Cheap/free source of foam bedding?

TheDesertMouse

TheDesertMouse

New member
So I’ve been looking for an inexpensive bed sized piece of foam to put on the bed in my van.
So far every place I have looked wants hundreds of dollars for a dinky 2” thick piece of polyfoam in the size we need. Which is roughly queen sized, though ultimately in two pieces.

Theres craigslist ofcoarse... but nothing has come up yet. I’ve been checking furniture store dumpsters too, nothing yet.

Does anyone know of a source?
 
The craft and sewing section at walmart sells foam. Its the size of a thermarest and like 2 in thick for about 20 bucks. Im using one right now.

Ive been using it for about a month and its definitely compressing a little but if you like harder surfaces it does just the trick.
 
When I built a bed/sleeping space in my automobile someone Said get some high density foam for it, but at the shop the guy gave an expensive price, so instead used yoga matt's cut to fit.
 
Don't just check the furniture store dumpsters; go in and ask if they have any scraps. You will be amazed at what some places will give you when you ask!

While you're at it, check any place that does upholstery work. Frequently they will have things like memory foam.

Also keep an eye out around the end of the month at apartment complexes and such.
 
Couch cushions have on average 5 to 6 inch high grade foam in then. 3 of them makes a nice bed have used them on sailboats for years. You can spray bleech water and let dry then recover to sanitize.
 

I have seen guys on boats go in together to buy queen size memory mattresses then rip them length wise to make two individual bunk mattresses on fishing boats. You are right about them costing hundreds of dollars. Then some fisherman learned that since boat bunks are usually longer than a twin and not always rectangular but narrower that they really were not perfect and still costly. Truckers have also dealt with the same issues as often some mattresses in sleepers are cheap & or offsize. Experiment with the differing thicknesses & dimensions on the website to investigate if acquiring new is affordable enough for you. Much of the site is geared towards retail customers who found themselves there by a google search & professional upholstery craftsmen & diy crafters. My guess is that it might be worth it.

I think buying a polyfoam/polyurethane foam that is pre measured to your exact specification (rectangle/trapezoid/triangle/whatever) would be best. By ordering the dimensions you can avoid paying for the overage that would come in the form of a traditional residential mattress. As it is not a complete mattress it is much cheaper. Instead of wasting money on extra material that will eventually get discarded, only pay for the length & width that you need. If it was me, I would invest in the added thickness while ordering an shaped piece that fits your application, perfectly. Free shipping over $75

The craigslist route is also fine as memory foam mattresses come with a cover that is zippered that holds the tags etc. These can be discarded to perfectly good & free polyfoam core that can be cut & used fro free. As many municipalities charge a fee for mattress disposal; it could be a win/win for you & they who are disposing of it. That being said. Some higher end memory foam mattresses have a secondary foam as a topper but just as comfy regardless of which side you flip. You may want to get a custom cover or custom sheets made to fit your application & or double as a seating area when not sleeping.
 
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Trying to resurrect this thread but take it in a slightly different direction. I need to sleep better when I'm not traveling full-time, but I will travel again so I need a solution that isn't getting a used mattress off craiglist or going big enough to have to ship freight, but something that can be checked as luggage or mailed to its destination. The best I can come up with is a memory foam mattress, placed in a heavy-duty mattress bag or tarp, and then rolled up and compressed with several ratchet straps.

The company mentioned in this thread that sells mattresses, from what I can tell, you can still get a spring mattress or chunk of memory foam in a basic bag. Less expensive by several hundo than any budget mattress I found online with an hour of searching. Premium mattresses vs. a Cadillac-tier chunk of foam is more than half off. Here's that link still works after a couple years.

There are some great air mattresses out there, but I refuse to wake up on the floor lol.
 
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