Reason for the upgrade

As any RV owner knows, most of the stock mattress leave a lot to be deserved in comfort and quality. I have read forum post after post talking about this subject. I also have experienced it myself in all of my campers, so this is one of my “Top of the List” Modifications! My mattress in my Jayco Eagle started “dipping” in the middle and was not good for someone like myself with back issues. HEY I am on vacation why to I want to wake up with bad pain or restless nights sleep. You only live once right?!

Solutions:

I had been researching if I should go with a mattress topper or a complete replacement mattress. The general consensus of my research is the best way to go is a new mattress. The biggest reason for this is how the springs prematurely wear out and causing dips. A mattress topper contours the base mattress and would also have a dip in it if I went that way. So full replacement was the direction I mainly started researching. I found that memory foam mattresses were very popular. DEFINITELY research as there is ENDLESS brands, options, and price points.

Memory Foam Mattresses:

These types of mattresses are your “In A Box” solution. This makes them easy to ship but also easier to get into the tight hallways of a camper. They come in many different thicknesses, layer types, and many other options. Some of the options include Cooling gel, Natural Certifications, and Firmness levels. Some of the big brands are Zinus, Lucid, Casper, and many more. A queen size mattress can range from $200 to $2000 depending on these options and brands. The general rule of thumb is thicker the mattress the more comfortable it can be. They come in all different sizes including RV size Queen and King. (They are just standard sizes shorter versions) There is also companies that make custom sizes and shapes for the RVers with un-standard size beds. This is very common in camper bunks that can have rounded corner(s). I will warn you, these custom options are generally more expensive than standard sizes.

My Selection Process:

After months researching different mattresses, I needed to come to a decision with Camping Season here. My main source for research is Amazon but also other retailers such as Overstock and Sam’s Club. I read many different blog posts and reviews from many different sources. Finally I had narrowed it down to a Cool Gel 10″ to 14″ Mattress. I sleep on my side a lot, it seems 10″ is a minimum thickness you want to get due to your weight is more concentrated compared to sleeping on your stomach or back. There are many different brands but issues can range from molding, never expanding fully, or dips. After hearing some nightmare stories about warranties, I decided to buy through Amazon for their good return policy if I didn’t like the mattress or something went wrong.

My selection:

I went with a new 2020 Lucid 10″ Cooling Gel Queen Size Mattress in Medium firmness. It checked all the boxes of the options I wanted including cooling gel. The reviews were really good in general. The price point was very good at roughly $260 shipped Amazon Prime for a Queen Size. I also went with the 10″ as memory foam mattresses are heavier already than traditional stock mattresses. It is always important to save weight in a camper for many different reasons. I received it within few days of ordering which was great!

Installation:

As you could see above it came in a box that was manageable for one person to move around but extremely heavy. I did take it out of the box to bring it into the camper. Than I had one less thing in the way of RV bedroom. It was tightly airlocked in a bag as you can see below.

I carried it into my bedroom and unrolled it over my existing mattress. Piece of advice, camper bedrooms are tight for space, do not make the same mistake. REMOVAL your existing mattress first! Anyways, live and learn right? It came with a little tool to cut open the bag easily, as soon as I broke the seal the mattress started to come alive. I could hear it sucking air as it quickly expanded within 5 minutes to what looked to be full thickness. Respect the suggestion not to lay on it for 48 hours, so it could fully expand well. Maybe this is why some people report initial expansion issues? I also left the sheets off it for this time period for it to “gas off.” As some people complained about “chemical” smell of these types of mattresses.

Time for the True Test!

This weekend at Shenandoah Acres Family Campground (Click for my review) was the trial run of the new mattress. I got the new sheets on it and immediately laid down for few minutes. It was like a “night and day” difference between the old stock mattress and the Lucid Mattress. After the first night, I was completely sold as a cheaper modification with such a worth wild result for anyone’s RV. I get hot sleeping easily and I could easily feel the cooling gel doing its job. The Medium Firm level was amazing for my comfort but firm enough to my back issues. I woke up every morning refreshed!

Overall Review:

Do I recommend this modification?

My initial experience with this modification has been nothing but good results. Good sleep is so important extremely when on vacation as it effects your mood, enjoyment, and more. The cost to upgrade is almost a “no-brainer” with how much we all spend on these beautiful campers! I like it so much, I am getting ready to order 3 more of them in twin size for my kid’s bunk beds. The bunk’s 4″ or 5″ stock mattresses leave a lot to be deserved in the comfort level.

Lucid Mattress?

I am extremely happy with my Lucid Mattress and would suggest the brand to anyone else looking. Are there better? Of course but at this price point you can’t beat them. It came well package, very easy to setup, and extremely pleased with the comfort of it. It expanded to the full 10″ and I don’t have any soft spot issues such as corner. I saw some reviews on many mattresses smelling of chemicals but I have not noticed it at all with mine. I would definitely recommend it to anyone!