This bed-in-a-box from Tempur-Pedic is one of the most supportive mattresses I’ve ever slept on – and I’ve tested dozens

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• A high-quality mattress is comfortable and supportive across a broad range of sleeping styles.
• I’m the tester for our guide to the best mattress; the Tempur-Pedic Cloud is the best I’ve slept on.
• In addition to being super comfortable, it also sleeps cool and has superior motion isolation.

Table of Contents: Masthead StickyCloud Mattress (Queen) (small)

As online bed-in-a-box shopping continues to supplant the traditional brick-and-mortar mattress buying experience, top old-guard brands, such as Serta Simmons and Tempur-Sealy, have to adapt.

With the pandemic making in-person shopping difficult, Tempur-Pedic, a division of Tempur-Sealy, is shifting its focus to its compressed bed – the Tempur-Cloud.

Related Article Module: The best mattress in 2021 for every sleeper in any budget

I’ve tested dozens of mattresses for our guide to the best mattresses, and the Tempur-Pedic Cloud is the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept on with its cooling Tempur material that contours to my body. Here are my experiences with it after many restful nights of sleep.

Design and specs

The Tempur-Cloud consists of three layers of foam. The top layer is a newer formulation of Tempur-Pedic’s trademark Tempur material, a proprietary viscoelastic memory foam. The top layer is designed to be responsive and softly cushion your whole body. The middle layer of supportive Tempur material has a firmer construction, gradual body contouring, and superb pressure relief. The foam base layer provides durability and support.

The mattress has a moisture-wicking stretch cover that offers airflow and breathability. The overall thickness of the mattress is only 10 inches, which is the minimum I look for, but I didn’t notice any performance issues due to its relatively svelte construction.

At a shade over 70 pounds, the Tempur-Cloud is relatively light, and I find it surprisingly easy to move around. This is helpful when the time comes to rotate or relocate your mattress.

Setup process

Tempur-Pedic does not currently offer white-glove delivery of the Tempur-Cloud, but it’s very easy to set up on your own. It comes in a reusable canvas bag so you aren’t left with a big cardboard box to dispose of. The bag has convenient handles, which made it easy to carry up to my third-floor testing room.

The handles also help when removing the mattress from the bag. I just unzipped one end, stood the bag with the opened end on my bed frame, and pulled on the other end to free the mattress. I cut through the two layers of plastic and allowed the mattress to expand on the foundation. The unboxing process only took about five minutes.

The mattress had a pungent “new bed smell” out of the box. This is fairly common with compressed beds, so I recommend unboxing your mattress in the morning to give it time to air out and expand before heading to bed.

Sleeping on the Tempur-Pedic Cloud mattress

What I like most about the Tempur-Cloud is that I can fall asleep within a minute or two of laying down every time. The contour-hugging, pressure-relieving Tempur material cradles my body for maximum comfort, and the mattress does an impressive job of keeping me cool. When I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, the heat dissipates while I’m away, making it easier to fall back asleep.

I sleep on my side and stomach, while my wife sleeps on her back. Despite our different sleeping styles, we’re both comfortable on the Tempur-Cloud. In fact, it’s the most comfortable mattress I’ve ever slept on. The bed is slightly softer than your average mattress, so I find I gravitate to my side more than my stomach while sleeping on it.

Good motion isolation is a must if you share a bed with others, and the Tempur-Cloud excels in this department. I have a standard test for this: I place a can of soda in the center of the mattress and drop a bowling ball from 4 feet above the bed so it lands 12 inches from the can. If the can stays upright, the bed has great motion dampening abilities. With the Tempur-Cloud, the can stayed upright every time I repeated the test.

These results are backed by my personal experience sharing the bed with a rambunctious dog and my wife. When they are moving around, I can barely feel it. When my 6-year-old jumps on the bed, it’s a different story, but no mattress can dampen that kid.

I suffer from chronic lower back pain that sometimes flares up when I don’t sleep on a supportive mattress. During the testing period, I never woke up with back pain. The Tempur-Cloud does a terrific job of keeping my spine aligned, supported, and relieved.

The only way to decide if a mattress is right for you is to sleep on it. Tempur-Pedic offers a 90-night trial with the Tempur-Cloud. The mattress is also available in thousands of retail locations across the country, so you can try it in person before you order it online.

The Tempur-Cloud is backed by a 10-year full replacement limited warranty. The warranty covers deterioration that results from normal wear when used with a proper, supportive foundation. The company will either repair or replace the mattress at its discretion at no cost to you.

Cons to consider

Though I love the Tempur-Cloud, it isn’t perfect. I am disappointed in the edge support. When I sit on the side of the bed to put my socks on, I notice significant sinking. When my wife decides to crowd my side of the bed, I start to feel like I’m going to fall off as I get close to the edge. Due to the poor edge support, I recommend couples opt for a king or California king mattress if space allows.

It also may be out of budget for some folks: a Queen is $1,999, which is significantly more than most beds-in-a-box, especially all-foam models. Sales can bring the price down significantly: I’ve seen the Cloud mattress regularly 30% off, which brings the price for a Queen to $1,399.30.

The company also does not give you a full refund if you decide to return it at the end of your trial period. Instead, it subtracts the shipping charges from the refund.

Should you buy it?

If I were in the market for a new mattress right now, the Tempur-Cloud would be my top pick. The mattress is ideal for side-sleepers like me but also serves stomach and back sleepers well. As someone who overheats, I appreciate that the bed cools me.

About the only sleepers I’d caution against trying the Tempur-Cloud are people who prefer extra-firm mattresses. You will find this bed too soft.

What are your alternatives?

I think the Tempur-Cloud is ideal for most sleepers. Yet, you might want to look elsewhere if the Cloud is too expensive for your budget or you prefer firmer mattresses.

If the price is a concern, I recommend checking out the Original Casper Mattress, which is about half the price and has many of the same properties: superb heat dissipation, excellent motion isolation, and works well for many sleeping styles.

If you need an even more affordable option, consider the Zinus Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress, which is only $289 for a Queen. Again, it has many of the same properties as the Cloud, including cooling and motion dampening. However, it’s firmer and made of lower-quality materials. It also doesn’t have the same pressure-relieving properties.

If you want a firmer mattress, the New Airweave Mattress is the way to go. It comes with a soft insert, so you can choose between firm or extra firm comfort. And its “airfiber” foam core allows for optimal airflow.

For more recommendations, check out our guide to the best mattresses, which I crafted based on my experiences testing dozens of mattresses firsthand.

The bottom line

The Tempur-Cloud is the most comfortable mattress I’ve slept on, and I heartily recommend it if you’re a side- or back-sleeper who is looking to invest in a great mattress. While there are cheaper beds-in-a-box out there, it’s hard to put a price of restful sleep, and this is one of the best mattresses you can buy. If I had to buy a mattress again tomorrow, this is hands-down the one I would choose.

Pros: 10 inches thick with three layers of supportive and comforting foam, 90-night trial, excellent motion isolation, outstanding cooling properties, uses body-conforming foam that benefits all types of sleepers, especially side-sleepers

Cons: Disappointing edge support, a shipping fee is subtracted from your refund if you choose to return the mattress during the 90-day trial

Cloud Mattress (Queen) (button)