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- I've tried mattresses from just about every top mattress brand in the US.
- Still, I can't find a mattress I truly like, and I'm getting ready to ditch yet another.
- Here's where I'm looking next.
- Read more about how we test and review home products.
I've tested close to a dozen mattresses during my tenure here at Insider; I've donated every damned one. Nothing seems to qualify as firm enough for me. Currently, I'm on yet another "firm" mattress I loathe. Quel freaking surprise.
Testing mattresses might sound delightful, even luxuriant, but haul a dozen mattresses up and down two flights of stairs, packaging and all, and then talk to me. Better yet, just ask our premier mattress tester, James Brains. He'll quell any romantic imagery your mind might have conjured of casually prancing from one bed of clouds to the next throughout the workday.
I'm on a quest to find my be-all, end-all sack. My slumber-till-they-haul-me-out-in-a-body-bag mattress.
At one point, I tested Plank, by Brooklyn Bedding, a two-sided "firm" and "ultra-firm" mattress. I was impressed but passed it along to test yet another mattress I didn't like. While Brooklyn Bedding's Plank was probably my favorite yet, I still feel like I can find something more suitable, especially after bopping around Europe between couches and floors for the better part of a month and deciding that I was sleeping better than I had at home.
And so, lo and behold, I'm reignited. I'm on a mission to find a truly firm mattress again. After sleeping on a slew of cheap mattresses, mattress pads, and camper van beds, I think I may have finally seen the light. How could it be that sleeping on this array of relatively cheap beds in the sweltering southern European summer with no air conditioning was better than my very own state-of-the-art, top-dollar bed at home?
Coming home from an extensive time on the road with what you might otherwise expect to be weeks of poor sleep, the root of my problems became illuminated when I collapsed into my hulking 14-inch-thick mattress from a brand not to be named — I'm not here to trash them — and back into a familiar state of despair. I realized I'd probably get a better night's sleep on the cold, hard, ground, than in my four-figure mattress. The truth was finally clear: no bed-in-a-box brand was going to offer the type of support I'm after.
After a conversation with my partner (she has every bit as much say in the matter as I do, after all), we settled on starting with cheap futon mattresses. The first one we're ordering is this tri-folding one from Milliard. But if that doesn't do it, we're looking to Brains' expertise, and might consider investing in something from Airweave, like its futon mattress, maybe on a platform. His top pick for those looking for a firm mattress is the Airweave Mattress is a little pricier, but it's a little out of our budget, for now. I'll report back soon.
Milliard Tri Folding Mattress (Queen) Check price at Amazon 
Brooklyn Bedding Plank Mattress Check price at Brooklyn Bedding 
Airweave Mattress (Queen) Check price at Airweave 
Airweave Futon (Queen) Check price at Airweave 
Owen Burke Former senior reporter Owen Burke covered on espresso and espresso-adjacent products, grills, meat, seafood, and a few other kitchen-related odds and ends for Insider Reviews. He also contributes an array of menswear and outdoor-gear guides, from winter parkas to fishing rods and reels. He is a founding member of Wirecutter and has contributed to publications online and in print, including Outside Magazine, Men's Journal, The Atlantic, Gizmodo, Surfer Magazine, and Power & Motoryacht, among others. He's also worked in raw bars, restaurants, classrooms, and on fishing boats, holding a USCG Master Captain's license, and is co-author of The Ocean Handbook: The Ultimate Handbook of Nautical Knowledge (Chronicle Books, 2021). Say hello at oburke@businessinsider.com. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider. Learn more about how we test kitchen products. Read more Read lessncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxnmKS6pnvWoZyrnV2Yrq95yGadoqaUYq5ussirpGalkanBs7HSrGScmaOlsrN5z66pqaSVYrmmsdKaZKyZkanDog%3D%3D