Why our sleep experts loved it
The Hyde & Sleep Ruby Lite is Dreams' stripped-back, all-foam take on a modern bed-in-a-box. If you've had an earlier-generation Eve-style mattress, it will feel instantly familiar. This is 25cm deep rolled memory foam, available only from Dreams in the UK, at the firmer end of the all-foam scale.
I tested the Ruby Lite in store and the first thing that struck me was how much firmer it was than many of its boxed foam rivals. It wasn't a bad feel at all: for me as a soft-surface person it was on the firm side, but it is no doubt a very popular proposition for the type of person who likes their mattress supportive, structured and just a touch orthopaedic.
Hyde & Sleep as a brand is almost a decade old now, one of the first UK mattress-in-a-box brands with Dreams backing. The Ruby Lite feels like a natural extension of that original core range, just without the springs that come with the more upmarket models.
Construction & materials
The Hyde & Sleep Ruby Lite is a pure foam mattress, with no springs at all. It is marketed as a memory foam bed and as usual with these models, it arrives vacuum packed and rolled, so delivery is simple even if you've got tight stairs or a tiny flat.
Total depth is around 25cm, which I would call the goldilocks zone for an all-foam mattress: deep enough to feel like a real mattress on a standard bed base without being so tall that fitted sheets won't stretch. The Ruby Lite uses multiple foam layers to generate its feel, with a memory foam comfort layer over firmer supporting foam that is zoned for a little more give at the shoulder and more resistance at the hips.
There is a soft-knit cover on top that feels smooth and slightly stretchy to the hand, very much in keeping with other bed-in-a-box models. It's not thickly quilted or padded so you are going into the memory foam fairly directly rather than sinking through a wad of wadding. As a result, the mattress has a very direct, true foam personality not dissimilar to the first-gen boxed mattresses that made this category so popular.
Hyde & Sleep as a brand do talk a lot about clever foams and airflow in this part of their range, using open-cell construction to help airflow through the mattress. In practice, though, the Ruby Lite still has the typical slow-moving, cuddly feel of a classic deep memory foam mattress. Just be aware of that if you already know you run hot at night.
Firmness & feel
Dreams list the Hyde & Sleep Ruby Lite as a firm mattress and that is what I thought when I tried it. It does not have that slinky, lightly resistant hug that so many medium-firm box springs advertise. Instead it is more substantial and solid through the base, especially once you're lying on it for a couple of minutes and it has had time to contour.
As a back sleeper I did feel well held. The lower back is the first place I notice how firm a mattress is and with the Ruby Lite I did not feel that hammock effect I sometimes get on a cheaper foam mattress. The foam filled the small of the back without letting my hips plunge forward too far and overall my spine felt pretty stacked.
It was on my side, however, that things got more divisive. I could feel the pressure building on my shoulder and hip after a minute or two, which is more than I would ideally like. Lighter-weight side sleepers in particular might find it too firm unless they compensate with a fluffy topper or a really forgiving pillow.
The Hyde & Sleep Ruby Lite, compared with most mainstream bed-in-a-box brands, is a couple of notches firmer and more orthopaedic. If you have tried an original Eve or similar and wished it was just a bit more solid, the Ruby Lite will be in that territory. It is not cosy or marshmallow-like, it is about getting the job done efficiently.
Performance & support
Support is the big strength of the Ruby Lite. The zoned foam base is doing a good job of anchoring the heavier parts of the body, while still letting the memory foam cradle around the shoulders. For me on my back it felt stable and level, and reassuringly solid for a budget model.
For back sleepers and many front sleepers, that is what you want: firm, flat, without too much give in the hip area. Obviously you have to be careful with any mattress that is too soft for your body type, because a soft foam mattress with a deep comfort layer can let your hips drop too far. This is good at resisting that.
Motion isolation is excellent. This is an all-foam mattress with no springs, so when you push down hard with your heel, that movement stays localised. It's a plus for couples where one person is more restless or on a different schedule than the other, because you're not likely to be jolted awake when your partner gets up in the night.
Edge support is fair but not exceptional, which is par for the course for an all-foam mattress with a memory foam comfort layer. If you are sitting on the very edge to put on socks, the side will give a little more than you'd expect from a firm mattress. However, it isn't dangerous or extreme. Lying right up against the side feels stable, but if you want that extra rigidity, you are better off with a firmer pocket sprung mattress.
Temperature regulation
This is where the Ruby Lite will be a love it or hate it proposition for most people. Despite Hyde & Sleep's claims of breathable foams for other models in their range, this particular mattress does not have them. It is what we would call a classic, deep memory foam model that snuggles around you and hugs the heat.
As I lay on it in store, I could immediately feel the top layer starting to get a little warmer under my shoulders and torso, then gradually feeling more enclosed as the foam softened. If you run cool at night, you will absolutely adore this feeling, particularly in winter or a draughty bedroom.
If you, however, are a naturally hot sleeper or you live in a very hot house, I would strongly caution against it. There is no obvious active cooling technology here: no gel infused layer or phase-change cover to help offset the natural heat-trapping tendencies of deeper memory foam. You can compensate a little with a breathable cotton protector and lightweight sheets and toppers, but the intrinsic feel is still quite warm.
Practical features
As a rolled mattress, the Hyde & Sleep Ruby Lite is simple to get into your bedroom. It is vacuum packed and tightly rolled into a relatively compact carton that should be possible for two people to heave into place, even in tight hallways. Once unboxed it will expand to a significant size quite quickly, but as with all foam mattresses I would give it several hours, if not overnight, to decompress and air out.
There is the usual faint new mattress smell when you unbox it, that faintly chemical off-gas from the foam. It is perfectly normal for this type of product and will go away within a couple of days if you strip the bed back and keep a window open when you can.
The Ruby Lite is built to sit happily on most solid bases or slatted foundations so long as the slats are close enough together. It's not a good idea to put an all-foam mattress on an old, sagging sprung base, as you will lose some of that support element.
As a member of the Hyde & Sleep line, the Ruby Lite comes with Dreams' comfort guarantee period and multi-year warranty, which is fairly standard for the brand. This does take the sting out of going for a slightly firmer, more specialised feel a bit, because you have the option to swap it if it is not right.
The Ruby Lite in pricing terms sits towards the upper mid-range for an all-foam, retailer-exclusive mattress. It makes sense when bought in one of Dreams' regular sales when it starts to compare with the cost of other bed-in-a-box mattresses of broadly similar quality.
Who it suits
Back sleepers who like it firm: If you mainly sleep on your back and you like your mattress to feel solid, structured and supportive rather than squishy, the Ruby Lite is very well set up for that. The spine alignment here, for the money it costs, is excellent.
Stomach sleepers needing control: Front sleepers often struggle on soft foam mattresses, but the firmer feel of the Ruby Lite limits how far the pelvis can dip forward. It can help reduce those lower-back complaints if you're determined to sleep on your front.
People who sleep cold: If you have to pile on extra blankets or go to bed in your winter woolies, the Ruby Lite's deep body-hugging foam and enthusiastic warmth will feel wonderfully cocooning. It is the sort of mattress that really shines in cooler bedrooms.
Shoppers who want an all-foam feel with extra backbone: The Ruby Lite is essentially a firmer, more orthopaedic take on the classic bed-in-a-box memory foam format. If you've tried other boxed mattresses and they have felt a bit too soft or indistinct, the Ruby Lite might provide that extra bit of discipline that has been missing.
Who it does not suit
Very hot sleepers: If you already wake up hot and sticky on your current mattress, look elsewhere. This is one to go for if you want a mattress that can help with core temperature, ideally with active cooling materials or a hybrid with better airflow. The Ruby Lite simply runs too warm for those who run hot.
Lighter-weight side sleepers: If you are on the lighter side and you spend most of the night on your side, you may find the pressure building up more than you would like around shoulders and hips. A softer or medium-firm mattress will usually be kinder.
Fans of a bouncy feel: This has no springs, so if you like the buoyant, lively, responsive feel of a pocket-sprung mattress, the Ruby Lite's slower-moving, absorbent foam will not give you that.
Bargain hunters paying full whack: At standard ticket price it edges beyond true budget territory, so if you are very price sensitive and not set on this firmer, orthopaedic style of foam mattress, there are cheaper memory foam alternatives around. It is far more attractive when bought as part of a decent sale.
Final verdict
The Hyde & Sleep Ruby Lite Rolled Memory Foam Mattress is a very deliberate product. It is not trying to appeal to everyone and that is actually its strength. This is a firm all-foam mattress, with a healthy 25cm of depth, a generous hug from the memory foam and a clear focus on back support rather than fluffy plushness.
If you are a committed back sleeper, like a slightly orthopaedic feel and you tend to feel cold at night, there's a lot to like here, especially if you can bag it in one of Dreams' regular promotions. Support is impressive, the depth feels reassuringly meaty and the all-foam construction keeps partner disturbance to an absolute minimum.
On the other hand, it does run warm, is not the most accommodating for light side sleepers and at full price edges into territory where some very capable rivals start to emerge. I wouldn't recommend it as a one-size-fits-all mattress for everyone, but for the right sort of sleeper, the Ruby Lite is a solid modern update on that old-school, firm memory foam style that made bed-in-a-box mattresses so popular in the first place.
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