Category: mattress

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Casper is one of the original and best mattress brands in the online retail space. I’ve tested 10 of its beds over the years and have written various Casper mattress reviews. The discontinued Nova Hybrid was among my favorites. When the brand completely revamped its mattress lineup in February 2024, I was sad to see the Nova Hybrid go but excited to try its newest innovations, namely the Casper Dream mattress.

The Casper Dream is the brand’s most affordable hybrid, promising a medium feel to appeal to most sleepers. It replaces the Original Hybrid. While I found it too firm for side sleeping, the zoned support is sure to please back, and stomach sleepers and its outstanding cooling will keep hot sleepers comfy. Below are more details about my experience sleeping on the Casper Dream Hybrid Mattress for 14 nights.

Design

The OEKO-TEX-certified cover of the Casper Dream is a knit blend of polyester, spandex, and polyethylene, designed for breathability and a soft feel. The top layer is made of responsive polyurethane foam. Below that is zoned memory foam. I love zoned support mattresses because they balance comforting support with pressure relief where you need it most. The base layer combines individually wrapped pocket springs encased in high-density polyurethane foam around the periphery for edge support. The springs tend to offer added durability and airflow to the bed. All the foams are CertiPUR-US certified.

Casper also offers the Dream Max, which costs about $1,000 more than the Dream and features an additional polyurethane foam layer with contouring zoned support with a medium-soft feel. The Max is also two inches thicker, 14 inches versus the Dream’s 12 inches. Casper has a Snow line with a similar construction with graphite “heat delete” bands and phase change material for extra cooling abilities.

Our review of the Casper Dream

Setup

The Casper Dream Hybrid’s setup was similar to the other mattresses in a box I’ve tested. The bed arrived in a box the size of a mini-fridge. I carried it to my bedroom, cut open the box, and emptied the vacuum-sealed, plastic-wrapped bed onto my bed frame. Then, I expertly tore away the plastic layers with my bare hands. The process took five minutes, but I’ve done dozens of these. I recommend getting a friend’s help and using an envelope slitter tool to remove the plastic, which works great for ensuring you don’t accidentally cut the mattress.

The Casper Dream had a strong “new bed smell” out of the packaging, but it dissipated and fully expanded by bedtime. 

Casper offers in-home setup services for $249. With this service, you choose when your mattress is delivered, and professionals unbox it and set it up in the room of your choice. They take the packaging materials and can remove your old mattress.

Comfort

I’m a bigger fella who prefers to sleep on his side on a softer mattress, so keep that in mind when I tell you I just wasn’t comfortable on the Casper Dream. I didn’t sink in much, and it was firmer than average, which makes it a better option for back and stomach sleepers. 

During the two weeks I slept on the Dream, I didn’t experience any soreness when I awoke in the morning, and my sleep quality, as measured by my Garmin smartwatch, was about average. Yet, subjectively, I didn’t feel like I was getting good pressure relief. According to the Mattress Checker app, my spine was a little out-of-whack on the Dream. Sleeping on my side, I was about 7.6 degrees from the ideal neutral spine, which is 6 degrees or less.

So, the Casper Dream Hybrid may not be ideal for side sleepers. With its firmer-than-average feel, it’s more geared toward back and stomach sleepers.

Heat dissipation

I test how cool a mattress stays by measuring its surface temperature with an infrared thermometer before I lay down and first thing in the morning. Two minutes after I get up, I take another temperature reading to gauge how well it dissipates heat. 

The Casper Dream was among the coolest mattresses I’ve tested. On average, it was 87.8 degrees Fahrenheit when I got up from it, nearly two degrees cooler than the average of all mattresses I’ve tested. The temperature dropped more than 12 degrees after I got up from it, which is marginally better than average. This is an excellent bed for hot sleepers.

Edge support

Edge support is nice to have so that you feel supported as you sit and lie on the side of the bed. It can make getting into and out of bed easier and keep you comfortable when you move away from your partner encroaching on your side. Plus, it’s nice to sit on your bed to put your socks and shoes on in the morning. Edge support helps.

I test edge support using a yardstick to measure how much the edge sinks when sitting on the side. The Casper Dream sank 4 inches, slightly above the 3.5-inch average.

I also lie on the edge and slowly roll until I fall off. The mattress has good edge support if my body reaches more than a 45-degree angle to the bed before I fall. With the Dream, I was right at 45 degrees when I fell. 

Motion isolation

When your sleeping partner moves around at night, you don’t want it to wake you. This is where good motion isolation comes in handy. I test this by dropping a bowling ball 4 feet above the mattress so it lands 12 inches from a soda can. If the can stays upright, the bed has excellent motion isolation. If it falls, the motion isolation could use some improvement. I ran this test several times with the Casper Dream, and the can fell over about half the time, suggesting it has better than average motion isolation.

I also used a vibrometer placed on the other side of the mattress to measure the vibration intensity as I dropped the bowling ball. The Dream registered 6.8 on the MMI scale. You don’t need to know what MMI is, just know that the Dream did better than the average of 7.1 in my tests.

Overall, the Casper Dream has great motion isolation. Combined with the subpar, but not awful, edge support, it’s a decent option for couples.

Trial period and warranty

Casper offers a 100-night sleep trial with all of its mattresses. After sleeping on the mattress for at least 30 nights, if you’re unhappy with it, Casper will arrange to pick it up and give you a full refund. Some brands have loopholes in their return policy, like deducting return shipping or restocking fees from your refund. This is not the case with Casper: you get a full refund. They also do their best to donate the returned mattress.

If you decide to keep the mattress, it’s backed by a 10-year warranty. Similarly, Casper’s limited mattress warranty is free of loopholes. It will even cover the shipping costs if you need to return the bed to be repaired or replaced. As with other manufacturers, Casper doesn’t cover any deterioration or damage to a mattress caused by misuse or a poor foundation.

Cons to consider

My biggest con was that I wasn’t comfortable on the Casper Dream Hybrid. It was a little too firm. I still slept OK and was slightly more comfortable on my back and stomach. Side sleepers may want to look elsewhere through.

The Casper Dream’s edge support is worse than average. This is likely due to its reliance on a foam border rather than the narrow coils used in mattresses with superior edge support. Couples sharing a bed may want to opt for a larger mattress.

What are your alternatives?

According to Casper, the Dream Max has a softer feel than the Dream and more zoned support to help with spinal alignment. This may make it a better option for side sleepers. Yet, it costs over a $1,000 more, pushing it into the premium mattress range. While I haven’t tested it, the Dream Max has the same foam around the edges as the Dream, so I’m guessing the edge support is also the same.

The Casper Snow line has a similar construction to the Dream line, only the Snow and Snow Max feature phase change material and “heat delete” bands to help keep you cool. I tested the Snow, which stayed marginally cooler than the Dream but didn’t dissipate heat as quickly. Another key difference was the Snow as softer and better suited for side sleeping.

Casper’s all-foam budget option is the One, which Casper rates as its firmest bed. It lacks the zoned support of the brand’s other mattresses but is about $1,100 less than the Dream.

All that said, I recommend buying the Leesa Sapira Hybrid, the top pick in our best mattresses guide. Its average firmness is ideal for all sleep positions, the edge support and motion isolation are great, and it dissipates heat well. Plus, it’s only about $100 more than the Dream. Read our full Leesa Sapira Hybrid Mattress review.

For more recommendations, check out our best mattress guide.

The bottom line

The $1,900 Casper Dream Hybrid Mattress is excellent for back and stomach sleepers who tend to overheat. The breathable materials keep it cool, and the medium-firm feel offers optimal support. Couples will appreciate the motion isolation, though side sleepers may find it too firm. With the loophole-free 100-night sleep trial, you have nothing to lose. If this sounds like the mattress for you, give it a try.

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I’ve tested seven Purple mattresses over the years, and I’ve grown fond of the brand. I was initially apprehensive about its signature GelFlex grid, which is found across all of its mattresses. The grid is like a gel honeycomb with a stretchy material that quickly adapts to your body and an open structure to allow for airflow. It felt off-putting at first, but after those first few nights, I fell in love with the pressure relief these beds provided me. 

One of my early misgivings with the brand is how expensive the beds are. However, Purple has worked to offer lower-priced options that also feature the gel grid it’s famous for, specifically the PurpleFlex (formerly NewDay). Now that I’ve gotten the chance to test it, I was blown away by how well it kept my spine aligned and relieved my pressure points. Below, I’ll outline why this is one of the best mattresses for back and stomach sleepers who sleep alone.

Design

Purple’s responsive “GelFlex” grid sets it apart from other brands. The PurpleFlex’s polymer grid is two inches thick and comprises the top layer of the mattress. The grid reminds me of a honeycomb with squares instead of hexagons. It has an open structure to allow for airflow, and it’s hyper-elastic, so it squishes when you lie on it and quickly rebounds when you get up. The grid is surrounded by a foam border for increased edge support. The six-inch high-density base foam offers durability and support. The soft polyester cover is designed for breathability and stretch.

All foams used in the mattress are CertiPUR-US certified. The PurpleFlex is also made of Clean Air Gold-certified materials, meaning it has low VOC emissions.

Our review of the PurpleFlex Mattress

Setup

The PurpleFlex arrives at your door in a box the size of a minifridge. The queen mattress weighs 77 pounds — more in the packaging — so have someone to help you move it to your bedroom. 

Setting up the PurpleFlex was pretty standard, but it comes with instructions, a cutting tool for removing the plastic, and sleep masks, which my 10-year-old loves to wear all day. To set it up, you empty the vacuum-sealed mattress onto your foundation. Then, remove the plastic layers, being careful not to cut into the mattress. The PurpleFlex is not available for in-home setup, so you’ll be responsible for unboxing and setting up your new mattress.

I like to set up mattresses in the morning to give them time to expand and air out by bedtime. The PurpleFlex had a mild “new bed smell” when I first unboxed it, but it dissipated by night. 

Comfort

The polymer grid layer responds to your body’s contours the moment you lay on it. I could feel my pressure points squishing the grid and reaching the base foam, which helped me feel supported and kept my spine optimally aligned. In fact, the PurpleFlex has the best spinal alignment of any mattress I’ve tested. According to the Mattress Checker app, my spine was off from being perfectly aligned by 1.7 degrees. Anything below six degrees is considered good.

I’m a heavy guy who sleeps on his side, and I found the mattress was a tinge too firm for my tastes. Based on testing 100+ mattresses, I’d say it’s a little firmer than average, making it better suited for back and stomach sleepers.

Still, I didn’t wake up feeling sore. According to my Garmin Forerunner 945 watch, my sleep quality was average while testing the PurpleFlex.

Heat dissipation

I test how cool a mattress stays and how well it dissipates heat by measuring its surface temperature right before I lie down, right after I get up, and two minutes after. Over the two-to-four-week testing period, I take several measurements.

The PurpleFlex was among the best cooling mattresses. When I got up from it, it was, on average, 87.5 degrees Fahrenheit, two degrees less than the average of all the beds I’ve tested. However, it didn’t dissipate heat quickly. After two minutes, the temperature only dropped 8.5 degrees, compared to the average of 12 degrees.

Subjectively, I never overheated on the PurpleFlex, even though I tested it during Michigan’s hot and humid months. Overall, I’d say this is a solid option for hot sleepers.

Edge support

Edge support helps you feel comfortable when your partner starts to encroach on your side of the bed, and you’re forced to the periphery. It also helps when sitting on the edge to put on your socks and shoes. And it makes getting into and out of bed just a little bit easier.

I test edge support by lying on the mattress with my outside shoulder aligned with the edge. Then, I slowly roll off the bed. If my body reaches a 45-degree angle to the bed before falling, the mattress has good edge support. On the PurpleFlex, I made it well past 45 degrees before having to catch my fall: great edge support.

I also use a yardstick to measure how much the bed’s side sinks when I sit on it. On average, mattresses sink about 3.5 inches. The PurpleFlex sank 3 inches. The edge support foam seems to do the trick.

Motion isolation

Motion isolation is a lifesaver if you share a bed with someone. A mattress with outstanding motion dampening will keep your sleep from being disturbed when your partner shifts in the night. 

I test motion isolation by placing a soda can on the mattress and dropping a bowling ball to see if the can falls over. If the can stays upright, the motion isolation is excellent. With the PurpleFlex, the can fell over during each iteration of the test.

I also placed a vibrometer on the opposite side of the bed to gauge the intensity of the vibrations from the bowling ball. The PurpleFlex had a reading of 7.7 on the MMI scale, which is well above the 7.1 average of all the mattresses I’ve tested. The PurpleFlex’s motion isolation is subpar.

Trial period and warranty

The PurpleFlex comes with a 100-night home trial period. After sleeping on it for at least 21 nights, if you don’t like the mattress, you get a full refund. Purple arranges a time to pick up and remove the mattress. However, there is a minor catch in the return policy: The law tag must remain attached to the mattress. 

The PurpleFlex is backed by a 10-year warranty. If Purple determines the mattress is defective during this period, it will fully cover the cost of repairing or replacing it. However, within the fine print, Purple notes that you are responsible for paying for transportation fees for the mattress to be replaced or repaired after just 30 days of ownership. Again, the law tag must be attached. Plus, there are other weird stipulations, like the mattress must not be used by a medical patient or stored at any point. The warranty also includes a pretty standard requirement: you must use the mattress on a firm, flat foundation or frame.

Cons to consider

The PurpleFlex may be too firm for most side sleepers. The polymer grid did a good job of helping me sink enough to keep my spine aligned while lying on my side. However, I’m heavier than most people, and lighter individuals may not sink in as much. Back and stomach sleepers will find the firmness more to their liking. Side sleepers may instead want to consider the Purple Plus, which is covered in the next section.

The PurpleFlex has poor motion isolation. If you share a bed with someone who tends to toss and turn in the night, you might want to consider another option. However, if you sleep alone, the subpar motion isolation is unlikely to affect you.

What are your alternatives?

The PurpleFlex is part of the Purple Essential Collection, which includes the Purple Mattress and the Purple Plus. The original Purple Mattress is $200 more expensive than the PurpleFlex, but it has an added layer of comfort foam and is softer, making it better for back and side sleepers. Yet, I had trouble sleeping comfortably on it. 

The Purple Plus is the softest of the bunch, designed for side sleepers. It’s $600 more expensive than the PurpleFlex, but it has an added comfort foam layer and an extra base foam layer for more stability and support. I have not tested it yet, but another Business Insider contributor has and compliments it for its good motion isolation and responsive, pressure-relieving design that didn’t cause any overheating. She thought the edge support was lacking, however. For a full rundown of the brand, check out our Purple mattress review hub.

If you’re looking for a non-Purple mattress, I recommend the top pick in our best foam mattress guide, the Tempur-Pedic Cloud. It’s more expensive than the PurpleFlex, but I slept incredibly well on it. The Tempur-Cloud has great motion isolation, stays cool, and will appeal to all sleep styles. Read our full Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Mattress review. 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the top pick in our main best mattress guide, the Leesa Sapira Hybrid. Its motion isolation is great, the average firmness will appeal to most sleep styles, and it dissipates heat well. However, it costs $500 more than the PurpleFlex. Still, I think it’s worth it, especially if you share a bed with another person. Read our full Leesa Sapira Hybrid Mattress review.

The bottom line

If you’ve wanted to try Purple’s unique gel grid without breaking the bank, the PurpleFlex mattress is the way to go. The grid helps keep your spine aligned while offering outstanding pressure relief. While the motion isolation could use some improvement, the edge support is great, and the bed stays cool. Overall, I recommend it for back and stomach sleepers who sleep alone.