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- Provides plenty of cushioning
- Good temperature regulation
- Can be machine washed and tumble dried
- Not particularly supportive
- No trial period
An extra thick mattress topper that can also help regulate your temperature at night sounds like an oxymoron, so I was intrigued that Slumberdown’s 10cm Climate Control topper is designed to do just that.
With prices starting at £45 for a single, you’re getting a lot for your money when you consider how deep this topper is. It’s comfortable, and I was impressed with how well it delivered on its “Climate Control” promise – though if you’re after something supportive, you might be disappointed.
How does the Slumberdown Sleep Soundly topper compare to some of the best mattress toppers on the market, and would I recommend it? Read on to find out.
What do you get for the money?
The Slumberdown Sleep Soundly Extra Deep topper is made from microfibre with a hollowfibre filling, and is a whopping 10cm deep – making it one of the thickest mattress toppers we’ve reviewed. It comes in “Classic” and “Climate Control” versions, the latter being the version I tested: according to Slumberdown, this is filled with “Temperate fibres” to aid temperature regulation.
Neil McMillan, New Product Development Director at Slumberdown explains: “The body’s natural way of regulating temperature is through the evaporation of perspiration (evaporative cooling). Temperate fibres essentially work to support this natural process. They’re tested to ensure they wick moisture through the filling to move it away from the body and reduce humidity in the bed to keep you dry throughout the night. To meet the temperate branding requirements, fibres must meet minimum requirements that show they have a higher rate of moisture wicking and breathability versus standard polyester filling.” These fibres within the topper are also spiral-shaped, which aids in them bouncing back into shape quickly to help with the longevity of the topper.
Elasticated straps at each corner keep the topper firmly fixed in place and a box quilt design ensures the hollowfibre filling is consistently and evenly spaced. It’s machine washable up to 40°C and can also be tumble dried.
Available in four sizes, it starts at £45 for a single, rising to £60 for a double, £65 for a king and £75 for a super king. It’s considerably cheaper than many similarly designed toppers such as the Dreams Dream Team Ultimate Washable topper at £125 (king size) and the Dorma Full Forever at £90. It’s also far cheaper than memory foam options such as the REM-Fit Halo at £219 and the Origin Contour at £151, though you don’t get the benefit of a trial period that these bed-in-a-box brands offer. However, in terms of budget options, the Slumberdown topper is really only beaten by the Silentnight Airmax at £45 in a king size.
What did we like and how did the topper fare in our tests?
I recently tested this topper’s 2.5cm deep baby brother. Although I was impressed by its cooling abilities, I did feel that it was somewhat lacking in padding for a mattress topper. So, I wanted to test the 10cm version to see if it provided more comfort while still regulating temperature.
Comfort-wise, the topper certainly delivers – particularly if you’re a side sleeper looking to add in some cushioning around your pressure points. As a lightweight sleeper, I noticed a lot of sink-in softness while lying on my side, and I never woke up with a dead hip as I often do on firmer mattresses. That cushioning also impressed in the motion isolation department, and I wasn’t disturbed by my husband as he flipped about like a performing seal.
As with the thinner Climate Control topper, Slumberdown claims that this 10cm version will help to keep your temperature regulated overnight, “keeping you cool in summer and warm and cosy in winter”. I’m always slightly sceptical of these claims, so I carried out some temperature retention tests (see our How we test mattresses article for more details) to judge how well the topper performed. For context, I had the topper set up on the Slumberland Air 6.0 mattress and the room temperature was 22.1°C at the time of testing. After sitting on the mattress with a thermocouple probe placed underneath me, I timed the drop in temperature once I’d got up. This dropped from 30°C to 21.9°C after three minutes. I then repeated the test with the topper on the mattress, and recorded the temperature dropping to 21°C after three minutes. So, on paper, the Climate Control topper works well when it comes to temperature regulation – even if there wasn’t a great deal of difference between the results.
But how did it fare in real world testing? The resident hot sleeper of the house (my long-suffering husband) found this topper kept him comfortable throughout the night and he never felt too warm sleeping on it. Out of interest, I gave the topper to a friend after testing to see how they found it, and she felt that the topper had actually actively cooled her down. Overall, then, I’m confident in recommending this to hot sleepers.
How can it be improved?
Given how thick it is, I found the topper too soft for sleeping on my back, with not enough support under the lumbar region. I should mention that I do suffer from back pain, but if you’re looking for a topper that’s better suited to back sleeping, I’d recommend the Dorma Full Forever instead.
By the same token, I wouldn’t recommend this topper to those who sleep on their stomach either, as I think their hips will sink too far in to maintain spinal alignment.
Should you buy the Slumberdown Extra Deep Climate Control mattress topper?
While it may not be suitable for back sleepers and those that need ample support from their mattress, this Slumberdown Sleep Soundly topper is a great choice If you’re a side sleeper looking to add some extra comfort: that 10cm depth provides a great deal of cushioning. It’s also a good option for hot sleepers, and while it’s not going to perform miracles, it should keep you comfortable overnight.
The Slumberdown is also a good option for those on a budget: among all the mattress toppers I’ve tested (at the time of writing), only the 2.5cm Slumberdown topper and the Silentnight Airmax are cheaper options. For the cushioned comfort and temperature regulation, I think it’s worth the extra cost.
