I've Been Testing Mattresses for Over 10 Years. Here's Why the Bear Elite Hybrid is My Favorite.

I'll admit it takes a lot to impress me when it comes to mattresses. In the past decade, I've reviewed well over 100 models and have personally slept on all types of mattresses on my own bed at home, including memory foam, latex and innerspring. So when I started seeing rave reviews for the Bear Elite Hybrid mattress from our sleep testers, I couldn't wait to try it out myself. After two years of sleeping on it, I can confirm the comfort is truly something you have to feel to believe.

The Bear Elite Hybrid is our pick for the best hybrid mattress. Hybrid models are typically built with coils on the bottom for support and foam on top for comfort, and they've become more popular than innerspring and all-foam mattresses. This boxed mattress from Bear stands out for offering a cradling feel without sinking in too much, and it has good edge support, which isn't the norm for boxed models.

Here, we're breaking down everything you need to know about the Bear Elite Hybrid mattress, including why we love it and how to decide if it's right for you.

Bear Elite Hybrid

Now 35% Off

$2,427 $1,578 at Bear Mattress

Pros

• Perfect comfort and support ratings from testers
• Luxury construction with coils and foam
• Real users said it improves sleep quality

Cons

• We couldn't validate the brand's claims about using natural minerals to enhance recovery

Mattress type	Hybrid
Height	14 in.
Weight	60–140 lbs
Firmness levels	Soft, Medium, Firm
Sizes	Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King, Split King
Price range	$1,231–$2,548
Trial period	120 days
Delivery	Free shipping for DIY setup or white-glove delivery for an added cost
Discount code	35% off a full-priced mattress with code GH35

We started evaluating the Bear Elite Hybrid when it was first introduced about three years ago. Since then, we've had five different sleep testers use it at home for extended periods, and each one said it was comfortable and supportive. They also agreed that it improved their sleep quality and got rid of back pain.

When I began seeing the surveys from our testers, I was intrigued — were they exaggerating? Could it really be that comfortable? My team of bedding experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute and I opt to try out the mattresses that we're most curious about in our own homes, whether the mattresses are trending, using innovative materials or making compelling claims. In other words, we're not just looking to sleep on the mattresses we know are the best, but rather, the ones we want to experience firsthand for our research. Truthfully, I haven't loved most of the mattresses I've slept on in the past decade: One sank in too much, another felt too firm, another sagged within the first year, and the list goes on.

But the Bear Elite Hybrid far exceeded my expectations. Right away, I started sleeping more deeply on it — in fact, I slept right through my alarm the first morning. And my husband, who regularly complained about the mattresses I brought home for us to try, agreed this was the best one yet. Nearly two years later, the mattress has remained comfortable and supportive, allowing us to fall asleep easily and stay asleep throughout the night.

Tester quotes

Our sleep testers filled out extensive surveys, capturing both quantitative scores and qualitative feedback. Testers consistently highlighted the edge support and motion isolation in their responses. They also reported that they remained at a comfortable body temperature throughout the night. Here are some highlights from the surveys:

• "The Bear Elite Hybrid mattress is nothing short of amazing, It is the most comfortable mattress we have ever slept on. Quite coincidentally, my husband had just returned home after open heart surgery the day before our mattress was delivered. Not only was he comfortable, he had his first uninterrupted night’s sleep in months. I suffer from back pain and with this mattress I wake up pain free. My husband and I call it the Miracle Mattress!"
• "This mattress feels amazing! What is fantastic is that I cannot feel my husband getting into bed — there is no bounce! Before this mattress arrived, I had a pain in my neck and shoulder that wasn't going away. I literally spent one night on this mattress and the pain went away!"
• "The first few nights sleeping on the mattress, I realized that I did not toss and turn as often as I used to on our old mattress. I really like the supportiveness. The material is soft and cooling. With my old mattress, I often woke up from extreme heat in my back, and I have not experienced that so far with this mattress."

The Elite Hybrid is suitable for all sleep positions. It was especially loved by people who suffer from back pain in our tests, and it's most ideal for people who enjoy cradling and pressure-relieving feel of memory foam yet still want the support from coils. If you feel like you've been struggling to find a comfortable mattress, this model has certainly been a crowd pleaser.

The mattress comes in three firmness levels: soft, medium and firm. The reality is there's not that much of a difference between the three: On a scale of 1–10, the soft is rated as a 5, medium as a 6 and firm as a 7. I personally sleep on the medium, which the brand says is most popular, and it's a good fit for both me and my husband. Another tester who tried the medium (and who initially considered the soft but was hesitant) said it felt a bit too firm for her, while a tester of the firm level told us, "It is firm but comfy at the same time." The bottom line: Don't overthink which firmness level to get; it's all about personal preference.

It's a hybrid mattress, meaning it's made up of both coils and foam. Most boxed hybrids are around 10–12 inches high, but the Bear Elite Hybrid is 14 inches. As a general rule of thumb, taller mattresses have more layers and feel more luxurious, but they're also more expensive and heavier to maneuver.

Here's what makes up the mattress:

1. Quilted cover: The top layer has a cushioning fill that feels a like a subtle pillowtop. It also uses a temperature-regulating fabric to help prevent overheating.
2. Memory foam: The foam adds pressure relief, and it's infused with copper particles to help draw heat away from the body. Note that copper-infused foam doesn't always feel as cool as some brands claim, but because memory foam traps in heat, it can certainly help mitigate this warming effect.
3. Transition foam: A second layer of foam is designed to be supportive and contouring.
4. Zoned coils: These metal springs are laid out ergonomically to create varying levels of pressure relief and support based on where you need it. The center has a higher gauge coil, meaning there's more support for your lower back. Coils also allow for more airflow than in all-foam mattresses.
5. Reinforced edges: Additional coils around the edge of the mattress prevent it from sinking down under weight, making it easier to get in and out of bed.
6. High-density foam: The bottom layer is foam to add support and durability to the base of the mattress.

Bear is a direct-to-consumer online mattress company, meaning you buy it directly from the brand's website rather than in stores or from other retailers. It ships free via FedEx within a few days of ordering and is compressed in a box for you to set up yourself at your own convenience.

Testers who set it up on their own said they had no issues and that it was packaged well. Note that you'll need at least two people to set it up, and you'll have to get rid of your old mattress on your own. Also keep in mind: You should set it up on a flat, hard surface; mattresses with foam can sag if they're on top of a box spring. This mattress can go on slats, but they should be no more than four inches apart.

One of the great things about Bear is that it offers a flexible range of white-glove delivery options depending on what you need. For instance, for $100 you can have the mattress set up for you, and for $175 you can have both the mattress set up and your old mattress hauled away.

Once you have the mattress, there's a 120-night sleep trial, meaning you can get a full refund if it's not a good fit. You must have it for a minimum of 30 nights before you can start the return process and the company will arrange for it to be picked up from your home. There's also a lifetime warranty, but this only protects against defects — normal wear and tear is not covered.

This model has only been around for about three years, so it's hard to say with certainty what the life expectancy will be. Most hybrid mattresses last around 5–10 years; they're more durable than all-foam models, but not quite as durable as innersprings. Compared to other hybrids I've tried, the Bear Elite Hybrid has held up surprisingly well so far: Other models have started to show indents after 1–2 years, but the Bear hasn't showed signs of wear yet. To help extend the life of any mattress, we recommend using a mattress protector, which keeps it safe from spills, dust, allergens and even wear and tear.

Bear makes some claims about the mattress that we weren't able to validate in our research. For starters, its site says that the copper infused in its memory foam "naturally creates an antiviral and antibacterial environment providing you with a cool, clean sleep." Though copper itself is considered to have these properties, we haven't seen evidence to show that it's effective when the particles are in a layer of foam on the inside of a mattress.

Beyond that, the brand says the mattress has Celliant fibers, which use "natural minerals" that turn your body's heat into "waves of energy," which get reflected back to you to enhance recovery. Again, it's not clear how much Celliant is actually used in the mattress and whether it has any effects in this context.

So although we don't recommend buying the Elite Hybrid based on these claims, we still stand behind its incredible comfort and the praise it earned from sleep testers — myself included.

The Elite Hybrid is the most luxurious model, but the brand offers six other options:

• Star Hybrid This model has one less layer than the Elite Hybrid, costs a bit less, and comes in just one firmness level (medium-firm at 6.8 out of 10). We've had three sleep testers try this at home and all loved it, but the praise was more over-the-top for the Elite Hybrid. Since they're both a splurge and the cost between the two models is only about $200 for a Queen, we'd recommend going for the Elite Hybrid over this one.
• Pro Hybrid It has even fewer layers, but it costs under $1,000 for a Queen, which is a great price for a hybrid. It feels fairly firm without the added layers and is rated a medium-firm 7 out of 10, so this is better suited for those who like a firm feel.
• Bear Original Unlike Bear's hybrid models, this one is entirely foam on the inside. It's the firmest option with a rating of 7.1 out of 10. It's also the most affordable, costing just $649 for a Queen.
• Bear Natural For those who prefer latex instead of memory foam, this model is a hybrid with coils and latex. It also uses cotton for its outer cover instead of synthetic fibers. Just note that it's not entirely made of natural materials and it doesn't hold organic certifications like GOLS or GOTS.
• Bear Cub Designed for kids, this hybrid mattress is 8.5 inches high. It does use memory foam (many kids mattresses contain latex to avoid VOC off-gassing), but has certifications to ensure it's within acceptable limits.
• Bear Trundle A 5-inch all-foam model, this mattress is designed specifically for trundle beds where a shorter height is necessary.

The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab has been testing bedding and other home essentials for over a century. Lexie Sachs is a fiber scientist and the executive director of strategy and operations. She has been testing and reporting on mattresses for over 10 years and has extensively reviewed dozens of models by meeting with brands, surveying real mattress owners and conducting consumer tests. In addition to reviewing feedback from sleep testers, Sachs has been sleeping on the Bear Elite Hybrid at home for the past two years.

Lexie Sachs

Executive Director, Strategy & Operations

Lexie Sachs (she/her) is the executive director of strategy and operations at the Good Housekeeping Institute and a lead reviewer of products in the bedding, travel, lifestyle, home furnishings and apparel spaces. She has over 15 years of experience in the consumer products industry and a degree in fiber science from Cornell University. Lexie serves as an expert source both within Good Housekeeping and other media outlets, regularly appearing on national broadcast TV segments. Prior to joining GH in 2013, Lexie worked in merchandising and product development in the fashion and home industries.