Review: Casper Nova Hybrid Snow Mattress

It wasn’t until around four years ago that I finally traded in my beloved childhood bed for an upgraded version: a spacious and adult-friendly queen-size bed. I didn’t know exactly what to look for in a new mattress, but I was convinced that the soft, sinking kind didn’t provide me with nearly enough support.

The mattress I landed on suited me well enough: It had a firm, pillowtop covering with a bevy of internal box springs, but not much else. I wasn’t exactly unhappy with my purchase, but I definitely wasn’t thrilled about it, either. And since I’ve now been sleeping on it for over four years, it's definitely reached its midlife, according to the National Sleep Foundation (which recommends replacing your mattress every eight years).

Aside from the mattress itself, I happen to be a chronically hot sleeper, to the point where I frequently kick the covers off in the night and wake up in a small pool of sweat. Even with a fan in my bedroom, I typically stir and readjust a few times each night, which always leaves me feeling extra groggy in the morning. But perhaps the worst aspect of this mattress? My bed often leaves my fiancé and I with stiff muscles and uncomfortable cricks in our necks and shoulders.

I knew there had to be something better available. So when Casper offered to let me test its Nova Hybrid Snow Mattress—a new and improved take on its original hybrid that's been temperature tested by the company more than 150 times—I determined it was time to take my sleeping experience to the next level (again).

How I Tested

My fiancé and I have slept on the Nova Hybrid Snow for over two months since it was delivered to our doorstep in Casper's classic blue-and-white striped box. Pro tip: If you decide to try this mattress yourself, don’t underestimate how heavy it is. I highly recommend having at least two people around to lug it into your home and ultimately drag it into your bedroom. Once we slipped the mattress out of its box, unfurled it from its accompanying plastic, and hurled it onto our bed frame, we dressed the mattress up in Casper’s Breathable Mattress Protector and Hyperlite Sheets to get the full, summer-ready feeling.

Besides sleeping, we’ve also done a bunch of other stuff over the last several weeks—jumping, sitting, lounging, reading, plus some hanky-panky—to test out its effectiveness.

While testing, I used criteria sourced from sleep experts and considered factors like support, comfort, temperature, motion transfer, materials, and the type of trial period offered by the mattress company—among other factors. Ultimately, selecting a mattress is highly subjective—what’s firm and supportive to me might be annoyingly rock hard for another person—but I found this mattress ticked off plenty of the boxes of what I was looking for. Here’s how this Casper mattress really stands out.

A Risk-Free Trial Period

When purchasing a new bed, our experts suggest sourcing your mattress from companies that offer risk-free trial periods, plus free deliveries and refunds. In addition to getting 100 risk-free nights to test out this Casper mattress (and a 30-night free trial on all their other products, like the linens and mattress protector the company provided), customers also receive a 10-year warranty on their mattress for added protection. 

You don’t even need to keep the original box to send it back if you decide not to keep it. Casper’s delivery service is contact-free, plus, it provides prepaid shipping labels via UPS that are printable at home. For larger items (like this mattress), the company arranges a pickup through a local charity or recycling partner, with a full refund delivered within two weeks.

Sleep Quality

I barely have to count sheep or cue my Amazon Alexa to play rain sleep sounds to quickly fall asleep on this bad boy—it’s that comfortable. My last mattress experience was extremely subpar compared to sleeping on the Nova Hybrid Snow, especially since I can feel the difference in my body when I wake up. Case in point, I’m not nearly as hot as I used to be. My fiancé and I wake up without neck or lower back pain, and we’ve both been raving about the amount of consistent deep sleep—meaning less stirring and squinting at Alexa’s screen in the middle of the night—that we’ve gotten since making the switch—more on that below.

Support and Comfort

According to our sleep experts, when assessing a quality mattress, the right one should:

• Support your body without sinking at the hips.
• Allow relief and comfort at pressure points, including the knees, hips, shoulders, and head.
• Let your muscles relax throughout the body, especially at your back.

The Nova Hybrid Snow is extremely supportive, and about twice the height of my former mattress. This increased height can be attributed to Casper’s claims of three distinct zones of support—with firmer areas around the hips, waist, and lower back; and a softer one under the shoulders—to help keep the spine aligned. The mattress also uses contoured grooves in its third foam layer to allow gentle sinking where your body needs more relief and less support. The mattress is called a hybrid for a reason: It truly offers the perfect mix of firmness and cushiness to support my body while still helping it decompress.

Motion Transfer

Unlike our previous mattress that creaked whenever my partner or I would leave the bed, the Casper Nova Hybrid Snow is whisper quiet, with its cushy structure unmoving if one of us adjusts positions in the night. Even when I made a point to test the mattress by actually jumping on the bed, the opposite side barely moved an inch. Even if my cat tries to surprise us with a 6 a.m. wake-up call by jumping up from the floor, I actually don't stir one bit. I tend to sleep on the lighter side, so this lack of motion makes a huge difference in helping me stay asleep throughout the night. Nowadays, even if my fiancé is coming to bed late or getting up early, I still sleep like a log.

Materials

Each Casper mattress is made with the company’s Airscape design that consists of two or more ergonomic layers of perforated foam for added airflow and less heat, resulting in a cooler night’s sleep. The Nova Hybrid Snow is considered the company’s most plush option, with a total of three foam layers, two of which are perforated. Casper engineered these foam layers to adapt to your body while feeling cool to the touch, since their perforation allows incoming warmer air to cool down and ultimately flow through it. This consistent airflow has been game changing and much more comfortable for me as a hot and sweaty sleeper. The mattress' foam layers also lend to its overall cushiness, with its firmer coil and foam-hybrid base layer adding extra support.

Temperature

The right temperature is everything when it comes to getting a consistent, quality night’s sleep, especially for hot sleepers like me. Our experts say that most people sleep better in cooler environments, somewhere between 60 and 70 degrees. While foam mattresses tend to run hot, this chiller version of the Casper Nova Hybrid includes the company’s Snow Technology (learn more about it here). With built-in cooling features like gel and mattress bands hidden under layers of foam, this mattress is designed to keep you cool, even once summer has come and gone.

Casper’s Snow Technology starts with a QuickCool top cover that’s infused with a special material for a pleasant, cool-to-the-touch experience. The mattress feels cool, but not like I’m sliding hip first into a refrigerator. Beneath the top cover are the two layers of foam that help release heat, starting with one that also contains a thin layer of cooling gel. The second foam layer features the company’s HeatDelete bands, which are designed to actively direct heat away from your body, while regulating body temperature through the night. After sleeping on this mattress for a few weeks, I completely stopped sweating in my sleep, which really impressed me. If sleep temperature isn’t a major factor for you, opt to try the original Casper Nova Hybrid instead, which is around $500 less without the Snow Technology.

Bottom Line

While I was a little hesitant to upgrade from my former queen mattress (old habits die hard), I can confirm that Casper’s Nova Hybrid Snow is the most comfortable bed I’ve slept on to date—aside from lounging in a few choice hotel rooms. Since making the swap, I feel more comfortable laying in bed, and I definitely fall asleep a lot faster than I used to. My sleep is deeper, too, since I wake up less frequently, and best of all I can officially kiss night sweats goodbye.

At between $2,095 and $2,500 for a queen-size mattress, the price point of any Casper Nova Hybrid—especially with Snow Technology—is definitely an investment, but I’d consider it a worthwhile one, since you have up to 100 days risk-free to literally sleep on it.