8.5
Casper Dream Max Hybrid
First impressions of the Casper Dream Max Hybrid mattress
I was excited to unbox all of the new Casper beds. Casper is a popular brand and I’ve always regarded its beds highly. The Casper beds arrived at CNET on a cold day in February, which usually isn’t important but we noticed something interesting with these Caspers that’s true of all mattresses, but we rarely see.
After unboxing the Dream Max Hybrid, I noticed it was misshapen — much more so than the average mattress after unboxing. This is because the foams are cold, and cold foams tend to hold shape more than warm foams. This is especially true of memory foam. It wasn’t an issue because the Dream Max fully inflated and looked perfectly normal after about a day. The Snow and Snow Max took a lot longer, thanks to the increased amount of memory foam they use.
Upon first starting to test the Dream Max Hybrid, it reminded me a lot of the now discontinued Casper Nova Hybrid, which was one of my personal favorite mattresses thanks to its accommodating feel and soft firmness profile that appeals to side sleepers like myself. I immediately noticed the plushness of the Dream Max, which felt great on my shoulders, and I could feel the additional zoned support layers in the Dream Max.
Video: Casper Dream Max Hybrid review
Watch me review the Casper Dream Max Hybrid in this video review.
Construction and feel
The Casper Dream Max Hybrid has five distinct layers, not counting the cover. It has an additional layer of foam in comparison to the base model Dream Hybrid, which has four different layers.
The bottommost layer of the Casper Dream Hybrid is a 2-inch layer of “Casper Core” support foam. Most hybrid mattresses feature a layer of support foam on the bottom like this to provide the coils with a stable foundation. On most beds, I see and test this foam layer is usually thinner than 2 inches, but I don’t think it matters much because the primary support layer is a 6-inch layer of pocketed coils.
Pocketed coils have pretty much supplanted traditional innersprings as the support layer in mattress design because they do a much better job at isolating motion and, at the same time, providing equal levels of support and bounce.
Above the coil layer is a roughly 2-inch layer of “Align Memory Foam” that contributes to the zoned support design which I’ll cover a bit later.
Above this memory foam layer is a layer “Align Plus Flex Foam” which is a layer only found in the Dream Max Hybrid. This foam also contributes to the zoned support design by working with the memory foam layer below. Then, the final layer of the Dream Max is a layer of “Breathe Flex Foam,” which is the same top layer found on the base model Dream Max.
The top two layers of foam on this mattress are light, airy and responsive and counteract the sink-in quality of the memory foam layer below. It all adds up to give the Dream Max an accommodating, soft hybrid feel that is classic Casper. All of Casper’s old mattresses had this similar type of feel but its new beds have a greater variety of mattresses. The familiar feel of the Dream Max (and also the Dream) is welcome.
Zoned support design
Previous Casper beds like the Casper Original, Nova Hybrid and Wave Hybrid were known for their zoned-support design. That means the mattress is divided into separate sections with varying firmness levels, which are intended to promote improved spinal alignment.
Looking at the two middle layers of the Dream Max Hybrid, this design is apparent. The memory foam layer has cutouts in specific spots, which contributes to extra softness in those areas. Also, the more responsive foam above is firmer in the center third, and the two layers together give sleepers targeted zoned support like we saw on the now discontinued Nova and Wave Hybrid beds. The most advanced forms of zoned support from Casper are found in the Dream Max and Snow Max, and this could be a compelling feature for anyone with back pain.
I wouldn’t be concerned with finding the mattress uncomfortable due to the internal differences in firmness because the difference is subtle. You’ll likely feel it to some degree as your body adjusts to the bed when it’s new, but after a while, you won’t notice the difference and you’ll just get the benefits.
Casper Dream Max Hybrid firmness and sleeper types
As I mentioned earlier, the Casper Dream Hybrid is a plush mattress that provides a lot of pressure relief for primary side sleepers. In our tests, we rated it to be around a medium-soft on our scale.
It should work decently well for certain combination sleepers, especially because the zoned support design should help prevent your lower back from sinking too low if you wind up sleeping on your back or stomach, but I would still recommend the Dream Max Hybrid for strict side sleepers and anyone who favors their side.
If you want something firmer from Casper, all of its other mattresses are firmer than the Dream Max Hybrid. The base model Dream Hybrid is a medium, and the Casper One is the firmest option between a medium-firm and a true firm.
Casper Dream Max Hybrid mattress performance
Edge support
The edge support of a mattress refers to how well the perimeter of the bed holds up under pressure and it’s important for couples sharing a mattress. If the edge compresses too much, you can feel like you’re going to roll off the mattress, which usually leads to interrupted sleep.
All the beds from Casper (aside from the Casper One) have edges that are reinforced by the same layer of “Casper Core” support foam. I found the edge support to be very good, even for a softer mattress.
Motion isolation
This refers to how well the mattress can absorb cross-mattress motion, which is also important for couples. If your partner tosses and turns a lot throughout the night, feeling that motion can wake you up. During testing, I found the Casper Dream Hybrid to be pretty average in this category. If you are a light sleeper, you could wake up due to the cross-mattress motion of this bed more often than an all-foam mattress that features a lot of memory foam, but I think it should work well enough for the majority of sleepers.
Temperature regulation
The top layers of foam on the Casper Dream Max Hybrid are noticeably different from the old Casper models. It was previously called “Airscape” foam, and that foam was breathable thanks to its perforated design. The new “Breath Flex” foam on the Casper Dream Hybrid isn’t perforated, but it does have an open-cell design and is light and breathable. Having coils also improves the breathability of the Dream Max Hybrid in comparison to a foam mattress so we think this bed should sleep solidly temperature neutral.
However, if you do want a bed with active cooling elements Casper’s new Snow and Snow Max mattress are noticeably cool to the touch. Check out our list of the best cooling beds, if that’s your priority.
Casper Dream Max Hybrid mattress pricing
| Size | Measurements (inches) | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | 38×74 inches | $1,495 |
| Twin XL | 38×80 inches | $1,495 |
| Full | 54×75 inches | $1,745 |
| Queen | 60×80 inches | $1.88 |
| King | 76×80 inches | $2,375 |
| Cal king | 72×84 inches | $2,375 |
