Bear and Douglas are two of the most well-known mattress brands in Canada, and both brands have built up a loyal Canadian customer base. So, what are the backgrounds behind these two brands?

Launched in 2014, Bear joined the the increasingly popular and highly competitive online mattress industry. Bear markets their mattress as a great supplement to any active lifestyle, boasting “recovery from your day, every night” on their site.

Douglas was introduced in 2017 by Canadian bed-in-a-box company GoodMorning.com. Douglas was manufactured as a single-firmness mattress, designed using eight years' worth of engineering data and customer feedback. GoodMorning.com designed the Douglas to be a value-packed, Canadian-made mattress at an unheard-of low price. They offer the same level of customer service for the Douglas as they do across their growing catalogue, along with a 365-night sleep trial and a 20-year warranty.

Delivery, Trial, Returns	Bear	Douglas
Shipping cost:	Free shipping to US; doesn't ship to Canada	Free shipping in Canada
Shipping time:	7–10 days	3–10 days
Sleep trial length:	100 nights	365 nights
Return ease:	Company picks up	Company picks up
Refund:	Yes, full refund	Yes, full refund
Additional fees:	No	No

Thanks to modern compression methods and the rising popularity of the bed-in-a-box, mattresses can now be shipped far more efficiently and conveniently than ever before. Customers no longer need to take a day off work to accept a delivery. Boxed beds are now delivered with the same convenience as most Amazon orders. Some bed-in-a-box companies even offer same day delivery to certain areas.

Both Bear and Douglas use FedEx to deliver their mattresses. Both mattresses are delivered directly to customers’ doors throughout most parts of Canada. In some cases, the mattresses can even be left on a porch or deck while the customer is away from home. Shipping is free throughout Canada for both companies, with each order taking under 10 business days for delivery.

Like many bed-in-a-box companies, Bear and Douglas both heavily promote their sleep trials. With a 365-night sleep trial, Douglas has one of the longest sleep trials of all mattress brands, while Bear allows their customers 100 days to decide.

However, if a customer wishes to return their Bear or Douglas mattress within the sleep trial period, each company will arrange to pick up their respective mattress and issue a full refund. There are no additional return or restocking fees for either the Bear or Douglas mattress.

Out of the Box	Bear	Douglas
Delivered in a box:	Yes	Yes
Box dimensions:	42” x 19” x 19”	17.5" x 17.5" x 44.5"
Box opening:	Scissors required	Scissors required
Box/mattress fitting:	Loose	Tight
Protection layers:	2	2
Expansion time:	2 minutes	3 minutes

Both the Bear and Douglas mattresses were delivered to us within the expected delivery time frames. Each product was well-protected within the box by heavy-duty plastic to keep the mattress in good condition during shipping.

Each mattress box was sealed with heavy-duty tape. Customers will definitely need scissors or a knife to open the box. To prevent potential harm to your new mattress, remember to be extra careful when using sharp objects to remove any packaging.

Once opened, each compressed mattress is easy to remove from the box. We recommend a ‘tip-and-pull’ motion to slowly slide the mattress out from its cardboard container. Simply tip the box from a vertical position down onto its side, and then pull the lightweight box away from the bundled mattress. It’s most efficient to do this process in the room where you intend to use the mattress.

Both mattresses are protected with two layers of heavy-duty plastic – one to compress it in a vacuum seal, and another to roll it tightly into a cylinder shape.

Customers will need to unwrap the first layer in order to unroll the mattress, which will still be in its compressed form. Some helpful advice at this stage is to place the rolled up mattress onto the designated bed frame. Next, like the end of a roll of tape, find and peel back the outer layer of plastic. You can use the momentum of unrolling the compressed mattress along the bed frame to help remove the rest of this layer, which could be up to a few meters long. After completing this process, the mattress will be lying unrolled before you.

Next, cut the final layer of plastic. The vacuum seal now broken, the mattress will quickly begin to decompress. Remove this final layer of plastic as the mattress expands to its full height. With Douglas, full expansion took 3 minute. With the Bear mattress, it took 2 minutes.

The Bear and Douglas are both combination foam mattresses, and each is available only in one firmness option. 

Some of the major differences between the Bear mattress and the Douglas are the different types of foam used for comfort and support. Each mattress contains comfort, transition, and support layers, and these layers vary slightly in height and density.

Also, each mattress has a unique top cover which showcases the brand’s personality and design aesthetic. Top covers are sometimes washable, and of the two mattresses in this review, only the Douglas has a machine-washable cover.

Bear vs Douglas Mattress Layers

Bear Mattress Layers

The Bear mattress contains four layers of foam:

• The first layer of the Bear mattress has been designed to offer comfort and combat warm sleeping. With cooling memory foam, the top layer helps regulate your body temperature.
• The second layer of the Bear mattress is a responsive comfort foam. The bounce provided in this foam combined with the third transitional layer of performance foam offers optimal pressure-point relief and comfort.
• The final layer is made of high-density foam. Due to the high density, this foam adds to the durability and long-lasting support of this mattress.

Douglas Mattress Layers

Douglas uses three layers of foam in the construction of its Canadian-made mattress.

• First layer: 2 inches of ecoLight® cooling gel foam. This cooling gel encourages a restful sleep by ensuring that the mattress doesn’t trap heat. The ecoLight® foam has the durability, responsiveness, and comfort of memory foam, but it has a lower carbon footprint. Foam density: 2.5 lbs/ft³.
• Second layer: 2 inches of Elastex® foam. This transition layer is designed to provide spring and support. Many mattresses use latex for similar reasons. Elastex® is free of the allergy-causing chemicals found in latex.
• Third layer: 6 inches of motion isolation support foam. This thick bottom layer greatly reduces motion transfer between sleepers, and it also enhances edge support.

Bear vs Douglas Mattress Cover

Bear Mattress Cover

The Bear mattress has a very neat, simple cover design. The top cover is white polyester with simple textured designs. The white continues down the side of the mattress but is soon replaced by a very dark grey, which is a notable yet pleasing contrast in design. The cover is not removable and is spot clean only; it is suggested that this is done with a small amount of warm water and mild detergent.

Douglas Mattress Cover

With its mountainscape stitching to its red and white colour profile, Douglas’ Canadian-centric cover shows the brand's homegrown roots. Cut from a single piece of fabric and woven together, the design is almost seamless. The red zipper running the entire length of the side wall and the red Douglas badge are the only elements that break up this impressive white canvas.

As for upkeep, the top half is machine washable, a bonus for anyone who can't stand the thought of spot cleaning their bed by hand. Douglas' cover is enhanced with moisture-wicking Infinitex™ fibres. This proprietary fabric is stretch-knit and very soft, but also extremely durable. The cover is great for staying cool and breathable through the night, so you won't wake up in a pool of sweat.

Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious when making purchases. Retailers both in and out of the mattress industry have been incorporating more eco-friendly and ethical policies when selling products and choosing suppliers.

GoodMorning.com Inc. carried out a survey in February 2017, discovering that almost 50% of Canadians are willing to spend more money for more environmentally friendly products. Therefore, in every review on Mattress-Reviews.com, we will highlight each mattress company’s green philosophy, as well as how prominent their policies are on their websites.

Feel & Firmness	Bear	Douglas
Feel:	Medium	Medium-firm
Firmness:	5.1 / 10	6.7 / 10
Edge Support:	5.4 / 10	7.8 / 10
Motion Isolation:	6.9 / 10	8.3 / 10
Bounce:	3.3 / 10	3.1 / 10

Feel & Firmness

According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the firmness and feel of the Bear mattress and Douglas mattress are very different:

• The Bear mattress has a medium-firm feel. It is rated at 5.1 / 10 on the firmness scale, meaning it does not have excessive ‘hug.’
• The Douglas is a medium-firm mattress, rated at 6.7 / 10 on the firmness scale. The Douglas mattress does not have excessive ‘hug.’

Edge Support

Foam mattresses are not known for their edge support; in fact, it is often one of the main issues customers have when moving from innerspring mattresses to foam. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Bear and Douglas mattresses have very different edge support scores:

• The Bear mattress has average edge support. It is rated at 5.4 / 10 on the edge support scale.
• The Douglas mattress has above-average edge support. It is rated at 7.8 / 10 on the edge support scale.

Motion Isolation

Motion isolation in foam mattresses is usually very good and one of the main reasons couples make the switch from innerspring to memory foam. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Bear and Douglas mattresses are both above average for motion isolation:

• The Bear mattress has above-average motion isolation. It is rated at 6.9 / 10 on the motion isolation scale.
• The Douglas mattress has above-average motion isolation. It is rated at 8.3 / 10 on the motion isolation scale.

Bounce

Due to the fact that motion isolation for foam mattresses is generally very good, bounce is generally very low. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Bear mattress and Douglas mattress score similarly for bounce:

• The Bear mattress has below-average bounce. It is rated at 3.3 / 10 on the bounce scale.
• The Douglas mattress has below-average bounce. It is rated at 3.1 / 10 on the bounce scale.

Overview	Bear	Douglas
Price (Queen):	$925 USD	$799 CAD
Made in:	USA	Canada
Trial length:	100 nights	365 nights
Warranty:	10 years	20 years
Mattress height:	10"	10"
Number of layers:	4	3
Cover materials:	Polyester	Tencel®, polyester, spandex
Machine washable:	No	Yes
Green policies:	Eco-conscious materials	ecoLight® foam; Plant-based fabric; Optimized shipping; Recycled cardboard; Recycled ink
Feel:	Medium	Medium-firm
Firmness	5.1 / 10	6.7 / 10
Edge support:	5.4 / 10	7.8 / 10
Motion isolation:	6.9 / 10	8.3 / 10
Bounce:	3.3 / 10	3.1 / 10
Year-Round Price Guarantee:	No	CLICK HERE

Remember, Mattress-Reviews.com is owned, operated, and paid for by GoodMorning.com Inc. and advertises the Octave, Douglas, Juno, and Logan & Cove brands. The following is strictly our competitive opinion:

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There are a few factors that immediately stand out after comparing the Bear and Douglas mattresses. Each product in this Bear vs Douglas mattress review has similar features, especially with regards to comfort and support. The Bear and Douglas have a distinctive firmness and feel, level of edge support, level of motion isolation, and bounce.

What really elevate one brand above the other are the sleep trial, environmental commitment, and the Canadian-ness of the Douglas mattress. Douglas is Mattress-Reviews.com’s Top Pick for Mattress under $1,000 CAD, and customers who choose to purchase a Douglas over a Bear will enjoy a lengthier sleep trial. They can also sleep better knowing they are supporting a mattress brand that supports the environment. Douglas is made in Canada, manufactured using sustainable and renewable materials.