Back hurting from bed in travel trailer - need advice please

[OregonMan]

Hey guys, I've been living in my 2018 Wolf Pup travel trailer full-time for over a year now. An issue I've always had is that sleeping in the bed hurts my back. I've tried a lot of different things. About 4 months ago I bought a new mattress, the mattress I got from Amazon was: Zinus Ultima Comfort Memory Foam 8 Inch Mattress, Short Queen.

I've read reviews from other RVers about short queen mattresses breaking in too quickly. So I ordered a 2.5" memory foam topper.. but that didn't solve the back pain problem either. Got another mattress topper to put underneath the 2.5" topper from walmart... that didn't help either. Put a sleeping pad underneath the toppers... that didn't help either.

I'm getting really tired of having back pain from sleeping in my trailer bed, and over the past few weeks it has gotten noticeably worse. I'm a 230lb male.

Do you guys have any tips on how to stop the back pain when sleeping in your trailer? Is there a particular mattress or mattress topper that has worked really well for you? Any tips would be greatly appreciated... I'm almost ready to spend a week in a hotel just to get a relief from the back pain. Thank god I have a foam roller that I use in the mornings, but it doesn't cure the pain, just helps a little...

[OregonMan]

I'm not a tall guy, about 5'9", so the standard RV mattress works okay for me. Gonna rotate the mattress today, might try sleeping on the floor until I get back to Oregon. Seems silly but it's better than my back hurting.

winniman wrote:
I have a standard residential mattress in my rv. It hangs over the plywood about six inches at the bottom. The standard rv mattress is too short for my liking. My feet hang over the bottom of the mattress. This is the second rv that Ive had the longer mattress in. No problems other than it cuts down on the space a bit at the bottom of the bed. If you are six feet or taller, the standard rv bed sucks, unless you like your feet hanging off the mattress.

[OregonMan]

SidecarFlip wrote:
Sleep on the floor, it's firmer.

I've actually considered it with how much my back is hurting lately.

[winniman]

I have a standard residential mattress in my rv. It hangs over the plywood about six inches at the bottom. The standard rv mattress is too short for my liking. My feet hang over the bottom of the mattress. This is the second rv that Ive had the longer mattress in. No problems other than it cuts down on the space a bit at the bottom of the bed. If you are six feet or taller, the standard rv bed sucks, unless you like your feet hanging off the mattress.

[SidecarFlip]

Sleep on the floor, it's firmer.

[OregonMan]

My trailer can only fit a Short Queen size so I can't put a regular residential mattress in there and it limits my options. Not sure how you could say 12" of thickness won't do anything, why do they offer different thicknesses in mattresses then? Just for the fun? Good to know on the ventilation, will keep that in mind.

Second Chance wrote:
If you'll search the forum, you'll find dozens - if not hundreds - of threads on this topic. The advice to put the residential mattress of your choice in the camper is sound advice. With a residential mattress, 12" of thickness won't do anything except cause you possible clearance issues. Be aware, too, that foam mattresses require ventilation underneath to prevent mold - they can't just sit straight on a plywood platform. There are special substrates made for this purpose. We have a Tuft & Needle queen in the RV (we're full-timers) and it's the best mattress either of us has ever slept on... and we're old.

Rob

[Second_Chance]

If you'll search the forum, you'll find dozens - if not hundreds - of threads on this topic. The advice to put the residential mattress of your choice in the camper is sound advice. With a residential mattress, 12" of thickness won't do anything except cause you possible clearance issues. Be aware, too, that foam mattresses require ventilation underneath to prevent mold - they can't just sit straight on a plywood platform. There are special substrates made for this purpose. We have a Tuft & Needle queen in the RV (we're full-timers) and it's the best mattress either of us has ever slept on... and we're old.

Rob

[OregonMan]

Jebby14 wrote:
what mattress did you like when you were in sticks and bricks. most can be ordered.

The mattress that I used in my apartment was: Signature Sleep Memoir 12-Inch Memory Foam Mattress, Queen Size.


The new mattress I'm considering buying is: Live and Sleep Ultra RV Mattress, Short Queen Gel Memory Foam Mattress - 12 Inch - Cool Bed in a Box - Premium Foam Pillow - Camper, Trailer, Truck - RV Short Queen Size. On Amazon it is $480... ugh. A lot more than I wanted to spend on a mattress but I can't deal with this back pain any longer. The problem is I am traveling across country and won't be back in Oregon until mid October. So either I need to go to a mattress store and pay more or suffer it out for another month.

I'm definitely thinking a 12" would help a lot, that extra 4" of memory foam between me and the wooden base underneath my mattress would probably make a big difference.

[ependydad]

We opted to spend the money for a Sleep Number bed and our backs couldn't be happier about it.

IMO, spend the money on a good bed.

[Jebby14]

what mattress did you like when you were in sticks and bricks. most can be ordered.