Douglas Mattress Review: Comfort and Value in a Box
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The Douglas mattress may be the answer for all fans of Canadian-made and affordable products. It is known for its soft feel and excellent motion isolation, but is it really worth investing in?
That is why we’ve put this mattress through rigorous testing to see exactly how comfortable it is in each sleeping position and which sleepers it best suits. Our review of the Douglas mattress will determine its pros and cons and break down its materials so you can decide if this is the right mattress for you.
Let’s take a look.
Douglas Original Mattress Review: Our Rating
| Score | Categories |
|---|---|
| 8 | Off-gassing |
| 6 | Firmness |
| 6.5 | Cooling |
| 8.5 | Sinkage |
| 8 | Response |
| 7 | Bounce |
| 8 | Edge Support |
| 9.5 | Motion Transfer |
| 7.5 | Sex (Sinkage + Edge Support + Cooling / 3) |
| 7.66 | Overall Score |
Learn more about how we test mattresses and our different criteria here.
Douglas Mattress Review: Construction and Design
To start our review of the Douglas mattress, we will break down the construction and design of this mattress’s layers.
First, it comes with a soft-to-the-touch cover made of Infinitex™ material, encouraging heat to pull away from the body. This Infinitex™ material includes Tencel, which is naturally cool to the touch. I noticed this cover was pleasant to lie on, soft and bouncy with a slight stretch.
The cover is also machine-washable, which I could take off easily in a few seconds. It allowed me to keep my bed fresher for longer.
The first layer of the Douglas mattress is 2 inches of ecoLight® gel memory foam, which is cooling and moderately responsive. I felt this layer was soft and conforming and redistributed my weight nicely. It is made to be more responsive than standard memory foam, which is excellent if you prefer a mattress that is easier to move around in.
The second layer distinguishes the Douglas from most standard memory foam models. It consists of 2 inches of Elastex® foam, which is springy and buoyant, mimicking natural latex. I found this layer to conform less to my body, but it also freed me up and supported my hips. I felt more weightless and comfortable as I sank through the top layer, balanced out by this latex-like layer.
The base of the Douglas mattress consists of 6 inches of support foam, which balances the top layers and gives strength to the mattress and its edges. It’s supportive and motion-isolating like the top gel memory foam layer. I noticed my spine, lumbar, and neck were evenly straight and tension-free.
Unboxing and Off-Gassing of the Douglas Mattress
Unboxing this product for our Douglas Original mattress review was a relatively straightforward process. Once I removed it from its box, I cut the Douglas mattress from its plastic and unrolled it on the bed, letting it decompress. Decompression only took a few hours, and then I could use it. However, it's always a good idea to let a mattress decompress for up to 24 hours to ensure the foam is even.
Off-gassing is when the ‘new mattress’ smell disperses after airing out for a period. This time is set aside for airing out changes depending on the mattress. The Douglas mattress took less than one day for the manufacturing smell to dissipate completely.
I had this mattress in a well-ventilated room during the air-out process, so I recommend allowing it some space to breathe and air out and avoid letting it off-gas in a closed room. A closed room may delay the off-gassing process. Conspiring this, I rated the Douglas mattress an 8 in the off-gassing category.
The Douglas is 12 hours faster at off-gassing than the Novosbed mattress. If you are sensitive to long-standing odors or prefer to use your mattress freely sooner, the Douglas may be the better option.
Douglas Mattress Firmness
Firmness is essential for determining how a mattress will conform and feel to most sleepers. It affects sinkage and motion transfer the most. The Douglas has a softer firmness, which I rated at a 6. It was conforming enough for adequate sinkage, and I could feel pressure relief in my shoulders and hips. It’s soft without sacrificing excessive sinkage or restriction, so I could freely move. It’s a bit soft, so if you are looking for firmer options, we have a list of some of the best firm mattresses in Canada.
The Douglas mattress is 1 point softer than the Novosbed and has a similar soft feel to the Ghostbed Flex. Looking at these comparisons, the Douglas is an excellent option for a softer sleep surface that can easily conform to light and average-weight sleepers.
Cooling of the Douglas Mattress
The cooling qualities of a mattress are integral to cool, restful sleep that is night sweat-free. The Douglas mattress has a few cooling technologies in its construction, including Tencel in the cover, and its gel memory foam layer, which helps disperse heat.
From my review of the Douglas mattress, it retained a maximum temperature of 31.8 degrees after lying on the surface. I wasn’t excessively hot while testing and remained temperature neutral throughout the night. Due to this, I gave this mattress a rating of 6.5 in the cooling category, as it performed slightly lower than average. It may be better to look at our other best cooling mattresses in Canada if you are a hot sleeper.
The Douglas was outperformed by the Puffy mattress, a similar all-foam model, by 8 degrees. This makes the Puffy a better option if you are a hot sleeper. However, the Douglas mattress still does well in getting night sweats away.
Douglas Mattress Review: Sinkage
Sinkage helps redistribute weight and enhances your comfort while lying down. Memory foam mattresses normally have sinkage levels between 2 to 2.5 inches, enough to let the body sink in and be cradled. However, the Douglas mattress has slightly less sinkage than most foam mattresses, despite being on the softer end of the firmness scale. For this reason, I gave the Douglas a rating of 8.5 in this category.
From my tests, the Douglas mattress had 1.92 inches of sinkage. This is just enough to allow for a good contour of the hips and shoulders and relieve pressure. It also suspended me slightly from the mattress, so I wasn’t as wrapped in the layers, which may help hot sleepers feel cooler.
The Douglas had 0.58 inches less sinkage than the Puffy. The Puffy may better suit you if you’re a fan of a classic memory foam feel and deep sinkage. However, the Douglas is still good as a pressure-relieving mattress, even for lightweight sleepers.
Response of the Douglas Mattress
The response of a mattress is how quickly it bounces back to pressure, and it is crucial for ease of movement and not feeling ‘stuck’ in bed. Luckily, the Douglas mattress performed well in this category. It had a well-balanced response rate, earning it an 8.
According to my review, the Douglas mattress partially recovered from compressions after 0.4 seconds and fully recovered after 0.8 seconds. This was quick enough to ensure I was unrestricted if I wanted to shift from my side to my stomach. It was also slow-adaptive enough to mold to my body, allowing me to sink in for better pressure relief.
Comparatively, the Douglas had a slightly faster response time than the Ghostbed Flex of about 0.3 seconds. Of the two, the Douglas is better suited for those who frequently change sleeping positions throughout the night.
Bounce of the Douglas Mattress
The bounce of a mattress plays a role in how much of a traditional feel the mattress has. It also ties in with response as it determines how easy it is to change positions quickly. The Douglas mattress has relatively low bounce levels, so it does not perform as well as other models in this category. I gave this mattress a grade of 7 in this category, as its foam layers absorb much of the impact from the bounce test.
While I was testing, I recorded a total bounce of 5.44 inches. The soft layers cradled me well, but I found the bounce-back feel wasn’t as strong as other models I have tested. For better bounce, looking at our best hybrid mattresses in Canada may be helpful.
In comparison, the Douglas was 1.35 inches less bouncy than the Novosbed, a similar all-foam mattress. If you are looking for a more responsive mattress or want less motion isolation, the Novosbed may be a better option. A lower bounce means a mattress is better at absorbing motion, though, so the Douglas performs better in this regard.
Edge Support of the Douglas Mattress
Edge support is helpful for a mattress’s stability and integrity. A stronger edge means you’ll feel safer when lying or sitting near the edge. The Douglas mattress does an excellent job of keeping the edge stable. I rated it an 8 in this category, recording an average rating of 3.54 inches while sitting on its edge. This is strong enough to make it so I was comfortable getting out of bed without the risk of falling or being unstable. Even in a larger size, the Douglas would make for one of the best king-size mattresses in Canada.
The Douglas mattress was 0.56 inches firmer than the Novosbed regarding edge support. That means the Douglas is better for sleepers who prefer a stable edge or an easier time getting out of bed.
Douglas Mattress Review: Motion Transfer
Motion transfer is how well the mattress absorbs motion whenever a sleeper moves. This is especially helpful for couples where one or both is a restless sleeper. From my test, I noticed the Douglas absorbed motion up to 2 inches, which is relatively high for a memory foam mattress. When lying in bed, I could toss and turn, and my partner wasn’t disturbed for the most part.
The Douglas has slightly better motion isolation than the Puffy by 0.5 inches. This means the Douglas is one of the best mattresses in Canada if you are a light sleeper and need fewer disturbances, making me rate this mattress 9.5 in this category.
Douglas Mattress: Performance for Sex
How well a mattress performs for sex depends heavily on three factors, its sinkage, edge support, and cooling. The Douglas mattress's performance with sinkage and edge support is fair. However, its cooling does affect the score. From my tests, the Douglas could have been cooler to provide couples with a more adaptive and comfortable environment. After combining the scores, I gave the Douglas mattress a rating of 7.5 in this category.
The Douglas has better edge support than the Novosbed by 0.5 points, mainly due to the Doulgas having slightly better edge support. Of the two, the Douglas may be the better option for couples who don’t become hot quickly and want a stable edge.
Also Read: Puffy Mattress Review
How It Feels for Different Types of Sleepers
A bed’s feel differs dramatically between sleepers depending on personal preference, weight, and sleeping position. When testing the Douglas, I tried various sleeping positions to give you a better idea of what type of sleepers this bed suits best. As a reference point, I am an average-weight sleeper.
Side Sleepers
The Doulgas mattress is relatively soft, which gives more contour for protruding body parts. While testing, I found the Douglas provides enough sinkage to wrap my shoulders and hips and balance me out for excellent ‘weightlessness’ and comfort.
Light and average-weight sleepers will find the Doulgas soft enough to feel comfortable on their side. Heavier sleepers over 250 pounds may find their hips sink too much.
Back Sleepers
The Douglas’ use of Elastex® foam gives it the springiness needed for excellent spinal support. When I was testing the Douglas, excellent cushioning cradled my lumbar and hips while keeping my back straight.
Lightweight sleepers will feel most comfortable on their back. Average-weight sleepers may prefer a firmer sleeping surface but will still enjoy a smooth, supportive surface for a healthy spine. Heavier sleepers over 250 pounds may sink too much in the midsection, causing a misaligned spine.
Stomach Sleepers
Due to the supportive base, the Douglas mattress is quite comfortable while lying on the stomach. This position requires more support than sleeping on your back or side. As an average-weight stomach sleeper, I had enough support to keep my spine neutral.
Light and average-weight sleepers will enjoy stomach sleeping on the Douglas. However, heavier stomach sleepers over 250 pounds may find the Douglas too soft for effective support.
Sleeping Positions: Summary
| Sleeping Position | My experience |
|---|---|
| Side Sleepers | The Douglas’ soft contouring and spongy memory foam gave me excellent pressure relief. I was pretty comfortable and cushioned while on my side. |
| Back Sleepers | I felt adequately supported while lying on my back. However, this softness may not suit all sleepers, as I found the Douglas on the softer side for back support. |
| Stomach Sleepers | The Douglas mattress was soft but still had enough support for me to feel cradled with a neutral spine while on my stomach. |
Recommended For:
- Restless partners. The Douglas mattress has excellent motion isolation capabilities that can absorb most motion. This is helpful if you’re a light sleeper and want fewer disturbances from a partner or pet.
- Sleepers who enjoy slow-adaptive contour. The softer top foam layer of the Douglas mattress adapts moderately slowly to the body, allowing you to sink in for better pressure relief.
- Sleepers who prefer an easy cleaning solution. The machine-washable cover is easy to remove in seconds, giving you an excellent cleaning solution that’s fast and can keep your bedroom fresher for longer.
Other Important Information
Some other important information about the Douglas mattress that’s good to know is its 365-night sleep trial, its 20-year warranty, its free shipping and returns, and certifications.
A mattress’s sleep trial is crucial to allow you time to try the mattress and see if it’s a good fit. This is especially helpful when buying a mattress online. The Douglas mattress comes with a 365-night sleep trial. This is a full year that allows you to get to know the mattress and see if it lives up to your expectations.
The Douglas mattress’s sleep trial is 245 nights longer than the Novosbed sleep trial and 264 nights longer than the Puffy’s trial. That means the Douglas is one of the best options for choosing a mattress with a long sleep trial.
A warranty can provide peace of mind for the long-term use of a mattress, which the Douglas mattress lives up to. It boasts an extended warranty of 20 years, covering indents in the foam over 2 inches deep and other manufacturing defects.
The Douglas mattress has a warranty that’s 5 years longer than the Novosbed. However, it cannot compete with Puffy’s Lifetime warranty, which lasts as long as you have the mattress. The Douglas’s warranty is a good option if you want a warranty on the long side but don’t need a lifetime warranty.
Similar to the Puffy and Novosbed mattresses, the Douglas mattress offers free shipping to most addresses in Canada. Remote areas may incur a small shipping fee. Likewise, when returning a mattress, the Douglas offers free returns with mattresses sent back within the sleep trial. This is the same as the Novosbed and the Puffy mattress, making all three excellent free shipping and returns options.
The Douglas has a CertiPUR-US® certification. That means it’s been inspected and found free of heavy metals and ozone depleters and has low VOCs. This ensures the Douglas is safe for continual use and children.
Similarly, the Douglas shares the same certification as the Puffy and Novosbed mattresses.
Summary
The Douglas is one of the best Canadian-made mattresses when it comes to affordability and softness. On top of this, its motion isolation is remarkable. I found this key feature is what really made the Douglas stand out for me. I could toss and turn when testing, and my partner was undisturbed.
The Douglas would best suit couples who are restless sleepers and sleepers who like slow-adaptive memory foam and an easy-to-clean cover. Overall, the Douglas mattress has the right amount of comfort, pressure relief, and durability to last your home for many years.
Do you own a Douglas mattress? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Pros:
- Excellent motion isolation for restless partners;
- Good edge support for a stable surface and ease of using the entire bed width;
- Easy to remove cover;
- Excellent contour for adaptive pressure relief.
Cons:
- Too low of bounce;
- Not cool enough.