I got the Douglas mattress in over a month ago after struggling to find a mattress that wasn't too soft or too firm. (I'm a 5'8" female, about 150 lbs and my husband is basically the same weight and height.) The mattress I had before that was the Silk and Snow original which at first I liked because it was softer than others I tried and was good for side sleeping but after 3 months of using it I was getting lower back pain that wasn't getting better and thought the mattress might be too soft. But I have also tried a few other mattresses I found too firm so I was wanting to get something of a more medium firmness. I was afraid the Douglas might be too firm from reviews I read but I tried it at a friend's house and it has a nice softer gel memory foam layer on top and felt comfortable. So I ordered it. Now I don't know if my friend's mattress felt softer because they had slept on it over a year and it was more broken in but when I got mine in, it definitely felt a lot firmer than my friend's.

So going from the Silk and Snow to the Douglas I found some similarities and some differences. The top layer of the Silk and Snow being a gel memory foam felt very similar to the top layer of the Douglas. They were both slow moving and squishy which I like. The firm base layer foams also felt very similar but the biggest difference I noticed was in the middle transition layers of the mattresses. The Silk and Snow middle layer is soft and compresses more than the Douglas. The Douglas has a more medium firm middle layer that doesn't compress as much when you press on it. It is supposed to be more like a latex hybrid foam. So at first the Douglas did feel a lot firmer than the Silk and Snow because it felt like I was only sinking into the top layer which is 2 inches versus the Silk and Snow felt like I was sinking into the top and middle layer which are 4 inches together. I think the perfect feel would actually be something in between these like if the Silk and Snow middle layer was a tiny bit firmer or the Douglas was a tiny bit softer or if you sunk in about 3 inches I think that would be the most comfortable. But unfortunately both mattresses to me were not quite the right firmness I wanted.

So for me the Douglas felt too firm at first and I was hoping after a month of breaking in it that it would get softer and feel more comfortable. I have noticed it does feel a bit softer now but it's still not as soft as I would want for side sleeping. I liked the feel of the Silk and Snow better for side sleeping except for the fact that I got lower back pain as I felt like I was sinking in a bit too much. At least with the Douglas it doesn't feel like you are sinking in too much but it feels like you hit some pressure sinking in beyond the first layer which is where it feels a bit too firm. For back sleeping and stomach sleeping it is more comfortable and supportive but for side sleeping I think it would be more comfortable with a topper. I considered buying a 2 inch memory foam topper for it but then I started looking at other mattresses thinking I may just want to try another one instead of buying a topper.

In terms of switching positions on the Douglas, its fairly good since you don't sink in too much and motion isolation is pretty good as I don't feel my partner moving much. As for heat retention I noticed that it retains heat more than other mattresses I've tried. Most nights I wake up in the middle of the night feeling hot and throwing my blankets off and I can feel a pool of heat under my body. I tried it with and without a mattress protector and it was a bit better with the protector but it's still fairly warm to sleep on. I didn't have that problem with the Silk and Snow mattress as I never felt hot on it. We have also had warmer weather lately so I may just have to start using a lighter blanket instead of a comforter. The only other mattress I've tried that I felt really hot on was the Casper Nova. Every other memory foam mattress I've tried, I haven't had that problem of being too hot.

To sum it up I don't love or hate this mattress but I think it would work best for people who like a bit firmer mattress or who are over 150 lbs or who are back or stomach sleepers. For lighter weight and side sleepers it is a bit firm and would probably need a topper. I don't love that it feels like there's some pressure on my sides and that it's hot to sleep on. If someone wants a softer and cooler mattress I would recommend the Silk and Snow mattress but I think it's best for lighter weight side sleepers under 150 lbs. As for my mattress journey, I also looked at the Polysleep and Endy mattresses and the Silk and Snow hybrid but I didn't go with any of these because I was afraid of the Polysleep and Endy being too firm and the Silk and Snow hybrid being too soft. I tried the Silk and Snow hybrid in an EQ3 store and I found it to be soft like my original one and wasn't sure if I would like having a hybrid either as the motion isolation isn't as good. But I've heard a lot of good reviews about the Silk and Snow hybrid and would maybe try if something else didnt work out.

Edit After trying a couple other mattresses since I first posted this, I have switched back to the Douglas Mattress because I was getting lower back pain on the other mattresses that were too soft. When I switched back to the Douglas, my lower back pain went away in just a couple days. So I am back to sleeping on the Douglas again and it had been better for my back.