Bear Original Mattress Review: Affordable, Memory Foam Mattress With a Unique Cover – CNET

7.5

Bear Original

Score Breakdown

Performance 8.3Support 6Return Policy 6Pressure Relief 6Features 9

Read more on How we test mattresses

Like

• Comes with a special Celliant-infused cover
• Comfortable for most sleeping positions
• Ideal for people under 230 pounds
• Great value for the features it offers
• More responsive than traditional memory foam beds

Don’t like

• It’s made from foam so it’s not ideal for people over 230 pounds
• Might be a little too firm for petite side sleepers who want a plush mattress

Product details

• Type Memory foam mattress
• Firmness 6 or medium to medium-firm
• Trial 100 nights
• Warranty 10-year limited warranty

While Bear may seem like your typical online mattress brand, its mattresses are anything but ordinary. The company makes sleep products designed to aid the body’s natural recovery process and maximize sleep quality. They do this through the special Celliant-infused cover. 

First impressions

There is no way for me to measure whether or how well the Celliant cover boosts my daily performance. It’s also hard to pinpoint whether or not restful sleep on this mattress can be traced directly back to the Celliant, but it is a great concept. You also seemingly aren’t charged more for having this feature in the mattress, so it certainly doesn’t do any harm. (My old boss, who was a gym junkie, also used to sleep on this mattress, and he swore by it.)

Even though the Bear Original is a memory foam mattress, it doesn’t give me the same feel as a mattress from Nectar or Amerisleep, two other popular foam mattress brands. It has the same molding, hugging characteristics, but it’s quicker to bounce back to normal once you switch positions. This helps prevent your feeling like you have to pull yourself out of the foam layers to change sides — something for you, combination sleepers. 

Video: Bear Original Mattress Review

Watch our CNET Video Producer, Owen Poole, review the Bear Original mattress. 

Bear Original mattress firmness and feel

What does the Bear mattress feel like?

As cozy and cuddly as a real bear looks to snuggle into, the Bear Original mattress is the real comfort winner — and it won’t try to eat you. As I mentioned above, it doesn’t feel like a run-of-the-mill memory foam mattress. It feels almost like it’s combined with neutral foam to even out the syrupy feeling that can sometimes accompany memory foam. 

So, it bounces back to its normal position more quickly, allowing you to switch positions easily. The responsiveness is not overwhelming; it’s a pleasant feeling that might even appeal to people turned off by classic memory foam. 

How firm is the Bear mattress?

The Bear Original mattress leans slightly more to the firm side of the spectrum, but it’s pretty moderate; I’d call it between a medium and a medium-firm, around a 6 out of 10 on the firmness scale. It offers excellent spinal and back support when I lie on my stomach or back, and prevents my lower back from sagging into the top layers. It also gently hugs my hips and shoulders when I’m on my side. However, this may not be the best bed if you spend the entirety of your night on your side because it doesn’t have as much give as you might need under your hips and shoulders, especially for people who weigh under 150 pounds. Our list of the best mattresses for side sleepers has more options.

Bear Original mattress construction

The Bear Original bed is a standard 10 inches tall and contains three foam layers.

1. The first layer is a thick layer of firm, dense foam that acts as the bed’s supportive base. It’s not meant to be comfy but to keep you from sagging into the bed.

2. The second layer is transition foam to add comfort and keep you from feeling the firm bottom layer. It also helps neutralize the memory foam in the top layer. 

3. Third is the graphite-gel memory foam, which provides the majority of the bed’s comfort. It’s infused with graphite to help absorb your body heat and promote a more comfortable sleeping space. 

Last but not least comes the Celliant-infused cover. You can’t physically see the Celliant on the mattress, but the cover has a cool hexagonal textured pattern across the top, giving it a distinctive look. 

Bear Original mattress performance

Motion isolation

Nobody likes a shaky, loud mattress that jolts and wiggles whenever your partner gets out of bed. Luckily, that’s not something you have to worry about with the Bear Original mattress. I was impressed with its motion-isolating capabilities. Memory foam is top-notch for absorbing movement, and there are no springs or latex foam layers to add bounce to this one. 

Edge support

The Bear Original mattress gets an average rating for edge support. There is some give when lying or sitting on the edge, but that’s to be expected when dealing with an all-foam mattress. Unless you’re over 230 pounds, you should feel amply supported. 

Temperature

Bear says on its site that the graphite gel in the top layer of memory foam helps provide cooling relief, but I found that’s not necessarily the case. It doesn’t “sleep cold,” and I didn’t get a cooling sensation when lying on the bed. That said, I think it helps prevent the bed from overheating like traditional memory foam beds can. Long story short, I’d say it sleeps temperature-neutral. 

Who is the Bear mattress best for?

The Bear Original mattress isn’t going to be an ideal fit for everyone, and our purchase decision should partly depend on your primary sleeping position and your body type. 

Sleeping position

Do you usually spend most of the night on your stomach, back, side or a combination of the three? I think the Original Bear mattress is going to be great for back, stomach and combination sleepers.