I have used this item five plus years and it has served me very well. Still in use today (going on 6 years), but now by my air b n b guests.
A bit about me: I'm 135 pounds 5'5". I'm someone who gets warm when I sleep. I live in Manhattan- not a dry climate, but not a super humid one, with four solid seasons. I tend to go to sleep on my side or stomach, but often wake up on my back. I'm a pretty sound sleeper, but if a bed is too hard it keeps me up, but if it's too soft I wake up with back aches.
Quick notes on this topper: COMFORTABLE. Cozy. A bit thicker than 1inch. Having experienced this topper as a 1 inch and a 2 inch, 1 inch is all you need, if you're one or two people under 135 and 250 lbs, save your money, don't get more than an inch, at most 2. If you don't have special needs you know about, don't go crazy convincing yourself you need more inches than this. Yes, it gets extra firm/hard when in a cold room, this doesn't bother me, because after 20 minutes or less of warming your bed up with your body, it's fine, and is so comfortable, cozy, and supportive. I actually kind of like the added support of the cold room firmness. Because it always gives to support the contours of my body for comfort and circulation and keep my spine straight and my body comfortable. I also like to spread out and change positions, I never feel my last position, there is never a dent or hole to roll out out of- it springs back quickly. Out of the box smell? Don't worry about it. I can't remember how long it lasted because it wasn't that long, maybe a day, maybe a week, after 5 years of this thing changing my life, it really doesn't matter. Appearance: it does eventually become discolored and turn a mustard color, maybe after one or two years, but it doesn't lose its comfort or quality.
My Baby Bear Tale: I originally bought this in a California King size and folded it in half for a twin size bed, and I felt like a genius getting a two inch topper for less. I put it on a pretty firm cheap, CHEAP spring mattress with no pillow top I got from a Bronx warehouse clearance I found on craiglist- they deliver for free- $$ in all, including box spring- the cheapest most uncomfortable mattress you can imagine, and then I put this mattress pad on it, now I have the most comfortable bed in the city, and I didn't even break the $$$ mark (whaaaa?!). Now I'm the smartest gal in town. I hosted a lot of guest and they all said I had the most comfortable bed they had ever sat on or slept on.
Fast forward two years: I get a full size bed, so I have to unfold the pad. I get the same insanely cheep terrible mattress from my guy in the Bronx, this time for a platform slat bed from Ikea. I put this same marvelous mattress topper on it (trim it down with scissors to size - easy)- now I'm using it as a one incher- still the most comfortable bed in town. My roommate has a $$$$ memory foam mattress, says mine is the best in the apt, where did I get it. When I'd have a friend sharing it with me, (they'd be around 250 pounds or less), we never effected each other with our movement. Some mornings I'd get apologies from my bed mate about how they had to keep getting up in the night, "I honestly had no idea," I'd reply, "I totally slept right through it."
Now I'm moving in my boyfriend, we both agree my bed is better than his very fancy, very expensive mattress with a deep memory pillow top. In his fancy bed, we sink in towards the middle and can't sleep apart if we want to, and our movements effect eachother. On my $$ mattress, WITH THIS TOPPER on it, we're always comfortable no matter what we're doing, sleeping soundly, or otherwise. But we really want a queen to share instead of a full size we both have. So sadly I have to take a chance on a new mattress and topper- I'm going to give the 3 inch gel a shot- I know, breaking my own rules. Boyfriend wants a really heavy pad to weigh down the bouncy Sleepy's mattress we bought because ********** Guy didn't respond to my call (don't go to Sleepy's just wait for ********** Guy to respond and get this topper! I swear, I wasted so much money doing it the way I've done it this time, and I know better!) I'll let you know how it works out. Now my guests get to keep enjoying my amazing bed with this topper you're considering now. Do it!
Other items of note, soiling and smelling: There were two or three times this mattress was wetted by human means of soiling, I never had a wet protecting cover on it (which I'd still recommend for children), but after covering the accident in baking soda, fabreeze, and airing it out, it lost the smell. Also, 10 months ago, I had an overseas guest who rarely showered and who used insane amounts of cologne stay for a month. When I returned, I was sure it was the end of this pad, but after a week of procrastinating, the smell was totally gone. I asked friends to tell me if I had just gotten used to it after a week, or if it was really, truly gone? And sure enough, the smell had disappeared with out a single trace to all noses! So there's something magical (or scientific) about this material that after a week or three(in the case of soilage), or less, bad smells just escape it.
Recommended uses: Dorms- definitely, pull out sofa beds- of course, or everyday use on a terrible to mediocre mattress to transform it into the best bed in town- do it!
One more thing: I'm going to address this, "sleeping on a cloud," line. If you want to feel a cloud, soft and plush all around you, like a feather bed, where you can even hear the air escape, followed by an "ah", you might be a person that is looking for a feather or feather alternative bed. I still think you should put this guy under your extra plushy cover for supreme, best of both worlds, comfort, but don't expect this to be the be all end all of your touchy cloudy dreams.
If, however, you define "sleeping on a cloud" in a more literal sense of sleeping on something you can't feel, this is for you. You get in bed, you hear nothing, maybe it's cold and it's hard, so there isn't instant give, and then, you sink in, cradled, supported no matter how you roll or turn, and the next thing you know is your alarm is going off, and you're asking yourself, holy crap, did I just have the best night's sleep of my life? And the answer is, yes.