Review: Sumo Omni Plus Bean Bag

A pillow for a giant

Have you ever wanted a giant bean bag chair shaped more like a pillow intended for a mythical giant? Do you wish your furniture could be mashed into different shapes and sizes like Play-Doh? 

Then you might want to consider the Omni Plus Bean Bag by Sumo.

Product: Omni Plus Bean Bag
Manufacturer: Sumo
MSRP: $199.99

At five feet long by four feet wide and 35lbs, this thing is massive. I don’t live in a huge apartment, and it is by far the largest object in my living room. That said, it’s easily manageable as you can pretty much shape it as you see fit. Want to stand it up against a wall, fold it in half, or make it shaped like a comfy bird’s nest? No problem. 

How the Omni Plus sits depends on how you approach it. I tried many different ways from sitting on the seam, to sitting on top of it longways, to laying down on it like a like a dog on a dog bed. What I found, as a man weighing around 275lbs, is that there just weren’t a lot of positions that worked for me. As a bean bag chair, there is an inherent lack of back support, which I desperately need. I’ve never been a fan of slouching or leaning, as I take posture quite seriously. People often question how I can stand to sit in the driver’s seat of my car because I sit so upright. 

I did, however, end up finding a way that felt great for me and provided back support: folding the bean bag in half and sitting down on it in the middle. What ends up happening is you’re kind of half sitting, half laying on it, with your legs extended onto the floor. Once I found this position, I could feel myself dozing off because it was just so damned comfortable. Each of my friends who have visited and sat on it each found the position they liked best, so it appears to vary from person to person.

There is some minor assembly required since the beans ship compacted. Once the box is open, you’ll find a cover of your choice of various colors, and beans to put inside of it. They aren’t the cheap flimsy beans you get in any department store, but something a bit thicker. The best way that I can think of to describe them is like spongy cheese — much more firm with less movement than a typical bean bag chair. After putting the beans in the cover, you’ll have to wait a bit over 24 hours for them to fully expand before use.

At $199, it’s hard to recommend this to someone looking for a replacement for a proper chair or couch, but if you’re the kind of person who likes to sit low on the ground or lay down while gaming or watching a movie, it’s great. As a kid, I almost always used to sit on the ground by choice, and I would have been delighted to have one of these.

_{[This review is based on retail furniture provided by the manufacturer.]}