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 could deliver all three!
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. It’s also one of the most underrated as it has plenty of convenient and comfortable features packed into one great-value 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. To get a comprehensive overview of DreamCloud’s Bear Mattress, you may still want to check out our article below.
Overview: The Bear Original Is A Cool Gel Or Bear 14 Inch Mattress Better
The Bear Original mattress is an all-foam mattress designed to provide all-around relief and comfort to those with active lifestyles. It has vital properties, such as the gel-infused memory foam on the top layer, which cushions the body’s key pressure points while keeping it relaxed. It not only makes the sleeper feel comfortable but also has Bear’s open-cell response properties that increase airflow throughout it. The state-of-the-art Celliant fabric covers the mattress, making it powerful enough to prevent the body from overheating.
The Bear Original is a bed in a box product that offers medium-firm comfort. 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 the most popular products from the company named after it. It was created in 2014 with the sole purpose of making bed apparatus that can be used by athletes, first responders, frontline workers, and others who have a proactive way of living.
Who are the ideal users of the Bear Original?
- For those who want an all-foam mattress at an affordable price
- People who like to sleep on memory foam, but aren’t averse to the sinking sensation associated with it
- Those who sleep hot, especially after a full day of work or intensive activity
- For back sleepers, a firm and supportive mattress is preferred.
- Couples who share the same bed with one who tends to get restless at night and the other who doesn’t want to be disturbed
Who shouldn’t use Bear Original?
- Those who are looking for a bouncier bed – all-foam mattresses, including the Bear Original, are notorious for not being too springy
- Those who may appreciate beds with stable edge support
- Lightweight side sleepers who may find this mattress to be too firm
- Average-weight stomach sleepers who may find this too soft for their liking
- Heavyweights who prefer to sleep flat, on their stomachs or backs, are called heavyweights
What is the Bear’s Original Feeling?
Is it going to give you the relief that you need from your aches and pains? How deep will it sink your body to? Is it as cool and comfortable as its makers claim? To answer these pressing questions, we tested the Bear mattress based on its firmness, pressure relief performance, and cooling capabilities.
Firmness
What we do here in ranking mattresses is usually through a scale from 1 to 10, with one being super soft, five medium, and ten extremely firm. We can confidently state that the Bear Original’s comfort level is medium to firm based on what we discovered while testing it. 7 to be exact.
The Bear company has advertised its namesake mattress to be medium-firm, so at least they were accurate in providing that information. Considering the use of memory foam, which has gained notoriety for its sinking feel on the body, the overall construction still somehow manages to be sturdy and stable. 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. The top layer may be pliable enough to shape the sleeper’s silhouette, but, thankfully, it’s countered by a more rigid foundation underneath, creating what appears to be a perfect balance. We have had plenty of issues when testing on memory foam mattresses, but not on this one. We felt like we were sleeping on the surface of the Bear, not beneath it.
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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. It can provide sufficient pressure relief for most sleepers. There’s no excessive pressure buildup found while we tested using a heat map, no matter the type of sleeping position.
While we admire its remarkable pain relief capabilities, we should mention that they’re only limited to a group of people. The Bear mattress may be more suitable for average-weight people. The experience of heavyweights and light-weights may differ. Some may feel firmer when they lie on their sides while others may feel uncomfortable. Is A Cool Gel Or Bear 14 Inch Mattress Better
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. All-foam mattresses may be known for not having the best insulation, but this one performed surprisingly well in maintaining the temperature, at least to a neutral level – not too hot yet not too cold.
While we can’t promise the Bear Original to have the same cooling properties as any innerspring or hybrid mattress, its three insulating features are enough to soothe a person, especially after a day filled with long, arduous tasks. They are also sufficient to prevent the couple from becoming too hot – two people can heat up on the mattress faster than one. The Bear mattress is a great option for couples looking for an all-foam cooling bed at a reasonable price.
Analyse of Sleep and Body Type
How effective will the Bear mattress bring much-needed comfort to the 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. Lightweight individuals will find enough comfort with this mattress, with a healthy balance of conformity and support to keep them relaxed while laying flat. Those of average weight will appreciate it even more as it gives them the best-optimized care they truly deserve.
The Bear might not be a good choice for heavyweight sleepers. They shouldn’t expect the all-foam mattress to conform to their bodies like their lighter- or average-weight counterparts. It usually ends up in sinkage, which doesn’t sound nice especially if you move often. Additionally, we observed on the heat map that the pressure points were higher than the rest.
On the Stomach
The Bear offers remarkable benefits for stomach sleepers. 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.
This position is comfortable for both average and light-weighted people. They may initially find the Bear to be supportive enough for their stomachs. 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. They often feel like they are sinking and have more pressure points than if they were sleeping on their backs. Is A Cool Gel Or Bear 14 Inch Mattress Better
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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. Lightweights might find the surface too hard for them, while others may feel the relief they require on their shoulders and hips. The majority of average sleepers would agree with this assessment.
Heavyweights won’t appreciate the Bear’s side-sleeping experience as much as they would like. According to a few of our testers, while they experienced the support and comfort from the mattress, the firmness, sinkage, and high-pressure point outweigh the pros.
Combination sleeping positions
We found that the Bear Original works well with people who sleep in multiple positions, regardless of their body weight. According to our tests, the Bear Original was able to provide comfort and relief for all positions. In regards to changing positions, there is a possibility that some sleepers may have slight difficulties in the movement since the mattress, after all, has a top layer of memory foam.
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. This is a great place to start if you are unsure if the mattress can be used for your partner’s benefit.
Motion Transfer
The perfect mattress must have motion isolation to help you sleep and not be disturbed by movements. 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. The ease of movement for light and average sleepers 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. We conclude that the Bear is capable of performing well 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 are known for their strong and sometimes unpleasant odors. These are caused by volatile organic compound (VOC). Is A Cool Gel Or Bear 14 Inch Mattress Better
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. With a thickness of 2″, it is also packed with open-cell cooling abilities to regulate the sleeper’s temperature – something 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. The sleeper will feel like they’re laying on top of more than into the surface of 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.
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The three layers of the Bear Original are wrapped in a Celliant fabric mattress cover. 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. The Bear mattress is marketed as a mattress for athletes, high-energy professionals and others who are active.
Pricing and Available Sizes
The Bear mattress comes in all sizes and is available at a variety of prices. The Bear mattress is not the most budget-friendly, but it’s also not very expensive. Below is a complete list of sizes available and the prices for each.
| MATTRESS SIZE | PRICE (PRIOR TO 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. This mattress is a great choice for people who like to sleep on memory foam and want to be able to move quickly. Designed with recovery in mind, it has plenty of features that are enough to attract active individuals who are looking for a mattress that can give them 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. Nevertheless, with tons of sweet elements packed into a product with a highly valuable price range, the Bear Original mattress is something you should look forward to buying! Is A Cool Gel Or Bear 14 Inch Mattress Better
FAQ Is A Cool Gel Or Bear 14 Inch Mattress Better
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 and Hoboken)
- New York (New York City Metropolitan Area)
- Florida (Miami)
- Washington, DC (metropolitan region)
Bear offers free shipping on all mattresses. How does Bear ship to me?
Bear does offer free shipping for all its models, including the Bear Original, and it applies to the mainland US states and Canada. 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 Bear Original mattress is covered by a 120-night risk-free trial period. If in any way you’re not satisfied with the mattress’s overall performance, you may call Bear’s customer service hotline to ask for a full refund and return within the given period. The team will then collect the mattress from you at no cost.
Is the Bear covered by a warranty?
The Bear is covered by a lifetime warranty. This applies only to mattresses purchased from authorized sellers. 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. Is A Cool Gel Or Bear 14 Inch Mattress Better
