Ikea Talgje - is this the ultimate budget mattress topper?

[Brian’s Dad]

We're currently considering a mattress topper for the upstairs bed.

We've nearly had our Cali for a year and currently slept in it for 37nights (all but one night upstairs). We can clearly tolerate it upstairs but sometimes wonder if a bit of extra comfort would be possible. I'm loathed to spend £400 on a mattress topper and then find out it doesn't improve the situation. There appears to be endless options but this topper from ikea is cheap and an appropriate size.

Strangely it's not mentioned much on the forum. Is anyone using it? If so any reviews and also how well does it pack down?

My other concern about an extra topper is faff and storage space. This looks pretty easy to unroll and check out it's just the extra space on long trips. Those of you who sleep predominantly upstairs (and don't really use the downstairs bed) do you get rid of the comfort mattress to save space? If there was a need to sleep downstairs ie stealth camping or horrendous weather surely we could just use the topper? I think we'd need the small pad to correct the height difference on the parcel shelf.

 

[AlisonF]

If you’re camping a lot, what is a good night’s sleep worth? I spent over £50k on a vehicle. I’m a light sleeper. I have top of the range memory foam mattresses at home. I went for zonesleep upstairs and down in the camper - and usually sleep better in the camper than at home.
So my advice, less worry on economics and more on quality of sleep alongside ease of use upstairs and downstairs.

 

[Brian’s Dad]

If you’re camping a lot, what is a good night’s sleep worth? I spent over £50k on a vehicle. I’m a light sleeper. I have top of the range memory foam mattresses at home. I went for zonesleep upstairs and down in the camper - and usually sleep better in the camper than at home.
So my advice, less worry on economics and more on quality of sleep alongside ease of use upstairs and downstairs.

Thanks, the problem is there are plenty of people who seem to buy these options and don't seem to think they help - beds are such a personal thing. We can already sleep pretty well it's just a bit firm (feel the slats a bit). If I was going for the big spend I'd consider the new mattress option which you can leave in place. It's quite hard to try before you buy.

 

[ThomasHJ]

I'm interested in this topic, as I am also considering a topper or replacement matrass for the upstairs bed. I agree with both of you; a good night's sleep is worth a lot, but then again, I know people who bought Hästens and Auping beds, both quite expensive, and who didnt feel they slept better on those then on their previous much more affordable matrass.

In our T4 we slept downstairs and there we used an ikea topper (don't ask me which one) and that made quite the difference. Just took up so much space.

 

[KGCali]

Wh

We're currently considering a mattress topper for the upstairs bed.

We've nearly had our Cali for a year and currently slept in it for 37nights (all but one night upstairs). We can clearly tolerate it upstairs but sometimes wonder if a bit of extra comfort would be possible. I'm loathed to spend £400 on a mattress topper and then find out it doesn't improve the situation. There appears to be endless options but this topper from ikea is cheap and an appropriate size.

Strangely it's not mentioned much on the forum. Is anyone using it? If so any reviews and also how well does it pack down?

My other concern about an extra topper is faff and storage space. This looks pretty easy to unroll and check out it's just the extra space on long trips. Those of you who sleep predominantly upstairs (and don't really use the downstairs bed) do you get rid of the comfort mattress to save space? If there was a need to sleep downstairs ie stealth camping or horrendous weather surely we could just use the topper? I think we'd need the small pad to correct the height difference on the parcel shelf.

We're currently considering a mattress topper for the upstairs bed.

We've nearly had our Cali for a year and currently slept in it for 37nights (all but one night upstairs). We can clearly tolerate it upstairs but sometimes wonder if a bit of extra comfort would be possible. I'm loathed to spend £400 on a mattress topper and then find out it doesn't improve the situation. There appears to be endless options but this topper from ikea is cheap and an appropriate size.

Strangely it's not mentioned much on the forum. Is anyone using it? If so any reviews and also how well does it pack down?

My other concern about an extra topper is faff and storage space. This looks pretty easy to unroll and check out it's just the extra space on long trips. Those of you who sleep predominantly upstairs (and don't really use the downstairs bed) do you get rid of the comfort mattress to save space? If there was a need to sleep downstairs ie stealth camping or horrendous weather surely we could just use the topper? I think we'd need the small pad to correct the height difference on the parcel shelf.

Why not try using the downstairs mattress on top of the upstairs one to see if it's more comfortable?

 

[Amarillo]

We bought a king size Talgje topper for the lower berth of our Beach.

We used it for 11 weeks while we toured the Nordic countries and Baltic states with two boys and two dogs.

It is perfectly adequate but you can feel every lump and bump of the 3 seat bench.

Like you allude, we bought it for its small pack size. To store it we bought a rectangular cotton sleeping bag liner, and it packed neatly in there with a triple fold, 150 x 70 x 10.5 cm.

The small double should pack to 120 x 65 x 10.5 cm.

The upper bed lacks the lumps and bumps of the 3 seat beach bed, so I’d have thought that the Talgje would be a perfect shallow topper for upstairs - after all, it is designed as a topper to be slept upon 365 days of the year at home.

As for us, we jettisoned our Talgje (along with a dog) when we briefly came back to the UK, bought a £499 Brandrup mattress, and used that on the lower bed for nine months. It still accentuates every lump and bump of the 3 seat bench, so we have now finally bought a nearly new VW contoured mattress. We haven’t tested it yet, but I’m concerned that it is only 180cm long.

For the lower berth:
Talgje is adequate
Brandrup is considerably better
VW untested

For the upper berth:
I think the Talgje would work well on top of the VW mattress, and something I may well consider if the VW mattress doesn’t work out and we put the boys downstairs.

 

[clarinetbcn]

We bought a king size Talgje topper for the lower berth of our Beach.

We used it for 11 weeks while we toured the Nordic countries and Baltic states with two boys and two dogs.

It is perfectly adequate but you can feel every lump and bump of the 3 seat bench.

Like you allude, we bought it for its small pack size. To store it we bought a rectangular cotton sleeping bag liner, and it packed neatly in there with a triple fold, 150 x 70 x 10.5 cm.

The small double should pack to 120 x 65 x 10.5 cm.

The upper bed lacks the lumps and bumps of the 3 seat beach bed, so I’d have thought that the Talgje would be a perfect shallow topper for upstairs - after all, it is designed as a topper to be slept upon 365 days of the year at home.

As for us, we jettisoned our Talgje (along with a dog) when we briefly came back to the UK, bought a £499 Brandrup mattress, and used that on the lower bed for nine months. It still accentuates every lump and bump of the 3 seat bench, so we have now finally bought a nearly new VW contoured mattress. We haven’t tested it yet, but I’m concerned that it is only 180cm long.

For the lower berth:
Talgje is adequate
Brandrup is considerably better
VW untested

For the upper berth:
I think the Talgje would work well on top of the VW mattress, and something I may well consider if the VW mattress doesn’t work out and we put the boys downstairs.

If it's only 180cm long, you're missing a piece. Mine adjusts to different lengths, but is 2M with the short piece unfolded, which Chris failed to do in this video, but unfolded perfectly matches the folded 2nd row seat height. The zippers allow you to place the short piece in different positions depending on the seat/bed/multiflex configuration. The manual for once gives clear instructions on how to configure short/medium/long bed lengths, and how to assemble the comfort mattress accordingly. Important: the contoured hard side goes down to smooth out lumps, the soft flat side is to sleep on. I find the resulting 150cmx200cm long bed excellent to sleep on. The long bed is achieved with the second row in, but a fair imitation can be made with them out by installing the first row larger headrests backwards on the bench, with one of the larger exterior 3rd row headrests moved to the middle.

 

[clarinetbcn]

If it's only 180cm long, you're missing a piece. Mine adjusts to different lengths, but is 2M with the short piece unfolded, which Chris failed to do in this video, but unfolded perfectly matches the folded 2nd row seat height. The zippers allow you to place the short piece in different positions depending on the seat/bed/multiflex configuration. The manual for once gives clear instructions on how to configure short/medium/long bed lengths, and how to assemble the comfort mattress accordingly. Important: the contoured hard side goes down to smooth out lumps, the soft flat side is to sleep on. I find the resulting 150cmx200cm long bed excellent to sleep on. The long bed is achieved with the second row in, but a fair imitation can be made with them out by installing the first row larger headrests backwards on the bench, with one of the larger exterior 3rd row headrests moved to the middle.

Edited with more info.

 

[Amarillo]

If it's only 180cm long, you're missing a piece. Mine adjusts to different lengths, but is 2M with the short piece unfolded, which Chris failed to do in this video, but unfolded perfectly matches the folded 2nd row seat height. The zippers allow you to place the short piece in different positions depending on the seat/bed/multiflex configuration. The manual for once gives clear instructions on how to configure short/medium/long bed lengths, and how to assemble the comfort mattress accordingly. Important: the contoured hard side goes down to smooth out lumps, the soft flat side is to sleep on. I find the resulting 150cmx200cm long bed excellent to sleep on. The long bed is achieved with the 2nd row installed, but you can do a fair imitation with the medium and short bed lengths (2nd row out) by removing the larger front row headrests and installing them backwards on the folded bench,

Although I haven't tried it, I think I know how to make the 2 metre bed with all five rear seats, but not with just the 3 seat bench and multiflex. The combined length of the multiflex and lowered bench is 1.8m.

Your edit has, I think, answered my confusion. But I am concerned that the 2m bed using the headrests will be lumpy.

The answer is to trial the 1.8m bed. At home we sleep on a 1.9m bed and it is fine.

 

[clarinetbcn]

@Amarillo Your solution to making the lower bed with all seats in by just folding everything over into table mode was a life saver, in that situation where you have the multiflex in long mode for maximum luggage, and don't want to go through the mess of unpacking everything and shortening it, which is necessary if you put the bench in bed mode with all seats in. Thanks! I took your idea and made it longer by installing the front headrests backward on the bench, worked fine. Re:lumps in the version I posted above, the advantage of the VW comfort mattress is it's hard on the bottom so lumps don't come through, but soft on the top.

 

[Brian’s Dad]

Wh


Why not try using the downstairs mattress on top of the upstairs one to see if it's more comfortable?

The comfort mattress isn’t a uniform profile so it’s not possible sadly

 

[Brian’s Dad]

We bought a king size Talgje topper for the lower berth of our Beach.

We used it for 11 weeks while we toured the Nordic countries and Baltic states with two boys and two dogs.

It is perfectly adequate but you can feel every lump and bump of the 3 seat bench.

Like you allude, we bought it for its small pack size. To store it we bought a rectangular cotton sleeping bag liner, and it packed neatly in there with a triple fold, 150 x 70 x 10.5 cm.

The small double should pack to 120 x 65 x 10.5 cm.

The upper bed lacks the lumps and bumps of the 3 seat beach bed, so I’d have thought that the Talgje would be a perfect shallow topper for upstairs - after all, it is designed as a topper to be slept upon 365 days of the year at home.

As for us, we jettisoned our Talgje (along with a dog) when we briefly came back to the UK, bought a £499 Brandrup mattress, and used that on the lower bed for nine months. It still accentuates every lump and bump of the 3 seat bench, so we have now finally bought a nearly new VW contoured mattress. We haven’t tested it yet, but I’m concerned that it is only 180cm long.

For the lower berth:
Talgje is adequate
Brandrup is considerably better
VW untested

For the upper berth:
I think the Talgje would work well on top of the VW mattress, and something I may well consider if the VW mattress doesn’t work out and we put the boys downstairs.

Thanks for this I thought you’d have some decent insight!

 

[Amarillo]

@Amarillo Your solution to making the lower bed with all seats in by just folding everything over into table mode was a life saver, in that situation where you have the multiflex in long mode for maximum luggage, and don't want to go through the mess of unpacking everything and shortening it, which is necessary if you put the bench in bed mode with all seats in. Thanks! I took your idea and made it longer by installing the front headrests backward on the bench, worked fine. Re:lumps in the version I posted above, the advantage of the VW comfort mattress is it's hard on the bottom so lumps don't come through, but soft on the top.

I need to use the VW comfort mattress and see if it will work for us.

 

[Skylark2.0]

Wh


Why not try using the downstairs mattress on top of the upstairs one to see if it's more comfortable?

We have a comfort topper downstairs but used it upstairs when we had to sleep up top due to heat and it was fine. Only used for 2 nights in desperation.

 

[Brian’s Dad]

We have a comfort topper downstairs but used it upstairs when we had to sleep up top due to heat and it was fine. Only used for 2 nights in desperation.

I haven’t looked at mine in ages, but isn’t the section which sits on the parcel shelf a lot fatter that the other 2 thirds?

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks for this I thought you’d have some decent insight!

Here's a picture of the king size Talgje zig-zag folded into the sleeping bag liner.

 

[KGCali]

I haven’t looked at mine in ages, but isn’t the section which sits on the parcel shelf a lot fatter that the other 2 thirds?

It's good to get your legs in the air once in a while

 

[clarinetbcn]

I haven’t looked at mine in ages, but isn’t the section which sits on the parcel shelf a lot fatter that the other 2 thirds?

Yes, you can see in the video that I posted above that the folded short section, which is the same thickness (when folded) as the section that sits on the multiflex, is thicker than the other two sections..

 

[Amarillo]

Yes, you can see in the video that I posted above that the folded short section, which is the same thickness (when folded) as the section that sits on the multiflex, is thicker than the other two sections..

This is where I have a problem visualising your long bed using the headrests.

You need the two short bits stacked on the multiflex flap, but you also need them zipped together to extend over the headrests. They can't be in both places at once so either you'd have a sag over the multiflex flap, or your mattress will be too short.

 

[clarinetbcn]

This is where I have a problem visualising your long bed using the headrests.

You need the two short bits stacked on the multiflex flap, but you also need them zipped together to extend over the headrests. They can't be in both places at once so either you'd have a sag over the multiflex flap, or your mattress will be too short.

You’re right, of course, haven’t ever analyzed this is such detail. I sleep on my side with head at the back, so the sag happens at my shoulders, which is actually very comfortable, but may not work for you. Honestly, until I had the Cali I slept in a tent with a 1cm foam mattress, so this is all luxurious to me.

 

[Skylark2.0]

I haven’t looked at mine in ages, but isn’t the section which sits on the parcel shelf a lot fatter that the other 2 thirds?
[/QUO
We took the topper up, not the mattress!

 

[Mo Howard]

We have a memory foam mattress- way to uncomfortable so now have a cheap topper from Dunelm. Works well squashes down small- perfect. Was about £25.

 

[KGCali]

We have a memory foam mattress- way to uncomfortable so now have a cheap topper from Dunelm. Works well squashes down small- perfect. Was about £25.

Do you have a link or the name of the Dunelm topper?

 

[Paul_W]

We have a memory foam mattress- way to uncomfortable so now have a cheap topper from Dunelm. Works well squashes down small- perfect. Was about £25.

We also got a mattress topper from Dunelm, think it was about £30. It’s quite thin so much so we actually leave it fitted full time, no need to remove to shut the roof. Made quite a difference though for us, more comfortable and seems warmer
I’ll see if I can find the package it came in might have the name on it....

 

[Brian’s Dad]

We also got a mattress topper from Dunelm, think it was about £30. It’s quite thin so much so we actually leave it fitted full time, no need to remove to shut the roof. Made quite a difference though for us, more comfortable and seems warmer
I’ll see if I can find the package it came in might have the name on it....

It would be great if you've got details - id love a topper I could leave in place