A couple of years ago I asked pretty much the same question here. I'd wanted to replace a bed with something else in our guest room so that the room could act as a kind of den for DD & friends when not in use for guests.

The general consensus then was that hide-a-beds were uncomfortable and so were the single hide-a-bed chairs. Igloo told me/us about her way-too-many uncomfortable nights on those singles when her DS was hospitalized and her opinion influenced me enough that I ended up buying an oak daybed instead, and am glad I did . . . although daybeds are far from ideal.

The positives for daybeds are:
~ that, with the trundles, you can sleep two people that don't necessarily want to sleep in the same bed.
~ you can buy good comfortable regular single mattresses for them. I did and both bed and trundle are very comfortable to sleep on now.
~ They do act somewhat like a sofa when not in use.
~ I do think that the slide out and away type of trundles are MUCH more practical than the drawer-type, though. I can't imagine a teen or adult comfortable in one of those drawer trundles. The swing away type is also more practical and safer, IMO. I can only imagine how tough it would be to try and crawl out of the upper bed in the middle of the night in a strange house if the trundle was right there below and next to it!

The negatives:
~ when our adult son is home, he dislikes sleeping on the daybed itself. He says that he bumps his head and feet on the sides of the daybed frame.
~ daybeds are usually higher than a normal sofa and also more deep, thus more awkward to sit on. My teenage DD likes it, but I need to keep a casual, washable cover on it, as she and her friends have their feet up on it more often than naught.

Another option to a sofa bed or daybed is a futon. I've slept on several nice ones in my family's guest rooms over the years and they've been surprisingly comfortable. In a basement, I'd worry that they'd become damp, but that would depend on your basement.

I keep hoping to hear that a really comfortable, well-built sofa bed has finally been created someday, though. Perhaps we'll finally hear of one here. I'll check back to see.
Lynn

We bought our couch with one so we could accommodate that occasional guest. DH & I tried sleeping on it once right after we bought it to see how comfy it was. It was shear torture, so bad we didn't even last a whole night on it. After we moved into our house, the alternative we came up with was a daybed with a trundle bed under it and that's very comfy. Years ago I'd accommodate guests on an air mattress, and have to admit, it was much much better than the sofa bed. It may have it's faults, like sheets sliding off of it, but at least our guests weren't kept awake by the discomfort of the bars that hold the mattress in place.

People on the furniture forum really like the AU/American Leather sleeper sofas. We though about getting one, but it won't fit through our doorways. Make sure whatever you purchase fits through any hallways or stairs leading to the basement.

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Furniture Forum

Lynn, you make some very good points. I was afraid that the sofa beds were still just as bad as I remember them. I will look into the futons. I don't thing the day bed would work, although I've always loved the look of them. This room is also our media room, so I need a really comfortable sofa. I've never actually needed an extra bed in my house, but would like to be prepared, just in case.

Lukirish, I can certainly identify with your experience.

Ljwrar, thanks for the link. It was very helpful!

I have never found any sofa beds comfortable and as I get older, if there was an option, I would leave the sofa without the bed folded out and sleep on the sofa...doesn't work for 2 people though. I am a fan of daybeds, but the drawback, as mentioned before, is they are higher than a sofa so not practical for sitting at length. I have two of the high-rise inflatable twin beds and provide a sleeping bag for anyone that has to use them. Sleeping bags can be dry-cleaned as needed. I just recently bought a new daybed from (JC Penney) and a good Serta mattress (RC Willey) for my office. People have reported it to be extremely comfortable for sleeping and it is a beautiful piece of furniture. I've never had a futon, but that certainly would be worth seriously checking out for your needs. Best of luck in your search.

La-Z boy has a air bed option on their sleeper sofas that seems like a good idea.

Here is a link that might be useful: La-Z by Slumber air

There is an air bed on the market that fits onto your sofa so that it looks like a regular queen-size sleeper. It will fit on any sofa that is at least 60" between the arms. It is very comfortable and it is even designed so that you can tuck in sheets and blankets. The bed comes with an electric pump that blows it up in 3 minutes. The name of the company is Endura Ease and the beds are sold by several different retailers. I think the price is around $200.

We have an American Leather sleeper and it's very comfortable. I've slept on it myself, as have my parents who are very picky. The foam mattress is a little firmer than our regular bed so I think I might get a pillow top for it at some point.

We used to have a daybed with a trundle and that worked well, too. We are a tall family so, instead of getting a daybed with wooden sides, we chose a metal-framed daybed. It was less coffin-like, and we didn't bump our head and feet when sleeping.