Hi Lisa.

This really would be the way to go.

Fortunately your bodyweights do not require anything special in the way of support and so a general two sided 1000 or 1500 pocket sprung mattress would serve your needs and requirements.

We are 5'8"/10 stone and 6'/11.5 stone.

Bodyweight	Spring tension
Upto 16 Stone / 50-101kg	Medium (1.4mm)
16 Stone / 101kg Upwards	Firm (1.6mm)
Available in Bespoke Products (Please Call)	Soft (1.2mm)

I prefer a mattress with a bit of 'give'', as I'm rather broad shouldered and prefer to sleep on my side.

This is no longer possible with my current mattress.

My partner is less fussy.

We recently slept on an 'expensive' memory foam mattress, in winter with a 4.5 tog duvet and found it unbearably (and strangely) hot.

I feel foam, even latex, is probably not for us, given that some people do experience heat issues with latex.

Funnily enough, people do get used to the heat element of memory foam but again, even with the expensive models they rarely add an additional layer of comfort which would improve the feeling immensely.

The marketing that surrounds this type of product is such that you would reasonably expect it to do all the things it says it will but in reality, it wont.

Hence the amount of dissatisfaction evident on many forums.

As with all types of foam products - including latex to a degree, the dense properties of this component means there is little in the way of heat dispersion from your body.

However, they are fundamentally better components in terms of longevity than say polyester.

Low budgets mean that you will be expected to make some sort of compromise with your purchase.

Knowing what these compromises will entail will help you come to a final decision, otherwise you will be forever looking for the perfect mattress at a price that does not exist.

Last year we invested in a wonderful all seasons 100% goose down duvet (from duvet and pillow warehouse) and love, love, love it.

Afterwards, we certainly fancied a similar topper, but, as usual, money went to other things.

Would it be worth investing in one of these or would a cotton/wool version do as good a job at cushioning and protecting, without the 'luxury' feel of feather/down?

How much do I need to be concerned about the wadding in the mattress, given that I'll be investing in a good quality topper?

Good point.

The mattress should ideally have a degree of adequate wadding - and most definitely it should be double sided (the underlying upholstery will somewhat aid in the suspension qualities).

There will be no doubt about it that the upholstery on a cheap mattress will just be polyester.

Don't discount a pocket memory mattress (I know this is one sided) which pound for pound may be by comparison a better option.

You can double up your toppers - say the wool cotton as the underlying one and the goose down as the primary.

This will give you a superbly comfortable combo for a lot less than trying to find a mattress for £500 with all the elements contained.

In short, I'm concerned to scrimp on either element if it will be of significant detriment to the other, if you catch my drift!

I wondered if you might apply your expertise to advise me how 'basic' it is wise to go i.e.

what my bare minimum mattress standards should be given that we are ever so tempted (and likely) to invest in a luxury feather/down topper?

Or would it be a mistake to spend so much on a topper at the expense of the mattress?

Thanks you so much in advance!!

The crux of all this is a budget of £500.

How much to spend on a double mattress?	What can I expect for my money?
Under £500	Will not get you much at best a 13.5 gauge open coil/cage sprung with a thin polyester layer or a solid foam mattress.
£500	Entry level spunbond springs with some form of synthetic upholstery. Usually one sided mattresses.
£750	The beginnings of a basic pocket springs unit with 800 – 1000 count. No substantial amount of filling other than foams and synthetic materials. Two sided models.
£1000	Should get you away from most low ranges and into the mid-range pocket spring models.
£1250	Should get you a decent pocket sprung mattress with some Natural Fibre content.
£1500	Should get you many manufacturers mid-range models with Natural Fibres
£1500-£2000	Should get you a Hand Made primarily Natural Fibre Quality Mattress
£2000+	You should expect 100% Natural Fibres and Traditional Hand Made Construction Method.
£5000+	A Bespoke Hand Made Sleep System, High-end Spring Units & Featuring the Worlds Most Luxurious Natural Fibres.

The secondary consideration is your light bodyweights which as I said above will not require an all singing and all dancing spring system.

Look to divide this up with £350 going to the mattress and £150 to the topper(s).

It would have been better if you had £500 available to spend on the mattress and £100 or so on the toppers.

Mattresses that retail within the £300 - £400 price range are invariably quite basic.

Look at mattressman site under pocket springs and see what £350 can get you.

Hope this helps Lisa.

Please let me know what you find and we can take it from there.

John and Ryan.