Most beneficial mod to date - Mattress upgrade!

[Kave&Lucky]

Ok, I'll state the obvious. The stock mattress Jayco supplies for the RV is junk! The DW and I tried everything thing we could imagine to make use of what we had and was never comfortable. So we recently decided something had to be done. I had researched and seemed somewhat impressed with "The Original Mattress Factory" and since there is a factory in Raleigh about 1 hour from us we decided to check it out further. The staff was knowledgable, accomodating and attentive. The queen short custom fit was not a problem for them. We settled on a firmness we both liked and ordered it on a Thursday night. They had it ready on the following Monday and picked we picked it up Tuesday. I wasn't going to post anything here until we had been able to sleep on it for an extended time and could give an honest assessment. So after a long weekend I can report that this mattress upgrade could be the most beneficial upgrade we've made. We are extremely satisfied with the new mattress and it's quality. They even discarded the old one (cost an extra $5) and helped me install the new mattress. I highly recommend anyone considering a mattress upgrade to at least check them out. We were completely satisfied with every phase of the process.

 

[oldmanAZ]

Most beneficial mod to date - Mattress upgrade!

Thank you.

For us, getting a GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP is critical for an enjoyable trip.

We're in the process to see if the Jayco supplied Denver Mattress can be made to be acceptable or not. A 'leftover' memory foam topper from a previous RV has helped. Unfortunately we haven't had the opportunity (yet) to try it for more than 2 nights in a row. I am not optimistic the combination will be acceptable for many nights in a row.

Jayco TOUTS their Denver Mattress, seems most of us TOSS them.

 

[Kave&Lucky]

In the spirit of complete disclosure, we purchased our 31DS new in Oct of 2011 and have no idea the manufacturer of the stock mattress. We turned it, flipped it, added 1/4" plywood for support added a foam topper and honestly nothing worked.

 

[norty1]

Thanks for the tip. We are going to be shopping for one soon and are close enough to spend a week in Raleigh when the time comes.
Ours is 4+ years old and we have added a foam topper which helped but the mattress is still developing "ruts" where we lie and eventually it is a goner!

 

[Subaru297]

Yes the mattress upgrade is high on the list. We have given our original mattress away and replaced it with a foam IKEA mattress. Still not happy but working on it.

I think our best mod to date has to be the Trimetric battery monitor we installed with the solar installation. Even without the solar part the battery monitor is a great addition if you ever camp unplugged! An accurate fuel gauge for your battery along with lots of other "geeky" information.

 

[Kave&Lucky]

Thanks for the tip. We are going to be shopping for one soon and are close enough to spend a week in Raleigh when the time comes.
Ours is 4+ years old and we have added a foam topper which helped but the mattress is still developing "ruts" where we lie and eventually it is a goner!

Norty1,

The Original Mattress Factory has both store locations and factory store locations (where the factory and the store are under the same roof). This was the type location we went to in Raleigh. You can also find them online through any of the search engines. Good luck!

 

[Scoutr2]

I added a 2" memory foam topper to my mattress and it's very comfy. It came from my Outback TT, which had a Sealy mattress, but still not very comfy.

I just think that unless you buy a very high-end motorhome, you aren't going to get a very good mattress.

Another option is to find a Verlo Mattress store. They can tailor-make any type of mattress you want, in any size you want. But like any other make-to-order product, they are pricey. But the good news is that unless you go to a fifth-wheel (which usually use a standard queen or king mattress), most all TTs use the short queen. So it can be used in your next TT, too.

 

[jamaddox]

I hate to be different but we love the mattress. But I understand it is somewhat personal and what you get used to. I used to sleep on just dirt and the bank of a tank when I was younger.

So for me the two most beneficial mods I have not made yet are a rear view camera and swapping out the power plug for a shore power arrangement.

 

[haphapcamp]

The mattress and more recently, a macerator to pump the gray water through a garden hose to the blue boy in the back of my truck. Worth every penny..

 

[mike837go]

I'll give the factory mattress 2 years (it gets used only 10 nights per year plus the occasional nap).


Then it gets replaced with a quality mattress.


Although getting us to agree on a firmness level is going to get interesting.

 

[Pappy-JAY]

DW bought some memory foam, cut pieces to the proper size for both our bed and loveseat bed, enclosed them in duvet covers, and they are very comfy as mattress toppers.

Other improvements made almost immediately after purchase were replacement of the ridiculously cheap swivel rockers and bathroom faucet and shower head. Also had to deal with leaking shower enclosure. I'm sure we'll find other things to upgrade, but they will be less pressing in nature.

Cheers,
Greg

 

[haphapcamp]

Its not even the comfort of the mattress sucking. Its the movement transfer of a spring mattress as well. With the foam you don't feel your better half moving around and vise versa. I wont ever have a spring mattress in my TT or house ever again. Its like a VCR, dead technology..

 

[53kycamper]

I went to the local furniture store and bought a standard queen mattress that was comfortable and put it in my camper. It takes away from the space to get around it in the bedroom but still enough to get around. Just like sleeping at home.
I've had to deal with a leaking shower also. Did you get yours to stop? The best results I could get was to use plumbers putty - not pretty.

 

[SMS1115]

Fulltimer parents just replaced a 2014 factory mattress with a ComfortAire one. Basically a Sleep number but $500 cheaper. Dad did a lot of research. Both mattresses are manufactured at the same factory. Just put the Sleep Number name on it and add $500 cash to it. They've been on it for a couple weeks now. Mom stated that Dad now sleeps in bed all night instead of going down to the couch to sleep after 2 hours in bed like he did with the old mattress. When we upgrade TT's it will be on our required option list, even if it is dealer installed.

 

[RickAE]

DW bought some memory foam, cut pieces to the proper size for both our bed and loveseat bed, enclosed them in duvet covers, and they are very comfy as mattress toppers.

Other improvements made almost immediately after purchase were replacement of the ridiculously cheap swivel rockers and bathroom faucet and shower head. Also had to deal with leaking shower enclosure. I'm sure we'll find other things to upgrade, but they will be less pressing in nature.

Cheers,
Greg

Greg
You said you did away with the swivel rockers" what did you replace them with? We have the J steel couch (jack knife couch ) We want to remove it and get a couple of recliners to replace it. If you got a recliner can you tell me what kind.

 

[Pappy-JAY]

Greg
You said you did away with the swivel rockers" what did you replace them with? We have the J steel couch (jack knife couch ) We want to remove it and get a couple of recliners to replace it. If you got a recliner can you tell me what kind.

We were limited on choices because our floor plan. Chairs had to be no more than 28" wide. May have been 29". We looked quite a lot in a short period, and as luck would have it, found some really nice leather LaZboy recliners rockers that coordinate nicely with our decor. They were a bit pricy, but we're prone to getting what we want in a case like this.

As far as the shower leak, it was the clear gasket that fits around the faux glass panels. Just wasn't doing the job. Water seeped out and into the bedroom and into a gap next to the vanity. I bought some caulk that dries clear, used plenty of it, and it took care of the issue. Can hardly see the caulk after it dried.

Cheers, Greg

 

[DEM-JAY]

We just received a queen short 10" memory foam mattres from Walmart.com. Installed it and did a test nap on it. It is fantastic, as comfortable as the Tempurpedic in our home.

 

[Hattie]

DH changed the bathroom sink faucet to a toggle handle that aimed the water better.
DW changed the shower nozzle to Oxygenics ... better spray and water usage.

 

[edatlanta]

I suffered through the original mattress in my Designer for a year of full time use. Looking back I can't believe I used it that long. I now have an RV King (with rounded foot corners just like the original one) Sleep Number mattress. This was the best investment I have ever made. But then I full time so a good mattress is very important. I can't stand memory foam so that was not an option for the original one.

I tried to give the original mattress to a niece for her dogs to sleep on. They ignored it too so I burned it.

 

[Quahog]

<snip>

I tried to give the original mattress to a niece for her dogs to sleep on. They ignored it too so I burned it.

That's really saying a lot for the quality of these RV mattresses you get when you buy a new unit! LOL