I’m in an unusual situation. I need to purchase something to use as my main bed for about 6-9 months after that it will be sold/thrown away. Since it will only be for a short time I don’t want to spend much money on it unless I can resell it for a decent amount. I’m trying to keep it at max about $200.
Do you have any ideas on the best bed for this situation?
My requirements:
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It doesn’t kill my back
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Is firm enough to support my weight (~200 lbs)
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It’s stable and possible to sleep on
Things I don’t care about:
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How high it is off the ground
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What size it is (within reason)
My ideas so far:
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Inflatable mattress (annoying to sleep on since they move around a lot and may leak especially if used that much)
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Futon
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Some kind of firm foam pad (I don’t know where to get this)
Hi TemporaryMatt,
That’s a pretty tall order. Part of the problem is that very low density foams that are cheap aren’t really suitable for mattresses except in very thin layers in the quilting. Thicker than that and they may not even last you 6-9 months with everyday use and they almost certainly wouldn’t give you very good support even from the beginning. I think an air mattress would be my last choice because of alignment issues (hammocking into the mattress).
I’m not sure what the “within reason” sizing would mean because of course a single would be the least expensive or if you are taller then a single XL if that’s acceptable to you.
I would probably start by looking at a local foam shop for a single 6" layer of @ 1.8 lb density polyurethane foam in a medium firmness such as this. You will also probably need a cover unless you are comfortable with the feel of polyurethane foam under a sheet. The price for this example would be $250.99 plus $53.99 if you ordered a cover. Your local foam shops may have similar.
http://www.albanyfoam.com/images/Page_11.pdf Sells an economattress in medium firmness (near the bottom of the page). No information about the foam density though but the price is right (I’d make sure what the foam density was though).
HD36-R Foam Mattress | Foam Factory, Inc. While I normally never recommend this outlet (they often don’t describe their products accurately and won’t say what they really are) … in this case it may be worth the risk of dealing with them and getting a 6" piece of HD 36 or a 6" piece of HD 36 HQ. You could add a 2" topper of softer foam for extra comfort and then get an 8" cover to go around it.
An even better option may be a futon and there are several types that may work well for you.
http://www.foam-futon.com/futonsections.html They have several different types that are in your budget and a call to them would probably help you decide which may work best for you.
http://www.futons.net/Futon-Mattresses.aspx Lots more futon options here with many in your budget.
Other possibilities include Walmart and Sams Club, both of which have good return policies if you don’t like what you order. Costco has nothing under $200.
This should give you a few choices.
Of course there’s always craigslist where cheap mattreses are easy to find depending on how you feel about used mattresses (personally that’s an ugghhh :))
Phoenix