guest room bed that can handle a large person

August 2, 2016 5:48 PM

We have a guest room in our apartment and we love having guests! We had been using a really great air mattress for guests, but now we have a guest coming that is of a larger size. We want them to be comfortable. Please- recommend me a guest bed/ futon/sofasleeper/convertible love seat whatever.

These are the parameters:
-We'd like to keep the budget between 200-300 bucks.
- It should be able to handle sleeping someone who clocks in at 350-400lbs (at least for a few nights)
-We'd prefer it to be convertible/compact because when it is not a guest room, it is a work out room.
-As comfortable as possible.

wishes-
-If it could be loveseat size when folded up, that would be great
-ideally this would not be a mattress on the floor, as mobility is a concern for some of our guests and getting up from the floor is hard.

I think that's about it.

posted by Blisterlips to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

We got Ikea's LYCKSELE LÖVÅS for our guestroom/office and our guests all seem to really like it. The cover comes separately so if you just get the futon and cover it with a blanket or something when not in use, it's even cheaper. It has closely-spaced wooden slats rather than springs so it's pretty firm and I think it should work for your required weight range but I don't have direct experience, sorry. It is loveseat sized and within your budget.
posted by hydrobatidae at 6:19 PM on August 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Since your guest needs something that is up off the floor, the trickiest part is going to be the frame. I came across this site which has a couple of ideas that might work. If you check the various options (different color/fabrics) on Amazon, I see some of these things coming around $300.
posted by kimdog at 6:25 PM on August 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

Have you looked at those frames for air mattresses?
posted by amanda at 6:44 PM on August 2, 2016

Our American Leather fold-out is extremely sturdy. Highly recommended. (We got ours on Craigslist; keep your eyes open for deals.)
posted by samthemander at 7:31 PM on August 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My wife and I use a Coleman queen size double height mattress when we go camping. We use it for 3 nights straight a few times a year. I myself am 400 lbs, and it works fine for my wife and I together. It's several years old now and does need a few seconds of pump action to fully firm it up again each night, but it's comfortable. I think you'd be surprised at the weight limit on a lot of the larger (queen size) air mattresses nowadays. Folds up to the size of a suitcase for easy storage.

You would need a separate platform to keep it off the floor, but those should be able to be had pretty cheaply.
posted by SquidLips at 8:06 PM on August 2, 2016 [4 favorites]

In terms of what type of mattress: Sleep Like the Dead has some suggestions about best mattresses for heavy people -- these are for everyday mattresses but might be useful here. They say go for thicker than 10", non-heat-retaining; air mattresses and inner spring mattresses seem to be the best bets overall.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:13 PM on August 2, 2016

We have one of these foundations for our guest bed, and as you can see it can be folded up/disassembled for storage. You could put an air mattress, memory foam, etc. on it to give more height.

I'd also second the Coleman double height air mattress. My husband and I use one frequently when camping and together we're probably 500 lb. It's still quite low, though.
posted by cabingirl at 7:00 AM on August 3, 2016

We have this Intex air mattress. The weight limit on it is 600 pounds, and we have had heavier guests who have been happy with it. (I mean, it's an air mattress, so it's not the most comfortable thing ever, but heavier guests have not had more complaints than anyone else!) Overall I have found it to be more comfy than any other air mattress I've owned. It is raised quite a bit off the floor -- maybe a few inches lower than the seat of our sofa.
posted by rainbowbrite at 10:54 AM on August 3, 2016

Nthing the the Intex air mattress linked above. I'm a heavy woman and I've spent time on one with another heavy person, and it's as comfortable as an air mattress can get--and even held up to, uh, activity somewhat more vigorous than sleeping.
posted by rhiannonstone at 7:43 PM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]