Futons are incredible. Most people I've met don't understand that you have to sleep on it for a while to start feeling the benefits. If you've slept on one for a night and felt sore, that's normal. But that would be like stopping working out because you were sore the first time.
They are not, however, incredible for topping (like fucking). It's a lot more work without the bounce-back of a spring mattress
Hmm, what I'm picturing for the word futon must not be what ya'll are talking about. Where I'm from, futons are the combo sofa that can be laid flat to be a bed. Are ya'll on something else?
That's what I had (before I got married). Had a slatted wooden frame with some pegs for rearranging. Mattress itself is incredibly unwieldy and hard to move around. You just kind of fold it over your back and try your best.
There's some variety in thickness and hardness, I believe.
These with the couch look. I guess I just can't see how one of those is beneficial. I slept on one for a few years, and remember having issues with back pain until I left the 7x7 room I was living in and got a real mattress.