# The worst guest bed **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 5, 2022, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007 "2022-05-05T13:11:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/1 "2022-05-05T13:11:05Z")
We’re heading out this weekend to my husband’s aunt. She doesn’t have a guest room, but she generously offered us her hide-a-bed. We declined and booked a hotel room. At least we can reasonably expect a good sleep. In my experience, there is no such thing as a sleepable hide-a-bed. There’s always a bar in the worst possible place, the mattress is usually ridiculously thin, and the frame poses a hazard to one’s legs when getting in and out of the bed. Inflatable beds are also sucktastic in my experience. No matter how many layers are between the body and the mattress, I still end up sweating something awful. Plus they’re either extremely hard or they gradually deflate overnight. Once upon a time many eons ago, I slept on the floor - even in my 20s, it was painful. No way I’ll do that as I creep too close to 70. And that’s why hotels were created. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/2 "2022-05-05T13:16:20Z")
The inflatable bed at my Dad’s house is more comfortable than the single bed in the spare room. But the spare room means I’m not in the living room being woken up early and getting in everyone’s way. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/3 "2022-05-05T13:38:30Z")
I agree with you as to pull out sofa beds. I never understood how my college roommate used/slept on one all year. But your experience WRT inflatables is different than mine. We use an inflatable for when our kids visit, and they have told us it is extremely comfortable. Wonder if different inflatables are different? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/4 "2022-05-05T13:38:54Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > In my experience, there is no such thing as a sleepable hide-a-bed. Any guest bed is better than Procrustes’ ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/5 "2022-05-05T13:43:24Z")
I owned a sleeper/sofa years ago. As a sofa, it weighed more than a car. As a sleeper it wasn’t comfortable at all. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/6 "2022-05-05T13:57:57Z")
Oddly enough, IKEA makes some comfortable sleeper sofas. This one is about as good as it gets and is tolerable for a sleeper sofa. > **[FRIHETEN Sleeper sectional,3 seat w/storage, Skiftebo dark gray](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/friheten-sleeper-sectional-3-seat-w-storage-skiftebo-dark-gray-s69216757/)** > > FRIHETEN Sleeper sectional,3 seat w/storage, Skiftebo dark gray After a good night’s sleep, you can effortlessly convert your bedroom or guest room into a living room again. The built-in storage is easy to access and spacious enough to store bedding,... ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/7 "2022-05-05T14:17:43Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > nflatable beds are also sucktastic in my experience. No matter how many layers are between the body and the mattress, I still end up sweating something awful. I had the opposite experience about 20 years ago. The inflatable was just one big balloon, so my body heat spread out to warm the entire bed…with the result that I felt like I was freezing most of the night. I think the newer ones are better insulated and/or have internal baffles, but not the one I was using that cold, memorable night. Futons are better, if you are young and/or able to handle the flatter cushion. But not great. Fold-a-beds are often full of metal ribs, thin mattresses with creases, and creaking spring noises. However, I’ve had better luck with these overall. Some of them are actually comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/8 "2022-05-05T14:31:12Z")
My parents spare room beds are the smallest, slimmest beds I’ve ever seen - like ship’s bunkers. Turn over, and your face hits the wall. The mattresses are also about 50 years old. Sleeping on the floor would be an improvement. One of my favourite twitter threads is called ‘[Duvet Know It’s Christmas](https://twitter.com/hashtag/duvetknowitschristmas?src=hashtag_click)’, featuring photos of the sleeping arrangement parents make when adult children go home for Christmas. It makes me cry with laughter. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/9 "2022-05-05T14:37:04Z")
Our experience with inflatable beds is that they are extremely cold. One weekend we had more grandkids over than we had beds. My husband volunteered to sleep on the inflatable. I covered it with a flannel sheet and then topped that with a fleece blanket. He had a comforter to cover up with. At some point, he got up and put on his winter jacket! My niece and her husband slept on one at her parent’s house. They got so cold they slept on the floor. I’ve been looking at tri-fold mattresses on Amazon. I think they would work great for overflow grandkids. They can be set up and stored easily. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/10 "2022-05-05T14:48:42Z")
The hideabed in a hotel suite I shared with my brother in New Orleans 2 years ago was absolutely horrible. However, just sliding the super thin mattress onto the floor was quite comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/11 "2022-05-05T14:55:04Z")
When I first visited my wife’s home country of Brazil, one thing that surprised me was that many beds had quite thin padding–where a mattress would be was a big box, possibly plywood, with a thin pad on the top that felt no thicker than carpet. If you hit the bed with your fist there would be a hollow sound. Of course, when the bed was made it appeared beautiful and soft, but it was anything but soft. I don’t know if these beds were common or were just in a few specific family members’ homes. One thing is for certain, the experience was just like sleeping on blankets on a carpeted floor. I think the only time we were more uncomfortable in Brazil was when one of her cousins invited us to sleep in their guest room–the small room had no vents, no windows, and became instantly stuffy when we entered. That was an unpleasant night. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/12 "2022-05-05T17:49:27Z")
Back when I had a hide-a-bed I kept a sheet of plywood handy to put under the mattress so you couldn’t feel the bars. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/13 "2022-05-05T17:59:25Z")
If you are near a La-Z-Boy gallery test drive one of their sleep sofas which actually has an air mattress. Not so bad. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/14 "2022-05-05T18:12:29Z")
Quick and dirty trick to make hide-a-beds bearable is to sleep with your head at the foot of the mattress. Your head will be higher than your feet so you avoid the hill sleeping headache and the cross bars will usually match up to a part of your legs that bends enough to make it almost comfortable. Quick and dirty trick for inflatable beds is to go to the Army/Navy surplus store and get a 100% wool blanket. Lay that on top of the mattress then put the sheets on. That’s usually enough insulation to keep you from freezing your ass off. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/15 "2022-05-05T19:31:34Z")
We have 3 AeroBeds. I keep one at my moms for when I visit her. They do generally deflate a little bit. As far as hot/cold, I think it depends on your floor temp. And the amount of insulation you use. When I had my hip replaced, I slept on an AeroBed for three weeks. This was a ‘two’ level bed, so it was higher off the floor and easier to get out of. Agree that the ‘hide-a-bed’ in a couch is the worst. You’re better off pulling the ‘mattress’ off and placing it on the floor. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/16 "2022-05-05T19:38:29Z")
The last time or two I stayed at my mom’s house, I used an inflatable mattress on the floor. Mom had been getting up there in years, and didn’t realize that the carpet was full of crumbs and dog hair. That, and the fact that the inflatable mattress wasn’t cutting it for middle-aged me, made me decide to stay at a nearby Marriott in the future. She was insulted, but at least I got a good night’s sleep in a clean room. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/17 "2022-05-05T20:24:50Z")
We have a fold-down futon in our guest room. I have tried it and it is perfectly comfortable. I bit of a nuisance to fold up again, though. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/18 "2022-05-05T20:59:46Z")
We have an inflatable mattress that’s actually fairly comfortable for one person - it was an expensive one - but for two people, it’s terrible. A lot of temporary beds aren’t too bad for one person, but are terrible for two, especially if they’re very different in size. I didn’t have a bed for many years as a kid, just a mattress, was street homeless as a teenager, ended up sleeping on the sofa for three years as an adult, and you’d think that would’ve hardened me, but nup! BEDS. I like beds. I can sleep on a hard floor (and prefer hard beds), but it’s very rare that I would choose to go away somewhere, spend the money to go there, and save money by staying on an airbed or something. If I’m spending money already, I’d rather do it properly and have a real bed. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/19 "2022-05-05T22:15:04Z")
A sofa is already a perfectly good thing for sleeping on. Why the need to fold it out? OK, some sofas are shorter than some people. So instead of getting a fold-out-bed-sofa, just get a slightly longer sofa. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007/20 "2022-05-05T22:26:14Z")
I used to have one of these…it didn’t cost nearly this much though. As a chair, it was a little short. As a bed, it was softer than the floor but still firm…and you were only six inches off the floor. > **[Amazon.com: D&D Futon Furniture. Chair Folding Foam Bed, Studio Sofa Guest...](https://www.amazon.com/Chair-Folding-Studio-Folded-Mattress/dp/B078ZLVDFP)** > > Buy D&D Futon Furniture. Chair Folding Foam Bed, Studio Sofa Guest Folded Foam Mattress (6" x 24" x 70", Black): Futon Mattresses - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases I see Wally has [this one](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Your-Zone-Ultra-Soft-Suede-3-Position-Convertible-Flip-Chair-Green/14931617?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0) on sale. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-guest-bed/964007.md?page=2)