Bear Elite Hybrid Review

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In This Review
Performance Tests | Firmness | Support & Sleeping Positions | Design | Materials | Comparisons | FAQs

At NapLab, we put each mattress to the test.

We test 10 different factors that impact the performance, comfort, and value of the mattress. We then take the results of that test and compare to every mattress we’ve tested to date.

Check out the full performance table below to see how this mattress ranks:

Factor	Bear Elite Hybrid	Average
Overall Score	9.24	8.64
Price (Queen)	$1,373	$1,594 (Memory Foam Hybrid only)
Cooling – Score	10	8.8
Sinkage – Depth	2.14″	2.16″
Sinkage – Feel	Moderate	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Score	10	8.2
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	3.74 m/s²	8.64 m/s²
Response Time – Score	7.9	8.9
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.4 sec.	0.4 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	1.7 sec.	0.9 sec.
Bounce – Height	10.32″	9.69″
Bounce – Feel	High	Moderate
Edge Support – Score	8.4	8.6
Edge Support – Sitting	4.75″	4.07″
Edge Support – Lying	Excellent	Good
Sex – Score	8.8	8.5
Pressure Relief – Score	9.0	8.8
Comfort Layer Thickness	5.0″	4.2″
Mattress Thickness	14″	12.0″
Off-Gassing – Score	9.2	8.4
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	3 days	6 days
Company – Score	9.7	8.7
Trial	120 nights	165 nights
Warranty	Lifetime	25% have lifetime warranties, average of other 75% of mattresses is 14 years

How is the Bear Elite Hybrid Different?

The Bear Elite Hybrid mattress performs better than the average mattress and with a price that comes in right at the average for memory foam hybrids.

The Bear Elite Hybrid mattress has better cooling, with slightly less sinkage and nearly half the average level of motion transfer compared to all mattresses tested to date.

It has slightly more bounce than average as well, but that also means a higher sex performance score.

The mattress is a little over 2″ thicker than the average mattress which also means it has a deeper comfort layer than average. Oftentimes, the comfort layer thickness is an attributing factor to better pressure relief.

Cooling performance on the Bear Elite Hybrid mattress was outstandingly good. It’s among a small group of the very best cooling mattresses we’ve tested to date.

During our cooling tests, I felt that the mattress remained cool, and did not retain significant or uncomfortable levels of heat.

While the Bear Elite Hybrid does utilize memory foam within the top layer, it’s fairly thin at only 1.0” thick and it’s copper-infused, which reduces heat retention.

Furthermore, the poly foam transitional comfort layer is just 2.0” thick and convoluted for better zonal support, but more relevant here, improved breathability.

All of this foam sits on top of an 8.0” pocketed coil, which delivers the bulk of the airflow on the mattress. These design and material factors combine to deliver exceptionally good cooling performance.

• Baseline Temperature – the temperature of the mattress before anyone lies on it
• Maximum Temperature (0 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after lying on it for 15 minutes
• Ending Temperature (5 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after being lied upon and having no one on it for 5 minutes

Looking at our objective data we can see that the heat dissipation curve looks fantastic.

The Bear Elite Hybrid hit a maximum temperature of 88.4°F and was able to drop to 83.8° by the 1-minute mark. That’s a decline of 4.6°, which is better than the average (across all mattresses we’ve tested to date) by 0.8° (average 1-minute dissipation is 3.8°F).

Heat dissipation from 2 to 5 minutes continued to gradually step down, ending at 81.4°F.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

The vast majority of the heat dissipation occurs within 1 minute. This indicates that the mattress is able to release the bulk of any retained heat extremely quickly.

All things considered, excellent cooling performance across the board.

In our pressure point sinkage test, we measured the Bear Elite Hybrid mattress at 2.14” of sinkage.

This is just slightly less sinkage than the average across all mattresses we’ve tested to date, which is 2.22”.

The level of sinkage is documented in the image below.

At 2.14” the Bear Elite Hybrid is right in the sweet spot for what I’d call a moderate level of sinkage.

It’s enough to provide plenty of pressure relief, but not so deep as to create support or cooling issues. Most sleepers should find this sinkage dynamic to be comfortable.

Motion transfer was extremely low on the Bear Elite Hybrid. In our tests, we measured an acceleration range of 3.74 m/s². This is considerably better than the average acceleration based on all of our tests to date, which is 6.00 m/s².

In general, I like to see an acceleration range of less than 5.00 m/s², though lower is always better.

The level of motion transfer is documented in the video below.

Hybrid mattresses typically struggle more with motion transfer, given their pocketed coils support systems. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Bear Elite Hybrid dealt with motion transfer extraordinarily well.

The quilted cover, 1.0” layer of memory foam, and 2.0” poly foam work together to keep motion to a minimum.

Looking at our motion transfer chart (which visualizes the acceleration data) we can see the initial energy spike begins to decline by 0.29 seconds.

A moderate level of motion persists up until 0.58 seconds, after which we return to near-zero levels of motion.

While the Bear Elite Hybrid isn’t the absolute lowest motion transfer mattress we’ve tested, it should be more than low enough for the vast majority of sleepers.

The Bear Elite Hybrid has a moderate level of response time. In our tests, we measured 0.4 seconds for the mattress to mostly recover, with a full material recovery taking 1.7 seconds.

On average, based on all of our mattress tests to date, we see mattresses mostly recovered by 0.57 seconds and fully recovered by 0.95 seconds.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

Comparing the average to the Bear Elite Hybrid’s times we can see the mostly recovered time is better than average by a good margin.

However, Bear does lag behind the average when it comes to a full material recovery.

The quilted cover and copper memory foam layers simply take more time to respond. This gives them a more traditional memory foam pressure relief, hug, and contour, all of which are desirable.

Keep in mind, this could make it harder for some sleepers to move around or cause others to feel overly enveloped. All things considered, I’m pleased with the “mostly recovered” response time. Less than half a second is very fast and more than quick enough for most sleepers.

It should still be noted that a full material recovery takes notably longer at 1.7 seconds. If you are sensitive to mattresses that take longer to adapt to your change in positions during the night this could be a factor worth considering.

How It Compares

Other high-performance hybrids that we like that perform better on response time include the Ghostbed Luxe, Leesa Legend, Nest Bedding Owl, and Purple mattresses.

All of the above mostly recover within 0.2 seconds and have a full material recovery in 0.3 seconds. 

The Bear Elite Hybrid mattress has a high level of bounce. In our tests, we measured a total bounce height of 10.32”. This is marginally more than the average (across all mattresses we’ve tested to date), which is 9.47”.

Bounce is more of a preferential factor. However, more bounce does make the mattress easier to move around on, gives it a more traditional feel, and improves sex.

The level of bounce is also documented in the video below.

In my view, more bounce is better, but can become detrimental at a certain point (around 12” and above). Bear has a good level of bounce that I’m pleased with.

Its hybrid design and bounce level give it a more traditional feel, while still offering more modern mattress performance. 

Edge support on the Bear Elite Hybrid was good, but not great. In our sitting edge tests, we measured 4.75” of sinkage when sitting directly on the edge of the mattress.

On average, we see 4.66” of sinkage from all other mattresses we’ve tested to date. Generally, I like to see 4.0” of sinkage or less when sitting on the edge.

Since the Bear Elite Hybrid is thicker than many mattresses at 14.0” thick, and also uses 5.0” of comfort material, it makes sense that there is a little more absolute edge support.

The level of edge support while seated is documented in the images below.

Even so, in our photographs, you can see a fairly significant dip when sitting on the edge, which only gets deeper when we wear the 60-pound weighted vest (bringing my body weight to 200 pounds).

While sitting edge support leaves something to be desired, I found edge support while lying on the mattress to be excellent.

The level of edge support while lying is documented in the images below.

I felt fully supported in any sleeping position. The mattress did a great job at maintaining both support and comfort.

The best mattresses for sex have high bounce, good edge support, quiet materials, and good pressure relief and cooling.

These 5 factors make up the NapLab sex performance score.

Sex Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Rating
Bounce	65%	8.9	High
Edge Support	20%	7.8	Fair
Noise	5%	10	Minimal
Pressure Relief	5%	9.0	Excellent
Cooling	5%	10	Outstanding

The Elite Hybrid has a lot of factors really working in its favor when it comes to sex. It has higher than average levels of bounce, good pressure relief, and fantastic cooling.

Although it’s a hybrid, it has an extra thick layer of foam separating the sleeper from the support coils so noise was basically a non-issue as well.

Edge support was a little worse than what I typically like to see, so the score did take a dip there. Even so, nothing too extreme. Overall, the Bear Elite Hybrid is still a great mattress for sex.

Pressure relief on the Bear Elite Hybrid is excellent. Throughout our tests, I felt comfortable in any sleeping position.

The mattress has a thick 5.0” comfort layer, including the 2.0” thick euro-style pillow top and 1.0” copper-infused memory foam.

NOTE: This comfort layer is 1.0″ thicker than on the Bear Star Hybrid, which is only 4.0″.

The mattress creates a comfortable, yet restrained level of memory foam hug and contour.

It’s not so much memory foam as to create significant heating, response, or bounce issues, but it’s enough to still deliver ample pressure relief. Overall, I found the mattress to be extremely comfortable. 

After the initial unboxing, there was a strong level of off-gassing smell coming off the Bear Elite Hybrid.

The smell lingered for 3 days before dissipating. I found the level of smell and the duration to be pretty typical. On average, we see mattresses smell for 2.71 days.

So to the Bear is just a little beyond that. For most sleepers, I don’t expect off-gassing to be of any particular issue. If you are hypersensitive to odors you could let the mattress air out in another room for a few days.

The company score takes a look at factors that may influence your experience with the mattress.

Factors include length of the trial period, warranty, shipping / return costs, and country of origin.

Company Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Data
Trial Period	15%	8.0	120 nights
Warranty	10%	10	Lifetime
Shipping	5%	10	$0
Returns	20%	10	$0
Trust	50%	10	Outstanding
Country of Origin	0%		USA

As a company, Bear is pretty consumer-friendly. Some of the most important factors we look at when evaluating a company include trial period, warranty, shipping, returns, country of origin, and customer service response.

How long is the trial?

The trial is 120 nights on any Bear mattress. This is pretty standard among most online mattress brands.

How long is the warranty?

In addition to the extended trial period, Bear also offers a lifetime warranty on the Elite Hybrid mattress.

Bear is made in the USA, with factories in Illinois, Mississippi, and California.

The Bear Elite Hybrid mattress comes in three different firmness levels—soft, medium, and firm.

We personally tested the Luxury Firm (medium), which I would say is a 6 out of 10, where 10 is the most firm.

I would estimate the Luxury Plush (soft) to be closer to a 4.5 out of 10 and the Extra Firm (firm) to be closer to a 7.5 out of 10.

This is a great range of firmnesses and really helps to increase the odds that there will be an Elite Hybrid for almost every sleeper.

Support on the Bear Hybrid Elite mattress is excellent. The mattress has everything I’m looking for in terms of design and materials.

There’s a thick 9.0” support layer, including the 8.0” pocketed coil system. In addition, we have 5.0” of comfort material, bringing the total thickness to 14.0”.

Mattress thickness isn’t everything, but the layers and material choices used here are all high-quality and high-impact.

During my tests, I felt well-supported in all sleeping positions. The Bear Elite Hybrid uses a 5-zoned support system. This creates more support where you need it and less where you don’t. The result is improved spinal alignment for better support and better pressure relief.

The table below shows the range of sleepers who may be comfortable on this mattress. As you can see, it basically covers the whole spectrum of sleepers.

Sleeper Weight	Stomach Sleepers	Side Sleepers	Back Sleepers
Under 150 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
150-250 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
250-300 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes

If you are lighter than 150 lbs, you may want to consider the soft version of the Elite Hybrid. Sleepers on the heavier side, may want to consider the firmer version.

Plus-Sized Sleepers

Many times, mattresses provide ample support up to around 300 pounds and then begin to see worse performance.

Given the performance we saw on the Bear Elite Hybrid I’m confident that the mattress will provide plenty of support for heavier-weight sleepers, up to at least 350 pounds and possibly closer to 400 pounds. 

What does Bear say?

That being said, Bear states that there is no weight limit or restriction for this mattress. Sleepers heavier than 300 lbs. will not void the warranty, assuming the mattress is on the correct base.

Be careful here, Bear actually does not recommend traditional boxsprings for their mattresses.

Combining the Elite Hybrid mattress + Bear Foundation + Bear Frame, the system can support up to 2500 lbs.

Design

The Bear Elite Hybrid uses a blend of foam and coils for all of the comfort and support. Compared to the Bear Star Hybrid, the Bear Elite Hybrid offers 1.0″ of extra thickness within the comfort layer, which could be a nice feature, especially for heavier sleepers.

The Bear Elite Hybrid has a plush quilted cover followed by two layers of foam, pocketed coils, and high-density support foam at the base.

It’s the combination of foam and coils that allows the mattress to have good hug and contour balanced with a faster response time and great bounce.

Materials

You can see a more detailed breakdown of the materials below.

• 2.0″ quilted cover
• 1.0″ copper-infused memory foam
• 2.0″ poly foam
• 8.0″ pocketed coils
• 1.0″ support foam

Bear Elite vs. Bear Star Hybrid

As you can see below, the difference between the Elite Hybrid vs. Bear Star Hybrid is really that extra 1.0″ of thickness on the top cover which also increases the total mattress thickness (14″ on the Bear Elite Hybrid and 13″ on the Bear Star Hybrid).

This quilted cover has an integrated PCM (phase change material) cooling technology, which is activated when you lay on the surface of the mattress.

The Cover

The cover of the Bear Elite Hybrid mattress is made of a poly-cotton blend with synthetic fibers. It is mostly white with some blue accents in the middle of the mattress to help highlight the zoning in the layers below.

There is linear stitching with diamond tufting for comfort and reinforced support as needed. Within the layers of the cover itself are synthetic fibers that act as a PCM (aka phase change materials).

Phase change materials are designed to respond to body heat of a sleeper and literally change at a molecular level to instantly provide cooling.

The sides of the Bear Elite Hybrid are dark blue, which provides a nice accent. These sides also have the added benefit of integrated handles into the sides for easier moving as needed.

The Comfort Layer

The comfort layer of the Elite Hybrid is 5.0″ thick and made up of three parts—the 2.0″ quilted cover, a 1.0″ layer of copper-infused memory foam, and a 2.0″ layer of poly foam.

The copper-infused memory foam is cooler than standard memory foam, which can sometimes have a problem with heat retention.

The 2.0″ layer of poly foam acts as a transitional layer into the support coils below.

The Support Layer

The support layer is an 8.0″ layer of pocketed coils. These coils are individually encased in fabric, which helps to keep the noise down.

At the very base of the mattress is a 1.0″ layer of high-density support foam. This foam’s main job is to support the coils and other materials above. It provides shape, structure, and support to the mattress.

Product Evolution

The Bear Elite Hybrid was launched in February 2022 and originally had a 5-zone comfort system with cut comfort foam.

In late 2022, the cut contour comfort foam was replaced with a non-cut foam layer.

Why was the Bear Elite developed?

The Elite Hybrid was designed as a more advanced version of the Bear Star Hybrid. The Elite offers a plusher cover, better cooling, and a thicker profile (14″).

Other Mattresses to Consider

Still not sure if the Bear Elite Hybrid is the best choice for you? Here are three other great hybrids you may want to consider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Check out some of the top FAQs on the Bear Elite Hybrid mattress below and get the answers you’re looking for.