Are TM Beds comfortable?

[dyky71]

Would like some info from TM owners on the comfort of the beds? Any comments good or bad would be appreciated.
Thanks :)

[Windbreaker]

I love them, my wife hates them. There are lots of folks here that think they could be softer, many have found ways to work around the hardness issue.

To each his own. You may like them you may not only you can tell. What is your sleep number? 65 or greater? most likely you will like them.

[dyky71]

I am afraid we will like soft better. We are used to waveless waterbeds. Is there room to put an air mattress on top the TM mattress after you set up? Or would it put you too close to the ceiling? :o

[Windbreaker]

I think you could, but getting in and out might be a problem (that is one of the grips DW has on them). Lots of folks use those egg crate foam things, DW uses a memory foam with a thin egg crate on top of that. Even though she says she does not like it she sure sleeps better on it than at home.

[lprefsell]

Two inches of foam works perfect for us...Paul & Kathy

[dyky71]

Thanks. Maybe we will try the foam. Are you able to leave the two inch foam on the bed when you close up? Or must you take it off to close properly?

[lprefsell]

In our case, dyky, no...and it probably holds true to most TMs. The roof has a watershed curve both inside and out, and the foam would pressure/push too much on the outside foot or so of each side to suit us. Ours are cut in two sections for storage when traveling, and store well in either the TM or TV between stops...it works for us.

[Windbreaker]

We lower the table, put the foam with bedding on it where the table was in a big U shape with a spread on top then into the U we put the tv, microwave. This keeps them from bouncing around.

[Bill]

My wife and I both sleep better in the TM than we do at home. Of course, this might have to do with being tired and comfortable after a day of hiking, biking, kayaking, or sightseeing. And we do like a firm mattress. And a layer of egg-crate foam (which stays on the bed at all times) made a lot of difference.

We first saw a TM at an RV show in 2001. While we were at the show, we also saw a top-of-the-line pop-up camper - might have been Jayco - that had a queen-size 4inch thick innerspring mattress. It was VERY comfortable. We took note of it, thinking that if the TM's foam mattress wasn't comfortable enough, we would go to a Jayco (?) dealer and see if we could order their mattress. We didn't end up doing this, since we found the TM mattress to be just fine.

I am unable to find a reference to this innerspring mattress at Jayco's web site, so it was probably not Jayco. But that mattress is out there somewhere. You might want to go to an RV show, check out the high-end pop-ups, talk to the salesmen, and see if you can turn it up.

Let us know if you do.

Bill

[BobWilson]

We found that the foam was a little too hard. But if it was any softer you would hit the bottom of the bed.

We bought two self inflating Thermarest 1 1/2 inch thick mattresses. This still was too hard for my wife. So I put both of the Thermarests on top of each other for me on the far side. I use a standard inflatable air mattress on the inside for the wife. Getting in is no problem. I just put my knee on the orginal mattress right next to my wife's mattress at edge of the bed. Then move up on top of my mattresses. No problem of headroom.

Hope this helps. Bob W

[kempert]

I sleep better in the TM, also. I have a pad on top of the mattress which is about 1inch high and has a wavy pattern. I leave it on the mattress along with sheets and a blanket. The TM closes with no problems although the light above the bed comes on about 90% of the time when I set up the bathroom wall.

[RockyMtnRay]

My wife and I both sleep better in the TM than we do at home. Of course, this might have to do with being tired and comfortable after a day of hiking, biking, kayaking, or sightseeing. And we do like a firm mattress. And a layer of egg-crate foam (which stays on the bed at all times) made a lot of difference.


My views mirror Bill's...after a long day of hiking/kayaking/mountain climbing/biking, I'm so tired that I fall asleep instantly and sleep like the dead for about 7 to 8 hours. No extra foam for me either...just the slight padding of a TravSak on the TM's mattress.

IMHO, the best solution for any shortcomings in the TM's bed is a whole lot of intense physical daytime activity. In addition to making it very easy to sleep, it will gradually reduce your weight and that alone will make the bed feel comfier.

[shunter917]

We have used egg crate foam in the past. We could close the shells, but barely.

A couple of weeks ago I read a post here that talked about an Aerobed mattress topper. Aerobed advertises on TV all the time about a blow-up "spare" bed. The topper is only 1 1/2 inches high blown up.

Since we sleep on an air bed at home (Select comfort), I ordered one of them and it works great! I emailed the company about getting some caps for the end of the hoses so we could take the pump off and they sent them at no charge. We also find we can leave the air mattress (deflated, of course) and sheets on the bed and the unit closes easier.

[dyky71]

Thanks so much for all your replies.
We had the opportunity to spend the night in our TM in a nice county park near the dealer we got it from on Thursday night in Iowa.
It is a gently used 1994 2720 TM .
We bought a an airbed that has a sleeping bag that zips to it in Queen size at K-mart for $38.00.
It worked real well .
No problems with the mattress slipping off.
Although I must say I am thinking of buying the Aero mattress topper.
They have them in Queen size for $189.99 At K's merchandise.
Thanks for all the ideas.
We also found out that it is true people want to see these trailers up close when they see one.
We had three people at the dealer where we picked it up who wanted to take a look and a few at the campsite where we stayed with it.
It is definately a conversation starter.
Everyone who wanted to take a look had never had the opportunity to see one before.

[ccc6588]

I did not have a good nights sleep on the TM until I got this thing for both the full size and queen size bed. It fits the queen perfectly and just slightly too wide for the full size bed. You could leave it on the bed when folding the TM.

http://www.campingworld.com/browse/skus/index.cfm?deptID=4&subOf=211,21&skunum=17506d

[rpcoombs]

That string brings up "Item not found". Any other leads? Cheers, Dick

[Bill]

The link doesn't work for me, but if you go to http://www.CampingWorld.com and put 17506 in the Search box, it comes up with what I think you are talking about.

Bill

[rpcoombs]

Thanks Bill. Just ordered one. Cheers, Dick

[G-V_Driver]

Enter thermolux on your browser to see the king size for $80, if you need a bigger one.

[dyky71]

ccc6588 when I click on the url a page comes up saying "item not found" Can you tell me what you bought for your beds? Thanks

[ccc6588]

http://www.campingworld.com/browse/skus/index.cfm?deptID=4&subOf=211,21&skunum=17506


Try this or if the link is not all in blue try copying the link then pasting on your browser.

I bought 2 of these because of the excellent customer reviews.

Looks like for some reason the entire link will not highlight in blue. Try copying or pasting.

Or go to the campingworld.com 2) go to bedding 3) look for mattress or just type in Thermolux as suggested.

[dyky71]

Thanks ccc6588 . We might have to try it. :)

[camp2canoe]

I previously posted this on the forum re: using a regular mattress, but on our 2619 I deal with a hip problem by pulling off the rear mattress and just doubling up on the front mattress. Benefits include no closing problems, no cost, you can use the rear deck to store wet or muddy items and the double thickness mattress sleeps great.

[Queeniereads]

Well, I could write a small book about beds and our lack of comfort on many of them. We both have back troubles occasionally and I have bursitis in my hip. At home we sleep on a Select Comfort air bed and it is so nice and soft. The TM bed was a nightmare for both of us! We put one and a half inches of memory foam (Bed, Bath and Beyond) plus a pillowtop mattress pad (Bed, Bath and Beyond) on it. It makes it virtually impossible for one person to put the bed into lock down position. We are THINKING about remving the TM mattress and putting two twin aerobed delux mattresses in there (we have a King and they will just fit), but I read testimonials and some folks indicated that they had not lasted 2 months (seams fell apart, etc) with regular use. Does anyone have expereince with them for regular use? As for teh aero mattress toppers, I heard the company stopped making them and that they are now impossible to get. Every website I tried said the same thing. Happy sleeping! Queeniereads aka Judi

[BobRederick]

Judi
I am thinking about replacing the TM foam with memory foam. The mattress cover has a zipper. If you should try that, let me know how it works. That would permit us to have the memory foam with the cover coming down easily. I have 1 3/4" mem foam on top of the TM mattress and love it, but the cover is about 1/2" from closing easily.
Bob

[Buzzardrump]

There is a company that can custom make the Tempur-pedic memory foam mattresses for you. They claim they can make any size or shape and deliver in about 2-3 weeks. Specifically state for boats and rvs...might be worth looking into. I have their bed at home and love it...

http://www.savvysleeper.com/TempurpedicMattresses/

[Queeniereads]

Hubby has suggested memory foam replacement. I am unsure as I love my air bed and am sort of satisfied with the memory foam/pillowtop pad as long as I stay off my right hip. We will investigate this further. Queeniereads aka Judi

[G-V_Driver]

Last year we had no problem (that I can remember) with the mattress. This year we had to buy a memory pad (Kingsize from Target was $80) and now it's OK again. The trailer, the bed and the occupants are obviously a year older, so the discomfort must be a function of age. But is it our age or its?

[sandy1970c]

I bought a 2011 2920SL with a queen bed. I love my camper, but after 3 nights, that mattress is an absolutely killer. I guess the foam compresses or something. I'm someone who loves a firm mattress, too. My Sleep Number is 70. The guy who says he sleeps better in his camper than his home, must have a terrible home mattress, or sleep on the floor.:p

My solution is going to be to try and put an RV Queen Sleep Number mattress in place of the foam mattress. I'm concerned with being able to put the camper down, but the RV Queen has the right dimensions, and is a bit less thick than a home sleep number.

Has anyone tried this? If I can't do this, it will be pretty disappointing. I like to camp in the summer time for 2 - 3 weeks at a time. I also want to take a road trip out to Yosemite.

I'll keep you posted whether this works or not.

[Bill]

Sandy -

I am one of the guys - and my wife agrees - that we sleep better in the TM than at home! Mind you, we don't sleep badly on our $1800 super-duper 12" pillow-top Sealy at home. But somehow, being in the TM, with a quiet night around us, crickets or peepers singing outside, the dog breathing heavily - and yes, rain on the roof when that happens - just lulls us off. For us, the stock mattress, plus a 1" egg crate, has always been the best night's sleep. Of course, I grew up tent-camping on hard ground, so anything feels good after that! But I always wonder if some folks who are new to camping are a bit nervous about sleeping "outdoors", and blame it on the mattress. A white noise generator might help if this is the case.

Having said all that, there are lots of posts about mattress replacements from folks who have done it, and air mattresses are often used. My observation is that you can put anything in the mattress box that doesn't protrude more than about an inch above the top edge of the box. Some folks put in a thicker mattress that can be deflated before closing the TM. Some add another piece of foam, and roll it up for storage elsewhere before closing the TM. Anything that keeps the total thickness to the right dimension is fair game. By the way, you don't have anything lumpy hidden under your mattress, do you? That is a favorite carrying place for things like the crank handle for the awning, the diagonal braces for the awning, marshmallow toasting forks, and so forth. Now those would be uncomfortable to sleep on!

As you can see, this thread is 8 years old, so you won't expect many responses from the original authors, but it is still a good place to start. A search on some term like "mattress" will bring up a lot of info for you.

Good luck - and happy napping!

Bill

[TREXHUNTERS]

We added a 1.5 or 2" memory foam mattress on top of the existing mattress on each bed. It helped us immensely. It does make it slightly more difficult to close though.

trex

[moaboy]

I have found going much over 1.5 inches makes it harder to close especially in the front. I have learned a secret that if you pull out the front bed just a foot or so and finish closing the second side, then pushing the bed back in. The first time I tried this I did not think the bed would go back in, but it did rather easily and made closing the front shell easier.