in search of organic mattress

Daniel Worth wrote:
1. I've made a tarp that goes over the hammock. These systems are documented extensively on http://hammockforums.net

Found that through "the ultimate hang", also answered most of my own questions...

2. No gathered end hammocks don't use spreaders. It's what makes them so simple and cheap.

And safe and comfortable... etc.

3. While one commercial manufacturer makes a double hammock, ENO(Eagle Nest Outfitters) I've heard that it isn't very comfortable to sleep in a hammock with two people. So, I would say they are so cheap and take up so little room you'd use two hammocks for two people.

I can make a standard backpacking hammock in about two hours including the time to sew the seams. For backpacking making the quilts and the tarp are much more difficult and time consuming.

I could only find a net hammock (double size) in stores to try. The single has spreaders that are built in (not removable) so I didn't get that.

I was impressed with the comfort right away. I have found an even quicker method of making a gathered end hammock and will try that too (I have the eyes in wall already anyway).

My impressions of the net hammock so far:
- no problems with the net or knots feeling uncomfortable at all.
- the net allows the bottom of a sleeping bag to puff through the holes in the net and so is probably warmer than a sheet hammock without an "under quilt".
- The net does, however, catch buttons the worse problem being those that hold back pockets closed on my work pants
- The net can change shape... get longer/narrower or wider/shorter, this makes it hard to set up a sleeping bag on it. I think a sheet style would not have this problem. This has also made it difficult to try out using it double. It means pulling/pushing it into shape after getting in.
- The net style also seems to have less weight capacity than most of the sheet style ones. (part of the reason I got a double though I am only 180lb) This is another reason I have not tried using this double with my wife who is lighter than I by quite a lot.

As we go camping by boat, I am looking at ways to decrease what I put in there. I am also looking at options for when we buy our little piece of property down the road.

My 8 year old feels he would like to replace his bed with a hammock in his room. So he has also been favorably impressed. Hammocks may replace the need for a loft in a smaller cabin. I am not, however, thinking my wife would agree to two hammocks instead of one. She likes to be close more on this as we try it out.

None of what I have tried can in any way be considered "organic". Organic would in all cases weigh more I think. Almost all of the innovation in this area has been towards making things lighter, not organic. However, for use where weight doesn't matter like the project, it should be no problem to make either a net or sheet style hammock organic. However, it will be the net style you may find ready made. The thing to remember is that, at least at this time of year, there will need to be some kind of under insulation as most people who bring sleeping bags will get a cold butt otherwise. (even in a relatively warm basement 16C or so, it is my bottom that gets cold first)

After I have a sheet style hung, I will report on the differences I have found.

The other style worth mentioning is the Navy Hammock. These are made of heavy cotton (which could be organic) and are gathered "like" in style (no spreaders) though some of the users seem to have tried various amounts of spreader (usually not enough to pull the end tight, but enough to relieve a bit of shoulder pinch that comes from using them "on axis" instead of angled)

I should also point out that the hammock in todays world has mostly been driven by the back packers and many of the innovations seem to have been made by the people who use them. These are simple beds and because there are not many people who use them there is lots of room for experimenting. I am beginning to think this is one of the better, but much over looked sleep systems/beds around.

For sure I think that hammocks are way overlooked. Hemp or heavy organic cotton would be perfect. Organic wool and goose down can be used for insulation. It's low cost and space efficiency make it ideal for small spaces. If I was sleeping in one full time I wouldn't want to use a sleeping bag. I'd want some nice insulation under me and a comfy quilt on top. We are in the saving mode for our farm land, then we intend to build a few small cabins till we can build larger housing. I plan on using hammocks to maximize space utility and keep costs low. It's also a great way of adding sleeping space to other areas, e.g. a workshop with a rocket heater could be converted to a temporary living space without changing everything around. I hope more people look into this.

I'm happy to see I'm not the first one to suggest Small Wonders. I used one of their futons for years and loved it. The owners of the company are good friends of mine and I can vouch for their integrity and commitment to producing a high-quality product.

A bit more on Hammocks:

My son was very excited about sleeping in a hammock. As I wrote before we got a net style and found some short comings. So I found a DIY gathered end hammock on the net using a tablecloth total cost less than $20. The picture below shows Tim ready for to sleep and the detail of the gathered end. This was very quick to make... may 1/2hour because it is already hemmed. Because he is inside he doesn't need as much under as outside would, but we don't keep the room at 22C either so he needs something. Putting the quilt inside did work, but I really want to try pinning something on the outside as I think it will make it much easier for him to get in and get comfortable. He thinks it is a great way to sleep ... we will see how it works in the long run. My other son wants to try as well.... so I have another table cloth waiting. I learned to wear gloves while tying... I have a blister in my finger from pulling cord tight I am going to order a "double" hammock for my wife and I to try. I have heard from some that there are a lot of things not possible this way and from others that it is more fun. Only one way to find out.

This is all part of our fact finding while we get set to buy our own land. I expect our first house will be very small... All 4 of us will be within a 100sqft area I think. So this is one way to make a lot of that area.



(hmm, having trouble uploading pictures so I'll post this first and edit photos as I can ... gave up just get server error, uploaded to my site and linked.)

Len Ovens wrote:A bit more on Hammocks:

After the first night I made some changes (we are experimenting after all)
The first consideration is keeping ones bottom warm. The inside of a house is not real cold, but we do keep it cool enough to feel the chill on the bottom side without some insulation. So the first night I just put a quilt on top of the hammock but under my son and his blanket over top. This worked well for warmth, but... The bottom quilt tended to get over the sides pulling them closer together and made it hard for Tim to get back in after getting up in the night. In fact it effectively narrowed the hammock to the point where he fell out after getting back in. (glad there was foam under) So I pulled in out and laid it upside down on the floor and added a blanket.


It would have been much easier to do this before gathering the ends I did a very loose stitch to hold it on. Here it is rehung:

Tim is now able to reenter the hammock properly. He still finds it warm enough, though the blanket sags a lot. The space could be filled with extra wool fluff and stitch lines or some other quilting technique could be used to hold it closer. This is very different than the hiking variant. The night time temperature is relatively constant so being able to change the under quilt or detach it is not needed. Also it doesn't need to be packed up, so the under blanket does not have to be ultra light. For a bed replacement, there is no reason a hammock can not be made of organic materials. There is no reason it can not be more comfortable than most other solutions while taking much less space as well as enabling that space to be used for more than just bed storage. So far I am very pleased with the hammock's performance. I will be sleeping in the net version when my wife works through the night and when I can will try out a double size with my wife to see what fun we can have. For those who have brushed it off as not what they want.... these are very cheap to try. You can buy a ready made hammock from Walmart on line for $30 to $40. The eye bolts were $3 each (need two) add some rope and for less than $50 away you go. Use the bedding you already have. (add in the tiny bit of putty to fill the hole when you move out)

One more comment on foam mattresses this time. I did some searching to find how organic "Organic foam" is and how organic the production of it is. There are a lot of manufacturer's sites. I only found one that seems somewhat independent.

Article on green-ness of organic foam.

It leaves me thinking the only truly organic solutions come from organic material grown on ones own land and processed there too. This article does not paint the whole industry black BTW, but rather shows the reality of the needs of the process of making it. It also shows where gains are being made. It is a few years old and things may be better now.... but it appears no one has really looked into how far things have gone since then.

All of this would apply to hammocks too of course. However there are a lot fewer materials involved and organic cotton has been improving for a longer time. There are fibers that can be grown/woven locally and could be woven into a sheet, or skins could be used. So how organic is organic? What chemicals are allowed in cleaning the organic starting point? Does it have to be transported by canoe and horse back from it's manufacture site? (ok Len is getting silly now, best to stop)

Here is a really cool video (in French) that shows the steps to make a wool mattress.



There is also a really good article at RootSimple on making your own wool mattress.

And here is another link in French that has good pictures of the process.

I found one company in Quebec that makes them: Here is the link [in French].

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:Len, the hammock links are awesome resources for a variety of places we've talked about placing hammocks - perhaps even the shelves in the auditorium.

More on hammocks. With regard to using hammocks to accommodate guests (workshop attendees for example), I would suggest a straight gathered end hammock given to someone with even a relatively warm sleeping bag might be a fail. My son is sleeping on a hammock with a very thin "under quilt" but is warm. (I have confirmed this is so by using it for naps). On the other hand I tried to sleep on a bare hammock last night with the warmest sleeping bag in the house. Air temperature 16C or so. My feeling: Top toasty, Bottom chilled.

People coming to workshops will not be experienced "hangers" all the time. I would think it would be important that their stay will be enjoyable and therefore their first hammock experience, should they be used for extra bedding, needs to be a good one. I do not know how important the "organicness" of these will be either. Parachute fabric hammocks may be the cheapest thing going as well as the smallest storage required. heavy organic cotton is probably the first choice for organic. Net will work, but takes someone who wants to make it work.... I can make myself sleep comfortable in net, but it is harder than with a sheet style. In all cases though, I would suggest some sort of attached underquilt or blanket. In the Parachute case any old used sleeping bag could be held on with bungees maybe? For organic options, sewing a wool blanket on the bottom side would work (even felt).

The world of hangers right now is the low weight hiker. All of the hammock development so far has been in this area. One doesn't have to look far for lots of innovations. However, the advances made in that area don't map straight over into the permanently installed (or temporary) indoor hammock. The outdoor hiking setup could be used inside there is no doubt, but, I do not know what the longevity is, what the cleaning is like, etc. Just like any "sleeping system" (AKA bed) there is the bed proper and the bed clothes. Low weight hikers do not use anything between them and the hammock. This is ok for personal gear.... maybe not for community use. Maybe not for night after night, but that is ok as stationary use allows for more weight in the rig. Using normal sheets will probably not work. Anything tucked over the edge could/will cause problems. A guest who brings their own sleeping bag would be fine... maybe a light sleeping bag liner would work well too.

I don't have that many times I can try things out (on me, I will keep trying new things with the boys too), but sometimes my wife works nights.... The experiment continues. I will be trying things to see what works best for indoor hanging.

Hammocks are COLD on your back. That is what makes them awesome in the jungle, but really limits them in the cold unless you insulate.

I want to make something like this: http://duluthpack.com/outdoor-gear/camping-hiking-gear/bedrolls/kephart-log-cot.html

You could do it in organic cotton and wool blanket as the insulation pad. Or convert an organic cotton comforter into that setup (starting with a TALL twin would be about right). Or a sheepskin rug as your mattress pad.

Best deal I ever found on wool blankets were Italian military surplus. Awesome wool, once you got the mothballs out. No deals like that anymore.

R Scott wrote:Hammocks are COLD on your back. That is what makes them awesome in the jungle, but really limits them in the cold unless you insulate.

Ya, what surprised me was the difference under insulation makes. My son's setup has a very thin blanket sewn on the bottom and yet is warm as can be, but when I try to use a warmer sleeping bag with the insulation between me and the hammock (no under blanket), I am cold.

I want to make something like this: http://duluthpack.com/outdoor-gear/camping-hiking-gear/bedrolls/kephart-log-cot.html

I know of people who really like the bridge style hammock, I don't know how much my back would like assuming a banana shape though. Laying angled on a gathered end hammock allows for a flat or straight surface from head to foot. That one is pretty pricey too as the parachute style are less than $30 on the Walmart site.... and I expect that even organic cotton of that size would not be much more. (my home made one was less than $20 Canadian) The navy hammock was similar to that without the end poles. But inserting a pole notched at the ends would work on that. Here is some instructions for making the end "clews" and the pattern for the navy style hammock:

Navy Hammock

It might be a good starting point for your own project. The navy hammock has a good reputation amongst it's users with some people taking them home after finishing service for their everyday sleep.

You could do it in organic cotton and wool blanket as the insulation pad. Or convert an organic cotton comforter into that setup (starting with a TALL twin would be about right). Or a sheepskin rug as your mattress pad.

Best deal I ever found on wool blankets were Italian military surplus. Awesome wool, once you got the mothballs out. No deals like that anymore.

That was what I was thinking. From the above link it seems that for something with grommets that bear weight, number 4 (24ounce) canvas is needed. I think the lighter number 12 canvas may work well for a gathered end hammock. My table cloth example seems thinner than that even, but has some polyester in it I think. I will have to find out what is available locally (denim maybe?) The under quilt could be filled with anything from dry leaves or dryer lint to wool or down... just having an enclosed airspace seems to do a lot.

For bed clothes, I am thinking to make a light weight flannel sleeping bag. These can be bought, but for hammock use, I think the underside of it needs to be longer than a sleeping bag as it's purpose is to keep the hammock clean (or the sleeper clean... take your pick). I noticed that my head sticks out of a normal sized sleeping bag.

Thanks to all of the suggestions. So many of these options seem appealing. One organic mattress that we've tried and placed in the tipi is the buckwheat hull mattress from openyoureyesbedding. Thanks Ryan! We have greatly enjoyed it so far, and it turns out to be quite useful for oddly shaped surfaces (like cob benches)

Awesome! I saw mention somewhere about the mattress in another post, super happy you posted it!

So what are the procurement details(good company to deal with, etc.)?
Did you purchase the hulls and a kit from them or find another supplier?

I did some quick research on trying to find organic buckwheat hulls for a better price - including calling a Montana grower/supplier of organic buckwheat - but couldn't find a better price than openyoureyes.

The shopping cart on the site is simple (read not very much design/function) so it didn't have a place for shipping address different from the billing address. After paying for the order, I emailed the site owner to note the shipping address. The reply was prompt, professional, courteous and everything was shipped promptly and to the address I requested. So excellent customer service.

Is a wool mattress (organic material fabric and organic permie raised sheep wool) something that people would buy?
Or just in the case of the lab say i raised sheep and made wool mattresses?

I have spent many night on versions of this http://www.greydragon.org/furniture/beds/issues.html , it is a rope bed. The ropes for the basis of sleeping structure and you can cover them with all manner of things. I slept on sheep skin and caribou hide, toasty warm. Imagine sleeping on a rope bed where the wood is cut off the land and using ropes made of fiber off the land, you could sleep on skins or even have a tick filled with straw from the land. By the way, i have back issues and have been just fine....but then, I dont sleep real well anywhere.

Tony and Emily,

How does the hull bed feel? Kat and I are thinking of switching over to one. We saw this a month or so ago and almost bought one. We would like to hear your guys thoughts.

matt and kat

Matthew Beckman wrote:Tony and Emily,

How does the hull bed feel? Kat and I are thinking of switching over to one. We saw this a month or so ago and almost bought one. We would like to hear your guys thoughts.

matt and kat

Hi Matt! We do really like the mattress. It is a bit firmer than some mattresses we've used, but we both like that. There is an option to put a "topper" on top of the weaved portion of the mattress, so that might make it feel more like a futon. We have decided to use the topper on another section of the bench, and have liked the feel of the ridges. I find it to be extremely comfortable, but if either of you like softer more than hard, this might not be the best option. I also think there must be ways to reduce the cost of materials by sourcing other organic cotton "socks" but I haven't researched that yet. Hope that helps!

kadence blevins wrote:Is a wool mattress (organic material fabric and organic permie raised sheep wool) something that people would buy?
Or just in the case of the lab say i raised sheep and made wool mattresses?

I think so, yes. We looked at the local cotton/wool futons that others recommended, and the components were not listed as organic or raised sustainable/humane, so that was part of the reason the buckwheat hulls were chosen.

Paul really wants everything as least toxic or truly non-toxic as possibly. Sometimes that's very hard if not impossible to find.

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:

kadence blevins wrote:Is a wool mattress (organic material fabric and organic permie raised sheep wool) something that people would buy?
Or just in the case of the lab say i raised sheep and made wool mattresses?

I think so, yes. We looked at the local cotton/wool futons that others recommended, and the components were not listed as organic or raised sustainable/humane, so that was part of the reason the buckwheat hulls were chosen.

Paul really wants everything as least toxic or truly non-toxic as possibly. Sometimes that's very hard if not impossible to find.

I think I posted about these guys on another thread? I'll post again here(: 100% Chemical free & organic mattresses.

http://soaringheart.com/pages/the-soaring-heart-difference

We are planning to talk to the Small Wonders Futons folks when we need a mattress.
If anyone wants to get wool from the lady near Dillon, there is a woolen mill near Hall (between Drummond and Phillipsburg) that can do the cleaning and carding. https://www.sugarloafwool.com

I would just like to throw in a personal experience and a word of warning with buckwheat hull mattresses. About 15 years ago I made a queen size buckwheat hull mattress. I had read about the wonders of the buckwheat hull pillow, and so I made a couple of those. I liked them so much that I decided to make a mattress. It was a simple pillow design where there were two chambers separated down the middle of the mattress to keep each person's hulls on their side. I filled it with enough bulls to reach a depth of about 5 inches. It cost around $300 in buckwheat hulls and fabric.

It was very comfortable and worked great for about 2 years. Near the end of that time I started to wake up with difficulty breathing, as if my airways were partially closed. It took me a while to realize that the buckwheat hulls were partially being ground down into a very fine dust that was coming out of the mattress when I moved around at night. My breathing issues started getting bad at night, and even adding a dust/allergen cover only partially helped reduce the issue. I loved that mattress but it had to go. I have since found on two occasions that I am significantly allergic to buckwheat flour since this episode. Before making this mattress I had no issues with buckwheat pancakes.

I think that buckwheat hull pillows will likely not be an issue, but your body will likely grind down hulls in a mattress application. In my opinion, buckwheat hulls aren't cheap enough or readily available enough just to replace them every two years.

I have my great grandmas directions on how to make a corn husk mattress if any one is interested. She was really proud that the end result looked like store bought, only she knew she grew the filling materials.

That sounds very interesting, do you have any pictures?

Hi Anabella,

I'd be interested in the information on how to make a corn husk mattress. Will you post that information here or do you prefer to email it individually? Thanks.

I don't have any pictures my Grandma has been gone over 40 years. I have never made these mattresses myself, don't have enough corn husks but I did take the time to type the instructions out and here they are:
HOW TO MAKE A CORN SHUCK MATTRESS


Tools and Materials


Corn shucks
Smooth, heavy cloth (ticking)
Strong needles
Waxed cord
Oil felt or double-thickness ticking cut in a round shape, for tufts
Hand paddle with small nails
Scissors

The first step is to dip the corn shucks in boiling water and, while they are still moist, shred them into small strips with a hand paddle that has small nails in it.
The tough top part of the shuck is then cut off with scissors. When dry, the shredded corn shucks are ready for use. It takes twelve feed sacks full of tightly packed corn shucks for a double bed mattress.


Cut six pieces of ticking (cloth) as follows:

1) two pieces the size of the bed, to make the top and bottom of the mattress. Round the corners of the top and bottom pieces. (I draw around the edge of a plate then cut out)

2) two pieces 6 inches wide and the length of the bed for the mattress sides.

3) two pieces 6 inches wide and 2 inches longer than the width of the bed, for the ends of the mattress.

With right sides together, sew the mattress ends and sides together, using a ½ inch seam. Centering the mattress ends on the short sides of the bottom mattress piece, right sides together, sew the mattress bottom to the sides and ends. Right sides together sew one long side of the mattress top to the other side of the ends and sides. You should now have an open box shape with rounded corners. Turn the box shape right side out.

To keep the mattress from being lumpy, pack the corn shucks into the cloth cover in even 1 inch layers. After each layer, pull the loose top piece over the corn shucks and beat the mattress gently to distribute the corn shucks evenly. Then pull the loose piece back and continue filling the mattress. When the mattress is filled, sew the loose piece in place. If there are still high and low spots in the mattress, beat it gently again: hitting the high spots to drive the filler into the low spots. Only a few strokes should be needed.

Making a Rolled Edge

A rolled edge will help keep the corn shucks in place and help the mattress hold its shape. With chalk mark a line 2 1/4 in from the edge seam all around the mattress top. Mark another line ½ inch from the edge seam all around the side and ends. Sew the two lines together through the mattress with stitches about ½ inch apart, working enough corn shucks into the roll with each stitch to make the roll firm. Fill the roll evenly. In rounding the corners, make the stitches closer and take shorter stitches on top of the roll than on the bottom. Turn the mattress over and make a rolled edge on the other side.

Tufting Mattress

Making tufts on the mattress will help hold the corn shucks in place. Mark a grid of alternating odd and even rows across your mattress. At the marked places, use a strong needle and waxed cord to sew an x through the middle of the round pieces of oil felt or doubled ticking through the mattress for simple tufts that will help hold the filling in place.

I have heard of people using the same procedure for making mattresses of straw or feathers or cotton. But I have only used corn shucks, so, I don’t know how well other fillers work.

I imagine you could use those instructions to make a wool or cotton filled mattress. She noted that she heard that the mattress could be made with cotton or straw etc. but she always used corn shucks.

There have been some minor downsides to the buckwheat hull mattress. They can be dusty and they attract mice. Most challenging for us is that we've had caretakers of the tipi who haven't known how to properly arrange or care for this type of tubed mattress in Tony and Emily's absence. We currently have the tubing knotted between sections by well-meaning volunteers. Though knots are definitely *not* comfortable to sleep on and it's going to take hours to undo, and redo as in Emily's picture above. Sigh.

With an eye toward a glamping experience, AND husp ideals, Paul and I keep looking.

Ran across this today: http://www.myessentia.com/.



These are touted as the only natural, organic, memory foam mattress. Starting at *only* $1,275.00! Uff.

Buckwheat hulls sound like a good solution for organic bedding at Wheaton Labs. Buckwheat has such a short season that it could grow well in this location. It certainly attracts hungry furry critters though and interplanting with mints may help. After reading more about it I want a sack of buckwheat seeds to start tossing around.

As for mattresses and pillows could peppermint oil be the solution? Perhaps when de-knotting and refilling some of the hulls could be infused with peppermint oil to repel mice. I only have anecdotal evidence, but I know from using peppermint oil in a previous home that three applications about a month apart resulted in zero mice in that location for about a year, then another application was required. Some humans have difficulty with strong smells, though. Since mice have much stronger noses than us, perhaps even after we can't smell it anymore, they still would.

I'm with Eric and others who love their  natural latex mattresses!
I spent many many years looking for the perfect mattress and had a lot of back problems and sleep problems with most typical mattresses , especially after they started to wear down. Not to mention sensitivities to the toxins in most mattresses. YUK.
I did a lot of research on latex and discovered that it was pretty natural(sap comes from trees) , non flammable so no fire retardants, lasts a long long time( they claim 25 years without breaking down) , no off- gassing, and so many other wonderful  points that I was sold.

But......the price was wayyyyy beyond our budget, so what to do?
I looked around online until I found a place that sells latex "toppers". They are about 6" of latex and meant to put over your existing mattress to make it more firm.
This same company also sold "seconds" ; toppers that had minor flaws.
I managed to find 2 seconds toppers, queen sized, firm, with a natural cotton zippered cover that fits both of them together for under $700.
I had never spent anywhere near that amount of money on a bed before but, I'll tell ya, it has been the BEST investment I have ever made in my life!! Both my husband and I are totally in love with this bed. It is unbelievably comfortable and we sleep soundly and peacefully knowing we are not breathing fire retardants for 1/3 of our life.
Easy to move too as we haul in inside for the winter and outside to our outdoor bedroom for summertime.
I am totally sold on natural latex beds.

The Princess (and the Pea)

Another place to find latex mattresses for relatively affordable is Arizona Premium Mattress Company (http://www.mattresses.net/labeforki.html). They use the remnants left over from making custom mattresses to make Twin and Full sized mattresses for kids. They're not as thick as a normal mattress, but you really can't tell!

We got a twin for our son's room last year, and both my husband and I have blissfully passed out on it at various times. It's really comfortable! I would definitely recommend it for an adult (we weigh 130-200 pounds, and both of us find it comfy).

The twin mattress is $295, while the full is $380. You could, I would think, get two twins to make a California King size mattress, and only be spending $600 on it. Not a bad price, especially for latex! The mattress cover that it comes with is also made of wool and organic cotton, so it's naturally flame-resistant without all the chemicals. The mattress itself is made of "talalay" latex, so it's not all natural, but they do sell natural latex mattresses there...for a higher price, of course!

We got the Dunlop latex toppers. More firmness and less processing.

here's a link to how the two latexs are processed and how latex is "farmed" as well:

https://sleepingorganic.com/talalay-vs-dunlop-latex/

and this:
https://sleeponlatex.com/blogs/news/7845413-dunlop-vs-talalay-latex-foam

I realize that it takes a huge amount of energy to process the sap into mattresses and then ship them from sri lanka to the US and therefore does not necessarily fit the bill of being sustainable.  But it's still nice to know that the material you are sleeping on came from a tree! And to have the unsurpassed level of comfort that that "tree" can provide.

Sequoia

Jay Hayes wrote:So, after writing my post yesterday I went ahead and ordered a layered felt mattress from shepherds dream yesterday.  The folks were really easy to work with and seemed genuinely happy to help me out.  The mattress is made to order so I will get it in 4-6 weeks, with free shipping!  If anyone is curious about the product feel free to ask me and I'll share some info when I get it.  I am wicked excited!

J

Hi Jay, I'm curious how the mattress worked out for you?

I'm looking into getting a sand bed with either a latex topper or a sheepskin topper, from Ultimate Earth Bed. Have anyone tried this?

Oooh, layered felt, sand and all kinds of info on latex mattresses - I love it! I, too, would love to hear more reviews.

On permies.com, as with book and tool reviews, we like to say something like "I give this ______ 8 out of 10 acorns" or some such. How would you rate your natural mattresses?

More than ten years ago I purchased a natural matress from Cocomat. Before that, I had some problems with pain in my back, but since I am sleeping on this matress, I never have any pain in my back! So I guess I can say this matress is pretty good, natural, but also very comfortable. The price was €1400, but with 20 years warranty. The Cocomat company is not very well known, because they don´t do advertisement, a good product sells also without! So you are paying less! I have no connection with this company, so this free advertisement I wrote purely because I am a very satisfied customer, and I think this info might be of value to people considering to buy a quality natural matress.

https://www.coco-mat.com/

Hi it's Lynne from https://openyoureyesbedding.com (the buckwheat hull mattress kit company)

Hemp hulls are the perfect DIY mattress filling.  It feels like you are sleeping on a soft sandy beach!

I help people all day long with their DIY mattress projects.  I have 12 years of experience making homemade mattresses so feel free to contact me if you have any questions, regardless of what material you want to work with.







Some of our other natural fillings to explore:

infused seaweed
lavender millet hulls
shredded natural latex
buckwheat hulls
hemp husks and fines
hemp fiber
infused spelt hulls
kapok
shredded cork (coming soon)

Spent a night on a friend's natural latex mattress - best night's sleep ever! I couldn't afford a full mattress, so I added a 3 inch natural latex topper to our king mattress. Would not go back to conventional. Hate memory foam (it's either hard like a rock in the cold or squishes down to nothing in the middle of the night)

Hoping to find a natural latex wave form pillow, if anyone finds one available at a reasonable cost, please let me know. Some of the manufacturers will sell bags of shredded latex foam, so I may go that route, but would prefer one cut/molded into the wave form. [like this viewed from the end:  II::::II ]

If you're looking for a natural sleep system for camping, check out Lucky Sheep Sleeping Bags that Patrick Clark makes.  "Lightweight wool sleeping bags for natural sleeping indoors or outdoors."
https://www.facebook.com/Lucky-Sheep-Sleeping-Bags-609912845826804

I use a couple of ancient futons, but bought a latex mattress for my guests (gotta look after the income stream). In the UK, wool straight off the sheep is at a disgustingly low level to buy. One of our local shepherds chose to bury his fleeces rather than be insulted by the derisory prices offered by the British Wool Marketing Board. My neighbour shears 500 fleeces a year off his flock, so next season I've decided to pay him over the BWMB price for them, and get myself a drum carder to start processing them for my own and guest's mattresses, duvets and pillows....marketing as well as environmental and economic sense. A kingsized (thin) wool duvet of New Zealand wool is £75 from Dunhelm Mills! It's got 25 pence of fleece in it by current prices, and isn't even British.

Several years ago a shepherdess gave birth to a bairn with multiple allergies, a prime allergy being the toxic components of the crib mattress. So, she rigged up a basic loom and wove batts of her fleeces as both warp and weft, layered it all and made allergen-free bedding for her child. She soon had orders flowing in.


I've also made my own pillows with cattail fluff. It settles after a few uses, but with a little gratuitous violence based on the fact that voles have once again reduced your beet crop to housing, you'll soon get them soft again.

Niall Wildwoode wrote:

Several years ago a shepherdess gave birth to a bairn with multiple allergies, a prime allergy being the toxic components of the crib mattress.

Thanks for the "blast from my past" Niall! It's been a long time since I've heard/seen the word "bairn" for child used, and it brought a smile to my face! My father was "off the boat" and my Grand father on the other side also, although not as far north as the word "bairn" is customary.