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Pros
- Excellent value
- Optional matching box spring
- Free Shipping in US & Canada
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GhostBed to review. GhostBed wasn’t the first on the scene in the mattress in a box space but being first doesn’t always mean being the best. Often, the first one out of the gate becomes the benchmark to rise above, and that’s just what GhostBed has done.
Overview of the GhostBed
Here’s my updated findings from my original review a few years back and my thoughts on the mattress now.
Ordering the Ghostbed Mattress
Ordering the GhostBed is just as simple and straightforward as the other mattresses in a box that I have ordered. What makes them unique is that you can also add a box spring foundation for an extra $200 and have it shipped along with your mattress.
My mom needed a new bed for her guest room. The bed she currently has in there is over 30 years old and so is the box spring! So both had to be replaced. I ordered a full size mattress and box spring.
The mattress will come in a box that looks like this.
GhostBed Unboxing
The GhostBed comes compressed and wrapped in plastic like the other bed in a box brands. It expands fairly quickly though and you could sleep on it after just a few hours.
A nice surprise is a free t-shirt found when the mattress expands.
Here’s what it looks like a few minutes after opening.
The Ghost Bed Foundation
I put together the box spring with a Philips screwdriver. I didn’t have a drill at my mom’s house so this was all done by hand. It took about an hour but just goes to show that it can be done.
The slats stay connected with a piece of cloth stapled to them to ensure adequate spacing.
You also get a cover for your box spring that matches your mattress.
My GhostBed Findings
The GhostBed comes in at 11 inches high while many others come in at 10 inches and you can feel the difference. The GhostBed just feels more substantial and doesn’t bottom out like a cheaper mattress can. Both of these mattresses have a top layer of latex.
GhostBed Mattress Construction
Below is the inside of the GhostBed. Like most of the mattresses I have reviewed, there are 3 layers. The base layer is 7.5 inches, followed by a 2-inch gel memory foam layer that helps with cooling and finally the 1.5 latex foam top.
Here’s a look at the top layer of latex
Here’s how the layers of the GhostBed react
You’ll also get a little bounce with this mattress.
Here’s a look at how it handles edge support.
The accelerometer reading below shows that the bed will have some residual bounce/motion.
My GhostBed Mattress Recommendation
The GhostBed is a solid choice for people who want some bounce in their mattress but also want the advantages of a memory foam bed. The Ghost Bed will keep you cool too. The combination of cooling gel foam below ventilated latex is a nice touch. It comes with a 101-night trial so you can get a full refund if not completely satisfied.
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Disclosure: We aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting, and if you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue. I have an affiliate relationship with GhostBed.
Reader comments 22
Beth Hesselberg
Does it feel like you will roll off the side?
Editor
No the GhostBed actually has good side support.
Sara
How does the Ghostbed compare to the Leesa?
Editor
The GhostBed will be a little firmer than the Leesa but will also have some more bounce to it given the latex layer.
Richard
Motion Transfer
9
Affordability
8
Softness
4
Off Gassing
6.3
Trial Period
8.2
Purchasing was easy. It arrived quicker than expected. The bed is packed very well. You can tell this bed is very well made. It feels and looks premium without the price. I recommend that the bed be opened on the foundation. It’s about 90 lbs. The off gassing is almost nothing. The bed rises to shape in a few hours. The first couple of nights the bed felt about 6.5-7 in firmness. Now it’s about a 6. It has a bit more of a hugging affect now. I feel much more rested on this bed than my previous. I recommend it.
Bev
So, if you have a king sized bed let your husband keep the ghost and get a twin ghost for him and you figure out what you need by getting another twin. Amazon has a wedge that you can use to go between the two mattresses so you don’t sink in the gap.
awraynor
Motion Transfer
9.1
Affordability
10
Softness
6.8
Off Gassing
6.5
Trial Period
10
We’ve had the GhostBed for almost a week. The entire length of the mattress on my side of the bed refuses to lay flat. It’s a bit firm, but that’s okay. It has good side support. It replaces a too soft traditional mattress. It also sleeps cooler than a prior foam mattress we had which is a big plus. If it won’t lie flat we’ll return it and I’m undecided about trying something different next time.
Dgk
Motion Transfer
3.9
Affordability
3.5
Softness
3
Off Gassing
3.1
Trial Period
8.7
Good thing they have a trial period
Marianna
how hard was it to return the mattress? did you get your full refund? did you have to pay to return it?
Kim P
Motion Transfer
8.6
Affordability
8.6
Softness
5.3
Off Gassing
8.6
Trial Period
9.9
I can attest to the other extreme. Our came yesterday after a trip from Miami to Dallas Tx in a hot truck to an area with 100+ degree weather at the moment. Then it sat in my garage for half a day before we got off work to set it up. Needless to say it was quite warm. As soon as we started cutting the vacuum pack it started hissing and sprung into a full shape mattress in 2 seconds flat. Only one night so far but I’m in love!
Jim Strag
Motion Transfer
8.8
Affordability
3.7
Softness
7.2
Off Gassing
9.6
Trial Period
8.2
I accidentally diarrhea on it once and it’s hard to get the stains out
James
That’s why you need a mattress protector.
Steph
Motion Transfer
9.2
Affordability
9.7
Softness
7
Off Gassing
10
Trial Period
10
I wrecked my brain into shreds reading back and forth, back and forth, scouring the internet for every review possible… I liked that I could find both good and bad reviews… I determined companies that hide their bad reviews are also hiding something else.. No product is going to be universally loved by every single person, I get that. Anyway the ghost seemed to have the most credible looking customer reviews so I finally took the plunge. Oh and I was between ghost and tuft and needle, but their reviews seemed soooo fake to me. Anyway just wanted to say I’m reallly happy with my decision. I like the firmness, personally, I feel my spine is really nicely supported and i don’t sleep warm at all. Not sure how someone could complain about that? Even in summer it’s a no brainer. The box springs i also bought from them, another feature i like that they offered. It looks really good all put together and i feel good to know that I have great support. And for under $1000 bucks i feel like the value is really unbeatable. Def recommend.
Mr. Verdun
If you had to compare this to a tempurpedic style, which one would it fir closest too? And does it sleep hot? I actually work at a furniture store and am just genuinely curious.
Editor
I only reviewed the Tempur Cloud Breeze Supreme and I found the GhostBed to be firmer than that.
Jessica
We just got this bed. Just laying on it thirty minutes has made my lower back and hip hurt. It’s hard…I don’t sink in very much at all or feel supported.
I’m going to give it a try as we have to before we can return it. And then I think we are going for something more plush. Loom and leaf or the Alexander bed…or maybe the hula bed.
I have degenerative disc and something too hard hurts like hell. I think that my 3 inch foam topper from wal mart over my blow up mattress felt way better.
Maybe in a couple of days it will feel better but it seems like a hard bed with not much give at all.
Melissa Capps
Motion Transfer
6.5
Affordability
9.3
Softness
3.7
Off Gassing
8
Trial Period
9.4
We’ve had the Ghost bed for about a week now (queen sized, with the base.) So far the experience has not been great. The bed is way firmer than we expected, and both my husband and I toss and turn all night long. We struggle to sleep in our regular positions, and wake up with pains in our lower backs that we’ve never experienced before. Since it’s made from memory foam, we understand there’s a “softening period,” so we’re going to give it one more week. I have no idea how we’re supposed to return this thing, though…
Matt
Motion Transfer
9
Affordability
10
Softness
1
Off Gassing
10
Trial Period
5
I really wanted to like this mattress but it just didn’t work for me. I weigh 155 lbs and purchased a queen and the mattress was not good for my lower back pain. The mattress seemed a bit too firm and because of my body weight, I couldn’t get the support for my back that I needed. I contacted customer service about tips on breaking the mattress in and their resolution was to jump up and down on the mattress or roll a bowling ball over it, the solutions seemed like a joke. My back couldn’t take the mattress any more and I stopped using the mattress after 3 weeks at the recommendation of my chiropractor.
Unfortunately, you have to have the mattress for a full 30 days before you can request a return. So I had to hold onto the mattress for another week before I could submit a return. During the return process, the customer service team tries to come up with solutions to get you to keep the mattress such as offering to send you a mattress topper (which I think defeats the purpose of the mattress in the first place) or replacing for a softer mattress called the Emerald. After some back and forth, customer service finally agreed to offer me a “return.” However, it is not a true return. GhostBed requires you to find a charity to donate the mattress to and you must find a way to transport the mattress to the charity yourself, obtain a receipt, pull the mattress law tags, and send the receipt and tags back to GhostBed. Additionally, if you received GhostPillows as a promotion, you have to send those back as well at your own dime. The return process isn’t as simple as they make it out to be in their marketing material.
So in all, the mattress is okay. It really is a firm mattress and if your body weight is on the lighter side or have lower back pain, this mattress doesn’t really work out. The return process is going to require you to do more leg work effort in order to get your refund.
Annabelle Hippy
Wow – a lot of places won’t accept a used mattress. I didn’t know the importance of investigating the exact return policy before buying — it would be helpful for review sites to include that! Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention.
Trisha
Oh Matt, ty for taking the time to provide such comprehensive feedback. I was leaning more to buying since I cd return. If I cd do all of that running around hauling mattresses, I probably wd not need to try GhostBed.
To others: I really valued your feedback of this.
Patsy
Matt, Your review is very helpful! Thanks so much!
James
Please note, if you get one with a “promotional” offer such as the ghost pillows, and decide it is not right for you they will require you return the pillows at your own expense otherwise deduct $85 each from your refund. Promotional does not mean you have to give them back. Their business practices are shady. Order a purple or helix instead, they actually respect their customers.
Jim
Motion Transfer
5
Affordability
7.6
Softness
1
Off Gassing
4.4
Trial Period
0
Ghost trial…The ghost bed isn’t for side sleepers in my opinion. Way too firm. The topper they send to make it better is a smaller footprint and is made in China. The mattress case looks and feels low quality and is misshapen. (Not a big deal in itself) Be aware if you buy two twins to use as a split king the trial is worthless. They will site policy and only allow you to be refunded for one twin. A lot of good that does. Now we are stuck with half a bed that we didn’t like. Their customer service isn’t anything spectacular. They could have made it right but chose to just refer to their policy. Over all this has gone from an underwhelming experience to flat out frustration. We gave this bed and company every opportunity and I suggest you learn from my blunder. We did lots of research and read 100’s of reviews and this is the review I wish we would have read.
Garrett OBrien
I didn’t care for the Ghostbed after trying it for a while, but that’s not why I’m leaving this comment, others may like it. I’m leaving this comment to warn people that if they are not 100% sure that they want to keep the Ghostbed, don’t get anything but the bed. The “no-risk” trial does *not* include the foundation, pillows, or protector. We had to pay an extra $177 + extra shipping for our “no-risk” trial because of this. You are also responsible to have someplace come and pick up the mattress for donation as they will not do this.
James
Motion Transfer
6.8
Affordability
7.3
Softness
1.5
Off Gassing
2
Trial Period
2.3
Mine was a bit lumpy, and it felt like I was sleeping with other people in the bed. So I opened mine up to find two bodies.
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