Casper Wave Hybrid Review 2024: Testing the Best Mattress for Back Pain

$3,095 at Casper

Casper Wave Hybrid mattress construction

There’s a lot going on under the hood of this thing. Since it has coils alongside a targeted Zoned Support system, the Casper Wave Hybrid takes the design behind the Casper Original to the next level. It’s 13 inches thick, on par with other hybrid beds, and comprised of these materials:

1. It starts off with a thick layer of pocketed coils encased in a foam border to help enhance edge support.
2. Above the coils is the first layer of the bed’s Zoned Support Max system. It’s a transition foam with circular cutouts and contours to help keep your spine more aligned. This layer even has gel pods that run along the center thirds to increase support under your lower back.
3. Then you have a layer of memory foam that acts as the second Zoned Support Max layer. It’s divided into three sections, where the middle is firmer than the head and foot. This also helps to support your back more than the average bed-in-a-box.
4. Above that, you have a softer comfort foam that Casper calls AirScape. This layer is perforated with holes to help airflow.
5. Just beneath the bed’s soft knit cover is another layer of AirScape, which is coated with a top layer of cooling gel.

You can remove the cover of this mattress, but it isn’t machine washable. If it gets dirty, you’ll have to spot-clean it with warm water and mild detergent.

Casper Wave Hybrid mattress performance

Motion isolation

If you sleep with a partner who’s easily woken up by your tossing and turning at night, you’ll want a bed that deadens motion. The Casper Wave Hybrid performs well in this regard. The memory foam helps to absorb cross-mattress movement, and the coils don’t reverberate motion like a traditional innerspring unit. All-foam beds usually perform better than hybrid ones in this category, but I doubt many couples will have issues with motion isolation on this mattress.

Edge-to-edge support

If you or your partner sleep close to the edges of a mattress at night, the last thing you want is for someone to fall off the bed. Lucky for you, that shouldn’t ever happen on the Casper Wave Hybrid. Its foam-encased coils help to strengthen the bed’s perimeter and fortify those edges under pressure. Since the bed was designed with “support” in mind, it makes sense that it’s no different in this regard.

Temperature

There are some cooling features on the Casper Wave Hybrid that are designed to help the bed sleep temperature-neutral. For one, it has a cooling gel that’s coated on the top comfort foam. If you peel back the mattress cover and feel that foam, you’ll notice it’s cool to the touch. The main comfort layers of Airscape are breathable and perforated to give the bed a nice amount of airflow. I’d say it should be temperature-neutral for most sleepers.

If you’re an especially hot sleeper, and sleeping cool is a top priority, there is an active cooling version of this bed called the Wave Hybrid Snow. This model features a cooling cover and special cooling strips to help draw away bodily heat. These features definitely make the Wave Hybrid Snow an active cooling option, but it’ll cost you around $500 extra. Since the price of the original version is already up there, that might be out of most people’s budget. But it could be worth it if you want a cooler sleeping version of the bed.

Durability

Hybrid beds generally last longer than all-foam mattresses. In terms of support, coils provide more long-term durability than a dense foam can. Since the Casper Wave Hybrid has those coils, it should be able to handle all body types, including heavier people. It’s also a good practice to rotate your bed every few months or so to even out the sleeping surface over time. This, combined with the bed’s enhanced support system, could help it last for years and years to come.

Off-gassing 

When you order something online and unbox it, sometimes there’s a bit of a funky odor. This is often the case with mattresses that ship in a box. Don’t worry – there’s nothing wrong with your brand-new bed! The Casper Wave Hybrid may smell kind of weird at first, but it should dissipate after a couple of days. Most beds need time to off-gas, and you should know that it’s a completely normal part of the process. 

Who is the Casper Wave Hybrid mattress best for?

Even though the Casper Wave Hybrid is designed to be supportive and accommodating, it might not be right for everyone. People prefer different beds for different reasons, but let’s talk about who this bed will be most ideal for.

Sleeping position

Since the Casper Wave Hybrid is around a medium firmness, it’ll work for all sleeper types. I’m a combination sleeper who rotates between different positions at night, and I find this mattress to be ideal for that preference. It should be supportive enough for primary back and stomach sleepers, while having enough pressure relief for side sleepers. If you’re a petite-size person under 150 pounds, the bed could feel firmer to you and not as ideal for side sleeping. If you’re of an average build though, it’s going to be a comfortable mattress.

Body type

Because it’s a hybrid mattress that has coils for support, it should be able to accommodate all body types. Even heavier people like myself, over the range of 200 pounds, will get plenty of support from it. Also, if you have chronic back pain, the enhanced Zoned Support system in the mattress will likely help to alleviate some of your pain at night.  

This mattress doesn’t have an official weight limit. A good rule of thumb is to go with hybrid beds if you’re heavier and all-foam mattresses if you’re smaller. Average-size folks can go either way design-wise. Coils or foam, you get to choose. How fun! 

Casper Wave Hybrid mattress pricing