# Your opinion is requested: sofabed vs. air mattress



## Liliana (Jun 14, 2009)

I am having a running discussion with mom about which is better to sleep on a sofabed or an air mattress. Which do you think is more confortable?

I want to avoid buying a sofabed for our rental and get just a regular sofa and an air mattress if it's necessary. She thinks an air mattress is a bad option and prefers the sofabed. I fortunately haven't slept much on either, except I do remember sofabeds when I was younger and remember getting up stiff and that was when I was 20, can't imagine it at my age now - middle age.

So what say you? Get sofabed or get air mattress? I personally hate futon's, so that's not an option.

TIA, Silvia


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## ScoopKona (Jun 14, 2009)

Air mattress with a memory-foam topper. That's my preferred style when I have to sleep in spare rooms, etc.


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## BevL (Jun 14, 2009)

Definitely an air mattress.


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## ricoba (Jun 14, 2009)

Since we have guests (my parents) I am currently sleeping on our sofa bed.  I have put a memory foam topper on it and am finding it surprisingly comfortable.  I don't find an aerobed comfortable, so to each their own.


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## Charlie D. (Jun 14, 2009)

Air mattress would be a slam dunk winner. Just about any reasonably priced sleeper sofa has those stupid bars under a 3” mattress. If you weigh less than 60 pounds it might be OK.  I like the idea of the memory foam topper over an air mattress. Never actually did it but it sounds good. I just recently bought a cheap memory foam twin topper to take to the Wyndham resorts to put on the stone-hard mattresses they seem to prefer. Rolled it up and stuffed it in a duffle bag and fits nicely in the trunk just in case.

Charlie D.


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## applegirl (Jun 14, 2009)

I don't like air mattresses, too much movement and I feel like I'm going to fall off.  I prefer a good sofa bed with a topper as Rick mentions above.  We have this for our sofa bed in the office and it is quite comfortable.

Janna


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## Tia (Jun 14, 2009)

My grandmother had a Flexsteel sofabed that was nice to sit on and also comfortable to sleep on.


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## Jaybee (Jun 15, 2009)

We use a feather bed I bought at Overstock.com on our sofa bed, and people sleep well on it.  Someone, whose mental fitness I now question, once told me it was the most comfortable bed he'd ever slept on.  Maybe he was previously homeless?  Anyway, this works out well for us, and it just lives right on the sofa bed.


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## Kona Lovers (Jun 15, 2009)

I'd opt for the Aero Bed if I have a choice.  Sofa beds tend to have that annoying support bar about mid-back level that does not allow for any comfort.  FWIW

Marty


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## klynn (Jun 15, 2009)

I vote air mattress!


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## UWSurfer (Jun 15, 2009)

Air matress generally is more comfortable to sleep on...if you can put it atop a sofa sleeper, all the better!


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## nightnurse613 (Jun 15, 2009)

We bought a couple of twin size Coleman air mattresses for camping. When my children have company over we bring them out.  Recently, we had a two month visitor and we bought one of the Aerobeds.  Our visitor said it was very comfortable.  In most cases I would avoid sleeper sofas because of the famous bar in the middle of the back (even though a memory topper might make them bearable).  I like the inflatables because once you don't need them they can be deflated and put up.


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## PigsDad (Jun 15, 2009)

I agree that the standard pull-out sofas are not very comfortable, but the are more comfortable ones available.  There was a thread on the HGVC forum a while back asking about the brand used in some of their properties, because it has a solid platform underneath it instead of the dreaded bars that always hit you in the wrong spot.

This company was mentioned as one manufacturer of the more comfortable sofa beds.  American Leather looks like a dealer and has some additional information.  You might want to look into that as an option.

Kurt


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## pjrose (Jun 15, 2009)

Sleep sofas are generally uncomfortable unless they're pretty expensive and/or you put something underneath the mattress (we have stiff cardboard fold-up boards made for the purpose) and pad it as well.  Air beds can be uncomfortable too, especially if people move aroundk, and again the more expensive ones are better.

Another option is a futon - they're less expensive than a sleep sofa, and with a good mattress (not the thinner foam ones) futons can be great!  The covers are interchangeable, inexpensive, and removable for washing.


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## falmouth3 (Jun 15, 2009)

Are the fans of air mattresses talking about putting it directly on the floor or on top of something else.  Although I've slept well on air mattresses, I think you need to take into consideration the physical condition of the person who will be using it.  The ones I've used are very low to the floor so getting in and out of the bed may be a challenge to someone.  We actually used one as our primary bed for a few weeks when we moved and the "new house", built in 1850, wouldn't support the weight of our water bed.

Sue


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## Texasbelle (Jun 15, 2009)

One of our timeshares asked RCI what kind of sofa bed to buy.  Flexsteel was the answer.  The upholstery didn't last, but not sure if they were more comfortable.  At other timeshares, we used to take the mattress off the sofa bed and put it on the floor because of the infamous bars.  Sofa beds are very heavy and cumbersome to move.  When our daughter was a teenager, we bought her a sofabed and later moved it to her home.  Now we have twin bed with trundle bed that her kids use.  These have regular twin mattresses and could be an option for you.  You can hide the trundle under the other bed.


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## stevedmatt (Jun 15, 2009)

Air mattress is my vote for which I prefer. However, if you're putting it in a rental, I would go with the sleeper sofa. It's tough to ask someone to inflate and deflate an air mattress every day during a vacation.


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## Liliana (Jun 15, 2009)

*Thanks everyone all good suggestions*

PIGSDAD I really like the american leather one but can't drop $2500 on a sleeper at the moment but it's a great option. The air mattress would probably be one with a platform or higher so as not to be low. It's for a rental and wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable, like I said I personally hate the sofabed. I would rather sleep on the closed sofa than open it up. The futon would be a good idea if it wasn't going in the living room and the main seating area. I don't find futon's comfortable to sit in, but again they were the original ones so they probably have much better ones now.

Well thank you all for your suggestions, if you have others keep them coming.

Silvia.


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## Liliana (Jun 15, 2009)

TEXASBELLE we have 2 trundle beds already and need to replace the sofa and loveseat, so mom wants the sofabed and I want a regular sofa and an air mattress if necessary. But that would have been a good idea if it wasn't for the livingroom.

Thanks, Silvia


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## Liliana (Jun 15, 2009)

STEVEDMATT I didn't think of that..it would be easier (somewhat) to put the sleeper sofa back into position than to inflate and deflate the mattress, and they would need to make up the bed everynight. There is no room to leave it out for the duration of the vacation, it would be in the way. A very good point, I think mom wons. I will need to invest in a sleeper topper to make it more comfortable.

Thanks, Silvia


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## Noni (Jun 15, 2009)

I really don't know, but we had a Lazyboy sofa bed that we inherited from my father-in-law.  I had foot surgery and slept on it for three nights before I could go upstairs.  It was fine.  No problem.

Much later, we had a hurricane coming and I slept on it, or tried to, for one night.  It was very uncomfortable.  I ended up on a blowup mattress from Target.  The blowup was much better.  I think it had something to do with the pain meds I was taking after the foot (or feet) surgery.    

I'm sure some of the sofa beds are much more comfortable, but the meds made that one better.


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## PigsDad (Jun 15, 2009)

Noni said:


> I'm sure some of the sofa beds are much more comfortable, but the meds made that one better.


I think we have a winner!  Go with a rummage sale sofa bed and put a bottle of Vicodin on the end table.  Problem solved!  :rofl:  

Kurt


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## Jennie (Jun 16, 2009)

I recently visited a friend in another state. I'm allergic to her adorable cats so she purchased a twin size air mattress at either Walmart or Target (can't remember which) and placed it on the floor in her office/den which has always been off-limits to the "girls" (cats). It cost $27.99 and came with an embedded air pump. You just pressed a button and it inflated totally by itself in about 2 minutes. It had a few choices of frimness. To deflate it, press the button and it was flat as a pancake in record time. It's come a long way since I used one a few years ago that required purchase of a separate pump that took a long time to do the job.

I'm sure they sell them in queen and king sizes too. You might want to purchase one and see if it fits your needs. Try it out for comfort. I had no issues with that. If you don't like it, return it, or keep it in a closet for other future use.

You could purchase a trundle bed base, or maybe find one in a thrift store or a yard sale, to raise the air mattress off the floor. Trundle bases are commonly found in the children's section of furniture stores. We have an unfinished wood store in our area that has them for about $70.. You can paint or refinish it yourself, or pay extra for them to do it.

A friend told me that she recently bought an air mattress and a stand alone base of some sort to sit it on. The base has sturdy legs, that can fold up. She paid about $200. for it, though. I haven't seen it yet. She said that an elderly, overweight relative used it for a month and loved it.


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## Liliana (Jun 16, 2009)

Thanks Jennie, that's an idea. 

Thank you all again.
Silvia


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## Stricky (Jun 16, 2009)

Of the two choices air matress, however we did have a great futon bed/sofa that had a great matress.


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## mas (Jun 16, 2009)

Count another vote for an air mattress.  I have a double size air mattress that I use in my 2 man tent.  As far as I'm concerned, I find little difference in comfort between the air mattress and my bed at home.


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## Mom2MNEm (Jun 16, 2009)

Whenever my inlaws stay over they get my son's room and he stays on an air mattress. He hats the air mattress. We bought an elevated one to look like a bed. It moves a lot and smells like plastic.  We also have several air mattresses that lie on the floor for when friends sleep over and by morning they seem a bit flat--no matter how much air is pumped in.

Our sofa bed, however, is a Lazy-Boy. It has a pretty thick mattress that you can inflate--like an air mattress-- to your desired hardness/thickness.

Lisa


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## janej (Jun 16, 2009)

My boys don't usually get to sleep on beds when we have grandparents or other relatives with us for our timeshare vacations.  I asked their opinion and they both prefer air mattress.  I bought two twin size aerobeds for them.  They don't mind taking them anywhere.  I think it helps to have twin size though.  I slept with my husband on a queue size air mattress before.  It was not comfortable because he is much heavier.  My side moves up and down when he turns.  

But for rental properties, air mattress can be hard to maintain.  We went through many of them before the aerobeds.  You don't know they leak until you need to use them.  Even though most of them comes with some warranty, I never knew how to claim.


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## Jennie (Jun 18, 2009)

I just received an Email from Costco with a link to a queen size airbed they have on sale. The ads say that many customers report using this one as their full time mattress. 

I'm a Costco member but haven't bought much from them. However, I have been very satisfied with the price and quality of everything I purchased (GPS, computer, monitor, groceries). They also have great discount deals for car rentals and there is no additional charge for a spouse. 

TUG members have often mentioned that Costco is very good about giving a refund if a customer is dissatified, even if the item has been used for many months (or even years). It doesn't have to be broken or defective--just that you are unhappy with it for some reason.

Here's a link to the one on sale:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11480428

P.S. I hope the TUG Moderator does not construe this as an "ad". I am not in the airbed sales business


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## Liliana (Jun 18, 2009)

Jennie,

 thanks, we haven't bought anything yet but I am looking and we went to jennifer convertible and I saw some sofa's I'd be OK with and I think they have the inflatable top also, though not sure on price for that. I will look at the ad and let mom decide.

Thanks all, Silvia


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## cp73 (Jun 18, 2009)

I haven't slept on an air mattress for some time. It just seemed to me that every time I slept on one there was no air in it in the morning. I guess they are making them better today?


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## anniemac (Jun 19, 2009)

Slightly off topic but you seem like an experienced group.  Do any of you have or know where to get one of those foam flip chairs?  We had one years ago at the lake cottage and it was a great option for kid or small adult.  By day it was a comfy square like "chair" and by night it unfolded into a nice little twin bed -at least I remember greatly preferring it to the cot   I could use one now in a spare room.


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## Liliana (Jun 19, 2009)

I just did a google search on twin sleeper chair and got some links. Nextag seems to have what you may be looking for - well the stores that sell them anyway..


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## javabean (Jun 19, 2009)

Aero Bed for sure. Just deflate it and throw it in the closet. We just discovered them this year. It works great.


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## cgeidl (Jun 20, 2009)

*New Futon couch very comfortable*

Just bought one and much more comfortable than sofa beds. Air mattresses are great also and we have one for an extra bed in our AZ home.


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## voyager1 (Jun 21, 2009)

Although the American Leather sofabed mentioned in this quote is above the price a person would probably pay when furnishing a rental, I do want to let everyone know that it is a phenomenal sofabed.  I have had one for almost 10 years and everyone who sleeps on it claims it is better than their own bed.  It is exceptionally well constructed and does not resemble a sofabed either mechanically or mattress-wise.  When pulled out the platform is completely flat with no bars or bumps and the mattress is solid high density foam.  Although it can be moved across the floor fairly easily when necessary, it is quite heavy and would require 2 very strong men to carry it up or down stairs.



The  





PigsDad said:


> I agree that the standard pull-out sofas are not very comfortable, but the are more comfortable ones available.  There was a thread on the HGVC forum a while back asking about the brand used in some of their properties, because it has a solid platform underneath it instead of the dreaded bars that always hit you in the wrong spot.
> 
> This company was mentioned as one manufacturer of the more comfortable sofa beds.  American Leather looks like a dealer and has some additional information.  You might want to look into that as an option.
> 
> Kurt


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## ChrisH (Jun 21, 2009)

*Daybed or a Futon*

Most sofa beds are not that comfortable, even for a few nights.  There are a few out there - probably cost an arm and a leg for a special mattress.  I'd go with a Futon with a thick mattress - some even have coils, or better still the daybed route - real mattresses and extra throw pillows make it a couch.  If you don't want either a futon or daybed, go air mattress - just blow it up with the vacuum.


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