Alright, I’ll level with you, on its own this is about the ugliest thing trying to pass itself off as furniture that I’ve seen in a long time. It looks awful with the stupid plastic ties similar to those things they use to hold tags onto shirts at the store. Why couldn’t Serta upgrade to plastic buttons? Did they assume anybody who owns a futon has given up anyway? Serta stickin’ it to us for wanting functional furniture for our half a$$ed guest rooms and college dorms... Anyway. Don’t buy this unless you intend to either cover it with throws, or a sheet, or invest in a cover. Please, you deserve respect. Buy a cover. The “Futon Mattress Cover Solid Color” on Amazon is the way to go. Comes in seventeen colors (get the queen size!), and fits a futon mattress six to eight inches. Nice looking, respectable, and It’s like $37. Any of those colors will look better than the mattress of shame that this sucker is.Let’s talk about comfort level. Maybe on its own this also isn’t the best. I happened to have a Linenspa two inch gel infused memory foam mattress topper in the closet already, and I bought this knowing I was going to put the memory foam on top and then shove it all into the case. As soon as I unrolled the futon I placed the memory foam on top, and got it into the case as quickly as possible. It was much easier with an additional person holding the fabric close together so I could zip it. This plus the memory foam = pretty comfy to sprawl out on. I wouldn’t recommend adding memory foam if you need to wash the case frequently though, because it’s a tight fit. Any amount of shrinkage and it probably isn’t getting back on again.It still looks like what it is, which is a slouchy futon that reminds me of my college days, but we wanted one to put in the playroom, so that we could double duty the room when we have guests. It works, and wasn’t too expensive. We paired it with the “KD Frames Studio Bifold Futon - Queen” which I think is an all around great, solid futon frame.Arguably, Serta should be able to produce something better, but if you want this stuff mailed to your door in two days because you have babies and toddlers sapping away your life forces, welp, this combo gets the job done. Good amount of comfort for sitting and sleeping, and won’t make you want to gouge out your eyeballs and weep in disgrace.Delivered on time, and packaged well. It was wrapped in plastic inside the box so, in case the box gets damaged or wet during transit, the futon will not get soaked/ripped and damaged.Though, I have to agree with one of the reviews! The cross cut showing in the product description is not accurate. This needs to be edited to reflect the correct product information.For price and comfort, you can't compare this to a tempurpedic bed. My husband & I own one, too!To be fair, futon is traditionally laid on a "tatami" (straw) floor mat. So the closest thing you can set this on is a platform base with a cork or gel pad, if you do not want to feel the wooden slats underneath it. Otherwise, a memory pad can also be added on top, depending on how soft you want this to feel, as futon beds are made for people who likes FIRM beds and not feeling hot in Summer time. It's like how a carpet flooring is installed. You need to put the desired padding first (from the thinnest to the thickest support, depending on affordability), before you lay the carpet on top of it.Overall, I'm glad to say that it's priced reasonably well for a product made here in the United States. Happy to know that I'm keeping one worker from losing a job who needs to feed his/her family three times a day and help the U.S. economy one purchase at a time...The most important thing is, that this is made in U.S.A. and that Coronavirus or not, manufacturing and delivery of my purchase was not in any way hindered!ok so heres the thing thiis futon DOES NOT STINK it smells of the carrier and the way its shipped Go smell a mattress at IKEA or w/e they allllll smell like that its pest retardent and fire retardent. It goes away. I LOVED this futon it fixed my back, helped my sciatic nerve heal some, gave me endless amounts of great nights sleep.... then all of a sudden - and this is after flipping it once a week as i did laundry and letting the air get to it to keep it fresh - it just .... deflated. The seams became dangerously spartan. The wadding inside clumped. I literally tried everything to save this as yes it was my go to bed - infact it still would be - if you have a bad back or suffer from neck or sciatic injuries from riding or anything like that i cannot recommend this futon enough. Durable... I dunno... i mean i cared for this and its upkeep became part of my cleaning regime so it wasn't a big deal. Its only heavy when it arrives as this one long air compressed burrito but nothing a single person cannot handle on their own once lain out and aired out - airing these things out is important - they do it in Japan - plus it keeps the bugs at bay. I am so bummed i had to recycle this futon as it was one of the best best beds i have ever slept on and when rolled up made a great little conversation couch or meditation bed. IF the maker is reading these reviews - i dont think they do - i want my bed back :/ *sad face* some people may think it wont work other than a guest bed, not true. This is also the only QUEEN sized futon i have found that doesn't cost like some ridiculous amount of money for being a tiny bit wider than a twin.