Greater than 10,000 athletes from across the globe are in Paris to compete on the 2024 Olympic Video games. However earlier than every athlete will get their shot at gold, silver, or bronze, they may relaxation their head on a mattress manufactured from a decidedly much less prized materials: cardboard.
For the second Summer time Video games in a row, Olympic Village is outfitted with actual bedding and mattresses atop custom-made cardboard mattress frames.
“These sustainable beds are 100% made in France and might be absolutely recycled in France after the Video games,” an Olympic spokesperson defined in a current video showcasing the platform-style frames.
Again when the beds had been unveiled on the earlier Olympic Video games, in Tokyo, rumor had it that they had been “anti-sex” beds designed to discourage athlete hookups. That wasn’t true, and in reality, a number of Olympians shared on social media that the beds had been really somewhat rugged. On TikTok, for instance, members of the US ladies’s rugby workforce examined one mattress’s mettle by doing yoga on it, skipping throughout it, and even falling on it with a pro-wrestling “elbow drop” transfer.
Just a few days earlier than the 2024 Video games, British diver Tom Daley equally took to TikTok whereas bouncing on his Olympic mattress, illustrating that the frames are sturdy sufficient to accommodate extracurricular athletic pursuits. He additionally confirmed that the beds include a few nice-to-have options, together with a headboard and underbed space for storing.
So if a cardboard mattress is appropriate for the world’s most fine-tuned physiques in want of a restful night time’s sleep, is it a good selection for everyone else? For the reason that Olympic beds will not be at the moment out there on the market, Wirecutter examined two cardboard beds which might be—the Room in a Field Bett 2.0 ($220 for a queen) and the Yona Cardboard Mattress ($180 for a queen)—to search out out.
We bought a Yona mattress, which I gave to a buddy who had lately moved into a brand new residence she had but to completely furnish. She slept on the body, with a brand new innerspring mattress on high, for one week, after which I interviewed her about her expertise. Room in a Field despatched a Bett 2.0 to Wirecutter’s workplace in Lengthy Island Metropolis, New York, the place we examined its meeting, consolation, and sturdiness with a panel of paid testers of assorted ages and talents. I additionally took a nap on the RIAB Bett 2.0 (with a brand new innerspring mattress on high) and frolicked getting out and in of each the Yona and RIAB beds whereas studying, engaged on my laptop computer, and so forth.
Each beds are produced from corrugated, recycled cardboard, however they boast a design very completely different from that of the Olympic furnishings (extra on that beneath). Nonetheless, simply because the Olympic organizers are pushing for a extra eco-friendly occasion, Yona and RIAB tout cardboard’s sustainability as a key motive that they use the fabric of their merchandise.
After testing these beds for consolation, sturdiness, and ease of use, we discovered that cardboard beds aren’t as flimsy as one would possibly assume—however the causes to purchase a cardboard mattress largely are. Right here’s what these beds are like, and what we expect most individuals are higher off with as an alternative.
