Your opinion is requested: sofabed vs. air mattress

[mas]

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.

 

[Mom2MNEm]

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

 

[janej]

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.

 

[Jennie]

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

 

[Liliana]

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

 

[cp73]

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?

 

[anniemac]

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.

 

[Liliana]

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..

 

[javabean]

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

 

[cgeidl]

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.

 

[voyager1]

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

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

 

[ChrisH]

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.