I have fallen asleep Dozens of different mattresses over the past two years while testing beds for our guide best mattresses You can buy online, but nothing like Airwave Advanced. I first heard about this unique, plastic-filled mattress here on WIRED.com — the Internet's source for all things mattress-related — where one of our libero professionalista italianos Wrote about the beds used by Olympic athletes in ParisAs Junior Soprano would say, I may not have what it takes to be a varsity athlete, let alone an Olympian, but I've always been interested in a unique, high-tech gold surface.
The Airwave bed was widely described made of cardboardBut this is more accurate than true. Rather, the base that raised the Olympic dorm mattresses to bed height was cardboard; The actual mattress filling is made of a unique ultrafine woven polyethylene. The Airwave's interior looks absolutely raw glass noodle And provide a hard surface to sleep on. i am one side sleeper For someone who appreciates some give but also wants support, and the AirWave was a little sturdy for me, but comfortable for a week of testing in my home. If I were looking for a firm mattress that could be easily moved, this would be at the top of my list.
Photograph: Martin Szymar
Noodle Delivery
As someone who has had plenty of mattresses delivered to my door for testing, I strongly prefer the bed-in-a-box offering that comes roll-packed on a FedEx truck. Airwave isn't that – it comes through a shipping company. I actually declined the first delivery attempt because the mover wanted to leave a giant Fiat-sized box on my lawn, even though I had arranged for white-glove delivery. (I wouldn't expect this to be an issue if you live in a big city with more professional delivery services rather than contractors picking up odd jobs at U-Hauls, as is the case here in Kansas City, Missouri.)
However, had I taken a peek inside the box I wouldn't have been so concerned, as the AirWave's components are large and non-compressible, but also lightweight and thoughtfully divided into manageable parts. The company says its mattresses are “90 percent breathable” because of the fine fibers, which roughly resemble fishing lines. For my larger-sized tester, there were three slabs of filler to add to the inside of the cover, each weighing less than 40 pounds. Those large plastic rectangles are covered with a soft layer of fabric and zipped into an outer shell made of polyester. After my one-week test, I was easily able to transport this mattress in my SUV to its next home, so I'd say it's as portable as a mattress gets.
Go with the flow
Airwave was founded by a Stanford-educated Japanese engineer and serial entrepreneur motokuni takaoka in 2004. An avid cyclist, he decided to market them by giving away mattresses to be used by Olympic villages and World Cup soccer teams to generate buzz. The technique works, because mattresses attract the attention of journalists and make Press release Fodder.
Photograph: Martin Czymar