Panda Bamboo Mattress Topper review: two-minute review
The Panda London Bamboo Mattress Topper is a luxurious offering that’s up there with the best mattress toppers on the market. The Panda London Hybrid Bamboo mattress is one of the best mattresses currently on sale in the UK, but how did the topper match up?
Like all memory toppers, the Panda is a thick slab of material – in this case, a 5cm-deep slab of memory foam. But despite this unprepossessing start, the Panda topper is a beautifully designed and high-quality piece. The cover is made of 40% bamboo and 60% polyester and feels soft and luxurious to the touch. Panda has also added adjustable straps, which are an absolute godsend if you have a deeper mattress like I do. It was easy to get a perfect fit and the topper stayed in place beautifully. I also love the little touch of the panda head embossed on all Panda London products.
I struggle with memory foam as I don’t enjoy the sensation of being enveloped. And I did find the topper a little too snug. Having said that, I could also appreciate how supportive it still managed to be, even with the distinctive memory foam ‘hug’. And, of course, this hug is nowhere near as pronounced as you’ll get on a memory foam mattress. My husband and friends who I asked to try the topper all really enjoyed sleeping on it, feeling it did a good job of soothing aches and pains. I think it’s ideal for back and side sleepers, but I wouldn’t recommend it to those who sleep on their front, as I feel they will sink too far into the topper and lose spinal alignment.
Customer review average for the Panda topper is 4.8 out of 5, with it being praised continuously for comfort levels and support. This high-quality topper definitely justifies its price tag, which I don’t think is at all outrageous.
Panda London Bamboo Mattress Topper review: design & materials
- 5cm deep topper with gel-infused memory foam
- Removable and washable bamboo / polyester mix cover
- Adjustable straps
Panda London rightly prides itself on its eco credentials, with the mattress topper being Reach-certified, meaning no harmful chemicals were used during manufacturing. All bamboo is ethically sourced from organic bamboo, pesticide free and vegan friendly, with the topper being delivered in a recycled and recyclable box. When the topper does reach the end of its life, Panda will also recycle it for you.
The mattress topper is simply designed. There’s a 40% bamboo and 60% polyester soft touch cover that feels luxurious to the touch, with the addition of Panda London’s signature panda face in one corner. Inside is Panda’s proprietary 3rd generation Hydro foam, which is gel-infused memory foam with open-cell cooling technology.
The topper has an anti-slip bottom layer of dotted silicone to help keep it in place, but the cleverest touch in my opinion is the four adjustable straps at each corner that mean you can fit the topper exactly to your own mattress and adjust it for different depths. It’s a simple touch, but one that really makes a difference when it comes to ease of use.
Panda London Bamboo Mattress Topper review: price & value for money
- Mid-range pricing, but feels like a premium topper
- 30-day trial and 10-year warranty
- Rarely discounted
The Panda topper comes in an impressive number of sizes. Here’s the RRP for each size:
- UK Single: £99.95
- UK Small Double: £134.95
- UK Double: £139.95
- UK King: £159.95
- UK Super King: £174.95
- EU Single: £104.95
- EU Double: £149.95
- EU King: £169.95
- EU Emperor: £199.95
The Panda London Bamboo Mattress Topper sits in the mid-range price bracket, but I think its quality more than justifies its price tag. The cover feels incredibly soft to the touch and it’s extremely comfortable to lie on. Plus the clever non-slip bottom and adjustable straps make this topper a real pleasure to use.
Panda doesn’t discount its products very often and you’ll generally find discounts around major sales events. I’d recommend bookmarking our mattress sales page, as it will keep you up to date with when the brand has any offers available. We have seen the occasional 10% off around the holidays but this isn’t a brand that offers evergreen sale prices. Still, I think the topper is well worth the cost even at full price.
Panda London Bamboo Mattress Topper review: comfort & performance
- Ideal for back and side sleepers
- Distinctive memory foam ‘hug’
- Great temperature regulation
Although the Panda topper is made of memory foam, I was quite surprised by how much of a pronounced ‘hug’ the topper has. This is not, by any means, a firm topper. There’s a lot of moulding to the body with the Panda and you can instantly feel yourself sinking into it. Of course, the sinkage is nowhere near the level you’d find in some of the best memory foam mattresses but it is quite distinctive for a topper.
I am not a fan of body-hugging toppers or mattresses, and did find the topper far too soft and conforming for my sleeping preferences. However, I am a bit of an abnormality in that despite being a lightweight side and back sleeper, I much prefer a firmer mattress overall. This is not to say, however, that I couldn’t appreciate the support that the topper gave me. It offers some lovely cushioning around pressure points and my husband and friends who tried it said it helped to soothe aches and pains.
I think this topper would be a great fit for back and side sleepers as it offers excellent pressure relief and cushioning. But stomach sleepers are likely to sink too far into the mattress and lose spinal alignment. Combination sleepers might also struggle a little to change position overnight.
We were sleeping on a firm innerspring mattress when testing and the topper did completely change the feel of the mattress, giving it the aforementioned memory foam ‘hug’. Neither my husband nor I could feel the mattress underneath at all, which isn’t surprising considering that the topper is of a decent depth.
Another member of TechRadar's testing team has also slept on the Panda topper. They, like me, tested it on a firm innerspring mattress and while they were on the whole impressed by its quality of build and materials, they found that the transformation it brought about made things just a little too soft for comfort. They also noted that it got a bit too warm for their liking.
I was concerned that the topper might sleep hot because of its sinkage but in fact it did an excellent job of keeping us cool at night. My husband is generally a hotter sleeper, but he didn’t feel overheated at all on the Panda. I think a lot of this is down to the natural temperature regulating qualities of bamboo, but it’s also helped by the open-cell foam. Panda says that the foam has tiny heat-sensitive capsules that react to your body temperature, with the extra space between the cells helping to release heat. It certainly did a good job, although I can imagine a really hot sleeper might still find it a little warm. I’m a fairly reptilian sleeper who usually uses an electric blanket, which you can use with the topper. Fair warning though, when I did so the topper trapped the heat magnificently and even I found it a little on the warm side.
Panda London Bamboo Mattress Topper review: customer experience
- Vacuum packed and rolled into a surprisingly compact box
- Free delivery and returns
- 30-night trial and 10-year warranty
The Panda topper arrived in a relatively small box (delivered by a courier), which initially made me wonder if the topper was going to be a little on the weedy side. But there’s some impressive vacuum packing going on here, as once it was released it expanded quickly to form an impressively thick topper.
There was some initial off-gassing smell, but it dissipated after a day and was nowhere near as strong as you can get with mattresses. The topper inflated to its five cm height quickly, but there were visible lines where it had been folded in the box that took a good few days to disappear completely. The box is completely recycled and recyclable by the way – Panda really prides itself on its environmental commitments.
The topper has a 30-night trial so you can see if it’s the right fit for you, which is generous enough, although we have seen longer trials. The 10-year warranty is generous and gives plenty of protection in case anything goes wrong.
Panda London Bamboo Mattress Topper review: specs
Should you buy the Panda London Bamboo Mattress Topper?
Buy it if…
✅ You want a memory foam ‘hug’: If you’re looking to add some softness and cushioning support to your existing mattress, the Panda topper offers a proper memory foam ‘hug’ that will help support pressure points.
✅ You sleep on your side or back: The Panda topper is particularly suited to side and back sleepers, as it supports the lumbar region whilst still cushioning shoulders and hips.
✅ You want a topper that stays in place: It might sound like a simple thing, but some toppers slide about overnight and can make sleep uncomfortable. The adjustable straps and non-slip bottom mean that the Panda topper offers a perfect fit on every mattress.
Don't buy it if…
❌ You sleep on your stomach: The Panda topper is made of memory foam and there’s a fair amount of sinkage that means I don’t think it would be supportive enough for a stomach sleeper.
❌ You change positions a lot: It’s by no means impossible to change positions on the Panda topper, but the ‘hug’ of the memory foam does mean that it takes a little bit of effort.
❌ You don’t like the sinkage of memory foam: This topper really does mould around you, so if you’re not a fan of that contouring, look for a firmer topper instead, such as the Emma Flip Topper.
How I tested the Panda London Bamboo Mattress Topper
I slept on the Panda topper with my husband for around two weeks at the end of a fairly mild February. There were a couple of chillier nights during the testing period, but we slept under a winter duvet and fake fur throw throughout the two-week period in a bedroom of between 10 and 14C. I also asked a number of friends to try it out to get a better idea of how it performed for different sleeping styles and body weights.
