So, you’re looking for a memory foam mattress that’s soft enough to contour your body, firm enough to provide much-needed relief, and cool enough to keep you from overheating? We found one that can deliver all three of those things!
The Bear Original mattress is a popular choice for many sleepers. But if you’re not up to speed, it’s one of the best-performing all-foam mattresses making waves on the bed market. This mattress is also one of the best-valued, as it offers many convenient and comfortable features in one product.
In this review, we’ll take a detailed look at the Bear mattress by testing it for ourselves and seeing if our results align with what we’ve been advertised. It may be a recommended choice for active individuals, but how well will it perform in giving them a good night’s rest?
For those of you who prefer a more visual experience, here is a video review from Sleep Advisor’s YouTube channel. Do check out our article below, however, because it has a comprehensive overview of DreamCloud’s Bear Mattress.
The Bear Original Overview Affirm Bear Mattress
The Bear Original mattress is an all-foam mattress designed to provide all-around relief and comfort to those with active lifestyles. It is a vital mattress with important properties such as the gel-infused memory foam top layer that cushions the body’s pressure points and keeps it relaxed. It not only makes the sleeper feel comfortable but also has Bear’s open-cell response properties that increase airflow throughout it. Celliant fabric, a state-of the-art Celliant cover for the mattress, is strong enough to keep the body from overheating.
The Bear Original is a bed-in-a-box product with a medium-firm comfort level. Most people prefer medium-firm mattresses regardless of their type or construction. However, this mattress is unique because it has a slightly bouncey feel. The Bear mattress is one of the popular offerings from its namesake company, established in 2014 with the primary purpose of creating bed apparatus geared toward athletes, first responders, frontliners, and other individuals who maintain a proactive sense of living.
Who are the ideal users of the Bear Original?
- Those who are looking for an all-foam mattress at a valuable price
- Those who prefer sleeping on memory foam but don’t like the ever-sinking feeling associated with it
- People who sleep hot after a long day of intensive work or hard activity are more likely to be comfortable.
- Back sleepers who prefer a mattress that is firm, supportive, and can alleviate pressure points
- Couples sharing a bed with someone who is restless at night or who doesn’t want any disturbances may have a problem.
Who shouldn’t use Bear Original?
- For those who want a more bouncier bed, all-foam mattresses (including the Bear Original) are known for being not too springy.
- Those who may appreciate beds with stable edge support
- Lightweight side sleepers who may find this mattress to be too firm
- This may be too soft for average-weight stomach sleepers.
- Heavyweights who prefer to sleep flat, on their stomachs or backs, are called heavyweights
How Does the Bear Original Feel?
Will it give you the relief you’re craving from aches or pains? How deep will it sink your body to? Is it as cool as the makers behind it claim to be? These are the pressing questions we wanted to answer. We tested the Bear mattress for firmness, pressure relief, and cooling abilities.
Firmness
We use a scale of 1-10 to rank mattresses. One is super soft, five are medium and ten are extremely firm. Based on what we found while testing the Bear Original, we can confidently say that its comfort level is between medium and firm. 7 to be exact.
Bear has stated that its mattress is medium-firm. The overall construction is still sturdy and stable despite the fact that memory foam has been praised for its ability to sink into the body. The Bear Original has a thick layer of high-density foam foundation, and high-density material is characteristically solid and not as pliable as spring coils.
This mattress has more benefits by having the material underneath the memory foam. Although the top layer is flexible enough to mold the body of the sleeper, it’s countered with a firmer foundation beneath, creating what appears like a perfect balance. We have had plenty of issues when testing on memory foam mattresses, but not on this one. The Bear made us feel like we were sleeping ‘on’ the surface rather than ‘into’ it.
> > Click Here to Try Product for Free < <
Pressure Relief
The Bear Original combines the softness and strength of high-density foam with the flexibility of memory foam to create a balanced mattress. As a result, it can provide adequate pressure relief that most sleepers may enjoy. No pressure buildup was observed in the heat map tests, regardless of what type of sleep position.
While we admire its remarkable pain relief capabilities, we should mention that they’re only limited to a group of people. Average-weighted people, in particular, may find the Bear mattress to be much more suited to their needs. The experience of heavyweights and light-weights may differ. Some may feel firmer when they lie on their sides while others may feel uncomfortable. Affirm Bear Mattress
Temperature
As previously mentioned, the Bear mattress has open-cell foam, gel infusion, and Celliant fabric, all combined to keep the body cool enough that it doesn’t overheat. Although all-foam mattresses are not known for having the best insulation, this mattress performed admirably in maintaining the temperature at least to a neutral level. It is not too hot nor too cold.
Although we cannot guarantee that the Bear Original will have the same cooling properties of an innerspring or hybrid mattress as other mattresses, the three insulation features can be enough to soothe anyone after a long day. They’re also enough to keep the couple from getting too heated – two bodies are prone to heat up faster on the mattress than one. The Bear mattress is a great option for couples looking for an all-foam cooling bed at a reasonable price.
Sleep and Body Type Analysis
How will the Bear mattress provide much-needed comfort for light, average and heavy sleepers?
The Bear Original is tested in various sleeping positions
On the Back
The Bear Original is proving to be the best for back support. This mattress is suitable for light-weight people. It has a healthy mix of support and conformity to help them feel comfortable while lying flat. It will be appreciated by those of average weight, as they get the best-optimized support and comfort.
In the case of heavyweight sleepers, however, the Bear may not work well in their favor. Being an all-foam mattress, they shouldn’t expect it to conform to their silhouettes like their light- or average-weight contemporaries. Sinkage is a common result, especially for those who move frequently. We also noticed on the heatmap that the pressure points were higher then the rest.
Stomach
While the Bear delivers remarkable benefits to most back sleepers, stomach sleeping is different. While some people may experience a positive collective experience when they sleep flat on their stomachs, others may feel the surface is too soft to offer pressure relief for their hips or keep their spine straight.
Both light- and average-weighted persons feel the same way when sleeping in this position. At first, they may find the Bear to have the appropriate support on the stomach. The mattress is all foam, so sinkage and softness may be inevitable. Heavyweights should not sleep on the Bear with their stomachs flat on the ground. Like sleeping on the back, they often feel sinking and have higher pressure points. Affirm Bear Mattress
> > Click Here to Try Product for Free < <
On the Sides
The Bear’s feelings on the individual while they sleep on one side or the other is similar to lying flat on their stomachs. Some lightweights may find the surface too firm for their liking, while others may receive the pressure relief they need on the shoulders and hips. Average sleepers, meanwhile, would likely say the same thing.
Heavyweights won’t appreciate the Bear’s side-sleeping experience as much as they would like. A few of our testers found that while they felt the support and comfort from this mattress, the firmness and sinkage as well as the high-pressure point and high-pressure point far outweigh the pros.
Combination sleeping positions
Regardless of body weight, we found that the Bear Original should work okay with most individuals who usually sleep in a combination of positions. According to our tests, the Bear Original was able to provide comfort and relief for all positions. There is a chance that some people may experience slight difficulty in moving around because the mattress has a layer of memory foam at its top.
Mattress Performance
It doesn’t stop there! Aside from the main tests, we also analyzed how well the Bear Original performed in terms of other factors, such as motion transfer, ease of movement, and more. For couples wondering if the mattress will serve them benefits, you should check this one out!
Motion Transfer
A perfect mattress needs to have a great deal of motion isolation that will be helpful when you’re asleep and wish not to be disturbed by movement. The Bear’s all foam layers absorb and dampen vibrations. This makes it a superior choice to innerspring mattresses.
Mobility made easy
Considering the types of foam used, the Bear doesn’t conform to the body as much as the softer ones, yet is unable to deliver the floating feeling as the other beds do. For average and light sleepers, the ease of movement is 50/50. In the case of the heavy ones, however, they’ll most likely have challenges in maneuvering on the surface.
Edge Support
Edge support measures how strong the perimeter of the bed is, especially in supporting two or more bodies. Mattresses with strong edge support will not have couples or groups worried if one of them suddenly falls off. The Bear was able to maintain adequate stability around its edges, even though it is not as strong than innerspring models.
Sex
All-foam and memory foam mattresses are not recommended for sexual activity. In the case of the Bear, however, we observed that it didn’t conform as much as other foam beds and that it’s more responsive to quick changes of movement. Therefore, we conclude that it performs well even during sex.
Unboxing and Off-Gassing
The Bear is a bed in a box mattress. This means that there will be some off-gassing and compression after you open the packaging. All-foam mattresses have gained a reputation for emitting strong, sometimes unpleasant odors caused by volatile organic compounds (VOC). Affirm Bear Mattress
The Bear is no different, but since the foam materials used are GreenGuard Gold and CertiPUR-US-certified, the off-gassing smells go away much faster compared to other all-foam beds.
Construction
Bear Original mattress measures 10 inches thick. It is made up of three layers of unique foam, each one being a different type.
Top comfort layer – This is the first of three layers. It’s a graphite gel memory foam which provides pressure relief and contouring to the body’s silhouette. It has a thickness 2 inches and is packed with open-cell cooling capabilities to regulate the sleeper’s temperature. This is something that traditional memory foam often lacks.
Transitional middle layer – Below the memory foam comfort layer, there’s a 2″ thick transitional response foam. Made to be soft and firm at the same time, it helps to keep the body from sinking. You will feel more like you’re sleeping on top than the mattress.
Foundation layer – This is the thick, high-density foam that holds the Bear together. It has a height of 6 inches and serves as a solid foundation for the body of the sleeper to rest on.
> > Click Here to Try Product for Free < <
All three layers of the Bear Original are wrapped together by a mattress cover made out of Celliant fabric. Celliant fabric is an FDA-approved fiber material that helps speed up recovery time for individuals while they sleep. It also features design elements that improve blood circulation. It’s soft and provides enough airflow to prevent the body from overheating. With the right amount of materials formulated for active persons in mind, we can see why the Bear has been advertised as a mattress for athletes and other high-energy professionals.
Pricing and Available Sizes
The Bear mattress comes in all sizes and is available at a variety of prices. It’s not a very budget-friendly model by all means, nor a highly expensive one either. Below is a complete list of sizes available and the prices for each.
MATTRESS SIZE | PRICE (BEFORE DISCOUNT) |
Twin | $748 |
Twin XL | $811 |
Full | $873 |
Queen | $998 |
King | $1,248 |
Cal King | $1,248 |
Split King | $1,622 |
Final Verdict on the Bear Original Mattress
We are confident that the Bear Original delivers comfort, relief and peace of mind after undergoing a series of tests. It’s a solid choice for those who prefer sleeping on a memory foam surface, but also like to move as swiftly as possible. It is designed with recovery in mind and has many features that will appeal to active people who are looking for a mattress they can provide what they need.
While we can admire how well it performs on most sleepers, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that it may not be fully suitable for heavyweight sleepers. After all, many mattresses will always have limits. The Bear Original mattress has a lot of great features and a very affordable price. This is why you should buy it! Affirm Bear Mattress
FAQ Affirm Bear Mattress
Where can I buy the Bear Original?
You can buy the Original mattress online at Bear’s official online store at bearmattress.com, as well as find its limited sizes through their Amazon store. If you want to test out the Bear mattress for yourself, you may check out their showrooms in any of the following US states/territories where they have locations:
- New Jersey (Bernardsville & Hoboken).
- New York (New York City metropolitan area)
- Florida (Miami)
- Washington, DC (metropolitan region)
Bear offers free shipping on all mattresses. And how does it ship to my location?
Bear offers free shipping on all models, even the Bear Original. This applies to Canada and the US mainland. Residents in Alaska, Hawai’i, and Puerto Rico will still need to pay additional transportation costs. The Bear mattress comes compressed in a box within 2-7 business days from your first purchase.
Is there any way for me to return the Bear mattress?
The 120-night trial period for the Bear Original mattress is risk-free. Bear’s customer service hotline can be contacted if you are not completely satisfied with the mattress’s performance. The team will then pick up the mattress from your household free of charge.
Is the Bear covered by a warranty?
The Bear comes with a lifetime warranty, which only applies to mattresses purchased through authorized sellers, including the website. The warranty covers workmanship and material defects such as 1.5-inch deep indentations, splits, cracks, and cracks in foam foundation. There are additional terms and conditions. Affirm Bear Mattress