Casper updated its Original Mattress — I slept on it and it's just as pressure-relieving and heat-dissipating as the previous version, but less firm

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• A high-quality mattress is ideal for a broad range of sleeping styles and body types, offers excellent motion isolation and edge support, and comes with a risk-free home trial period.
• I like the Casper Original Mattress because it keeps my usually-hot body nice and cool, offers impressive motion dampening properties, and keeps my spine aligned when I sleep on my stomach and side.
• It comes with a 10-year limited warranty and is available to try risk-free for 100 nights.
• You can save up 15% on Casper mattresses, including the Original, through August 11.

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Casper remains one of our favorite bed-in-a-box brands, even as the industry continues to attract new competitors. When it launched in 2014, the company was popular right away. Over the past few years, Casper has continued to up its game by improving the construction of its flagship mattress, introducing new models, and even adding bedding, bed frames, pillows, and accessories to its repertoire.

Earlier this year, Casper updated its best-selling all-foam mattress with a more eco-friendly (yet comfortable) cover. The company also combined foam layers for a simpler construction that still offers all of the same pressure-relieving and heat-dissipating benefits. Casper sent me the updated Original Mattress to test for free. Here is my experience with it.

Design

The Casper Original Mattress is a 2020 update to the company's flagship bed. The price remains the same, but the main difference is that the new mattress has three layers of foam (versus the four layers of the previous model). The new layers are:

• "Airscape" perforated breathable foam – This top layer is designed to increase airflow for a cooler sleep and offer pressure relief.
• Zoned support memory foam – The middle layer provides more relief and helps align your spine with three ergonomic zones that are softer under the shoulders and firmer around the lower back, waist, and hips.
• Durable base foam – The thickest layer offers support by preventing sagging and sinking.

Missing from the new model is the high-density memory foam layer, though the new breathable top layer shares many of the same characteristics.

The mattress also has a new look with a more modern cover made of recycled polyester, recycled bottles, and upcycled cotton, rayon, and lycra. Appearance-wise, the covers are fairly consistent across Casper models.

Set-up process

The Casper Original Mattress arrives at your door in a box that's maybe a little larger than a mini-fridge and – in the case of the Queen – weighs about 85 pounds. Unless you run a CrossFit gym, you'll want to get a friend to help you move it around. I had my teenager, who's always looking to show off how strong he is, drag it up to our third-floor test bedroom.

The unboxing process is simple and intuitive, which is a good thing since the instructions had dropped down to the bottom of the box and thus weren't accessible until I'd removed the mattress. You open the box, remove the wrapped mattress, place it on your bed foundation, unwrap the outer plastic layer, carefully tear or cut open the inner layer of plastic, and give the bed time to expand.

The mattress is meant to work on just about any foundation, though Casper recommends using one of its bed frames. And, since the Original is an all-foam mattress, you'll want to make sure it has as much direct support under it as possible. I slept on the same Zinus frame I use for all of my testings.

The mattress has the usual "new bed smell" so I'd recommend unboxing it in the morning and allowing it to air out before you put sheets on it. This will also give the mattress time to expand.

Under normal circumstances, Casper offers an in-home setup for a fee. With this service, the company sends someone to unbox and set up your mattress, foundation, and/or bed frame. And, they'll remove the packaging and take away your old mattress and/or foundation if you need it. But, at the time of this writing, the service is suspended due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

What makes the mattress stand out

Sleeping on a mattress is the only way to find out for sure that it's right for you. That's why Casper offers a 100-night, risk-free trial. If you try the mattress and find it isn't right for you, contact Casper, and they will work to have a local charity or recycling center pick it up. You then get your refund within two weeks, and there are no shipping fees or hidden restocking fees removed from the refund.

The new Casper Original is closer to average firmness than the previous model, which was on the firmer side. Though I preferred to sleep on my stomach to take pressure off my back, this mattress was also comfortable when I was on my side, and my back-sleeping wife found it suited her style.

Like its first incarnation, the 2020 Casper Original stays nice and cool through the night. This was a relief since I tend to be a hot sleeper and memory foam usually traps heat. The breathable top layer allowed for airflow that helped dissipate the heat I put off.

As with the previous Casper Original, the motion isolation is great. The mattress passed my motion transfer test with flying colors. I placed a 12-ounce pop can in the center of the bed and dropped a 15-pound bowling ball so it landing 12 inches away. The can stayed upright each time. A good approximation of what it might be like to have a partner in bed tossing and turning. You're unlikely to be disturbed with this mattress.

The Casper Original is backed by a 10-year limited warranty that covers major indentations, manufacturing defects, physical flaws, and deterioration that may occur despite using a supportive foundation, proper handling, and normal usage.

Cons to consider

The edge support of the updated Casper Original is not as good as the previous version. However, it isn't horrible. When I sat on the edge of the bed, it sagged significantly. And, when I rolled onto the very edge of the bed, I quickly fell off.

One morning while testing the mattress, I woke up with back pain despite feeling fine when I went to bed. This is an intermittent problem for me, and I'm hesitant to blame the mattress. I had run over three miles per day for five straight days. My body wasn't used to this and was likely rebelling against me. My back gradually improved as I continued to sleep on the mattress – and abstained from running. I'm sharing this to show that the mattress isn't perfect for back pain sufferers (and to remind you not to overdo it when working out).

The bottom line

Overall, I enjoy the Casper Original Mattress. My favorite parts are the average firmness that works for my sleeping positions as well as the breathable, open-cell memory foam that kept me cool at night.

Should you buy it?

You'll have a hard time finding a better all-foam mattress than the Casper Original. It works for a broad range of sleepers and is designed to offer supportive pressure relief. Though several mattress brands are more affordable, Casper has the benefit of being a juggernaut in the industry. This means that they will likely be around to honor the 10-year warranty that comes with the mattress as well as the 100-night risk-free trial.

Taking all of these factors into consideration, we recommend buying the Casper Original if you're looking for an excellent, reliable mattress that will last you for a decade or more.

What model should you get?

The Casper Original comes in Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, and Cal King, in order from smallest to largest. Due to the questionable edge support, we recommend going with larger sizes if you have the room and are on the fence. Couples will want to opt for Queen, King, or Cal King. And, larger couples will benefit from a King or Cal King. My wife and I are larger and share a bed with a dog. The Queen felt too crowded for us.

Petite individuals who sleep alone can get by with the Twin. Tall, skinny folks might want to try the Twin XL. And, big solo sleepers should go with the Full or larger.

What are your alternatives?

Aside from the ultra-soft Nova Hybrid and the over-priced Wave Hybrid, the other Casper mattresses are fairly similar. So, if you are looking to save money, you might consider the low-end Casper Element. The pressure relief isn't as impressive as the Original, but unless you have specific aches and pains, you may not notice the difference.

If Casper doesn't interest you, take a look at the Insider Reviews guide to the best mattresses, which features my favorite mattresses based on the rigorous testing of dozens of models.

Pros: Works well for a broad range of sleeping styles, made of eco-friendly materials, excellent airflow for a cool sleep, great motion isolation, 100-night sleep trial

Cons: Poor edge support