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The tri fold futon was the original convertible futon

The tri fold futon is the original convertible futon frame. Originally, japanese futons were placed on the floor for sleeping, then folded up and put in a cabinet or closet during the day. When the futon was transported to the west, the tri fold futon was the first effort at making it more acceptable to the culture.

The tri fold futon folds the mattress twice, into three equal sections, across the shorter part of the mattress, as opposed to the bi fold type, which folds once along the center of the longer part.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to the tri fold futon. The biggest disadvantage is that it takes more time to convert from a bed to couch and vice versa than the bi fold. With the tri fold futon, it's necessary to lift up part or all of the mattress in order to fold the third part of the frame back and under. Then the mattress can be laid down, with the extra third portion either being tucked under the seat or hung over the back.

Also, because it is folded twice, the tri fold futon can't accomodate the newer, thicker mattresses, which just won't fold more than once.

An advantage to the tri fold futon is that, because the mattress is turned sideways when it's converted to a couch, the size more closely approximates a loveseat than a full sized couch.

If you intend to use the futon for daily or fairly regular sleeping, the tri fold futon will probably not be the best choice. However, in a guest room or similar situation, the more time consuming conversion would not be as much of a factor, and the smaller footprint would be desirable.

To learn more about the tri fold futon and all things connected with futons, check out the other resources on this site.

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