My kit arrived a few weeks ago and we have been sleeping on it for about 2 weeks now. I thought I'd give a bit of a write up.
Assembly and Troubleshooting
Filling was "easy" but time consuming, and there were a few pitfalls along the way. Firstly, I measured out the correct amount of hulls for one pod and used that as a guide for filling the others. Unfortunately I didn't have a suitable box/tub that could both fit enough hulls and then transfer easily into the pods. It ended up being a bit of a faff, and I think in the end some of the pods ended up being a bit overfull. My two boys "helped". The 18 month old kept climbing into the huge tub of hulls and hiding his toys in them.
I ordered the discount kit, which consisted of shorter "end of roll" fabric sections. This worked fine, but I inadvertently ended up tying some of the pods substantially tighter than others. I realised later that the pods needed to be fairly loosely tied to allow the hulls to settle and shift when you sleep on them. Our first few nights were rather more lumpy and uncomfortable than we had hoped. I disassembled the bed and adjusted the knots on every pod so they were all much looser. The end result is a much more even surface which adjusts easily to your body shape in the night.
Mattress sizes - this is entirely my fault for making assumptions, but I ended up with too many pods and too many hulls. UK mattress sizes are substantially different from US sizes. The mattress dimensions were given, but I made assumptions. End result is I have enough left over for an whole kids bed!
Bed base/Bed frame - I adjusted our existing Ikea bed frame to support the pods, by adding a heavy sheet of plywood. The pods would fall through if it were slats. This worked well structurally. However, the bed frame that is advertised on the website definitely would have advantages. Specifically, the pods when assembled don't quite cover the whole base that we have. As a "natural" kit product some variability is to be expected, obviously. The end result is that the pods move around a bit on the ply, and sometimes in the night you find that you have settled slightly between two pods. It isn't uncomfortable, but also isn't ideal. The bed frame sold to go with the pods solves two problems. It is adjustable in width, so you can size it to fit your mattress exactly. It also has an outer "lip" to hold the pods so that they cannot spread apart in the night. I won't be shipping a bed frame from America, but might look into improvising one of our own.
Because we placed the pods directly on a hard and fairly smooth surface (plywood) they shift around a little. After a few nights they need adjusting back into place. It only takes a few seconds though. I realised later that in the FAQ somewhere it suggests putting a heavy woolen blanket down beneath the pods if you are using a smooth surface. This stops them moving so freely. At some point I will do this with ours.
Now the important bit. What is it like to sleep on?
Absolutely brilliant! (caveat - my wife isn't entirely sold on it yet).
Firstly, you need to realise that it does not feel anything like a sprung or memory foam mattress. It is much much harder when you first sit or lie down on it. In fact, your first instinct when sitting on it is probably that it isn't very inviting to sleep. The best analogy I've found is for sleeping on a beach. When you first lie down the sand is firm, and possibly a bit lumpy and uneven. You feel those lumps and bumps. But as with a beach, if you spend 20 seconds adjusting things you can adjust it to fit your body curves. Unlike a sandy beach, the hulls themselves also have a degree of spring/give. It is less than a normal mattress, but for me the combination of adjusting to body shape and softness is perfect.
Before this I was waking multiple times per night with back pain and stiffness in my legs. After the first few nights of getting used to it, those aches and pain have gone. Completely. I've found myself sleeping comfortably in the same position for 6+ hours without stirring. I don't think I have done that in a decade! It hasn't "fixed" all of my back and muscular problems - they stem from lots of things including bad posture, desk work and old injuries - but it has certainly eased things and removed one aggravating factor.
One thing we have learned is that getting back in on top of your divots and dents from the night before is not ideal. It is nicer to start from "fresh". I've got into the morning routine of:
Throwing the covers backLifting/gently tossing each pod to fluff themAdjusting their positions against each other.
Total time a little over 60 seconds each morning.
When you come back in the evening you get to lie down on a softer and fluffier mattress, that adjusts much more easily to your body, rather than the bumps you left from the night before.
My wife's view is a bit different. She is sleeping fine on it, but finds it less inviting/welcoming that the old much softer mattress. I'm totally willing to concede this. When you first get into bed it doesn't have that snuggly comforting feeling of a soft mattress. She is also not the most patient person. She expect to get into bed and it just work. Instead of taking 60 seconds to get comfortable, by nudging and adjusting she just lies awkwardly on lumps. This is definitely an attitude/learning thing. Despite all that she is sleeping soundly and deeply - or as much as is possible when you have an 18 month old in the house!
Overall I'm very happy with the purchase and have been recommending it to others.
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