

Fantastic! And thanks for the pics! I see you have a 28' Excella. We have a 30' Classic, and at the foot of the beds, there is a little extra space, so we should be good as well. We've been out of town for the majority of my involvement in this thread (and sadly, NOT in our "Monkey Barrel," as we affectionately call our AS), so as soon as we get home, I'm measuring out the dimensions once again after seeing that you not only cut the curve, but it appears you narrowed the width as well.

Glad to know about the sheet straps! Now that I know that the excess fabric + the sheet straps were fine, I think I'll go on and get some. Especially since that means the project will take under half an hour without the sewing machine.

Thanks, again!

[Soyboy]

Just a follow up.

We have now been on two camping trips with our new "Lucid" brand memory foam mattresses (purchased on Amazon - see my earlier post) and we are very pleased with them. They are a bit firmer than the Tempur-Pedic that we have at home, but still are very comfortable.

The dual layer foam, firmer on the bottom six inches or so, with a softer gel top layer making up the remaining 8", works out very well. If we had gotten thicker (10" or 12" instead of 8") we could have gotten ones that were a bit softer, but my wife didn't want to sit that high off the floor when changing clothes etc. while sitting on the side of her bed. But in the end, these are perfectly fine, especially for the price.

Now we will see how they hold up over the years. I will say that I am very glad that I didn't pay for "custom" mattresses as cutting these was so very easy (see my earlier posts). I thought the excess material of the mattress cover would be a problem when re-installed on the mattress, but it really is not very much leftover and is not a problem. If you have very basic sewing machine skills you could easily adjust it, I might even try myself as it is out of sight if I mess it up LOL.

I am also glad I didn't fork out for custom sheets as the sheet straps work great. Finally after all these years I have a very comfortable mattress and sheets that don't pull loose every night!

[nomadleslie]

Well, we bought, trimmed, and installed our Purple mattresses.

Excuse the tardy update, but between finishing up the school year and getting ready to hit the road, things have been a little hectic around here.

Here are some pics of my husband (aka The Man) trimming the mattresses. We bought the B&D electric knife (I think Soyboy recommended it) and it worked like a charm. Got a little warm a time or two, but we needed to take those breaks to readjust anyway.

Also, even though we sleep on a Purple mattress every night, we had never really opened it up to see all its layers. It was pretty interesting. That top layer really makes a difference in my opinion.

Thanks again to everyone who offered advice, experience, and whatnot. Can’t wait to hit the road with these! [emoji4]

[Soyboy]

Thanks for the update and pics. It's interesting to see how that mattress is constructed.

[Katty]

What kind of mattress is your "budget" memory foam. I'm getting ready to place an order and need mattress advice. Thanks.

[Soyboy]

Katt: it is a Lucid brand that I bought from Walmart online. You can also by them from Amazon or directly from Lucid. . I suggest reading my other posts on this thread for more info and links.

[dsrtgrls]

1. we have a queen size tempur pedic at home and it weighs a ton. as it is in our 2010 19' i have to flip the airstream original mattress on its side to access all sides and corners when making the bed for the bottom sheet. any feedback as to the added weight of memory foam and managing the bed making wrestling event i speak of. also is the added weight of a memory foam mattress a concern for trailer load in general?

2. our bambi is outside all year in heat and cold. any feedback on how a foam or memory foam mattress holds up to uncontrolled temps over time? thanks for this thread by the way

[Soyboy]

Some memory foam mattresses definitely weigh more than others. It depends on the foam, thickness, and construction I guess. Our TP mattress at home (which we love BTW) is not much heavier than a regular mattress, I know that others TPs are. The Lucid mattresses we put in our Airstream are not heavy at all. At least little if any more than the AS mattresses that came with it.

Since this is our first season with the MF mattresses in the trailer I can't comment on the impact of temps. However, they are foam just like your sofa cushions perhaps pillows etc. etc. so I doubt temps would any more effect on them than on the other foams. Of course, anything will break down over time. We have slept on our new MF mattresses in the AS in cold and hot weather so far this year, with no comfort issues. I know that some people complain that MF mattresses "sleep hot". We haven't had this problem at all with ours. Both the TPs at home and the Lucids in the trailer have a "gel" top layer that seems to help with comfort at various temperatures.

I'm just glad that I did this rather simple DIY project with the mattresses as I saved $1,500 or so over having "custom" MF mattresses made. The main difference being having the mattress covers that fit. Something that is easily fixed with simple sewing machine skills or just tucking the excess under the mattress and holding it with a sheet strap like we do. I wish I had started using sheet straps years ago as I was always pulling the fitted sheet off the mattress at night. Now it stays put!