How to Choose the Best Mattress in a Box?
Buying a mattress in a box seemed like an odd and almost impossible proposition less than a decade ago. Today, beds that are shipped in a box are the way to go for most mattress shoppers, and we expect this popularity to increase steadily. It’s understandable if you’re still skeptical about buying a mattress online. This guide will cover all you need to know from how bed-in-a-box mattresses came to be to their significant pros and cons. We’ve also highlighted the 10 best mattresses in a box that you can buy in 2023.
Is a mattress in a box any good?
In a word- Yes! Experts say that the best mattresses in a box available online are as good as their store-bought competitors. Although they are easy to compress and roll, these mattresses are still made of high-quality materials and will last as long as traditional beds would. Typically, the best mattress-in-a-box lasts 5-15 years, depending on the quality of materials.
History of Mattress in a Box
Traditionally, purchasing a new mattress involves visiting several bricks-and-mortar bed stores and trying out different mattress brands amidst sales pitches. Once you get a mattress that seems to fit your sleep needs, you pay for it and start the hectic (and sometimes expensive) process of transporting it home. The bed-in-a-box concept was birthed for two significant reasons. The first reason was to bring the mattress cost down by removing most of the overhead costs (storage expenses, profits, and middlemen wages). Secondly, compressing and packing the mattress in a standard shipping box made it possible to deliver the bed to the buyers. This eliminates the hassle and expensive logistics that come with purchasing a mattress from a physical store. The idea of cramming a mattress in a box started with Bill Bradley, the founder of Bedinabox.com, in 2007. Bill is credited for inventing the machine that could compress and roll mattresses for convenient shipping. However, it was not until 2014 that this concept exploded after Casper and Needle and Tuft popularized buying a mattress online.
How to Choose the Best Bed in a Box Mattress - Buying Guide
Think of mattress type
Most bed-in-a-box mattresses are made of memory foam, latex, and polyurethane foam. You’ll also find some models that combine foam and a spring system.
i) Memory foam - the biggest advantage of memory foam is its excellent pain relief on pressure points. It’s great for near-natural spinal alignment too. However, it tends to sleep hot and has almost zero bounce.
ii) Latex- similar to memory foam, latex has excellent pain relief attributes, and it’s ideal for spinal alignment. However, this material sleeps a little cooler and has little bounce. On the downside, natural latex costs a premium, and it’s heavy.
iii) Hybrid mattresses- these beds combine memory foam and innerspring bases. Besides being comfortable and supportive, these mattresses also tick other critical boxes, including heat management, edge support, and bounce. Their major drawbacks include their relatively higher price tags and reduced motion isolation.
Consider the firmness level
Although it’s hard to try a mattress before buying it online, manufacturers give details of firmness feeling and the most suitable sleepers for the mattresses. Mattresses come in 5 firmness levels based on a 1-10 firmness scale where 1 is super soft, and 10 is very hard.
Trial, Warranty, and Return Policies
These three policies are critical when buying a bed in a box online;
Trial period - most brands offer a 75-365-day trial period, which is enough to decide whether a mattress is for keeps or not.
Warranty - the industry standard warranty for online mattresses is 10 years, although some brands offer 20-15 or even Forever warranties. Whatever the length of the warranty, we recommend knowing what is covered and what is not. In addition, understand what can void the warranty before paying for the mattress.
Return policy - knowing that you can return the mattress if it doesn’t meet your needs is great. However, this process needs to be clear from the start. How do you initiate the return process, and how soon can you do it? Will the company arrange for pick up? Will you get a full refund?
Final words
As it turns out, buying a bed in a box online isn’t as awkward as it seems at first. You may not get a chance to lie on the mattress before ordering. But we bet trying it for at least 100 days before deciding whether to keep or not is a much better idea than the 15 minutes you get in the store. Plus, when you buy the best mattress in a box, it will be shipped right home, eliminating the hassle that comes with buying a new mattress.
