If someone were to ask me when I last had a good night’s sleep, I might have to reach deeply into the fathoms of my memory, likely to a time long before I had a kid. I’ve never been one to spend too much time in bed; I prefer to remain awake for as long as possible. Great for productivity as a writer — bad for health. To balance out my sleep deficit and to create new routines for better rest and overall wellness, I decided to upgrade my sleep experience.
With so many mattress options available in the market, I decided to test out three of the most popular mail-order mattresses (in king-size no less — far cry from the lumpy queen-sized mattress that I had received from a friend a few years ago) from Casper, Endy, and Douglas to determine the winner for the best overall mattress experience. As a stomach sleeper, my main concerns for a great sleep were about heat control, breathability, and support at the hips.
Casper
First up, I tried out The Casper Mattress. Casper is the most expensive option of the three mattresses ringing in at $1,495 before taxes. I had heard a lot of buzz about the brand, but had never seen one up close and personal, hence my curiosity of discovering what all the fuss was about. Although Casper is an American company, some Casper mattresses available to Canadians are made in Canada.
Delivery: I live on the top floor of a three-story heritage building with creaky old grand staircases and no elevator. The UPS delivery person was able to bring it up to me using a dolly, but he was out of breath and said the box was very heavy. He didn’t notice the built-in handles until he had already brought it up. Using the handles, I was able to drag it to my bedroom with relative ease.
Round one of Kait’s ultimate mattress challenge set the bar high.
Unboxing: Wrangling the box was quite easy using the perforated handles. Upon opening it, I found a cheery envelope featuring a booklet that detailed the Casper mattress, how to unpack it, and what to expect when it starts to expand. Once I unpacked it, and it began expanding, I got to take a closer look at the sleek design. It has a soft yet durable grey fabric around the perimeter of the mattress and a pure-white quilted top.
The overall sleep experience on the Casper was great, but Kait found that it wasn’t as breathable as promised.
Sleep experience: Immediately, I could tell that the Casper was going to be a big change from my spring mattress. The beginning of this mattress trial journey was starting with a high benchmark. Casper has a reputation of being a firmer mattress as well as the mattress foam being highly breathable for a cool night’s sleep. While the mattress was firm and very comfortable, I felt like it didn’t deliver on the breathability promise. I woke up a few nights feeling too warm and ended up adjusting my bedding to accommodate.
Douglas
Next up was The Douglas Mattress, a Canadian company that markets their mattress with an eco-conscious angle. Again, the mattress is made in Canada. The Douglas Mattress is the least expensive mattress of all three, priced at $849 before taxes.
The Douglas mattress was the least expensive option but proved to be the worst unboxing experience.
Delivery: The FedEx delivery person struggled with the box a bit and ended up sliding it up all three flights of stairs because he was unable to lift it and didn’t have a dolly with him. The box held up during transit and was very durable.
Unboxing: Overall, the Douglas box was nondescript and undetailed. They kept things simple. It was sturdy, but I wish it had perforated handles to make it a bit easier to move into my room from the front door. I should mention that I unpacked all three of these mattresses on my own, so when I say that opening the Douglas mattress was a struggle, it really was a struggle.
Kait loved the overall look of the Douglas mattress.
I found the rolled-up mattress incredibly heavy to lift onto my bed frame. The box didn’t include any instructions, so I unraveled the plastic as best I could before the mattress started to decompress from the packaging. The biggest flaw in the unboxing experience was that the mattress was folded the wrong way in the packaging. When I unwrapped it, I quickly realized I had to flip it over to the right side. The Casper and Endy mattresses unfolded naturally in the position they were intended to be slept on. At that point, it would have been good to have assistance with the mattress as I wrangled flipping it over on my own.
Sleep Experience: The mattress itself was simple and pleasing in design, with a red stripe around the perimeter. It is advertised as being a medium-firm mattress, but I felt like it was quite soft for my preferences. It was cushy and lying down on it, I could feel myself sinking into the soft, plush layers. As a stomach sleeper, I prefer something a lot firmer than what Douglas offered. The promise for a cooler sleep came from the CoolSense fabric cover that draws moisture away from the body. The Douglas was a nice mattress but would be more enjoyable if I was a side or back sleeper. For me personally, I couldn’t get comfortable any of the nights I slept on it.
Endy
Last but not least, the Endy mattress was my final trial experience. The Endy is also a Canadian company and is Canadian made, which is a selling feature for me. The king-size mattress is priced at $950 before taxes making it just slightly more expensive than the Douglas but much less expensive than the Casper model.
The Endy unboxing experience was a breeze thanks to the box’s built-in handles and supplied cutting tool.
Delivery: The box arrived a little worse for wear, but the handy perforated handles on each side made it very easy for the UPS delivery person to get it up to my apartment. It was also very easy for me to maneuver from my front door into my bedroom. The simple addition of handles immediately set the Endy experience apart from the Douglas. The design of the box was bright in white with bold branding wrapped around the box in Endy’s signature colours.
Unboxing: As someone who has an innate appreciation for details, opening the Endy box was truly a pleasure, from the beautiful plaid interior of the box to the small envelope inside greeting me with instructions to the inclusion of the most handy cutting tool to peel back the packaging in a uniform manner. I was able to get the mattress roll on my bed easily, and the mattress unfolded naturally and decompressed in no time at all. One corner was slightly smushed from the packaging, but by the time I went to bed that day, it was no longer visible. The two-toned grey-and-white fabric is sleek and minimalistic and incredibly soft to the touch.
Kait found the Endy mattress to be the perfect combination of firmness and “squish.”
Sleep Experience: In the Endy brochure, it states that it can take up to a full week for the mattress to fully expand, so I wasn’t sure of what to expect on my first night. But right away, I could tell it was the perfect combination of firmness and squish. Maybe it was the dreamy combo of Endy’s pillows, sheets, and the luxurious mattress, but my first night yielded the deepest sleep I had in a long time. I also suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome and would often wake up with shooting pain in my wrists and forearms, but since I’ve been sleeping on the Endy mattress, I haven’t had that problem. I think I am no longer pinching any nerves or sleeping in a way that would cause the pain to flare up. Perhaps that’s because of the way the foam balances and supports me as I sleep. It is extremely comfortable for stomach sleeping. In terms of heat control, I found that it is very regulated. I slept on the Endy on both very cold days (early snowfall here in Calgary) as well as during normal seasonal temperatures, and I found that the mattress and sheets kept the overall temperature in the moderate range, which was very much appreciated.
The competition was stiff, but overall, Kait’s top choice was the Endy.
The Winning Mattress
In the end, there was a clear winner for me. Ultimately, I chose the Endy mattress based on three things: affordability, firmness, and heat regulation. Not only did I feel that it was the most affordable option for the experience given, but it was the most luxurious sleep experience. The Endy sheets and pillows are 100% worth the investment to complete the amazing experience. The Endy and the Casper are the most comparable options in a general sense, but with the added benefit of saving nearly $500 and purchasing from a Canadian company, there is no question that my choice would be Endy. The comfort level is incomparable, and I’ve felt very rested.
And when my four-year-old son bounds into my bed at 6 am on a Saturday morning, I hardly even notice thanks to Endy’s shock-absorbing mattress technology. Topping quality, experience, and design, the Endy mattress is a must-have for any Canadian seeking a better sleep.
By Kait Kucy
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This article and the opinions reflected are the journalist’s own, and all mattresses reviewed (Douglas, Casper and Endy) were thoroughly tested prior to an overall winner being selected. Vern Magazine is wholly owned by Press + Post, based out of Calgary, AB. Press + Post has worked with Endy as a client on media relations and were provided a mattress for testing and review purposes. Vern also obtained Douglas and Casper for the purpose of testing.
