The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid is a high-end hybrid bed-in-a-box mattress that's available in Soft, Medium, and Firm. Its quilted top blends polyfoam and fiber fill. Below that sit two layers of memory foam with a layer of microcoils in between, adding extra contouring, followed by a polyfoam transition layer that sits above a pocket coil support system. The support coils are zoned, with thicker, more tightly wound springs positioned under the lumbar region, and reinforced coils around the perimeter for edge support. The mattress uses CertiPUR-US certified foams, is GREENGUARD Gold certified, is fiberglass-free, and is assembled in the USA using a mix of foreign and domestic components.
Our Verdict
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7.0Light Weight
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8.3Average Weight
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9.0Heavy Weight
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid is a great choice for side sleepers, though it's best suited to average-weight and heavier people who sink in far enough to relieve hip and shoulder pressure. Lighter side sleepers can still use this mattress comfortably, but they won't sink in quite as deeply, so those same pressure points get less cushioning than they would for someone heavier. The pillow top is enveloping and will make you feel cradled as you sleep.
Excellent pressure for average-weight and heavier side sleepers.
Decent pressure relief for lighter side sleepers.
Molds closely to your body, creating and enveloping feeling.
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7.8Light Weight
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7.4Average Weight
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7.2Heavy Weight
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid is a good pick for most back sleepers. It's best suited to lighter back sleepers, who get a good balance of support and conformity that keeps the spine aligned without feeling too firm. If you're an average or heavier-weight back sleeper, you can still sleep comfortably on this mattress, but you'll compress the layers more, which lets your hips sink further out of line with your spine than is ideal.
Supports proper spinal alignment for back sleepers.
Great pressure relief for average-weight and heavier people.
Only provides okay pressure relief to lighter people.
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7.6Light Weight
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7.2Average Weight
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6.9Heavy Weight
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid is a decent choice for stomach sleepers. It's the best fit for lighter people, who get enough support to keep the hips from sinking too far and pulling the spine out of alignment. Average-weight and heavier stomach sleepers will compress the comfort layers more, allowing their lumbar area to sink further and placing more strain on the lower back throughout the night.
Great pressure relief for average-weight and heavier people.
Good support for lighter people.
Only provides okay pressure relief to lighter people.
Only decent support for average and heavier people.
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Test Results
Longevity
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid offers mediocre durability. None of its foam layers meet the density standard required for good longevity and lasting comfort, so you're likely to see body impressions form over time.
None of the foam layers meet the density required for long-term durability.
The density of each foam layer is acceptable, but none are dense enough to be considered high quality. This means that, over time, you may notice sagging and depressions developing in the foam comfort layers.
Pressure Relief
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid offers great overall pressure relief. It has an enveloping feel, so you'll sink in significantly, and the sleeping surface contours around you, which adds pressure relief. It also offers great body conformity, which matters most for side sleepers, since that position concentrates weight into pressure points at the hips and shoulders. The pressure relief you'll experience depends heavily on your body weight; average-weight and heavier sleepers sink in more, so they feel more cushioning. Lighter people don't sink in enough to feel as much relief.
Great pressure relief for average-weight and heavier people.
Only provides okay pressure relief to lighter people.
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid conforms to your body well, making it a great choice for side sleeping, though the amount of pressure relief you'll receive depends on your body weight. It's the best fit for average-weight and heavier people because they sink further into the material. Lighter side sleepers may want to look for a more plush mattress that they can sink into a little more.
Support
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid provides decent overall support, which matters most if you sleep on your back or stomach. If you're lighter, you get good support, with your hips staying in line with your torso. People of average and heavier weights get less support because they sink in a little too far, which can bring their spines out of alignment and can increase discomfort over time.
Provides good support to lightweight sleepers.
Provides less support to average and heavy-weight sleepers.
This mattress provides decent support for people who sleep on their backs or stomachs, but the level of support depends on your weight. It's most supportive for lighter people, who won't sink into the mattress enough to bring their hips out of alignment. It provides slightly less support to average-weight and heavier people because they sink in further.
Cooling
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid offers great cooling. It won't feel hot when you first get into bed, and it effectively dissipates heat throughout the night. That said, very hot sleepers who have trouble falling asleep because of the heat may want to look for a mattress that performs even better here.
Doesn't feel warm when you first get into bed.
Dissipates heat throughout the night.
Not cooling enough for very hot sleepers.
This mattress offers impressive cooling. It won't feel warm when you first get into bed, and it dissipates heat throughout the night. That said, very hot sleepers may want to look for a mattress with even better cooling performance.
Motion Dissipation
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid does an excellent job of dissipating motion, making it ideal if you share a bed with a restless partner or pet. You shouldn't be awoken by your partner shifting in their sleep or your pet jumping onto the foot of the bed. Any movement stays isolated to where it occurred and won't cause the bed to bounce or wobble.
Motion settles quickly rather than causing the mattress to wobble.
A partner's movements or a pet hopping onto the bed are unlikely to disturb your sleep.
This mattress does an impressive job of isolating movements, making it a good fit if you share your bed with a restless partner or pet. You'll feel some movement near the source, but it doesn't spread much across the mattress, and it settles down quickly without bouncing or wobbling.
Responsiveness
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid is quite responsive, allowing you to move around or shift positions relatively easily. You won't feel "stuck" like you might in some memory foam mattresses. That said, it's not quite as bouncy as some other mattresses, so it doesn't have that springy feel some people look for.
Responsive enough to allow you to shift positions easily.
Not as bouncy as a traditional innerspring mattress.
This mattress is advertised as being 13.5 inches (34.3 cm) tall, but our model measured about half an inch shorter. Still, you may need to use a deep-pocket fitted sheet.
This mattress has a Medium firmness level, so it's comfortable for a wide range of sleepers. If you're an average-weight or heavier side sleeper, you'll get enough give at the shoulder and hip to relieve pressure without feeling unsupported. Back and stomach sleepers who are lighter or of average weight get enough resistance to keep their hips aligned with their spine. Heavier back and stomach sleepers compress the mattress more, which can cause the hips to fall out of alignment, so a firmer option may suit them better.
This mattress delivers outstanding edge support. You can sleep right up against the edge without feeling like you're going to roll off, which gives you and a partner more usable space across the whole bed. It also feels solid when you sit on the edge.
Bear doesn't disclose the exact composition of the quilted cover, since it uses a proprietary blend the company calls Celliant, which is purported to facilitate proper body heat transfer. Both the cover and fill also contain a blend of polyester.
This mattress features reinforced pocket-coil edges that provide outstanding edge support.
The top layer of this mattress combines polyfoam and fiber fill for a soft, cushioned feel right at the surface. Underneath, two layers of memory foam create the deeper contouring you feel as you continue to sink in. A polyfoam transition layer sits below the comfort layers, keeping you from feeling the coils underneath.
Bear also builds a cooling coating, which it calls CoolForce, into the quilted topper. The coating is meant to feel cool to the touch and help you stay cooler for longer, but it's applied to the underside of the top foam layer rather than the surface you actually sleep on, so your skin never makes direct contact with it, so it's unclear how much cooling benefit you'd actually notice.
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid features a substantial amount of foam above the spring layer. There's a thin quilted top and then a thick layer of memory foam before the transition foam. This cushioning makes it good for side sleepers, letting them sink in and relieving pressure.
This mattress features microcoils in the comfort layer that use a thinner wire gauge than the main support coils, allowing them to flex more easily under your body and add extra contouring as you sink in. The support layer beneath makes up the bulk of the mattress's height. Within that support layer, the coils are also zoned: the springs under your lower back are thicker and more tightly wound than the ones near your head and feet, as you can see here, giving you extra reinforcement where your body needs it most while staying more flexible where less support is needed.
The quilted top layer and transition foam layers are quite resilient, creating a moderately bouncy feel despite the less resilient memory foam layers between them.
Popular Mattress Comparisons
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid is a high-end hybrid bed-in-a-box that stands out for excellent pressure relief, great cooling, and great edge support, making it a strong pick for average and heavier side sleepers who want to stay cool while getting real pressure relief at the shoulder and hip. It's also a solid choice for back and stomach sleeping. The standard Bear Elite Hybrid is firmer and has a bouncier, more responsive feel, making it a better fit for heavier people.
If you're a lighter side sleeper who wants more sink and contouring, the Stearns & Foster Lux Estate's plusher feel is worth a look. If cooling and support for back or stomach sleeping are your top priorities, the Casper Snow offers even stronger performance in both areas, particularly for lighter and average-weight sleepers. If you're looking for long-term durability, the Helix Midnight Luxe 2025 performs similarly to the Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid across the board but uses denser foam, so it's less likely to form body impressions over time.
If you're looking for more options, check out the best mattresses for side sleepers, the best memory foam mattresses, and the best hybrid mattresses.
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid and the Stearns & Foster Lux Estate are both high-end hybrid mattresses. Both are well-suited to side sleeping, but the Bear has a Medium firmness
level, while the Stearns & Foster is softer at Medium-Plush, so it's less suited to heavier back and stomach sleepers. The Bear also pulls ahead on edge support, so you get less usable surface if you like to sleep near the side.
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid and Helix Midnight Luxe 2025 are both hybrid bed-in-a-box options with strong pressure relief, support, and edge support, so most sleepers will feel comfortable on either. The Helix is more responsive, springing back quickly enough that you never feel stuck in place, while the Bear feels a bit slower to recover after you shift positions. It also uses denser foam, so it's more likely to resist body impressions over time.
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid and Bear Elite Hybrid may sound like variants of the same mattress, but they're actually suited to different sleepers. The Ultra Hybrid is more plus (although we tested both in the Medium firmness), making it better for side sleepers. The Hybrid is firmer, so it's more suited to stomach sleepers. The Ultra is more durable, with higher-quality foam throughout, and provides better pressure relief. On the other hand, the Hybrid has a bouncier, more responsive feel, which some people may prefer.
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid and Casper Snow are both hybrid bed-in-a-box mattresses, but the Casper is a stronger option for all sleepers, regardless of sleeping position. It's particularly well-suited to back and stomach sleepers. It also offers better cooling and is suitable for hot sleepers. That said, the Bear does have some advantages. It pulls ahead when it comes to responsiveness, springing back quickly so you're not fighting the mattress every time you shift positions, something the Casper Snow's slow-moving memory foam comfort layers make more difficult. It also has stronger edge support, giving you more usable sleeping space.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Bear Elite Ultra Hybrid mattress comes in Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King, and Split King sizes. It's also available in three firmness levels: Soft, Medium, and Firm. We bought and tested the medium queen-sized version. Here's a picture of our unit's label and secondary label.
If you encounter another variant, let us know in the comments.