Ask someone to name a bed-in-the-box brand and the chances are they’ll say Casper. After launching in the US in 2014, the company became one of the fastest-growing consumer brands ever and it has quite a list of celebrity backers, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and designer Steven Alan. In the years since, hordes of competitors have appeared on the scene, but Casper still remains the best-known make.
So apart from being the first to sell these rolled-up, vacuum-packed, easily-transportable, boxed mattresses, is there anything else that stands out about Casper? What kind of sleepers does it suit best? And how does the Casper compare to other types of mattresses?
Casper Mattress review: What you need to know
Unlike the US Casper, which uses a combination of foam and latex, the UK model has an all-foam construction comprising four different layers. The top comfort layer is 33mm of open-cell foam, which mimics the feel of latex and below this there’s 33mm of memory foam, a 33mm transition layer and finally 140mm of supportive foam at the base.
For those who are quick at maths, that makes the Casper 240mm deep in total, which is more or less the same as its rivals Simba and Leesa and means it’ll work with all standard fitted sheets.
The layering means you’ll be sleeping on an upside-down mattress if you flip it but Casper advises rotating the bed from top to toe every three to six months. Be warned that at 38kg for a king size, you might need someone to help. You can use the mattress with any base that’s solid and flat and, unlike many of its competitors, the Casper can be used with both hot water bottles and electric blankets.
Since its beginnings, Casper has made only minor tweaks to the UK version of its mattress. The latest version, introduced at the end of last year, added “contour cuts”, which Casper claims help relieve pressure while maintaining “comfort, support, temperature, and durability”.
A mattress cover is by no means essential, but using one will keep your Casper mattress clean and hygienic for longer. Casper recommends a breathable, cotton mattress protector over a polyester one – its own mattress protector will set you back from £70, depending on which size you need.
The Casper is available in all UK sizes from single to super king (as well as EU sizes) and it’s backed by a ten-year warranty. It’s sold exclusively online, either via Casper or Amazon and, if you don’t like the feel of it, there’s an 100-day money back guarantee. During this period if you contact Casper via phone or email they’ll come and collect it, free of charge.
Casper Mattress review: Price and competition
Prices for the Casper are £350 for single, £550 for double, £600 for king and £700 for super king. This is on par with foam mattresses made by Eve, Emma and The One by Made. Other well-known names in the bed-in-a-box market include Bruno, whose mattress is slightly more expensive at £385 for a single and Simba, whose single costs £399. For a single Leesa, you’ll also need to part with £400.
Like all bed-in-a-box mattresses, Casper claims it will give you more bang for your buck than a pocket-sprung mattress. In fact, you can get a decent pocket-sprung mattress for under £700. The Sealy Nostromo, which has a pocket-sprung core and latex top layer, costs £650 in single. If your pockets are deeper, there’s the Somnus Supremacy Marquis 1400 – a high-end pocket-sprung mattress with supreme comfort and exceptionally breathable materials which will set you back £1,449 for a single.
Casper Mattress Review: Comfort and performance
I’d advise unpacking your mattress right onto the bed frame, because as soon as you take it out of the box and its vacuum packaging, it quickly expands. In fact, you can lie (and even sleep) on it straight away, although the manufacturer says it can take 24 hours to completely form. You might notice a bit of off-gassing, but the odours aren’t as strong as some other foam mattresses and they disappear within a few days.
Lying on the mattress for the first time, it gave me immediate comfort, but I also felt supported and lifted up. With some bed-in-a-box mattresses, you get a sunk, cradled feeling but I didn’t find that with the Casper.
Having said that, the mattress can feel a little softer in the morning than it does when you go to bed (especially if you get very warm at night) and it also softened a little after the first few weeks of breaking it in. If you’re looking for something that’s consistently firm, then, you might be better off with the Simba or Eve Hybrid, which don’t exhibit such pronounced changes.
Back-sleepers will know how hard it is to find the right mattress. But with the Casper, I felt instant comfort under my shoulders, and my spine felt as if it was supported in all the right places. Lying on my side was also comfortable, with good moulding, and I had no aches and pains in my hips and shoulders. Finally, I found the Casper mattress comfortable on my front, and felt as though my hips remained at a similar level to my shoulders, which isn’t always the case with softer mattresses. To caveat that, I weigh around 55kg, so of a heavier person might find it softer.
If you do move positions, rolling over is easy enough and the Casper is on par with other all-foam beds in terms of partner disturbance – that is, you might feel them toss and turn, but only a bit.
One of the main criticisms of bed-in-a-box mattresses is that they can make you feel clammy at night. I definitely found the Casper warmer than a pocket-sprung mattress, so if you’re prone to getting hot at night, you might be better off with something with natural fillings.
Casper Mattress Review: Verdict
Casper is one of the top players in the bed-in-a-box industry and its UK mattress is a winning combo for a comfortable and supportive night’s sleep.
I found it delightfully comfortable when sleeping on my back, side, and front, and although it was noticeably warmer than a pocket sprung mattress, I never found it excessively hot or clammy.
Unlike some of its rivals, however, the Casper mattress can feel softer as it gets warm, and also loses some of its firmness during the initial break-in period, so it might not be the best choice for those looking for the highest levels of support.
It’s too soon to tell how the Casper will last in the longer-term as the company has only been in business a few years, but there’s nothing to suggest it’ll sag. All in all, then, it’s a comfortable and versatile medium-firm mattress that should be suitable for the majority of prospective customers.
