Serenity power sofa-bed comfort solution?

NSEW Bound

New member
Hello all,

We love the option of the power sofa-bed in our new (new to us) Serenity. Covering the opened sofa with a sheet works well to simply eliminate the unavoidable gaps between cushions. The "Bed" is surprisingly large enough for two of us and is pretty comfortable for a couple of nights. After a few nights we definitely need additional padding, like a mattress pad or the like. Unfortunately it becomes a hassle to store the cumbersome pad during the day while using the sofa. An air mattress is a hassle at bedtime and in the am. Has anyone out there come up with a solution that isn't a big hassle?

It seems we need something that provides plenty of cushion yet compact and able to fold or roll up enough to go overhead? Even two sections seems simple enough. Oh and don't forget quiet, no squeaks. Now is the time for someone to bring up a product that "The Astronauts Use!" We are hoping to hear about some clever product or hack out there so that we don't have to reinvent the Serenity power sofa bed wheel.

Thanks for giving it a thought. :unsure:

JB
 

adsaxs

Member
It doesn't have a lot of cushion to it but I purchased a GAIAM yoga mat from Walmart which works for me. It is compact when it is rolled up. I purchased one mat for the window side mainly to add some light cushion since there are a lot of grooves in the sofa cushion. My husband doesn't find the "sofa bed" to be a problem. I initially tried a backpacking cushion pad from REI but it was bulky and hard and I returned it.
 
We're enjoying our double self-inflating insulated sleeping pad. They're very much what astronauts use. Fills in the gaps and fits our Serenity perfectly. It Conviently rolls up and stores away when not in use. Instantly warm to the touch when slipping between the cool sheets. It's just 2 1/2 inches thick. Bit pricy, but well worth it. Had many a good night's sleep in 2 years of ownership. REI has some excellent quality pads but we picked up ours at MEC in Canada. https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5034-992/Reactor-6-5-Double-Sleeping-Pad
 

NSEW Bound

New member
It doesn't have a lot of cushion to it but I purchased a GAIAM yoga mat from Walmart which works for me. It is compact when it is rolled up. I purchased one mat for the window side mainly to add some light cushion since there are a lot of grooves in the sofa cushion. My husband doesn't find the "sofa bed" to be a problem. I initially tried a backpacking cushion pad from REI but it was bulky and hard and I returned it.
That is a good idea. We have noticed that the grooves are an easy fix but padding is another. I think the yoga mat mat handle both? I’ll try a thick one. thanks for the idea.
 

NSEW Bound

New member
We're enjoying our double self-inflating insulated sleeping pad. They're very much what astronauts use. Fills in the gaps and fits our Serenity perfectly. It Conviently rolls up and stores away when not in use. Instantly warm to the touch when slipping between the cool sheets. It's just 2 1/2 inches thick. Bit pricy, but well worth it. Had many a good night's sleep in 2 years of ownership. REI has some excellent quality pads but we picked up ours at MEC in Canada. https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5034-992/Reactor-6-5-Double-Sleeping-Pad
Oh boy I think that’s going to be perfect! Ordered it ! Thanks so much. Btw we looked at REI but they weren’t just right.
 

hoosierrun

Active member
We use a tri-fold foam mattress. It is pretty comfortable and folds up and stores on back seat with couch set up. Yes, it does block part of the back window but that window is too high to see much anyhow. This turned out to be the best solution for our use. The sheets and 1 blanket fold up in the tri-fold, making it very easy to set up the bed. I also have a similar arrangement for the front bed except the mattress is twin size. When the table is set up, it is squashed up against the wall on the driver's side with the table pressing it against the wall. I would be glad to take pictures if you want me too, and post them back here.

One mistake we made that you don't want to do is to store a mattress in the shower while travelling. We were doing that until we made a certain turn that cause the showerhead faucet to turn on and wet down the mattress. Live and learn LOL.
 

Sundance

Member
Enjoy the new mattress. BTW, you might also want to invest in a set of bed sheet fasteners to snug down the fitted sheet.s.
We have a mattress topper and I recently puchased these straps to hold it in place. We keep the bed fully made all day but we do retract the third panel of the trifold bed during the day to increase the access space to the overhead compartments and the bathroom.
 

israndy

2007 LTV Serenity
This is why I got the full-time bed. If you wanna move stuff just toss it on the bed. Plus we got an 8-inch thick mattress. It may be the most comfortable bed we own. And 54" x 82" it's also one of the few Sprinter beds that I fit perfectly in. I don't mind climbing on the bed to get to that last upper cabinet twice a year.
 

geds

2018 Serenity
This is why I got the full-time bed. If you wanna move stuff just toss it on the bed. Plus we got an 8-inch thick mattress. It may be the most comfortable bed we own. And 54" x 82" it's also one of the few Sprinter beds that I fit perfectly in. I don't mind climbing on the bed to get to that last upper cabinet twice a year.
Same here! We actually traded a sleeper sofa to get the full-time bed to eliminate the uncomfortable bed and having to set up and take down a bed everyday. The sleeper works fine for a weekend, but sure was a hassle on extended trips! Not to mention the loss of storage......

Under our corner bed, I cut an access opening so the permanent storage under the bed that could be accessed from the upper compartment outside. This allowed me to carry larger items such as folding lounge chairs, a screened dining tent, dining table, chair-side tables, carpet for under the awning, and flag pole. Still, plenty of room for smaller stuff and suitcases for those nights in the motel and toting laundry.
 

NSEW Bound

New member
We use a tri-fold foam mattress. It is pretty comfortable and folds up and stores on back seat with couch set up.
I'll check this out while waiting for our pad to arrive. We are learning that different trips may predict how we use the sofabed and therefore which pad works best. This last trip we definitely closed up the bed daily for space.
 
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slinkblot

New member
I make up the bed before we even leave for our trip with a 3" mattress topper and mattress pad. There's only two of us and we both find it a waste of valuable time to put everything away every day. Even if we break camp and hit the road for the next adventure, we leave the bed as is (but I make it every day) and lower the footrest for easier access to drawers and restroom.
 

SLDriver

2014.5 LTV Serenity
We use a self-inflating double camping pad that can fold in half length-wise. It slips behind the upright couch back. For bedding we use a king-size RV Superbag with sheets attached inside with velcro. It can be rolled up and stored in the wide overhead cabinet over the rear window.
 

h2oxtc

2015 LTV Free Spirit SS
Thumbs up for the MEC Reactor double self inflating mattress (same as Post #3 above). It fits our folding sofa perfectly and totally eliminates the gaps / bumps. Easy to rollup and stores in the shower. We use a tiny little 12V electric inflator to inflate, takes about 15 seconds.
 

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