A good foldable guest bed exists – stop buying cheap foam

You can get a comfortable foldable guest bed, but only if you skip the tri-fold foam slab and get a folding frame with a real mattress (or a shikibuton).

The problem with most collapsible guest furniture is that people buy the cheapest option: a tri-fold foam mattress that’s basically a gym mat. Two inches of cheap foam is a night of back pain. Your occasional guests will wake up angry.

What you actually want is either:

• A folding frame with a thicker mattress. Think of a heavy-duty folding cot (like the ones from IKEA or Coleman) paired with a 4-6 inch folding mattress pad. The frame provides support, the pad provides cushion. Some brands sell rolling guest beds that are exactly this – a telescoping frame with a real mattress that folds in half.
• **A shikibuton (Japanese futon) on