Bear Mattress Review: Takeaways From Our Testing

The Bear isolates movement fairly well, but I could still feel my bed partner moving around. If you share the bed with someone who moves around a lot, this may not be the best option for you. – Logan

Like many memory foam mattresses, the Bear Original has an above-average ability to isolate motion. Because memory foam reacts only in the area where weight is placed directly upon it, only limited vibrations spread across the mattress surface.

But since the Bear Original has a firm (7) feel, its memory foam does not hug the body as much as on some beds. This means that you’ll probably be aware when your bed partner is tossing and turning or gets up out of bed.

Overall, based on the experience of our testing team, the majority of couples will be satisfied with the motion isolation of this mattress. But people who are very sensitive to being woken up by movement may want to prioritize a model with even higher marks in this category.

In some sleeping positions the mattress contouring provided good pressure relief. It was great for back sleeping but I would prefer more cushioning when side sleeping. – Jeremy

The Bear Original scores well for pressure relief, and most of our testers did not experience excessive pressure buildup while sleeping. In most cases, memory foam can give a sufficient amount of gentle cradling of the body’s hot spots.

That said, the Bear Original didn’t get standout scores for pressure relief. This is because the memory foam layer is relatively thin. Some of our testers, especially side sleepers and people with a higher body weight, felt that the memory foam layer lacked the heft needed to fully cushion their joints.

As comfortable as the Bear Original is, at the end of the day it’s an all-foam bed that has you laying on memory foam. While it’s not the hottest foam bed I’ve slept on, it still absorbed a good amount of heat. – Danny

The Bear Original has some propensity to sleep hot, which is the result of memory foam’s tendency to trap heat. While this mattress doesn’t have the deepest hug, it can still contour to the body in a way that restricts airflow around the skin.

To try to prevent overheating, Bear uses gel-infused memory foam that is designed to cut down on heat retention. They also offer the optional cover with Celliant fabric, which is engineered to better maintain temperature neutrality.

For really hot sleepers, a memory foam bed probably isn’t the right fit. But if you have your mind set on memory foam, the Bear Original’s temperature control is at least on par with most comparable models.

While sleeping, the Bear Mattress edges were adequate, but I wouldn’t sit on the edge of the mattress for any length of time as the edges aren’t the most supportive. – Jeremy

In our testing, the Bear Original showed only above-average edge support. Our team didn’t feel like they were about to roll off the bed, but they clearly noticed deeper sinkage around the perimeter of the mattress.

This is a common issue with all-foam mattresses, and it can be a problem for people who like to sit near the edge of the bed. Sinkage around the perimeter is normally worse for people who weigh over 230 pounds.

Given its firmness level, the Bear Original has better edge support than many foam mattresses. But for people who place a premium on robust edge support, a hybrid or latex mattress may be a better match.

The Bear Original’s all-foam construction hugs your body, which is great for comfort, but makes it a bit harder to move on. Most people won’t have a ton of trouble moving around the Bear, but you’ll still face some resistance. – Danny

The ratings from our test lab reflect that the Bear Original is pretty middle-of-the-road for ease of movement. On one hand, memory foam tends to make it harder to move on the mattress because of how it conforms to your body. On the other hand, there’s not as much sink on the Bear Mattress as on other foam beds, so it doesn’t seriously impair movement.

Without a springy material like latex or innerspring coils, there’s nothing to aid your movement on this mattress. As a result, you are likely to encounter at least some resistance. This is most likely to be a problem if you frequently change your sleeping position during the night.

I’ll cut to the chase – this mattress smells when you open it up. I’m pretty sensitive to smells, but this one was particularly strong. It took a few days for the smell to wear off completely, but after that it was totally fine to sleep on. – Logan

The Bear Original gives off a clearly detectable odor when you remove it from its plastic packaging. This smell comes from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are created when manufacturing foam materials, which is why this off-gassing occurs with most memory foam mattresses.

VOCs don’t pose any health risks, and the smell won’t last forever. In fact, it usually goes away within a few days or even faster if you can open windows or turn on a fan to ventilate your bedroom.