In the past, bean bag chairs haven’t always been very durable. You can probably think of at least one instance of someone jumping on a bean bag only to have it explode, styrofoam beads flying everywhere. Your kids likely love sitting and laying on bean bag chairs, but you don’t love their flimsy construction.
Fortunately, bean bag technology has progressed to the point where the upper-end bean bag chairs are not only comfortable, but are also extremely durable. For example, the Moon Pod and the Yogibo Max will last for years, even if they face some abuse. Here’s what makes the Moon Pod and Yogibo Max so much better than their cheaper predecessors.
Two Layers
The bean bags of yesterday consisted of a single layer of material (vinyl, leather, corduroy, suede, etc.) filled with styrofoam balls. This meant that there was only one layer separating the styrofoam filler from spilling out of the bean bag and getting everywhere. Even a small hole in the material was enough to allow the balls to escape, and once there was a rip in the material, you might as well toss the entire bean bag chair because they were difficult to repair.
Today’s luxury bean bag chairs like Yogibo and Moon Pod have two layers separating the filler from spilling out of the bag. The filler, which is expanded polystyrene (EPS), is contained within a stretchy spandex fabric bag that is sealed with a safety locking zipper. It is difficult to open this zipper without a tool to grab the zipper and force it open. This means the zipper isn’t going to accidentally open and spill the filling.
Each inner bag is then covered with an outer shell that is made from a cotton-spandex blend for Yogibo and a cotton-polyester blend for Moon Pod. If the inner bag were to split, which is unlikely, the beads would be contained between the inner bag and the outer shell. If the outer cover were to get a hole or split, the inner bag would not be affected and the beads would remain contained in the inner bag. Plus, you can always replace the outer cover if it does get damaged or soiled.
Superior Materials
The covers for the Yogibo are made from a blend of cotton and spandex, which makes them stretchy and long-lasting, even with multiple washes and some abuse. These covers aren’t going to shrink or become brittle with age, so they won’t be susceptible to splitting like vinyl can be. Mood Pod uses a blend of cotton and polyester for their covers, and while this material is significantly more durable than some of what was used to cover bean bags in the past, it’s not as high quality as the cotton-spandex blend used by Yogibo.
With multiple washings and extensive use, the cotton-polyester fabric tends to pill, which then makes the fabric thinner. As such, the Moon Pod covers are more susceptible to rips and tears than the cotton-spandex blend used by Yogibo.
Conclusion
The Yogibo and Moon Pod are not your parents’ bean bags. They can withstand more abuse than those bean bags of yore and continue to look new for years as long as proper care is exercised.
