Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt topper review

This ultra-plush, body-hugging topper is a dream for side sleepers

Tempur-Adapt Topper
(Image: © Tempur-Pedic)

Tom's Guide Verdict

This luxury mattress topper is ideal for side sleepers of light to average weight who enjoy softer comfort – and especially those who want to enjoy the legendary Tempur Material without the much heftier price tag of a full Tempur-Pedic mattress. It offers ultra-soothing, body-cradling comfort, but stomach sleepers and heavier sleepers might prefer to seek out something with more structure.

Pros

  • +

    3 inches of ultra-plush comfort

  • +

    Removable, washable cover

  • +

    Stays in place well

  • +

    Outstanding pressure relief

Cons

  • -

    Too soft for some

  • -

    Can sleep slightly warm

  • -

    Premium pricing

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The Tempur-Adapt topper is made with the same luxuriously cradling materials you'll find in this brand's mattresses, but comes in at a fraction of the price. In theory, then, it should be one of the best mattress toppers around, but does it hold up in practice? 

This topper replaced the Supreme as Tempur-Pedic's only topper option. It's essentially a three-inch layer of Tempur's proprietary foam, which sits on top of your existing mattress and transforms the sleep feel. For the full experience, you'll want to invest in a full Tempur-Pedic mattress – but as you'll discover in our Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt mattress review, one of those is a bit of an investment, even in the context of today's best mattresses

The Adapt Topper doesn't disappoint, as we found it cozy and comfortable, especially while side-sleeping, yet also appreciated a few supporting selling points of this high-end topper.

Tempur-Adapt Topper: $319$191.40 at Tempur-Pedic
The Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper starts at $319 for a twin-sized mattress topper and goes up to $469 for a California king. The brand occasionally runs offers, but we have a code that gets you 40% off whenever you buy: just add TOPPERS40

Tempur-Adapt Topper: <a href="https://tempurpedic.pxf.io/c/221109/1070808/13723?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tempurpedic.com%2Fother-products%2Ftempur-toppers%2Fv%2F3810%2F" data-link-merchant="tempurpedic.com"" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">was $319 now from $191.40 at Tempur-Pedic
The Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper starts at $319 for a twin-sized mattress topper and goes up to $469 for a California king. The brand occasionally runs offers, but we have a code that gets you 40% off whenever you buy: just add TOPPERS40 at checkout to claim your discount.

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper review in brief

We tested the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper for a little over two weeks, trying it out in all sleeping positions (side, back, and stomach). As a note, this luxury mattress topper is marketed as ideal for side sleeping, which proved to be beneficial as that's the tester's preferred sleeping position. The tester used linen sheets throughout the trial, which tend to offer more breathability (and trap less heat) than cotton and many other alternatives for bedding material.

Tempur-Adapt Topper specs

Depth: 3 inches
Material: Memory foam (officially 'Tempur Material')
Trial: None
Straps: Yes
Washable cover: Yes
Warranty: 10 years
Price bracket: Premium

Overall, we found this mattress topper to be very plush and as luxurious as the high cost would suggest. It's soft enough to really feel the hug of proprietary, NASA-developed Tempur Material. It offers more give than other toppers, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it lends itself to a sensation of sinking in. However, that extra give might prove to be too much for stomach sleepers, some back sleepers, and heavier sleepers. And while this mattress topper didn't trap heat (for reference, the tester is prone to heating up at night every so often), the fact that Tempur-Pedic offers an upgrade to a Tempur-Adapt + Cooling topper suggests that it's not the absolute best mattress topper for those who tend to run hot overnight.

All things considered, we recommend the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper for side sleepers in particular, as well as those who don't heat up while sleeping.

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper review: Design

  • 3 inches of proprietary Tempur Material (memory foam)
  • Removable and washable allergen-resistant cover
  • Straps anchor the topper in place

One of the most significant selling points that Tempur-Pedic has to offer is its proprietary, NASA-developed Tempur Material. This is a high-end kind of memory foam with a distinctive feel, and is also used in this brand's beds (widely considered to be some of the best luxury mattresses around). 

The three-inch thick foam layer is wrapped in a zipped, removable cover. This cover is machine-washable, as well as being resistant to allergens and protects against dust mites. It's a win for convenience and hygiene, and a welcome bonus for germaphobes, allergy-sufferers, or anyone who would like to save on the extra cost of purchasing an additional mattress protector. To keep the cover in peak condition, wash it in cool water without chlorine or harsh stain products, then dry it on a cool setting or hang dry. If you sleep warm, there's the option to update to a specialist cooling cover for an extra fee. 

To keep the Tempur-Adapt topper in place, there's a non-slip, elasticated strap on each corner. These are designed to fit mattresses up to 13 inches deep, which means this topper will work for all but the chunkiest mattresses. During our review period, we found the straps worked well to anchor this topper in place, and we had no issues with it slipping around. Our standard-sized linen sheets fitted fine, even with the extra three inches of depth from the topper, although if you have a particularly thick mattress to start with, you might need to invest in sheets with deeper pockets.

Tempur-Adapt Topper on a bed

(Image credit: Michele Ross)

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper review: Price

  • Premium price bracket – queen size MSRP $419
  • Occasional sales drop the price or add gifts
  • Also sold on Amazon and Home Depot with various deals

The Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper sits at the more luxurious (read: pricier) end of the market. While mid-range mattresses toppers will set you back around $100 give or take (and you can get a cheap mattress topper under $50), even the smallest version of this topper, without the cooling upgrade, costs three times that at the regular retail price. However, it's worth factoring in that there are fairly regular Tempur-Pedic mattress sales that can knock 20% or even 40% off toppers, and sometimes throw in extras like sleep masks even pillows for free. 

It's also far, far cheaper than buying a full mattress. We rate these amongst the best memory foam mattresses and the best luxury mattresses, but they're not cheap. A Tempur topper is a way of getting that fairly unique sleep feel for a fraction of the price. Here's the official pricing for the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper:

  • Twin: MSRP $319
  • Twin long: MSRP $319
  • King: MSRP $369
  • Queen: MSRP $419
  • King: MSRP $469
  • CA king: MSRP $469

While testing this mattress topper, we saw it on sale on both the Tempur-Pedic website (at 40% off, for $251.40 for the queen size), as well as on Amazon – though the latter was only available with the cooling upgrade (at 40% off from the $499 list price, for $299 for the queen size).

To enjoy the Tempur Material via a mattress topper for less money, you may wish to consider opting for the Tempur Cloud Topper, which offers 2 inches of support and no corner straps for only $219 (queen size) or $199 (twin size). Check out another luxury option in our Saatva Mattress Topper review – this one boasts advanced cooling technology, and prices start at $175 for foam material (twin size) and go up to $510 for graphite material (split king size).

Tempur-Adapt Topper review: Comfort

  • Plush, sink-in feel
  • Ample cushioning for side sleepers
  • Too soft for heavier bodies and most stomach sleepers

To sleep on the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper, we imagine, would be akin to sleeping on a cloud (or at a premium bed in a five-star luxury hotel resort). The three inches of Tempur material feel ultra-plush, and hug the sleeper's curves. While this feature may be compelling to some, it may be a weak point for others. On the whole, we loved this soothing body cradling after a long, tough day, but sometimes we felt we might appreciate something with a little more structure.

The sink-in feel is especially well suited to side sleeping, as it allows the sleeper's hips and shoulders to sink into the mattress a little, preventing pressure from building up. This would be a great way to mimic the feel of one of today's best mattresses for side sleepers, on a cheaper budget. Stomach sleepers and some back sleepers may find this mattress topper to be too soft for their needs. Our lead tester found that sometimes the sink felt a bit excessive while back sleeping (namely around the hips) and while stomach sleeping, so we anticipate that this mattress topper would be a bit too soft for those who prefer these sleeping positions. The same goes for those who weigh above 250lbs – they'll likely sink through the soft layer rather than feeling its full cushioning benefits. 

Tempur-Adapt Topper review: Temperature regulation

Memory foam can trap body heat, but Tempur-Pedic's Tempur Material has been developed to be more breathable. Our lead tester tends to run hot at night every so often, and at times during our review period could feel at least a bit of heat building up in the Tempur-Adapt topper. That said, she didn't have any major issues, and overall wouldn't consider the temperature regulation poor enough to warrant a major demerit. 

Hand resting on cover of Tempur-Adapt Topper

(Image credit: Michele Ross)

We wouldn't say that the mattress topper is cool to the touch, and we anticipate more impressive cooling features with the $60 cooling cover upgrade. (For context, we tested this topper with linen sheets to support greater breathability and temperature regulation.) There are also a few reports of this topper sleeping a bit warm amongst other customer reviews, and it's worth noting that we also had issues with heat retention when reviewing the full mattress version of the Tempur-Adapt.

Overall, we found temperature regulation to be the least impressive aspect of this mattress topper in our review. While it wasn't a huge pain point for us, those who tend to run hot may as well shell out the extra $60 for the cooling upgrade to err on the side of caution.

Tempur-Adapt Topper review: Setup

The Tempur-Adapt Topper was packed in a box measuring 22 x 15 x 15 inches. Placing it on a scale, it clocked in at just shy of 25 pounds. Each of these considerations make it simple enough to unbox for a solo, relatively petite reviewer. Box aside, the only extra protection the mattress topper had was the shrink-wrap for the topper itself and one extra plastic bag as a buffer from the cardboard. We appreciated that the packaging was minimal and not excessive, as well as that it was very easy to unroll the shrink-wrap and place the topper on the mattress solo. We noticed off-gassing smells up to three feet away for about two hours after unboxing. While it decompressed quickly after lying flat, the brand notes it can take up to 24 hours to fully expand though it is suitable to use on the same day.

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Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper: Customer reviews

As is the case with pretty much any reviews, those for the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper swing both ways, though the bulk of them on both the Tempur-Pedic website and Amazon are positive on the whole. Users who gave a positive review for the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper noted heavenly, wonderful experiences after investing in this topper. More specifically, some reviewers commented on the topper's ability to help relieve aches and pains in the shoulders, back, and hips.

Other positive reviews called out the value for the price tag, which allowed them to benefit from the legendary Tempur Material at a more accessible price point compared to the brand's mattresses. Users who weren't as impressed by this mattress topper cited that they found it to be too soft for their liking and had an unpleasant off-gassing smell (note that experiences with this can vary from person to person, even within the same mattress model). Others mentioned that it slipped around despite securing it with the corner straps and that they didn't notice any cooling benefits.

Tempur-Adapt Topper

(Image credit: Tempur-Pedic)

Should you buy the Tempur-Adapt Topper?

All things considered, we think the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper is among the best mattress toppers on the market today – though it's not for everyone. Based on our personal experience testing this topper, we highly recommend it for side sleepers of light or average weight seeking plenty of softness and a lot of cushioning. (Those who prioritize convenience and hygiene will also appreciate the zippered, washable cover.) 

On the flip side, we believe that stomach sleepers, some back sleepers, and heavier sleepers would be better suited with another option. Moreover, sleepers who tend to run hot at night yet want to luxuriate in the Tempur Material may want to pay for the cooling upgrade. We're also disappointed that is no trial period on offer for this high-end topper. It is backed by a 10-year warranty.

Michele Ross

Michele Ross is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. For Tom's Guide and TechRadar, she interviews medical experts for sleep tips and tricks, as well as reviews mattresses and toppers to see which ones are truly worth buying for different types of sleepers and budgets. She has also covered a range of sleep topics for publications and brands including Well+Good, HUM Nutrition, and Mini Bloom, among others.