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It's easy to see why bamboo is the material of the moment, it's breathable, hypoallergenic and eco-friendly. Whether it's cooling bedding, duvets, or pillows, we're seeing more bamboo sleep products sprouting up on the scene not only for the material's sustainable credentials but because it is incredibly soft and great for temperature regulation, it's both highly breathable and absorbent – keeping you cosy in winter and cool in summer. It boils down to being fewer sharp bits in the fibres, making it feel more akin to silk than cotton. Basically, it's just what a lot of us want in a mattress.
What makes bamboo so sustainable? According to the Sleep Foundation, the process of growing and harvesting bamboo can be more eco-friendly than other textile crops like cotton, which require larger amounts of water, fertilisers, and pesticides.
We're focusing on bamboo because we tested bamboo-giant Panda's first foray into mattresses. They're already one of our favourite go-to eco-friendly brands for their down-like Cloud Duvet and the much-lauded mattress topper. So we were very keen to give their first mattress – a UK-made bamboo hybrid mattress – a proper try.
Is it worth buying a Panda mattress?
In a word, absolutely. We were thoroughly impressed with the brand's first mattress – a cooling hybrid mattress made with bamboo, naturally.
We'll start with delivery. The Hybrid Bamboo mattress was delivered to the room of our choice, arriving in a heavy and tall box – but a box nonetheless! Panda also offers a free old mattress recycling service which is a lovely touch. Unpacking was fairly easy (we did it alone but would thoroughly recommend to ask someone to help) and once unrolled the mattress didn't need more than a few hours to puff up to its correct size. The perks of its highly breathable bamboo-infused foam is that you don't get that mild off-gassing odour that other memory foam mattresses normally emit in their first few days.
When it comes to design, Panda's mattress has been created with hot and fidgety co-sleepers in mind – a double whammy for this writer. Memory foam is notorious for heat retention but Panda's a hybrid and its ‘BioCell Foam’ means the mattress pairs open-cell technology with fresh bamboo to increase airflow and prevent Visco foam's natural heat retention. The zip-off top bamboo cover is also there to wick away moisture. This was all proven to be true in October's unusual heatwave, we barely had to stick a toe out. Equally in the colder months we have been nothing but impressed in the temperature regulation department.
Our absolute favourite feature of this mattress though has got to be its motion control – a total game-changer for anyone sharing a bed with anyone particularly restless or with not so harmonious sleep schedules (ahem, early gym sessions). Sure, the mattress' medium-firm comfort levels are also excellent, even for side sleepers, (thanks to high-density, orthopaedic-grade foam) but it keeps so still – a dream for this light sleeper! The extra heavy duty motion control is thanks to 1,500 individually enclosed, full-size premium pocket springs that move independently from one another as well as highly resilient Visco memory foam which absorbs any excess movement. A very welcome addition to the bedroom.
All in all, Panda's created a very luxurious and well made mattress with eco-credentials to boot, it's supportive, breathable, comfortable and best of all – incredibly motion controlled. If there is a downside, our only wish would be for a deeper mattress option. This one comes at a fairly standard 27cm (about 10.6 inches).
Panda's Hybrid Bamboo Mattress: how does it compare one year later?
A year in, the Panda mattress has got me through heat waves, long London winters, a dog sleeping at the end of the bed and a partner who wakes up at 5am to leave for the gym each morning – as well as the first two trimesters of pregnancy. It's safe to say the mattress passes with flying colours. My favourite stand-out features that have lasted just as well a year in would be the mattresses' excellent lack of movement when dog or partner stirs in the middle of the night – thanks to its extra heavy duty motion control in the pocket springs. This is also extra useful now, while my pregnancy means more movements throughout the night and firmly sleeping on the side. The bamboo's cooling elements seems to be another star feature, with sweatless nights even at peak summer highs.
Fact file
| Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress | |
|---|---|
| Firmness: | Medium firm |
| Type of mattress: | Hybrid |
| Sizes available: | UK single, EU single, UK small double, UK double, EU double, UK king, EU king, UK super king and emperor |
| Guarantee: | 10 years |
| Trial period: | 100 nights |
| Mattress depth: | 27cm |
| Care: | The zip off bamboo mattress cover can be removed easily and cleaned in the washing machine or by hand. |
| Other features: | Hypoallergenic, free old mattress recycling service |
How we tested
Sleeping on the job, essentially. We slept on the mattress every night for over two months. We looked at every aspect of the mattress experience, from delivery to comfort, support, temperature control and if we were woken up or felt the movement from our co-tester wiggling around all night long on it.
How much does a Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress cost?
The Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress costs £799 for a double.
Looking for more mattress content? Take a look at our selection of the best mattresses available to buy in the UK, our round up of the best memory foam mattresses, or our top tips for how to clean a mattress. To enhance your mattress, consider our pick of the best mattress toppers, or if you're looking to save some pennies, find out what we think is the best cheap mattress in our dedicated guide. Finally, if a buying a mattress that's mindful of the environment and your health is important to you, head over to our best organic mattress round up.
