Lying on my back on the Zonli was actually pretty comfortable — people who love a firm mattress would certainly be happy with it.
—— Amelia Jerden，the Strategist
Air mattresses don’t have a great reputation. They aren’t nearly as comfortable as a real mattress, even if you have a good air mattress. And if you don’t have a guest bedroom or sleeper sofa, an air mattress is usually the most obvious solution for hosting overnight guests. Still, since I test air mattresses regularly for work and use them for guests in my personal life, I began to wonder if there was another way. Thus began my hunt for the best air-mattress alternatives.
I was looking for something easy to store that could be used for a guest spending the night at my apartment. I did not want (nor do I have space for) a new piece of furniture — so I didn’t even consider sleeper sofas, Murphy beds, or daybeds. Instead I started searching for products that, like an air mattress, could be tucked away and brought out only when needed, but would hopefully be more comfortable than an air mattress. Ideally, I also wanted something that would take up even less space to store than a typical air mattress — and even though that particular wish didn’t really pan out, I did find some strong contenders. Below, you’ll find everything I tested over the course of several months.
Futons were another product that came up as I was searching. Japan has a long tradition of using futons on tatami mats as a primary place to sleep. They can be folded or rolled up for storage so that a room can be used as something other than a bedroom during the day. While I wasn’t going to commit to tatami flooring, I figured there had to be a product that’s similar to traditional futons, but meant for more occasional use. That led me to Zonli, a company that makes a variety of different futons and floor mattresses at relatively affordable prices. I tested the Upgraded version of the brand’s Classic Floor mattress, which is four inches thick (the non-upgraded Classic is just two inches thick). I slept on a full-size one, but it also comes in twin and queen sizes.
The floor mattress came vacuum-sealed with a removable cover. The construction isn’t far off from a mattress topper — it’s made with an inch of fiberfill above and below a two-inch layer of memory foam. I opened it up, laid it on the floor in my living room, and took a nap; it had enough cushioning to make it a noticeable upgrade from sleeping on the floor, but it definitely still felt like I was sleeping on the floor. Similar to my experience on the camp cot, lying on my back on the Zonli was actually pretty comfortable — people who love a firm mattress would certainly be happy with it. I tried rolling onto my side, and it wasn’t long before I felt some noticeable pressure buildup on my shoulders. But compared to the camp cot, the floor mattress was certainly cozier — it at least had some plushness.
For storage, Zonli provides straps to roll up the futon and a bag to store it in. Rolling it as tightly as possible definitely required some elbow grease, and even then, the Zonli futon is pretty large when stored in its bag — about the size of a large, overstuffed duffel. The larger size makes it tricky to store in a small space; it won’t fit easily under a bed or sofa when rolled up, for example. But the bag is not too much larger than one that would hold an air mattress, and the Zonli doesn’t ever require inflating like an air mattress does. Also, because it comes in more than one size, you have the option of buying one that will fit two people. And at under $200 for the Upgraded model in a queen, it’s relatively affordable compared to other options on this list.