Dreamfoam Essential Mattress Review 2024: The Most Versatile Bed for RVs Put to the Test

7.5

Dreamfoam Essential

$525 at Dreamfoam Bedding

Like

• All-foam provides support for average-sized individuals
• Great for those who prefer a neutral foam feel
• Wide variety of sizing options to accommodate any sleeper
• Budget-friendly price for an all-foam option

Don't like

• Heavier people may prefer a more supportive, hybrid bed
• Not for those who prefer a memory foam feel
• Not the most premium mattress offering

As a brand, Brooklyn Bedding produces some of our favorite online beds that we've ever tested, from the classic and accommodating Signature mattress to the active-cooling Aurora bed. There are many options to choose from within the main Brooklyn Bedding lineup of mattresses, but it doesn't stop there. 

Nowadays, there are several sub brands under the Brooklyn Bedding umbrella such as Plank, Titan, Ecosleep, and of course, Dreamfoam. Dreamfoam offers a plethora of budget-friendly options that are designed to suit the needs of your wallet, as well as your sleeping preferences. One of the most versatile beds within Dreamfoam's current lineup is the Essential bed, and in this review, I'll discuss what you should know about this bed before buying it online.

Video: Dreamfoam Essential mattress review

Watch me review the Dreamfoam Essential mattress in this video review.

First impressions of the Dreamfoam Essential

Our Dreamfoam Essential mattress shipped directly to our office space inside of a larger box. Once it arrived, we quickly dragged it inside and began the unboxing process. We opened the box up, dumped out the contents, tore away all the plastic and the bed began to rapidly unfurl and inflate before our eyes. 

Right out of the compressed packaging, it did look slightly misshapen, so we gave it a night to sit out on our foundation and properly expand. In the morning, it was ready to be tested. Upon testing its feel and firmness, I was taken aback -- it was much different than expected.

Dreamfoam Essential mattress firmness and feel

What does the Dreamfoam Essential feel like?

To me, this mattress definitely exhibits a neutral foam feel, which was surprising since it has memory foam on top for comfort. That primary comfort layer of memory foam feels quite responsive and isn't as dense as a more viscous memory foam found on a Tempur-Pedic mattress. This comfort element, combined with the neutral support foam on the bottom, makes the bed feel quite neutral to us.

Getting a neutral foam bed is often a safe choice for the average online mattress shopper. If you don't necessarily know what type of feel you'd prefer your bed to have, this is usually an accommodating way to go. However, the firmness of this particular bed might not be suitable for absolutely everyone. 

How firm is the Dreamfoam Essential mattress?

We thought the 10'' profile of the bed skewed much firmer than your average all-foam mattress found online. To us, it sits between a medium-firm and a proper firm on our scale. This type of firm bed profile is most suitable for strict back and stomach sleepers who prefer their bed to be more supportive rather than pressure-relieving.

Keep in mind that there are different height profiles that this bed comes in. The thinner profiles will likely be firmer, while the thicker ones are much softer. If you're a side or combination sleeper looking for a softer model, I'd suggest checking out the 12'' or 14'' versions.

Dreamfoam Essential mattress construction

This is a 10'' thick all-foam mattress with a simple design. It's made up of the following support and comfort layers:

1. On the bottom, you've got around 7.5'' of a dense, polyurethane support foam

2. Then, you have 2.5'' of the brand's Gel Swirl Memory Foam on top, which is basically a responsive memory foam designed to be super breathable.

3. Rounding everything out is a dark gray and blue cover, also designed to provide some breathability to the mattress.

Dreamfoam Essential mattress performance

Motion isolation

Given the bed's all-foam construction and firm profile, I think it absorbs a pretty good amount of motion at night. Since dense memory foam beds usually perform the beds for this category, you might get a superior amount of motion isolation from something like a Nectar mattress. Comparatively, though, the Dreamfoam Essential does deaden cross-mattress movement quite well, and you shouldn't have any issues waking up your partner if they're a light sleeper.

Edge-to-edge support

This bed performs average in terms of supporting you along its perimeter. We'd say its edge support is on par with other simple, two-layer, all-foam mattresses. It would likely have better edge support if a foam border ran along the edges, but even without that, there's no apparent roll-off sensation when sleeping close to the perimeter of this mattress at night -- you can sleep soundly with your beloved bed hog.

Temperature

We'd classify the Dreamfoam Essential as a temperature-neutral sleeping mattress. Given its straightforward, cheaper design, there aren't really any active cooling elements within the mattress to report on here. That said, I don't think this bed will excessively warm up on the average hot sleeper.

Durability

Since this is an all-foam mattress, it should be ideal for supporting average to petite-sized individuals. If you're a heavier person, over the 250-pound mark, you might prefer sleeping on a hybrid mattress that has coils for support. The Dreamfoam Hybrid is a perfect alternative to this bed since it has pocketed coils on the bottom rather than a dense foam. Due to its hybrid design, it should prove to be slightly more durable long-term than the Essential mattress.

Who is the Dreamfoam Essential mattress best for?

Since this is a simple, all-foam mattress that's on the firmer side, it might be best for a specific set of sleeper types. Here's who we think will benefit from sleeping on the Dreamfoam Essential the most.

Sleeping position

Given that the bed sits between a medium-firm and a firm on our firmness scale, it's primarily going to be best for strict back and stomach sleepers. Based on our observations over the years, we've noticed these sleepers tend to favor firm beds that offer plenty of support rather than pressure relief. If you're a side or combination sleeper who also prefers a soft bed, you'll likely enjoy the thicker height profiles of this mattress. You could also find the Dreamfoam Copper to provide lots of cushion for your shoulders and hips.

Body type

While all body types could get by on this mattress, the all-foam design lends itself to be best at supporting medium to petite-sized individuals. If you're a heavier person, we always recommend getting a hybrid bed as opposed to an all-foam one, just because coil support systems are a bit better at providing bigger body types with lots of support over time. Luckily, heavier folks can spend up for the Dreamfoam Hybrid, which basically swaps out the support foam for pocketed coils.

Dreamfoam Essential mattress pricing

As you can see, this is a very affordable online mattress -- and this pricing is before discount. After you apply one to the queen size, you can usually expect to pay right around $525 for the bed year-round.

Trial, shipping and warranty

The Dreamfoam Essential is backed by some pretty standard policies for the online space. Its beds ship to you in a box for free, and once it's in your possession, you get a 120-night trial period to try it at home risk-free. If you happen not to like it within that time frame, you can return it, but a small transportation fee will be deducted from your refund. On the other hand, if you decide to keep it, you're backed by a 10-year limited warranty.

How does Dreamfoam Essential compare to other mattresses?

Dream Essential vs. Dreamfoam Doze

These are two of the most affordable, all-foam beds that Dreamfoam as a brand currently offers. The Dreamfoam Doze is a much cheaper option, as a queen size usually goes for around $200, regardless of the height profile you choose. While the Essential costs a bit more, it's also available in many sizing variations, particularly of the RV bunk variety. That said, these are both accommodating beds when it comes to feel, firmness and strict budgets.

Dreamfoam Doze $240 at Dreamfoam Bedding

Dream Essential vs. Dreamfoam Hybrid

This is a pretty easy comparison to make since these beds are completely different design-wise. Regardless of the sizing option you go with, the Dreamfoam Essential is an all-foam mattress, whereas the Dreamfoam Hybrid has support coils on the bottom instead of dense foam. This makes the Dreamfoam Hybrid the more supportive option for heavier people compared to the Essential. When it comes to price, though, the Dreamfoam Essential is the more affordable option.

Dreamfoam Hybrid $799 at Dreamfoam Bedding

The final verdict

If you're in the market for a budget-friendly, all-foam bed with a neutral feel that's available in a variety of height profiles and sizing options, I'd definitely consider checking out the Dreamfoam Essential mattress. It's also a perfect option to outfit your RV with for your next camping trip -- 10 out of its 22 sizing variations are RV-specific sizes.

You might like the Dreamfoam Essential mattress if:

• You want an all-foam mattress
• You want a neutral foam feel
• You want a bunch of sizing options for campers
• You want a bed available in different thicknesses

You might not like the Dreamfoam Essential bed if:

• You're looking for a hybrid mattress
• You prefer the feel of a dense memory foam
• You want more of a premium mattress offering
• You're not on a super strict budget

Other mattresses from Nolah

There are many other options to choose from within the Dreamfoam lineup. Aside from the Essential, you can check out the brand's most affordable option, the Dreamfoam Doze, which is available in a few different height profiles – it's one of my favorites, check out my review.

From there, you move up in price toward the hybrid options. The Dreamfoam Copper has coils and copper-infused memory foam to provide ample support and comfort, and the Dreamfoam Hybrid is the more basic and affordable hybrid bed that features a cooling cover.

Dreamfoam also has a more natural, ethically sourced mattress called the Dreamfoam Latex, which features a combination of coils and latex foam to provide sleepers with lots of responsiveness. This is the 2nd most expensive Dreamfoam bed, behind Dreamfoam Copper.

Dreamfoam Essential mattress FAQs