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I currently have an actual bed in my spare room, which is brilliant for the 10% of the time there are guests in it, but it would be nicer to have the space for other things (turbo trainer? Weights?) the rest of the time. Guests that stay in the spare room are often grandparents or a bit old, so it needs to be as close to a real bed to sleep in as possible. I used to have a sofa bed but it was really uncomfortable and still took up quite a lot of space.
I’ve slept on fancy airbeds with built in electric pumps in the the USA that have been very close to real bed comfort to sleep in, but they’ve never been a brand that’s available in the UK. Has anyone got anything in the UK that’s up to the job of granny staying, plus a few teenage sleepovers?
Or other space saving bed solutions for a spare room?
The mega thick mattresses by thermarest are fantastic and super comfy. Alpkit do one similar I think
The main problem is they are low to the ground, so less mobile folk might find it harder to get in and out
I also have a simple IKEA foam mattress for overnight stays, I chuck it in the loft or behind the wardrobe. I think it's the mattress from one of their sofa beds, you can buy separately. It's very comfy
The Intex inflatable beds are comfy, reliable & quick to inflate. Definitely worth a look.
We bought one to use while camping when my wife was pregnant and still use it 9 years later
Biggest thing is to get the mattress off the floor. We bought a folding camp bed from Decathlon, then a suitable mattress on top. It’s actually really comfy. I slept on it downstairs for a couple of months when I mashed my knee.
I second Intex. Had 2 of these for occasional use for about ten years now. No complaints from my mum, 79yrs young.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000COQ5GW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Murphy bed?
We use camp beds when camping with a self inflating mattress. Means you are off the ground and comfy enough for me with back issues.
Aero bed, pricey but have been very good for us, had very good service with a fault too (from John Lewis)
We've had a couple of aero beds (relatively expensive blow up mattress with 'built in' electric pump) - a single and a double - and I'd not buy another. It's still a mattress on the floor, it's still an air bed (so doesn't feel much like a proper mattress), and both developed leaks after not that much use. And they seem very difficult to patch successfully.
If we're visiting friends and the offer is a sofa or sofa bed, we take our EXPED megamat camping mattresses - they're genuinely as comfortable as many beds. But they're still on the floor.
I reckon a better option, if you've space, is something thats more bed than sofa (but can still be used as a spare room sofa - ie - can be sat on, but mostly piled with 'stuff').
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/cat/guest-beds-day-beds-19037/
We've now got a pair of stacking single beds with foam mattresses and heavy cotton futon covers that I found online from some German supplier. Beds are clipped together when stacked and work to sit on. Had one of the Ikea Hemnes day beds at another place and that worked well too- pulls out into a double bed with two mattresses side by side.
Wall beds!
Loved it in the early 80s when we were kids. Never seen one since but plenty online and I don't see why they wouldn't still do the job.
Would a sofa bed not be a good idea in this situation?
Futon?
Personally I hate them, I've been sleeping on one for six months until I could afford to replace it with an actual bed, but some folk swear by them and it's a useable piece of furniture in its own right when it's not being slept on.
and it’s a useable piece of furniture in its own right when it’s not being slept on.
It's perfect for the log burner
I don't wholly disagree but, well, it's an option.
Futon?
it’s a useable piece of furniture in its own right when it’s not being slept on.
The 90s called.... 😉
I have a different memory. Incredibly annoying lump of dead weight, the moving of which was similar to moving a 25 stone dead body. Always slipping down on the wooden frame until you were on the floor. Lethal finger severing folding wooden frame like a deckchair on steroids.
Wall beds!
Loved it in the early 80s when we were kids. Never seen one since but plenty online and I don’t see why they wouldn’t still do the job.
Murphy bed by another name.
Thanks all. Quandary has been settled for now by acquiring a free (!) futon. Hopefully not as hateful as Cougar suggests. (@cougar there is now a double bed going free if you really really want rid of your futon!)
now to find homes for all the things I had stored under the bed…oops… hence accordion thread elsewhere!
I know it's a bit late, but the big disadvantage of simple air mattresses, particularly when sat directly on. cold floor, is that internal convection currents can make them quite cold to sleep on. Self-inflating (sic) mats get round this by using internal foam to stop air moving around within the mat.
I think a workable, low-bulk solution would maybe be some sort of ultra-thick mild camping mat on top of a minimal camp bed, the sort of thing that the Americans call a 'cot'. All of which is kind of irrelevant now, but might be useful at some point.
I just got donated a similar futon to that. It's on the firm side, but fine for what it is.
I just need it to be tolerable for me, as I'll likely be donating my bed and kipping on it myself when family stop over.
Didn't think about the benefit of extra space when in sofa mode, now I'm wondering what I could do in there 😀