Hi-Gear Comfort King Size Inflatable Airbed, Outdoor Sleeping, Inflatable Mattress, Guest Bed, Festival Essentials, Camping Equipment, Camping Accessories, Beige, One Size

Product Information

We found that the raised air beds in our test didn’t have any specific thermal insulating properties. To retain warmth, it’s advisable to place a rug or blanket under the air bed. Also add a blanket, or better still, a thermal mattress protector under your fitted sheet. Voited sells the CloudTouch indoor/outdoor camping blanket, that is both stylish and warm.

I may not have my priorities right, but the first thing I wanted to do when inflating the Intex was to give it a stroke. Its top layer of wonderfully smooth fabric feels good to touch. Team that with the vertical lines spanning the bed’s length, and the Intex looks and feels very enticing to sleep on. Height: A taller mattress is likely to be more comfortable, as it has more air, but, of course, it will be more cumbersome. So, if portability is important, you may want to consider a thinner air bed. If you’re looking for a blow-up mattresses for the great outdoors, you can discover more in our feature on best air beds for camping. For this review, we’ve mainly focussed on large air beds with built-in electric pumps. There is some crossover: respected camping brands such as Vango, Bestway, Hi Gear and Intex also offer blow-up beds for home use that have the height of a standard bed and are roomy enough for two. Of course, if you're going away, ease of use and transportation are also super important, and there are so many designs and varieties out there that suit all needs. According to Lauren Fountain from the Sleep Foundation, to fix the leak, you’ll need to locate the hole and then clean the area. She goes on to say you then need to “use an adhesive and some plastic or vinyl patches to cover the leak” and “after letting the patch set for several hours, you can test the patch to ensure the mattress is no longer leaking”.The main difference between an air mattress and an air bed is that the former is designed to be used indoors, while the latter is for outdoor use. What is the lifespan of an air bed? Most manufacturers advise that children under eight should not sleep on an air bed. Each design will also have a maximum weight capacity for the user. The Bestway Fortech design has a total weight capacity of 350kg (55 stone), for example. If you find it hard to get in and out of bed, look for a high raised air bed design. The self-inflating air beds we tried go up to 48cm in height at the pillow end, compared to thinner camping-focused designs that can be just 16cm in height. Do air beds feel cold to sleep on?

Like most air beds with a built-in pump, the Bestway is noisy to inflate and deflate, so this is something to bear in mind if you’re putting it up late at night, but it only takes five minutes each way and the instructions are straighforward. A five-minute pump left the bed feeling too firm for my liking, so I used the dial to relieve the pressure a little and give the bed a bit of bounce. Just like regular ones, inflatable air mattresses are available in different sizes, generally ranging from Twin to King. Choosing the right size is an important consideration and one that largely depends on your needs. Twin and Full sized beds tend to be an excellent choice for outdoor users. Unless you have a family, there’s no reason you’re going to want a big bed when it’s going under in a tent. If you are tenting somewhere that the nighttime temperatures are going to drop significantly, you need to make sure your mattress is going to hold as much air as possible. Cold temperatures are going to cause the air to condense, meaning there won’t be as much left to support you in the morning as there was at night.

How we tested

Heavy-duty materials and reinforcements can not only help prevent damage, but it can help the product to last longer as well. A great warranty that covers punctures will also go a long way. Of course, for the health of the sleeper and the animal, choose non-toxic materials.

The best air mattresses strike a balance between convenience and comfort. They should be portable, versatile, and easy to set up—no huffing and puffing required. Thankfully, now that we live in a time of self-contained air pumps and anti-leak technology, finding the right air mattress for you can easily be accomplished online. Most air beds will come with specific instructions on how to deflate your air bed, so read the manual carefully. ‘For a design with a built-in pump, you’ll need to plug in the air bed and turn the dial to the deflate position for no longer than the recommended time, which is usually under five minutes,’ says Jessica Alexander from the National Bed Federation. How do you store an air bed?The Touchxel seemed a little noisier than the average air bed I tested, but this may be down to the fact that at the time of inflation it was late and I was tired. It’s constructed with 42 air coils for comfort, but I found the grooves on the top layer a little less inviting than some of the more streamlined designs. These grooves do provide grip, however, and kept me securely in place during the night. This is especially important with a self-inflating mattress that has a motor to consider as part of the overall product. This is a great convenience, and it may make the extra cost worth the investment in your mind. No one wants to manually re-inflate a bed in the middle of the night.