Hi, my name is Jason! My philosophy for life? Don't settle, let go, no obligations, single-task, and deliberate practice.
Jason Martin
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Futon & Tea Mat for Rialta

I just bought my 1995 FD Rialta, and have not replaced the stock mattress that comes with it. I was planning on getting a nice tempurpedic mattress, but then I saw the most recent posts on this site and saw the roll up futon with the tea mat, and thought that was a great way to maximize space; I am also a big fan of drinking high quality loose-leaf tea, it's one of my daily rituals. 

Tynan, would you be willing to shed some light on how this setup works, what kind of materials you used, and how one might recreate something similar to this setup? And, is the roll-up futon comfortable to sleep in, a worthwhile replacement for a full-time mattress? 

I'm trying to evaluate more options before I sink money into a new mattress; I would love having more space to sit indian style and drink tea, especially with a friend or two :)


With gratitude,

Jason

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Creator of SETT. Adventurer.
Tynan
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Hey Jason,

It really does add a ton of usable space, and is a very pleasant setting for drinking tea every morning. 

As a bed, it's really pretty uncomfortable. I had trouble sleeping the first couple nights. Now I'm used to it and I sleep just fine, but it's nowhere near as comfortable as a bed. I actually like this, because I felt like my bed was a bit too luxurious, and I want to train myself to sleep on any surface. In a couple months I may try sleeping on the tatamis with no futon.

This is the only tatami that's light enough for the RV, and only that store sells them. I bought this futon with the Organic cotton option. It's equivalent to the lightest non-organic one they have. If you don't care about organic (I mainly care because I don't want pesticides and flame retardants in my bed), you could get a thicker one. 

Before I had the futon, I was temporarily using this. Its springiness makes it harder to roll up in the morning, but it was thinner and slightly more comfortable. Not authentic in any way, though. If you go that route, this 3" one might be a perfect level of comfort.

To set this whole thing up, just throw away the mattress and cut down the tatamis to size. You don't have to be super accurate because they do squish a little bit. The process of cutting them is a huge messy disaster, especially trying to seal them back up afterwards. I did the whole thing with my pocketknife, which was not the best choice. When you do it, cut the last couple inches off first to practice, so that you'll understand what you're getting into before making the final cut. It will take you a couple hours.

Last, to get a tea table, search ebay for Gong fu and get the biggest one you can find. It's Chinese, not Japanese, but it's a really great design and very practical. I got lucky and found an old one with inlaid brass and copper.

If I didn't cover everything, feel free to ask questions..

Tynan

Hi, my name is Jason! My philosophy for life? Don't settle, let go, no obligations, single-task, and deliberate practice.
Jason Martin
0
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Wow, great response — all of my questions answered and then some :)


Thanks!

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