A122 Bed REPLACEMENT

[ThunderRoad]

Like most, I'm not a big fan of the mattress that comes with the A122 series of AFrame. I know many have gotten around its limitations partially with a memory foam topper.

My question is: Has anyone just outright replaced the mattress? If so, where what brand/model/style did you get as your replacement?

I was thinking of just pulling it out and putting in a nice firm memory foam one as a complete replacement.

[rawlus]

The measurements of rv mattresses purposely do not line up exactly to household mattress dimensions...Aftermarket rv mattresses seem expensive due to the limited competition.

[mgtann]

I agree with Rawles the other mattresses are very expensive we added a eggcrete foam and this was very comfortable we were going to do the memory foam but after 5 mites with the eggcrete we were very happy with our choice it was less expensive

[rawlus]

The mattress in the a122 is 54x80 which is considered a Full Extra Long (Full XL) if you want to do some googling on prices. A box spring or foundation probably would not work so you would be looking for a mattress that does not need one. Y would also probably lose the heated aspect of the factory mattress if that matters. 1800-mattress has an overview selection of Full XL to give you an idea of what's out there.

Queen bedding (60x80) usually fits close enough for jazz but a queen mattress would overhand the bed by 6 inches which seems too much to me.

[Pooneil]

There are companies that will custom make a memory foam mattress for your. We have one at home that has two levels of foam density. A low density (relative to a stock Tempur-pedic at the time ) soft layer on top and a higher density layer underneath. Search around and you can find one at a reasonable price, for the low level of usage, the higher quality needed for longevity is not really an issue.

[bobrapp]

I did not like the original mattress so, when I ordered mine, I specified a 4" firm foam mattress. The dealer supplied it for no additional cost. It does not have the heated cover and is not an issue for us. As a side note, the mattress heat controller used by FR is wired using zip cord - a very poor choice. The controller cable failed at the controller and nearly set the camper on fire.

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[rawlus]

What is zip cord wiring?

[bobrapp]

Zip cord is the simple lamp cord wiring and is not designed for flexing. The wire stranding is very course and, due the the lack of strain reliefs at the heat controller, the wiring and insulation will fail over time if flexed, wound tightly when storing etc. In our failure, heat from the non-broken wire strands caused the insulation to fail and shorted the wiring causing heat burns to the bedding. Cheap and cheaply made!

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[rawlus]

It's unfortunate you had a problem. Have had ours since they first arrived in 2011 and have had no issue with the mattress or any other electrical part.

[Pooneil]

I finally just plugged mine in the other day. I was unimpressed with the connector between the controller and the the mattress because it was hard to push in and did not offer any feedback to tell if it was well seated.

Bobrapp, have you examined it for a UL approval stamp on the controller or mattress?

[ridgeline1]

my plug is hard to push in also on mattress/can not tell when it is seated

[bobrapp]

I do not recall any UL or any other approval agencies approval tag or label. As a retired electrical engineer, I seriously doubt that it would pass in its current form.

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[rawlus]

I'd be surprised if they sold a mattress that was not listed like every other electronic in the camper. Clearly they don't need to include a heated mattress, they could do a regular one like everyone else. But since the did go the heated route, it seems logical they would have vetted the supplier at some level. Is it the most amazing mattress ever? No. Rv mattresses rarely are. But it seems every thread I read lately is a rant thread about people complaining about one thing or another.

Do your research before hand and don't buy if you don't feel comfortable, it's your money. But I sort if resent the fear mongering implied in the "your mattress is going to set you on fire" or the " if you don't have a surge protector you'll lose every component in the camper"

I'd suggest a bit of care in the alarm if some of these statements.

Some people just aren't good wth plugs. Maybe that's not the mattresses fault? Haha

[bobrapp]

I was talking about the poorly constructed controller and not the mattress or the mattress/cord connections.

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[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by bobrapp

I do not recall any UL or any other approval agencies approval tag or label. As a retired electrical engineer, I seriously doubt that it would pass in its current form.

My mattress heater controller has a UL seal and I suspect yours does too. As other have said, it makes little sense to assume that this would not be UL listed when everything else in the camper is. While ti may be lightweight, feel flimsy and maybe even fail before a home unit would, it should be safe for the intended use.

[OutAndAbout]

I have had 3 Rockwood products with the heated mattress and have had no problems with any of them. I chose the a122s for the mattress, love them.

I also have a heated mattress pad on my home mattress, it’s connection is also hard to push together. I assume its for a reason.

[bobrapp]

Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the failed mattress controller and the damage it did (I was not a forum member at the time). Indecently, it did not trip the GFI outlet as there is no ground connection on the cord. My intent is to inform the members of the forum so they will pay attention to the potential problem and not just create an uproar (which I feel is scare mongering).

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[nekkidist]

Might seem a silly question to some, but how do you get this mattress out and a new one in?

[Justbryguy]

Hey Campers-

I know this thread is old, and sort of morphed into a discussion on the heating aspect of the mattress that comes standard...but since I'm gearing up for a 10-day trip to Sequoia NF, I was looking through the forum just to see what I've been missing in the last few months and saw this. Thought I would share what I did with the mattress situation.

We tried the mattress topper solution too. While it did add more comfort, it also added more height to the mattress, bringing us closer to the roof of the trailer. The other half kept hitting the roof while turning over at night. It also added a lot of weight, making the access to the storage underneath difficult. I was afraid of what that would eventually do to the lift mechanism there, so we didn't use it that much.

We also discovered, while on a January camping trip in Yosemite, that the mattress topper freezes when it's really cold outside! After the second day, we came back to a mattress that was stiff as a board! It would eventually soften up as the trailer warmed up at night, but would stiffen back up while we were out for the day. It was interesting to have our body heat melt the mattress around us, making an indentation where we slept in the shape of our bodies...

So- after all that- we did replace the mattress. I found a business that specializes in RV and other type mattresses. While they don't have one that is exactly the measurements of the one in our A122bh, it was only an inch narrower. The mattress we chose is only 5.5 inches thick, compared to the over 8 with the old mattress and topper. It's more comfortable than the old mattress, and MUCH lighter, which gives us new access to the storage below the bed! The company was great too. They seem to really care that you are getting the right option for your needs and want you to be satisfied.

Here's a link to the company:RV Mattress | Custom Size Mattresses for RV & Campers

We haven't been cold-weather camping with the new mattress yet, so don't know if I will be sleeping on a board when we do...

Hope this helps anyone on a quest to improve the quality of their A-Frame camping experiences!

Bryan

[D-mo]

thanks for this post ...

d-mo