Mattress transport problem- Solution gets $5 PayPal or...DONE

[lxskllr]

Just tie it to the roof. If you do it right there'll be no problem.

 

[marvdmartian]

Find fat friends. They will compress it better than you can, while you roll it up. Use load binding straps to keep it compressed once you have it rolled up.

That, or use one of these. :hmm:

 

[Kelemvor]

Get a really fat friend to lay on it at one end and slowly roll to the other. As she rolls, roll or fold up the mattress and get some big, ratcheting tie down straps to secure it.

 

[Ksyder]

Tying it to the roof should be an option. Put an old blanket on the roof to protect the paint. Go to a mover's supply place and get a mattress bag, tape it shut very well, and place the mattress on the roof and strap it down very tightly with ratcheting straps.

I've done this numerous times without a problem. You should be o.k. on a 6 hour drive as long as you have the straps very tight.

Otherwise, use the same ratcheting straps to fold the thing in half and shove it into your SUV. I don't like this idea as much because you might break the springs inside the mattress somehow.

Edit - I guess memory foam mattresses don't have springs though, so fold away. Good luck!

 

[Ksyder]

I like these kinds of things.

Those are good but I think something like this http://www.gominiserie.com/ratchet%20straps%20yellow.jpg is better because you use the ratchet to tighten it down rather than pulling on the straps by hand to tighten.

 

[Firsttime]

Those are good but I think something like this http://www.gominiserie.com/ratchet%20straps%20yellow.jpg is better because you use the ratchet to tighten it down rather than pulling on the straps by hand to tighten.

Oh for sure, that was what I was originally looking for, but I didn't really feel like doing extensive image searching, so I picked the first image of something in that vein. Ratchets are a God send for sure.

 

[Kelemvor]

Definitely need the ratcheting kind. I have a set similar to this that I got from Sams for like $20.
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=191973&navAction=

They work great.

 

[MJinZ]

$5 gift to your PayPal account or a pink evo3 iSkin for a 30gb ipod video (and anything else I find that fits in that box).

I have a queen size memory foam mattress that I need to take home with me. It's a six hour drive so tying it to the roof isn't an option. Well it is an option but I don't want to drive the whole way worrying about it. I want to get it to fit into my midsize SUV. The mattress came to me in a box, folded over a few times. So folding it seems like the best (if not only) option. But how exactly do I go about folding this and making sure it stays folded?

EDIT: Forget about keeping it folded...let's focus on how to fold it.

Easy - bungee cord or lots of packing tape.

 

[KeithP]

You need a board, about 1/2" thick, long enough to go across the short length of the mattress. We will call that the folding board.

You will need another board, also long enough to cross the shorter end of the mattress and wide enough to cover you first fold plus a little extra. We will call this the compression board.

Before you start folding, use the folding board to create a crease or score where you want the mattress to fold by pressing down on the mattress with the thin edge of the board. Then as you start to fold the first section over, lay the compression board on top and sit on it. The board will help put more even pressure on the entire folded part of the mattress, although it will still work better with two people. At the same, you will need to slide out the folding board.

Repeat until it is folded and compressed to the desired size. Bind however you see fit. Wrapping it with an old blanket and then tie it up in a bundle would probably be a good way to go.

-KeithP

 

[boomerang]

At this point I'm thinking you're going to have to move the matress for him to get the $5.

LOL at masking tape.

 

[Ksyder]

Honestly I'm trying to imagine what kind of mattress could have been folded and fit into a box in the first place. The only type that seems to me could have is a futon mattress. I have a pillowtop and there is just no way it would fold into a box.

Oh, and lulz on the pink ipod case

 

[nanette1985]

When we did this we started a couple weeks before and just kept tightening the rolled mattress a little more each day. It wasn't easy to compress the thing but we got it small enough to fit into the cargo van.

The thing was HEAVY though.

Good luck!

 

[dabuddha]

Spacebags work pretty good. You suck out all the air using a vacuum and it'll compress it pretty good.

 

[Numenorean]

Buy a fucking truck like a man would.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Ratchet straps.

 

[SP33Demon]

When transporting my latex foam mattress, we folded it over twice (quarters) and then put it in a very large trash bag (so it wouldn't get dirty). Then we used 2 ratchet tie downs, one laterally and one vertically in order to make it easier to carry and compress it. You'd probably want to do something similar, just make sure the compressed package is secure on your roof (not sure if you have a rack or not).

 

[lstratos]

http://www.foamorder.com/warranty.html

Foam (Mattress) Returns
There is a $20 charge for a vacuum packing kit. For customers returning a large item, this kit will save you money on shipping by enabling you to vacuum pack your item and thereby avoid oversized shipping charges through carriers like UPS.

You can buy this from them and vaccum the air out so it's easier to carry, only 20 bucks.. i bought it for my king size memory foam... turn out to be around 7 ft long and about 2.5ft in diameter...

 

[Modelworks]

Just get a few friends !

 

[MJinZ]

Honestly I'm trying to imagine what kind of mattress could have been folded and fit into a box in the first place. The only type that seems to me could have is a futon mattress. I have a pillowtop and there is just no way it would fold into a box.

Oh, and lulz on the pink ipod case

Only the foam types. I have cheap Ikea ones (and a cheap Walmart Memory foam one), both came rolled up and wrapped in plastic.

 

[EagleKeeper]

I took a queen foam mattress, 4" thick, home in my Jeep Cherokee this spring for my daughter

Dropped the back seats; moved the driver seat up a little.

Was able to fold the mattress and slide it in from the back all the way up to the driver back.

Folding was done by placing one corner inside the cargo bay and then pulling the other corner in so it would also fit the cargo area. At this point; I had a U shape. then it was a simple matter to slide it fully into the cargo area.

Note that the mattress was encased in a clear plastic wrap wich made it easier to slide.
A piece of a cardboard box could have also worked for sliding assistance.

I did it all without help.

Tailgate was able to be closed.

If the SUV does not have a large cargo hold (unsure what you mean by mid-size); folding it into a S shape would have reduce the width that the mattress took up.

folding it width ways may cause a problem if the length needs to be trimmed; it would be best to manuver it so the tail hangs out of the rear window.

You are not going to want to drive a long ways with it tied on a roof rack. The wind resistance will make driving rough and or it the mattress is not protected, will potentially chew up the leading edge.

 

[thaugen]

Measure width of car (inside and out.) Go down to local Mattress Land and ask them to give you an appropriate-sized empty box (tell them you're homeless and need shelter.) Ask for the big plastic bag, too. Stuff mattress in box, put in or tie on car. Ta-daa!

 

[ArJuN]

The mattress is 12" thick, I don't think I mentioned that in the original post. The mattress is going to be attempted to be folded tomorrow (only because I want to sleep on it tonight).

When we did this we started a couple weeks before and just kept tightening the rolled mattress a little more each day. It wasn't easy to compress the thing but we got it small enough to fit into the cargo van.

The thing was HEAVY though.

Good luck!

I know come tomorrow I'm going to regret not having started this process earlier...

Buy a fucking truck like a man would.

Duly noted.

http://www.foamorder.com/warranty.html

Foam (Mattress) Returns
There is a $20 charge for a vacuum packing kit. For customers returning a large item, this kit will save you money on shipping by enabling you to vacuum pack your item and thereby avoid oversized shipping charges through carriers like UPS.

You can buy this from them and vaccum the air out so it's easier to carry, only 20 bucks.. i bought it for my king size memory foam... turn out to be around 7 ft long and about 2.5ft in diameter...

There is no way they'd be able to get it to me in time. But good to know for the future!

 

[ArJuN]

Just tie it to the roof. If you do it right there'll be no problem.

The problem would be in me doing it right...I picture myself playing real life Frogger with the objective being retrieving a big block of foam.

You need a board, about 1/2" thick, long enough to go across the short length of the mattress. We will call that the folding board.

You will need another board, also long enough to cross the shorter end of the mattress and wide enough to cover you first fold plus a little extra. We will call this the compression board.

Before you start folding, use the folding board to create a crease or score where you want the mattress to fold by pressing down on the mattress with the thin edge of the board. Then as you start to fold the first section over, lay the compression board on top and sit on it. The board will help put more even pressure on the entire folded part of the mattress, although it will still work better with two people. At the same, you will need to slide out the folding board.

Repeat until it is folded and compressed to the desired size. Bind however you see fit. Wrapping it with an old blanket and then tie it up in a bundle would probably be a good way to go.

-KeithP

Thanks for that post! I'll definitely try that. It just happens so that I have a few pieces of 1/2" plywood laying around.

At this point I'm thinking you're going to have to move the matress for him to get the $5.

LOL at masking tape.

I'm not going to stop you. PM me for my address.

 

[EagleKeeper]

You are going to have a rough time folding a 12" foam mattress.
12" foam will be lucky to fold more than once. After the first fold with tension/compression; you might have 18" thickness that will be stiff as a board

Try to roll it into a log - might be easier than folding. Use a rope on each end (minimum and possibly in the middle) to get it a close as possible to a size that you can handle

 

[lxskllr]

Seriously, Look up some knots on the web, buy yourself some decent rope(not twine), and go to town. It's easy securing a load, with minimal effort. Cam straps are for amateurs. They don't slide well around bends, and they generally get hung up too easily. Here's a couple knots to research...

Bowline - One of the most important loop knots you can make
Sheet bend - Can be used and abused to join 2 ropes together, especially when they're unequal in size.
Truckers cinch - Used as a mechanical tensioning system for holding down a load.

Look up some kind of knot system for tying up a cylindrical object(assuming you can get the mattress rolled). If you can get it rolled, that'll make it easy securing in front to back. Use S hooks as attachment points for the rope.