Editor’s Note: Since our initial review, Casper has discontinued the Wave Hybrid Snow and relaunched its entire line of mattresses. We’re undergoing a new round of testing to review the company’s latest arrivals.
Since launching its first bed-in-a-box, Casper has added higher-end offerings to its lineup, and the new, top-of-the-line Wave Hybrid Snow mattress adds cooling material to the popular Wave Hybrid. As the name “Snow” suggests, it’s meant for hot sleepers who want to keep cool while enjoying the comfort of a foam bed.
We slept on the Wave Hybrid Snow Mattress for a month, testing to see if its mix of perforated foam and cool-touch fabrics really delivered on the company’s promise.
Hot sleepers who need support will love the Casper Wave Hybrid Snow Mattress, which kept us cooler than other memory foam mattresses we've tested. And like all Casper mattresses, it comes to you in a compact box that makes it easy to get into your bedroom.
What we liked about it
Better at keeping you cool than a regular memory foam mattress
Memory foam mattress owners often complain that despite their comfort, the mattresses make them hot. The Wave Hybrid Snow mattress attempts to address this with a combination of inner springs, latex and foam, plus a new cool-touch top layer. And, in our testing, we found that we felt less hot on the Hybrid Snow than we did sleeping on traditional memory foam mattresses. Paired with a great cooling pillow and a set of linen sheets, it can definitely help address the needs of hot sleepers looking to avoid overheating during the night.
The Wave Hybrid Snow felt instantly different when lying on it compared to previous memory foam mattresses we’ve tried and owned. The top fabric feels cool to the touch, as Casper intended, and is immediately refreshing. However, this cool feeling disappears after lying on it for a few minutes. But that’s not the entire story.
The foam itself felt lighter than other memory foam mattresses, and over the course of the night we found we felt cooler, even after the immediate sensation of cooling from the top fabric layer had diminished.
According to Casper, beneath the top fabric are three layers to help with cooling. The first layer is perforated foam, followed by a layer of latex with Casper’s “heat delete bands” and another layer of perforated foam, all designed to help disperse heat. Our experience bore out the company’s claims, and we think the Wave Hybrid Snow is a good option for hot sleepers who are fans of memory foam to finally beat the heat.
Good support for a plush, soft mattress
Like the rest of Casper’s mattresses, the Wave Hybrid Snow comes in only one firmness level. Based on our experience with the Wave Hybrid Snow and other Casper products we’d say this is comparable to the soft mattresses offered by other brands, and we think that side and back sleepers who like a softer bed will find this supportive and plush.
While it’s soft, the Wave Hybrid Snow doesn’t skimp on support. The mattress has gel pods under the waist and lower back area to offer more support, and while we didn’t feel these areas while we were sleeping (a good thing), we did find that the mattress was more supportive in the middle, and this was true across the width of the mattress. There is also edge support around the bed’s perimeter to help prevent sagging when sitting on the edge.
No new foam smell
One drawback of some memory foam beds — especially those that ship in a box — is that they have a chemical smell when removing the wrap. The Casper mattress came vacuum-sealed in a bag, but upon opening it we didn’t detect the slightest hint of any chemical smell. Casper’s foams are CertiPUR-US certified, which means they’re made without ozone-depleting chemicals. The brand also tests for low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions for indoor air quality (less than 0.5 parts per million).
Easy to install in your home
Not only is it nice to get a mattress delivered to your house or apartment, the packaging makes it easier to get it to your bedroom too. Like other Casper products, the queen-size mattress comes in a fairly manageable (though extremely heavy) box, in this case approximately 4 feet high and 2 feet in width and length. It was easy to get into our home and into the bedroom, without any worries about how to squeeze the box through doorframes or pivot on staircases, as with large traditional mattresses. The box has side cutout handles that make it easy to grab while moving it, which was very helpful when moving it around.
What we didn’t like about it
It comes in only one firmness level
Casper’s mattresses come in only one firmness level, and that includes the Wave Hybrid Snow. Unlike other brands, Casper doesn’t offer a choice of plush, medium or firm, and the company doesn’t specify how firm the Wave Hybrid Snow or any of its mattresses are by comparison with competitors. We found the bed was soft when testing it, so those who prefer firm mattresses may find this too soft.
The mattress is heavy
We expected this mattress to be heavy — after all, it is a mattress — but we didn’t expect it to be so hefty we wouldn’t be able to move it alone. We managed to scoot the box with a lot of effort,?but we had to enlist the help of another to put the 111-pound mattress on the bed and take it out of the vacuum-sealed plastic. Even with the two of us, it was still a struggle but doable. (For reference, we are 5 feet, 2 inches tall, so someone with a bigger stature may not have as much trouble.)
Instructions and labeling should be clearer
One might think it’s pretty simple to set up a bed by removing the plastic and letting it inflate. Casper’s instructions were a bit too minimal, however, with just three pictures accompanying instructions to cut the plastic, unroll the bed toward you and then cut the vacuum-sealed plastic to inflate the mattress.
While this sounds relatively simple enough, as packed it was unclear which was the foot or top of the bed or if there was even a difference, making it confusing to know if we had to turn the bed. We rolled the plastic in the direction pictured (or so we thought), ending up with the bottom side of the bed facing up, meaning we had to flip the 111-pound mattress immediately. We’d love to see clearer labeling on the package itself.
Bottom line
Overall, the Wave Hybrid Snow is enjoyable to sleep on, comfortable and doesn’t cause any tossing and turning. It doesn’t feel like you’re sleeping on snow like the name might imply, but it does feel cooler. Compared to other memory foam mattresses we’ve tested or owned in the past, this bed releases heat better. It’s a great choice for those who sleep hot and find regular foam mattresses too hot or for those who want a cooler mattress.
One thing to note: The top layer of foam feels light and airy rather than squishy like some memory foam, which gives less of a sinking feeling than typical memory foam. That’s not to say it doesn’t sink in — it has some give — but it may not be for someone who likes being hugged by memory foam. Also, because it comes in only one firmness level, which we found soft, it’s not for someone who likes a firm bed.
This bed is pricier than other direct-to-consumer memory foam mattresses (and is at the very top end of Casper’s range). That said, it’s not as pricey as equivalents you might find at brick-and-mortar retailers: The Tempur-Pedic 8° Cooler LUXEbreeze, for example, is much more expensive, at $5,449 for a queen. And if you can snag the Wave Hybrid Snow on sale, it’s an even better deal; we’ve seen it on sale periodically at 25% off, bringing it under $3,000 for a queen, comparable in price to other memory foam mattresses.
