Casper Sleep Essential Mattress Review

Looking for a comfortable, attractive, and supportive mattress that will still keep you cool at night? Look no further.

The Casper Sleep Essential Mattress is a hybrid, three-layer foam mattress that provides an equal balance of softness and support. That means that if you like more of a firm mattress, the Casper will probably be perfect for you. Prefer to sleep on a firm mattress? It’s also possible that this could be the answer.

Casper Sleep Essential Mattress Overview

Brand background

Casper Sleep was at the forefront of selling direct-to-consumer mattresses, meaning that instead of selling their product to brick-and-mortar store locations, you can simply order the mattress straight from Casper and cut out the middle man.

They’ll ship your mattress to you in a box, and that’s that. You don’t have to deal with pesky mattress salesmen or the general unpleasantness that many folks find with bed shopping. In fact, Casper will even deliver and set up your new mattress for you for an additional fee, and if you want to pay a bit more, they’ll get rid of your old one, too.

Casper sells throughout the United States and Canada and offers three different styles of mattresses: their standard design, the Casper Wave (their higher-end offering with a pillow-top polyfoam), and the mattress that we’ll review today, the Casper Essential.

The company has a solid reputation, including an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Casper offers a 100-day sleep trial and a complete refund if you end up not loving your new bed. It’s hard to ask for much more when it comes to customer service. More on that later.

Design

First off, let’s acknowledge the innovative technology that Casper has used in order to create a better, yet more cost-effective bed. As you’ll see in the construction of the mattress and what folks are saying about how it sleeps, Casper has certainly done an impressive job building their three-mattress line.

If you are familiar with Casper mattresses, it’s important to point out that the Essential version of their mattresses is more streamlined, in that it is a bit shorter than their standard offering. It is offered in sizes from twin up to California King, and everything in between.

The mattress is designed with three quality layers of material. Let’s dive into each layer individually.

First, there’s the base of high-density poly foam that provides support and durability while reinforcing the top two layers of the mattress. The bottom of the mattress is firm, of course, and helps give the mattress its overall shape and lends durability and structure to the product as a whole.

The middle layer is a one-inch thick layer of memory foam that allows for pressure relief while working with the top layer to keep the mattress from trapping heat. The structure of this layer will allow the mattress stand up to multiple years of use, and is the reason why this mattress rates well with side-sleepers.

On the top is a two-inch, breathable, soft layer of material that will give just enough bounce to pair perfectly with the other two layers. It is a bit bouncier than typical memory foam.

The mattress is covered with a zip-off casing that is also upholstery-grade. It’s a hybrid polyester knit that is durable, comfortable, and breathable as it’s thin enough that it still allows you to feel the comfort provided by the foam layers. It looks good, too: the dark-gray, charcoal color is sleek in appearance and will hide spills and stains.

The cover can be spot cleaned with mild detergent and cold water, or hand-washed if necessary. Do not machine-wash or use a dryer on the cover as it may shrink.

 

Comfort & Support

The simplified and streamlined design of the foam on this mattress lends itself to maximum comfort.

You may have heard that foam mattresses get hot at night and aren’t a good option in warmer climates or for people who overheat easily. The Casper Sleep Essential Mattress is here to bust that myth.

The top layer of material on the Casper mattress has open cells that allow body heat to dissipate, and the hybrid knit material on the cover encourages air-flow to keep things cool.

Additionally, the aforementioned structure of the mattress is vital when it comes to even weight distribution. Weight distribution is important not only for overall comfort on a night-to-night basis, but also the longevity of the mattress, ensuring that it does not wear out quickly.

Some reviewers of the Casper Sleep Essential Mattress reported that while the comfort layer was key when it came to support for back sleepers, the mattress was fairly middle-of-the-road when the sleeper flipped onto their side. An increase in pressure at the hips is common for those that sleep on their side and not unusual, and it’s notable that his mattress performed solidly on the side-sleeper test.

The edges of the mattress should perform similarly to the center, conforming to your body just as expected. Some mattresses lose their integrity around the edges, so the overall ability of the mattress to hold steady and still provide support in that area is significant. This particular mattress performs well, albeit not outstanding, when it comes to edge integrity. Again, not unusual when it comes to foam mattresses.

In terms of motion transfer, this mattress performs similarly to other foam mattresses with relatively small disruption when a partner gets into or out of the bed. That means that the motion felt is minimal and remains isolated — a very good thing.

Quality and customer service

All of Casper’s mattresses are manufactured with Casper’s complete oversight, ensuring that each and every product meets their high standards.

Their customer service department is available seven days a week to answer questions, and every mattress comes with a 10-year warranty to backup their claim that the three-layer technology and high-quality materials used create a sleeping experience that will last an entire decade.

And if that isn’t enough, Casper offers a 100-night, risk-free trial. If you sleep on your mattress for 100 days and don’t love it, they’ll pick it up on their dime and refund your money in full.

Is the Casper Essential Mattress right for you?

The Casper Essential Mattress is perfect if you…

• Prefer a firm mattress, but want it to still have some give and the ability to contour to fit your body. Again, you’ll feel more like you’re floating on this mattress than sinking deeply into it or simply sitting on top of it.
• Want to find a foam mattress but are worried about overheating in your sleep. Unlike traditional memory foam mattresses, the Casper Essential will keep you cool.
• Are trying to stay within a specific budget.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a cost-effective yet exceedingly comfortable mattress, look no further than the Casper Essential.

While it isn’t a true memory foam bed, the Essential carries many of the same characteristics as memory foam mattresses. It sleeps firmly with some contouring but not a huge amount of give, which is perfect for folks who like the feel of a memory foam mattress but have only found options that sleep too firmly.

The Essential should give you the feeling of floating on top of the mattress comfortably, versus laying on a firm surface. The middle layer of memory foam and dense bottom layer provide enough structure to encourage the integrity of the mattress, but not so much that you feel like your on another run-of-the-mill memory foam bed.

The other advantage that the Essential has over traditional memory foam is the breathability of the cover and top layer of foam. You won’t overheat at night, so if you live in a hot and humid climate but want a mattress that is on the firmer side, consider the Essential.

Also, don’t overlook the 100-night sleep trial. There’s literally no risk here as the good folks at Casper will refund your money completely if you don’t love your new bed, so why not give it a go?

Again, if you want a mattress that is firm enough to contour to your body and still support you while remaining comfortable and you don’t want to break the bank, then the Casper Essential might be the right pick for you.