Puffy Mattress Review – Does It Live Up to The Hype?

One of the most telling tests when it comes to motion isolation and transfer is one undertaken by one of the professional testers where a bowling pin is stood on the mattress and first a 16lb bowling ball, and then the weight of a 200lb man is dropped on to the bed. In this particular test, the pin barely wobbled both times. The tester described this as “exceptional” and gave a 10/10 score.

A similar test was undertaken by another reviewer, this time with a glass of red wine, with the same result. It received top marks and a lot of praise from other testers and reviewers that show The Puffy Mattress is well above average when it comes to isolating motion and preventing it from being transferred across the bed.

The Puffy will be a great choice for couples who are easily disturbed by a partner or are light sleepers, as there should be very minimal movement felt from one side of the bed to the other.

Credit must be given to Puffy for making an all-foam mattress that is cooling, or at the least temperature neutral.

While the findings of the testers suggest that the gel infusion in the memory foam layer, the lighter, open-cell structure of this foam, and the temperature regulating properties of the polyfoam transition layer all do have some bearing, making The Puffy sleep cooler than other traditional memory foam mattresses, it still may not be cooling enough for people who would typically find memory foam too hot.

Despite the gel infusion and other colling properties, at the end of the day, memory foam is still memory foam, and the comfort layer does still trap some heat. The aptest description of The Puffy would be to say it is temperature neutral rather than actively cooling, and external factors such as local climate, the type of sheets used, etc., will also have a bearing on how warm or cool the mattress feels.

The Puffy Mattress sits squarely in the medium-feel range. It’s a mattress designed to have broad appeal, and its middle-of-the-road firmness means it should offer a good balance of pressure relief and support for most people.

The Puffy Mattress’s unique memory foam that is softer and less-dense than traditional memory foam is relatively responsive, meaning it pushes back quickly to a neutral position once the pressure is taken off it.

However, it is still highly contouring and will give the feeling of sinking into the mattress rather than sitting on top of it.

We should start right off by saying like other foam mattresses similar to The Puffy, it is unlikely to be supportive enough for very heavy people (250lb+).

This is due to its thin, relatively soft, all-foam construction, which will allow heavy body parts to sink deeply, causing spine misalignment and the likelihood of fully compressing the comfort layers and coming to rest on the firm high-density support core.

In saying that, the level of support for people lighter than this is good. The memory foam comfort layer and polyfoam comfort/transition layer do a good job of allowing the body to sink where necessary while contouring, cradling, and keeping the spine supported and aligned.

We’ll see how this support and alignment differs by sleeping position and bodyweight further on.

All-foam mattresses never tend to be the best choice for sturdy edge support, but The Puffy does perform well when compared to other foam beds.

The edges do compress a bit when sitting on the edge of the bed. This is to be expected, and the depth of this compression will depend on your weight, but unless you are someone with limited mobility that might struggle to get up from a low seated position, it should not feel unstable or hard to get up from.

Likewise, while it may not be the best choice for those who like to sleep right at the edge of the bed, especially if in the heavier weight range, the level of compression at the edge is not enough that it will feel unstable or like you will roll out of bed.

The key to The Puffy’s relatively good edge support (for a foam mattress) lies in its firm, high-density thick polyfoam support core. While there is no perimeter reinforcement like a hybrid mattress would have, it is sturdy enough to provide enough resistance against too much sinkage at the edge for most people.

One of the big positives of memory foam is its pressure-relieving ability. Its combination of softness and support where it allows your body’s heavier areas to sink in while contouring and cradling, keeping the spine aligned and supported, and evenly distributing weight across the surface means it does not tend to allow pressure to build at the heaviest points like the hips and shoulders.

This is a crucial feature for side sleepers, where most of the body’s weight is concentrated at relatively small points of contact at the hips and shoulders, and The Puffy is an especially good match here.

If side sleepers are well-catered for in terms of pressure relief, then it goes without saying that back, stomach, and combination sleepers will get the same. However, heavier people are likely to experience less pressure relief, especially if they are strict stomach sleepers.

Heavy people over 250lb should consider a thicker mattress like the Puffy Lux or Puffy Royal, or a hybrid (both the Lux and Royal come in hybrid versions, too) for better pressure relief and support, without the risk of “bottoming out” or experiencing spine misalignment due to excessive sinkage.

Like any brand new all-foam mattress, there is some off-gassing and smell associated with The Puffy Mattress.

All foams used in The Puffy are CertiPUR-US® approved, and the emissions and smell are no worse than other all-foam mattresses. Depending on your sensitivity to chemical smells, you may notice it goes away after anywhere from a matter of hours to a few days.

It would be advisable to let the unboxed mattress air out in a well-ventilated room for a day or so. The smell should not be too overpowering or irritating for most people.

Still, those who are particularly sensitive to chemical smells might like to consider a mattress that is 100% natural and does not use chemical-based foams and adhesives.

The Puffy has some features going for it that are good for sex, but lacking in others, meaning it’s not quite going to be the full package for some couples when it comes to compatibility for sexual activity.

The soft, low-density memory foam that makes The Puffy so good for pressure relief makes it not so good for those who like a good level of bounce.

While it is relatively responsive, it’s response is slow enough and the level of sinkage deep enough that it provides good traction and is silent, but does not offer much bounce, and could make it hard to change positions.

While all-foam mattresses generally do not have as long a lifespan as mattresses made from more resilient, reinforced materials such as innerspring or hybrids, The Puffy Mattress can be expected to be about as durable as comparable mattresses.

Given The Puffy is not designed for very heavy people, it is unlikely to develop premature wear and tear. However, the memory foam comfort layer is of a lower density than average, which may result in it deteriorating quicker than usual.

However, one plus on the side of durability is the firm, high-density support layer. This 6” thick polyfoam layer sets a good foundation and should ensure The Puffy provides years of good support.

While some of the foams used in The Puffy Mattress are proprietary and there’s not much information on them, the testers could not see any reason why it should not at least have an average or above lifespan for a memory foam mattress.

While the level of sinkage and contouring may make movement difficult during sex, most testers found that the soft memory foam was no impediment to being able to move around and change positions fairly easily.

Even though the foam is relatively slow responding, contours to the body, and allows some sinkage, the level of “hug” was not enough to impede movement or require too much effort to shift positions.

There were a couple of exceptions with testers who did find the foam impeded movement a bit, but this is likely to be an issue mainly for heavier people, or people who may have mobility issues. So, while most people should not find movement too much of a problem, there were enough concerns from testers to warrant just an “OK” rating.

The lack of a white glove delivery option means The Puffy cannot be awarded a “Great” rating here, but even though to your door is as far as your new mattress is going to get when delivered, its weight and packaging mean moving and setting it up is going to be no more difficult than any other all-foam mattress in a box.

It is generally advisable to use two people to move and unpack a mattress. The box The Puffy comes in measures 42” x 19” x 19”, and the weight of the mattress ranges from 41 lb for the Twin up to 87 lb for the King and California King.

The mattress is compressed, so once removed from the box, the plastic wrapping needs to be cut away, and then the mattress needs to be placed on a flat surface and allowed to expand.

While The Puffy is not anything out of the ordinary when it comes to technology or materials that would justify a high price tag, its middle-of-the-road quality and price tag make it about average in terms of value for money.

However, the deep discounts that are often available boost The Puffy’s value for money — and we would not advise buying one at full price.