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Best option for additional sleeping spots?


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My college kids are prone to bringing home more friends than I have beds for. I would like to pick up a couple of easy to store bedding options. What do you think is better - an actual fold up rollaway, or are those double height inflatables worth their salt? I'm willing to spend a reasonable amount but don't need top of the line. Also I do not want something that stays set up permanently. Would love to hear your recommendations.

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I like the intex inflatable mattresses. They have a built in air pump and are reasonably comfortable and easy to store. The raised comfort one is around $40 for a twin but the price varies quite a bit. I put prices watches on and grab them when the price drops. I've bought the more expensive ones and they don't last any longer.

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College kids can live rough. I vote in favor of camp mats.

 

https://www.amazon.com/camping-sleeping-pads/b?ie=UTF8&node=3401781

 

I think those double height inflatables are freezing, wobbly, and horribly uncomfortable.

lol given the choice many of them would be content to tie their hammocks up in the backyard trees! However, if I'm going to buy something, I would like something that could also serve a less flexible visitor.

 

I didn't think about the cold factor indoors, of course it should have occurred to me since inflatables are colder for camping. I'm also considering folding cot types, so the temp is something to note.

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I vote for inflatable mattresses. DH and I actually slept on one for several months when we were transitioning from an old house to a new one and were living part time in both homes. We set up an inflatable in our new bedroom, since our bed was still at our old house, and it was more comfortable than I expected.

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I like the intex inflatable mattresses. They have a built in air pump and are reasonably comfortable and easy to store. The raised comfort one is around $40 for a twin but the price varies quite a bit. I put prices watches on and grab them when the price drops. I've bought the more expensive ones and they don't last any longer.

These have worked very well for us.
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We have extra, cheaper mattresses that are stored under the girls' beds.  They've worked great over the years for guests, and stay out of the way when we aren't using them.  I keep a fitted sheet on them while under the beds to keep the dust off, and change it when we have company.  I've had the worst luck with inflatable mattresses, and find them very uncomfortable.

 

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We have extra, cheaper mattresses that are stored under the girls' beds. They've worked great over the years for guests, and stay out of the way when we aren't using them. I keep a fitted sheet on them while under the beds to keep the dust off, and change it when we have company. I've had the worst luck with inflatable mattresses, and find them very uncomfortable.

I would love to have trundles but we have moved to streamline much of our furniture and a full mattress will not slide neatly under the kid/guest room beds. We had lots of fun with them, though, when the kids were little!

 

Thanks for the intex suggestion, with several satisfied echoes here that's what I will look for first.

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I do think the inflatable air mattresses are more comfortable that folding cots and sofa beds. I use a regular single height air mattress when I visit my parents, and it is fine. It is nice to be able to easily lean it up against the wall to make more floor space during the day. I did have the opportunity to use one of the double height ones over the summer. The self inflating feature is wonderful. I liked that I could sit up on it and not "bottom out" like with the regular ones. For sleeping, I did not notice much difference between the two.

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The double height inflatables are very comfortable and last a long time.

Some of them are guarenteed never to leak.

 

I use a regular mattress pad on them, so they are not noticeably cold, unless they are filled with cold air.  That means that at the cabin, where it cools off a lot between visits, it takes them a couple of days to warm up if we leave the air in when we leave.  So we don't.  We get there, turn on the heater, and don't inflate them until the air temperature is comfortably warm.  

 

The Thermarest sleeping pads are surprisingly comfortable, and I think most college kids would love them, if you have sheets or indoor sleeping bags to use on them.  They are easier to inflate and a little less hassle than the big inflatable air mattresses, and almost never leak, but they are not nearly as versatile for older folks.

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The thicker inflatable mattresses are great. We use ours for company all the time and it's currently with my mom as she is staying at my sister's helping her with post-surgery recovery. 
Don't get a cheap one, but get one that is high quality and durable. We've had ours for several years and no problems whatsoever. 

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I am also looking for ways to provide room for 20 people to sleep. My daughter's college hockey team is stopping on the way to an out of state game. They will only be here for about 10 hours. Two can fit on the sofa sleeper and probably another one on the chaise lounge connected to the sofa sleeper. Then we have two more couches and a love seat so that will provide spaces for 3 more. Other than that I have a cot, a queen size air mattress and a twin size air mattress. That leaves me with 10 to figure out. A few girls supposedly have air mattresses but I'm not sure how many. I am willing to buy a few more air mattresses or some kind of sleeping pad but it needs to be inexpensive. Any ideas?

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I am also looking for ways to provide room for 20 people to sleep. My daughter's college hockey team is stopping on the way to an out of state game. They will only be here for about 10 hours. Two can fit on the sofa sleeper and probably another one on the chaise lounge connected to the sofa sleeper. Then we have two more couches and a love seat so that will provide spaces for 3 more. Other than that I have a cot, a queen size air mattress and a twin size air mattress. That leaves me with 10 to figure out. A few girls supposedly have air mattresses but I'm not sure how many. I am willing to buy a few more air mattresses or some kind of sleeping pad but it needs to be inexpensive. Any ideas?

 

Survey your friends, especially if they camp. They probably have inflatables to borrow. Almost everyone I know has one or two, even if they don't camp.

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Since you wanted versatility -- Speaking as an adult, I second the camping pad idea. I have slept on rollaway beds and just plain old beds in people's houses. Those are the only times I have ever had an achy back. We camp a lot, use various types of coming pads, and I do not get a backache.

 

Just my 2 cents.

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The thicker inflatable mattresses are great. We use ours for company all the time and it's currently with my mom as she is staying at my sister's helping her with post-surgery recovery. 

Don't get a cheap one, but get one that is high quality and durable. We've had ours for several years and no problems whatsoever. 

 

 

Since you wanted versatility -- Speaking as an adult, I second the camping pad idea. I have slept on rollaway beds and just plain old beds in people's houses. Those are the only times I have ever had an achy back. We camp a lot, use various types of coming pads, and I do not get a backache.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

 

Brands, please. Bonus cyber chocolate for links. 

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Brands, please. Bonus cyber chocolate for links.

I really can't recommend brands, because I buy for reasons different from yours. I am generally looking for light weight and small size when rolled up (think backpacking) and/or insulating power (for cold weather). I have quite a number of sleeping pads -- closed cell, self-inflating, and ones that you inflate by breathing into. I often use two pads of different types together.

 

If you can go to a good camping store and get advice, that would help. If you are not near a store, I can recommend Campmor.com. They have a range of price points and excellent advice. Not to disparage any other places, like REI. Campmor just happens to be a personal favorite.

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I would love to have trundles but we have moved to streamline much of our furniture and a full mattress will not slide neatly under the kid/guest room beds. We had lots of fun with them, though, when the kids were little!

 

Thanks for the intex suggestion, with several satisfied echoes here that's what I will look for first.

I just have a 100 mm foam mattress that you can squash a bit and a cot mattress.

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I like these, we all sleep on them at my house and put them away during the day:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Milliard-Tri-fold-Mattress-Removable-Non-Slip/dp/B00DJ8HX96

 

 

I have always wanted to do that.  It makes so much more sense.  We do have a large (to us) house right now, so I don't feel the need to put the beds away as much. 

 

So everyone has one and puts it away during the day?

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I like the memory foam topper or folding mattress better than anything inflatable. The inflatables always develop leaks.

 

No kidding!  My cousin had me sleep on an inflatable on a hardwood floor and by 2am, I was on the hardwood and didn't get back to sleep.  She didn't leave the pump in the room and I would have worried about waking people anyway.

 

We have had a couple of expensive inflatables and still had issues.  I would not want any of my guests to deal with that.

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I am also looking for ways to provide room for 20 people to sleep. My daughter's college hockey team is stopping on the way to an out of state game. They will only be here for about 10 hours. Two can fit on the sofa sleeper and probably another one on the chaise lounge connected to the sofa sleeper. Then we have two more couches and a love seat so that will provide spaces for 3 more. Other than that I have a cot, a queen size air mattress and a twin size air mattress. That leaves me with 10 to figure out. A few girls supposedly have air mattresses but I'm not sure how many. I am willing to buy a few more air mattresses or some kind of sleeping pad but it needs to be inexpensive. Any ideas?

 

They'll be fine on the floor!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am not a fan of bean bag chairs or well, bean bag anything, but GMA has this item on its Deals & Steals today. 

 

Still pricey (IMO) after the discount, but here is the link to the CordaRoy Convertible Sleeper. It's 50% off whiles supplies last until midnight tonight. Three sizes available. Note the size chart at the top of the page.

 

 

Edited by Angie in VA
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We use our self-inflating queen mattress for guests and for our own camping. If it's cold you can try putting an opened up sleeping bag on top of the mattress and under the fitted sheet for insulation....and more sleeping bags unzipped on top for warmth. Or put it in the room w/the gas furnace. 8-)

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Air mattresses are wonderful and store quite compactly.  That said, keep in mind that a so-called two-sleeper (like a queen size) isn't really because the sides tend to squish under someone lying close to the edge, even on air mattresses that are supposed to be more supportive there.  In our experience here we have found that one person per air mattress works best.

 

In my kitchen I actually got a 3' by 6' Wellness Mat, a thick gel mat for standing on (I have tile flooring laid directly on the cement slab).  I have actually pulled this mat out from time to time to use as an exercise mat, and fell asleep on it once and had a nice nap.  This holiday season we will have more company, and if we need one more air mattress than we have I will conscript my Wellness Mat into use as a sleeping pad.

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