A mattress topper is a great solution if your mattress is feeling a little tired, or you’ve started to get aches and pains when you sleep but don’t want to splurge on a pricey new mattress outright. These more affordable upgrades instead slip on top of your existing mattress and give it a facelift. But which one should you choose?

Panda is a relatively new player in the bedding world. It’s committed to making high-end homewares that are kinder to the planet, which means its products are all made from eco-friendly bamboo.

Bamboo is the textile of the moment, and with good reason. It’s sustainable – it grows quickly but needs much less water than cotton production, and also absorbs greenhouse gases while it’s growing, which is a big green tick.

From a user point of view, bamboo is gorgeously soft – similar to Egyptian cotton – and it’s breathable, helping you regulate your temperature. If that’s not enough, it’s also hypoallergenic, antibacterial and odour-resistant.

The Panda mattress topper is covered in bamboo, so it should provide a cosy and comfortable night’s sleep. It also contains something called hydro foam – a type of memory foam that, Panda claims, reacts to your body temperature via tiny heat-sensitive capsules expanding the foam when it warms up, helping it to release any trapped heat and keep you cool. This all sounds very hi-tech but, basically, the result should be you don’t overheat like you might on other older types of memory foam.

The Panda topper comes in nine different sizes from single up to EU emperor, so unless you have a seriously awkwardly sized bed, you should be able to find a size that works for you. With a 10-year guarantee and a 30-night trial, Panda provides peace of mind when purchasing, so you can rest easy that, if something goes wrong or you’re simply not keen, you’re protected.

How we tested

We tested out the king-size version of the Panda topper for a month. We looked at how supportive and comfortable it was, and if it alleviated our aches and pains. Close attention was paid to whether it retained its comfort over a long period of time – we wanted to know this wasn’t a one-night wonder. We were keen to see how much it regulated our temperature, too.

Panda the topper, king

Sizes available: Single, small double, double, king, super king, EU single, EU double, EU king, EU emperor

Type: Memory foam

Depth: 5cm

Trial period: 30 days

Guaruntee: 10 years

Care: Removable bamboo cover

Why we love it

Soft woven cover

Non-slip

No chemical scent

Take note

We don’t recommend this if you prefer a firm sleeping surface

Design

The Panda mattress topper comes rolled up in a box. It unfurls easily, though, and you’re advised to leave it for a good few hours, to let it come up to optimal plumpness.

The topper cover is dreamily soft, with a woven texture. Honestly, we could have happily slept directly on the topper without sheets. The underside of the topper has loads of non-slip dots, so it doesn’t slip off your actual mattress, and these seemed to work well. It also has straps that slide under your mattress, to keep the topper totally locked in place.

We often find memory foam takes a while to air out but, happily, there was zero chemical smell from the Panda topper. It expanded much more quickly than others we’ve come across, too.

Once the topper has settled on the bed, it’s a good 5cm in profile. We found this more than adequate, as anything more and our sheets would’ve struggled to contain the topper and mattress.

Comfort and performance

We were immediately impressed with the quality of the memory foam. We properly sunk into the topper and felt completely enveloped and supported. It was as good as any memory foam mattress we’ve tried, and transformed our bed into something that felt like it was fit for a luxury hotel.

After a few nights’ sleep on the Panda mattress, we noticed our aches and pains had subsided. Coincidence? Perhaps, but we’ll chalk some of it down to the level of support the mattress topper was giving us. We find that, when we sleep flat on our back, our lower back aches but, thanks to the Panda mattress gently supporting the arch of our back, this pain went during testing. Fewer aches and pains meant we were tossing and turning less, and sleeping better. Massive result for us.

We felt the level of support the Panda gave us was good, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t say it’s not exactly firm. If you prefer a firm sleeping surface, the Panda probably isn’t going to tick your boxes. However, if you love that cosy feeling of sinking into bed, this is perfect for you.

On the temperature regulation, we found the hi-tech Panda topper much better than the old-style memory foam options. Throughout testing, we didn’t overheat once but our (highly sensitive) co-tester did remark they got a little too toasty at times.

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The verdict: Panda the topper

The Panda memory foam topper is fantastic for upgrading your mattress to something truly sumptuous. It offers genuine memory-foam-style support, and helped us get a better night’s sleep. We love that it’s an eco-friendly, anti-allergen option, too. It definitely made getting out of bed in the morning that bit trickier, as we were just too comfortable.

Want to feel on cloud nine while you snooze? Read our review of the best bamboo bedsheets