I remember the first time I heard about the mattress in a box concept. It raised many questions in my mind. How do they fit inside? How do you know if they're any good? Can you vacuum seal metal springs? What is all-foam? Despite all the reasons it felt like it would be a business venture doomed to fail, Casper was right. And what felt innovative in 2014 now feels, well, normal as many other direct-to-consumer brands have followed. The once long-shot design is now the way we shop regularly, and that huge shift in the home industry happened in barely a decade. My friends, that’s what we call consumerism.

Now, you’re here, in the very spot people find themselves every five years or so, looking for a mattress on the internet. So, where do you even start? The amount of brands in the game now just makes the world of sleeping even more difficult to navigate.

As a self-proclaimed home testing expert, I have tried four mattresses in the last year alone, and as result, I constantly get asked about which one is really worth buying. My answer isn't simple—sorry—but it is consistent: “It depends on what you like.” While being a self-proclaimed expert has its perks, it doesn’t make me the sayer of all. I like it plush and fluffy, a nightmare blend for many. This brought me to think about what really is the best way to help people find what they need while shopping virtually for a mattress that arrives in a box. It was time to survey my colleagues.

Here at Esquire, we love to determine what's the best of the best. We know the best tequilas, the best hotels, the best sneakers, and so we, of course, have to know the best way to sleep. I enlisted 10 staffers on a sleep experiment to see how they sleep, what they sleep on, and why they like what they like. Some of us tested new mattresses in search of an upgrade, and a few refused to replace their beloved ones, choosing to rave about what's kept them rested for years instead. This is as real as recommendations get. Here's what we actually sleep on every night.

Parachute Home

parachutehome.com

$2199.00

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As mentioned, I've tested four mattresses in the last year, and I will finally name my favorite. The Parachute Eco Comfort Mattress is my hands-down winner. While I wouldn't recommend this choice to everyone, I'll tell you why it works for me. I had a few laundry list items to check: I wanted something sustainable (which is important to me, but no judgement) and something supportive, but also fluffy. People often think support and softness don't go together, but they do and Parachute achieves the perfect blend with the one and only mattress it sells. As a brand, if you only sell one mattress, it has to be really fucking great, and this one is.

First, let's talk support. This mattress was specifically constructed to be firm in the middle to offer you extra back support, while being softer around the head and feet still for comfort. The hybrid mattress contains five times the amount of coils as a traditional coil mattress, meaning the support is really there and goes deep down. When you lay on top of it, you can feel the difference in layers and how it effects your body.

I usually fall asleep on my back and wake up on my side. Side sleeping often causes me back pain, but this one offers enough support to combat that. All this talk of support brings me to my next point: No, it's not stiff and firm. It offers a completely plush feel, but I took it one level further by also adding the Down Mattress Pad, and now it honestly feels like a cloud.

All in all, this is the bed I get into (more like sink into) every night and think it's absolutely the one for me. I get support and a fluffy, squishy feel. So, if you also like cloud-like, sink-in plushness, this one is for you. For this price tag, it better be perfect, and to me, it is. —Krista Jones, Senior Commerce Editor

Saatva

saatva.com

$1795.00

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It was just about one year after my college graduation when I got the Saatva Classic mattress. That should tell you two things: One, during my short adult life to date, I’ve only slept on NYU’s beaten-up twin XL and Ikea’s creaky budget find; two, by extension, for four years. That now seems like eons ago, as I’ve already forgotten what those countless miserable nights on a lumpy mattress had done to my sleep quality. Saatva’s Classic Mattress is the remedy that's saved me.

Unlike other online mattresses that you’d typically find squeezed into a dreadful shipping box, Saatva's Classic actually exceeds the standard of traditional luxury innerspring sold in upscale stores. It's a mix of layering of high-density supportive memory foam over separate steel coils that conform to body movements, over an anti-sagging base steel coil that facilitates airflow. Yes, that's a lot of specs packing into one mattress.

The result is a breathable surface that's easy on the muscles and even your bones, which literally made me feel drowsy the first time I tried it in-store. Saatva also offers three levels of firmness; I have the plush soft option that cradles me perfectly; as a side—and occasional back—sleeper, I can’t ask for better.

There is also Saatva’s exceptional white glove service: The brand doesn't just deliver it, but also offers a setup service, and then removes your old mattress all for free! (Come to think of it, maybe that was why I decided on Saatva.) Moreover, Saatva also offers a one-year-long home trial warranty, which I absolutely won’t use since the Classic has so far proven a hardwearing champ: Its firm foam edge has never sunk once, and the surface has withstood my restless nightly rolling like a pro. —Maverick Li, Assistant Commerce Editor

Casper

amazon.com

$2895.00

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You don’t necessarily expect to be dealt a savage personal burn while staring down at the serene face of your sleeping three-year-old son, but that’s exactly when it happened. My wife reached down to brush the hair away from his forehead so we could get a better look at him but paused mid-motion. “Oh, man. His head’s all sweaty. He really is exactly like you, huh?”

It’s true. Looking at baby photos, we’re the spitting image of one another. (Bad news when you grow up, kid.) But apparently my son also inherited something else from me: He’s a hot sleeper. A very hot sleeper. A perched-on-the-edge-of-an-active-volcano-with-a-heat-lamp-hanging-over-you-level hot sleeper. That—plus a right shoulder that just loves to tweak itself into a painful knot during the wee hours—has plagued me over the course of 15 years and two mattresses. The first was a slab of memory foam that dulled motion transfer but felt like climbing out of a vat of oatmeal in the morning. The second was a hybrid mattress that I’m almost certain we irrevocably damaged on day one by trying to fold it in half lengthwise to move it (long story). I’d wake up in the middle of the night sweating, my shoulder aching, on both.

Then I got a Casper Hybrid Wave. And I went for it with the cooling features, adding Casper’s Snow Technology—with its hilariously named HeatDelete Bands—to keep me extra frosty at night. The cooling is a game-changer. But what really sold me on the mattress was something I wasn’t expected: The extremely pleasant mixture of support, softness, and bounce it delivers. You know that feeling of springiness you get from a bed in a really nice hotel? The kind that makes climbing into bed on your hands and knees way more fun than just…sitting on the damn thing? That’s what you get with this mattress. And yet, you don’t feel your partner’s every minute twitch. And there’s still enough of that foamy, sink-on-into-it feeling that it wasn’t a shock to the system and remains entirely comfortable for my side-sleeping self.

Sure, I still occasionally awake with a bead of sweat on my brow. And my shoulder still finds, from time to time, a way to re-tweak itself just a little. It’s a mattress; it can’t force my subconscious to abandon its apparent love of twisting my body into a pretzel each night. But what it can do is give me all the support and cooling power to turn two things that used to be the dual banes of my existence into mere nuisances. That’s pretty impressive. Maybe when my son grows out of his toddler bed, we’ll get him one, too. —Jonathan Evans, Style Director

Purple

purple.com

$2999.00

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Although, I am a side and stomach sleeper, my back tends to react better to firm mattresses, which is why I've always gone with all-foam models in the past. I always thought that those thick all-foam mattresses were great and offered the right support and I never had any complaints—until recently, that is.

My girlfriend and I just moved into a new place and we both agreed that the mattress I had was fine (just fine) but we eventually ended up deciding that it was time for an upgrade from a full to a queen, so why not try something new? We ended up opting for the Purple Hybrid Premier 3, and in just a few nights, I realized what I had been missing out on.

Purple's signature and patented grid system that looks like a giant well, grid—hence the name—combined with the transition of soft foam provides a super fluffy soft feel on top, while still being firm and offering enough support deep down, which is great for side sleepers like me. My view on how comfortable a mattress can be has completely transformed and now I cannot believe how much better I am sleeping.

I also want to note that this mattress system feels so unique that, when I was visiting friends in Chicago, I laid in their guest room bed and immediately knew I was atop a Purple mattress without even looking. Its signature design is that recognizable. This isn't a budget buy, I admit, but don't cheap out on something you will spend 33 percent of your life on. To me there’s no price too high for a good night's sleep. And, the brand just launched its newer version the Premier 4, which is worth a look. —Mike Kim, Digital Design Director

Thuma

thuma.co

$1195.00

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In the medical community there’s a saying that if you hear hoofbeats behind you, it’s probably horses, not zebras. When the Thuma came into my life I was being chased by a herd of zebras, and in great danger of throwing in the towel on my youth. Musculoskeletal pains of all manner would wake me up in the night, every night. Either I was sick or old and neither sounded great. I’d google symptoms until the wee hours. I was certain the answer was some sickness not yet recognized by the medical community or the ravages of time. Being an idiot, I didn’t even consider that the hoofbeats behind me might have been those of a $200-something mattress from Bob’s Discount Furniture that I bought in 2012.

When I dragged that old horse out to the curb and replaced it with the Thuma it all became clear: There’s nothing like a new mattress to take 15 years off your age, and there’s nothing like the Thuma.

As for me, I’m a side-sleeper, and I don’t sleep particularly hot or cold, so I'm not that picky, and just needed an upgrade. I could not describe my perfect mattress to you, which is the beauty of the Thuma. It’s medium-firm, which to me is the default setting on mattresses. It feels luxurious without being obtrusive, and you don’t need a box spring. The whole deal is clean, modern, and sophisticated and will not require you to make any big decisions. I have no particular mattress needs other than "I’d like to not feel like shit all the time." If that’s you, I highly recommend the Thuma.

The brand also makes a bed frame, which I also love. It works with nearly any decor scheme and is exactly the right height from the ground. No hoisting! Points lost for the fact that the delivery representative left both the bed and the mattress in the lobby of my third-floor walkup, which necessitated a call to the super to help drag up three flights. Can I really blame the mattress for that, though? I think not, but it’s something to know. Besides, how can I complain? I have the strength of a woman half my age (or so it feels). —Kelly Stout, Articles Director

Allswell

allswellhome.com

$719.00

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Now listen, I’m the last person who needs a cooling mattress—or so I thought. I sleep with five blankets, and I like to smother myself in them as if I’m sweating out a fever every evening. But, what's wrong with that? Well, as it turns out, you can get that cozy feeling without breaking into a sweat simply by sleeping on the Allswell Cool Mattress.

Now, not only is my consistent shoulder pain gone, but I can smother myself with all the comforters I want and not look like a plunged into a pool by 6 a.m. The hybrid mattress is made with both coil and foam, and takes it one step further by adding cooling technology. All these features showed me why a hybrid mattress is the perfect choice for me.

The support makes it so that I don't sink in nearly as much as I did with my old all-foam mattress, which while fun for a night or two, gets exhausting for the long haul (trust me, I learned). But because the coil support is topped by a foam layer it is remarkably supportive, and yet, cozy as well.

Back to the cooling part, the brand uses copper foam and a cooling top cover to push the heat away from your body, giving you that cozy cooling effect instantly no matter the time of the day or the weather outside. You can feel the difference when you sleep, and I just may up my blankets to six or seven come winter.

All in all, it's extremely comfy, cooling, and a great middle-of-the-road option especially if you’re a big mover like me. So, whether you’re perpetually hot, or a blanket obsessed freak, it’s a fantastic mattress with just enough internal bells and whispers to make sure you have a good night's sleep. —Cameron Sherrill, Lead Motion Graphics Designer

Tuft & Needle

tuftandneedle.com

$1595.00

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Tuft & Needle, one of the O.G. mattress-in-a-box purveyors, sells its midrange offering, the Mint, as designed "with two sleepers in mind." Its patented foam layer is infused with graphite and the ever-so-popular cooling gel for both breathability and heat-reducing capabilities. The brand claims this helps reduce motion transfer, making it so that you and your partner sleep better and "independently of the other’s temperature or movement." Okay! You can see why I was sold.

If I were single, I might be turned off by the presumption of partnership as the price for entry. I happen to be married, and while I, who runs hot, haven’t noticed any discernible heat-reducing capabilities, I appreciate that I can go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without sending shockwaves as I roll out of bed. So, does my better half.

Before receiving the Mint, that extra foam layer was my biggest concern. A confession and proud declaration: I am a stomach sleeper. Is it bad for my spinal alignment? Yes. Do I spend six to eight hours each night inhaling the microscopic dust that has accumulated on my pillow? You bet. Would I have it any other way? Absolutely not. But, I must take special precautions. For the more than ninety percent of you who sleep on your back or your side, mattress firmness is a matter of preference. For us stomach sleepers, time spent on a too-soft surface guarantees a stressed spine.

The Mint offers me just enough support along with its hotel-bed plushness. With my old mattress, a crick in my neck became just another part of the morning routine. But around two weeks on the Mint—about the time it takes, says the company, for the mattress to fully expand out of the box—I woke up one morning and realized, My neck hasn’t hurt in, like, four days!

For some, the Mint will toe the line of being too soft. Also, it lacks handles and can be hard to maneuver. Whether or not those sound like drawbacks to you, the value is undeniable: The Mint comes in at a lower price point than the similar offerings at most of Tuft & Needle’s competition. —Eric Sullivan, Senior Features Editor

Bear

bearmattress.com

$1721.00

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I hate to start this way—I really do—but I have to tell you about a different mattress before giving you the details of the mattress I want to endorse. A few weeks ago, I stayed at an Airbnb in Asheville, North Carolina. It was a cabin in the woods, and my first glamping situation. With the nearest bathroom in the host's house (?!) down a trail outside of the cabin, there was only one thing I liked about the place: the mattress.

It was just a little bit squishier than my then-current mattress. (I've now introduced a third mattress to this blurb. I'm sorry.) It featured the exact amount of extra-squishy that every hotel (or amazing Airbnb) mattress has—the kind that makes you wonder about the piece of shit you're sleeping on back at home. After the trip, incidentally, I had a new mattress to open up that I just received: the Bear Elite Hybrid.

The entire story I just told you, I'll admit, is a means to say that this mattress has that elusive extra-squishiness—the kind that simply doesn't exist in any mattress ever bought by any person I know, ever.

I'm a side sleeper, with an internal temperature of 1,1345 degrees, and this bed manages to wrap around me without inducing a night-long sauna session. As for the specs, it's a hybrid, meaning it has both coils (two kinds, to be exact), and several layers of foam, which is where that squishiness comes from. The added bonus of a cooling layer makes it even better. Now, I don't have to go to a cabin in the woods—looking at you, weird Airbnb hosts—to get a good night's sleep. —Brady Langmann, Entertainment Editor

Aireloom

macys.com

$2897.10

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I am a stomach and side sleeper with a preference for a mattress on the firmer side, or at the very least an internalized fear passed down to me from my mom that a cushiony mattress will eventually destroy my back, which already hurts all the time. I also have doubts (seeded again by my mom) about mattresses that come in a box. I’m not usually so anti-technological advancement, but I have a hard time really believing that something that can squish into a box can support me as well as some good old-fashioned coils can. (I also have proof: My boyfriend’s old all-foam was way too soft for me!)

So, last summer when we moved in together and upgraded to a queen, I went to the Herald Square Macy’s during Memorial Day Weekend—a mattress mecca on the biggest mattress sale weekend of the year—to test ’em out like the mattress truther I am finding myself to be. After much flopping around, I landed on the Aireloom Hybrid Luxury Firm Mattress, which is on the firmer side with 1000+ coils (my mother also taught me that coil count is important–the higher the better) and a plush, memory foam pillow top.

It feels just the right amount of luxurious for a home bed—not too crazy, like you’re in a five-star hotel and going to sink into it and sleep forever, but not so firm that you can’t get comfortable. I highly recommend it, especially if you can catch it on sale. I am also realizing that everything I know about mattresses I learned from my mom, so please direct all complaints to her if you buy this mattress and don’t like it. —Lauren Kranc, Assistant Editor, Content Strategy

Casper

casper.com

$1721.25

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Confession time! During my college career (of five and a half years, hah) I slept on a 1970s-era waterbed. My reasons for doing this were simple: First, I received the waterbed as a free (possibly gag) gift from my parents. Second, I thought having a waterbed was really, really funny. And, it kinda was, for a time. Fellas would double over laughing whenever I showed them what I slept on every night. On the ultra rare occasion that I would invite a lady into my room she would invariably look at the bed, then at me, and then—without fail—hold her head in her hands and leave. It was glorious. On top of all that, I also never slept soundly.

Eventually fate intervened and the waterbed suffered what engineers would call a “catastrophic failure” when my roommate performed a cannonball on it one early afternoon to wake me up. We didn’t get our deposit back. The next 16 years saw one disappointing mattress after another. Too stiff, too hot, too small, broken springs, weird smells. That was until last year when I finally (finally!) picked up my first big-boy mattress: the Casper Nova Hybrid.

I have two issues when I sleep: I run hot and I thrash around constantly. The Nova Hybrid employs a feature called AirScape 2, which is essentially a layer of cushioning perforated with thousands of holes that keep air circulating and prevent moisture from building up. I’ve never woken up a hot sweaty mess. The mattress is also divided into seven different comfort zones, which gently supports my back and also ensures I won’t wake up my partner when I inevitably flop around at night. I don’t just get good sleep with the Nova Hybrid, I get the best sleep of my life. And that, ahem, is a dream. —Daniel Dumas, Editor at Large

Editor's Note: If you want a more affordable Casper mattress, the brand just launched the Element Pro, it's a cheaper, yet comfier-than-ever model.

Serta

serta.com

$2999.00

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As a person that doesn’t exactly sleep on my mattress bare, shopping for a new one was an interesting journey. What do I mean bare? Well, typically, I have several layers between me and my actual mattress. Of course, I have my sheets and comforter, but I also like those old-school (yet-amazing) eggshell foam toppers. I've used one forever and when it came to shopping for a new mattress—because my old one was on the outs—I just wanted something that was solid, reliable, and would act as a comfy base layer to a system I already loved.

I opted for the Serta Artic because I was very intrigued by its cooling system, as I can tent to overheat in my sleep. The mattress is made to absorb body heat and even create a cooling system offering more airflow throughout the night. I had never had a cooling mattress and I'm glad I tried it, because I have felt the difference.

When it comes to comfort, I can say that the firmness was just right. It's not too soft, and offers a medium firm level of support I can really feel. I typically sleep in one spot during the night, and this memory foam is consistent. I never feel like I'm sinking too far in or making a dent, I actually feel like I'm floating on the mattress as if it was a cloud.

In the end, I realized this mattress was all I needed. It's comfy, supportive, and now I'm a full believer in cooling techonolgy. I will say the price is steep, but it is worth the money and I’m fully a changed man. —Rashad Minnick, Fashion Associate