<p>I think we will probably be buying one for S’s room. </p>
<p>Obviously don’t want to spend a ton, but want one that is at least decently comfortable and decently priced.</p>
<p>I’ve looked at a few reviews online for futons at Walmart and such and yikes, some of them seem really bad!</p>
<p>Any suggestions of somewhere or a certain one you have bought and been happy with? I sometimes wonder if we would be better off with an old loveseat or something - he just needs something he can veg out, recline on and watch sports- that’s his downtime respite.</p>
<p>Well, the trade-off may be a good solid one that is more expensive AND quite heavy (what floor is he on?) vs an inexpensive/lightweight one from Walmart or Target or some such place. D bought one from a graduating sorority sister (originally from Target I think), used it for 2 years and re-sold it to another sorority sister when she (D) left school. It had a metal frame and was on the small side, but her room was small so it all worked out. Not really a futon that could be turned into a comfortable guest bed, but it was fine for sitting.</p>
<p>Check Ikea if there’s one in your area. What’s especially great is that they sell roll packed foam mattresses that are so easy to take out the store with you and transfer in a car/suv. If you can find a suitable portable bed frame it may be just the thing needed.</p>
<p>Living Spaces has flip sofas where the back folds down and it becomes flat and can be slept on. My son has one in his dorm room. It’s not a mattress per se, but if you put a mattress pad on it for sleep, it would be fine. The advantage is that when the back is down around six people can sit on it. It doesn’t take too much space. His is vinyl which is great for a dorm room, but I saw fabric ones as well. Here is a link, although they don’t show them down. DS says the people who have slept on his thought it was pretty comfortable and that was without a pad. I think they take less space.
<a href=“http://www.livingspaces.com/AdvancedSearch.aspx?searchTerm=sleepers&categoryId=[/url]”>http://www.livingspaces.com/AdvancedSearch.aspx?searchTerm=sleepers&categoryId=</a></p>
<p>I have been a futon shopping machine the past few weeks trying to find the perfect one at $150 or under and small enough to fit in my room. I chose this yesterday and am very pleased, though I decided against a real futon:</p>
<p>I slept on it last night and am happy as a clam. The couch is a little too firm at first but my friend has an older one and they break in nicely and soften up, and the bed is pretty comfortable. I wouldn’t sleep in it every night but it is sufficient for hanging out and sleeping on when needed.</p>
<p>I am living in a 10x12 single room, and this is the only thing I could find in my price range that would fit in my room without lofting the bed. It is plenty big anyway, I wouldn’t need anything bigger.</p>
<p>We bought the cheap metal frame one fr. WalMart for S2. He starts his junior yr. next week and the futon is still usable. He now lives off campus. His dorm room was small (11x14 for two guys) with a built in dresser and wardrobes so little room for manuevering. The guys bunked their beds to have room for the futon. </p>
<p>The way the dorm room was configured, the futon had to go thru the door still packed in the box and assembled once inside. Be sure and check your dorm room set-up before assembling, wouldn’t want to have to take it apart to get it thru the door.</p>
<p>I really like that Ikea couch above! It’s important to have some type of “arms” because of how my S likes to lay on the couch - and many futons do not.</p>
<p>I think there will be room - he’s in a bigger room - 2 people, 12x14 or so and the beds are lofted. Either way I think we’ve decided to move him in first and then decide which option is best and get it to him within a couple of weeks (he’s 3 hours away).</p>
<p>If we think we can get a loveseat through the door (we’ll see when we get there on move in day) that still might be the best option (and cheapest since we have one down in the basement!)</p>
<p>None of my kids dorm rooms were ever big enough to put a couch/loveseat or futon. They wished! They have been in doubles and triples, and once the minifridges and the other roommates stuff got moved in, there just wasn’t floor space. It wasn’t till they moved to apartments on or near campus that they finally had room.</p>
<p>D ordered one for $179 (plus shipping) from Target. I wanted D to wait until they moved in to be sure it would fit, but she and her roommate are convinced they’re going to loft both of their beds and there will be room (we have the room dimensions/layout). It weighs 75 lbs so it cost her $60 in shipping, it should be waiting for her at her campus post office (this futon was not available for sale in stores, only online). D paid for it. If she decides to return it, she can take it to the local Target (if she can figure out how to get it there, she doesn’t have a car but the campus has a bus that goes to Target). But I warned her, they won’t refund her shipping charges.</p>
<p>Costco around here carries them in the summer/spring but now now. We bought ours from a local futon store. The key is getting a mattress that will hold up to being sat on & going from being a bed to couch over a prolonged period. We tossed one mattress & replaced it after it started to be uncomfortable for sleeping.</p>
<p>We would suggest getting good solid hardwood frame and a sturdy mattress. We have purchased full sized futons, because that size makes a nice couch. There are other sizes but the dimensions don’t work as well.</p>