Layers
In Defence of Layer 33
It squeaks. It has always squeaked. We have been asked, many times, to fix it. This is why we haven’t.
By Lorcan Abernethy-Sato, Head of Layer Pairing3 min read642 words
Layer 33 squeaks. It squeaks at 2.1 kilohertz, only when compressed from the left, and only briefly. On our Squeak Index it scores 8.9 out of 10, which is the highest score of any layer we have ever made. The second highest is 0.4.
We know. We are aware. We have chosen to keep it.
What it is
Layer 33 is called The Creaking Ledge. It is a 2.4-millimetre sheet of Reactive Latex, whipped and flash-set on Line 4 at Pellham Ford. Its job is lateral rebound for side sleepers. When you turn onto your side, it pushes back, quickly and evenly, so the stack does not collapse under your shoulder. It does this very well.
It also, when pressed from the left, makes a small sound. Most sleepers describe it as a squeak. Some call it a chirp. One called it “a polite cough”.
Why it squeaks
We have studied this extensively. The short answer is that we do not fully know. Every Layer 33 is made to the same recipe as Layers 7, 19 and 44, none of which make a sound. It is not the latex. It is not the cure. Our best theory involves the way Layer 33 meets Layer 34, a Micro-Down layer, and the precise angle of a left-side turn. Dr. Fennimore has a longer theory. It involves a diagram.
Why we have not fixed it
In 2022 we did fix it. We adjusted the cure on Line 4 and produced a batch of 400 silent Layer 33s. We sent them out as replacements to sleepers who had written in.
Within a month, 312 of those sleepers had written back to ask for the squeak to be returned.
Some of their letters were practical. Several side sleepers said the squeak had become a useful signal: if they heard it, they knew they had turned fully onto their left side. One said she had trained herself to stop turning at the squeak, and that her neck had never been better.
Most of the letters were not practical. They were affectionate. People had named their Layer 33. They had told their children about it. A man in Vermont said that without the squeak, his pillow “felt like a house where the clock has stopped”.
We restored the original cure. We have not changed it since.
Do you need it?
If your Number is 33 or higher, Layer 33 is in your stack. That is most of our sleepers. If you sleep on your back or your stomach, you may never hear it. If you sleep on your right side, you will almost certainly never hear it. If you sleep on your left side, you will hear it most nights, briefly, as you settle.
If you would truly prefer silence, we will send you a silent Layer 33 at no charge. We still have 88 of them. We have never needed to make more.
Its fan mail
Layer 33 receives more letters than any other layer, including Layer 47. Our Sleeper Care team keeps them in a box marked “33”. Some are addressed to the layer directly. We do not reply on its behalf. We do read them all.
A recent one, from a sleeper in San Diego, read in full: “Took me 19 nights. Worth it. Layer 33 squeaks.” We have quoted it in several places. It says everything we would like to say, and in fewer words.
In closing
Not every imperfection is a flaw. Some are simply the sound of something doing its job. Layer 33 does its job very well, and it lets you know. We find that we would rather keep a layer that speaks up than one that says nothing at all.
We already make eight of those. They are excellent. They are just not Layer 33.
