Anyone have an air mattress recommendation?

[blessingx]

Curious what others experiences are with AeroBed, Air Cloud, etc. Looking to buy a friend one and have no experience myself. See leaks mentioned in others reviews, but that's pretty much with every model I've found. Space is a concern, so probably not going raised, and an automatic pump is a must. Will not be used for camping, etc. Thanks guys.

 

[vagarach]

I had to use a Coleman one for about 2 months, quite inexpensive at $45 or so, and the thing deflated very slowly, and so right around the early hours of the morning you are left with much reduced back support, which was a great annoyance.

I also found that placing a folded throw over the mattress before the sheets prevents you from getting stuck in the depressions between each air pocket, and makes it more bed-like.

 

[marvin]

Slate recently had an air mattress shootout. Might be useful.

 

[ericj]

As a man who bought a house that had nowhere to accomodate his king size bed, and slept on things that are less than real beds for like six months, i have some basic recommendations.

Thinner air mattresses are more comfortable than thick ones when they inevitably partially deflate in the middle of the night. The thick one just lets your butt sink while elevating your head and legs.

Mattresses with velour coatings on the top will invariably spring a leak on the veloured side, which are nigh impossible to repair. Avoid them. Stick a blanket under a fitted sheet if the bare vinyl bothers you.

Mattresses with 'pillow' or 'memory foam' tops on them will also spring a leak on the top side. Be prepared for the eventuality that you will have to partially cut off the fancy top to plug a hole in the mattress.

 

[Austin_J]

Just avoid. They can leak!

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austin_J /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just avoid. They can leak!

Yeah, but they can be semi-easily repaired and can be a valuable posession for times when there is no bed or long couch available but you need to sleep anyway.

as for built-in pumps, I had one with a rechargeable pump that turned out to always have drained batteries when i needed it.

i have a fancy aerobed with a pump that plugs into the wall. I wish it could plug into a car, too. I will probably end up acquiring an inverter for that purpose.

 

[blessingx]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

 

[Voltron]

I have one and have given two other Aero beds to my folks and sister in law. All have been great and none has leaked. They have the velour top side, I believe, and that have not caused a problem. Pump is integral to the bed and just plug in and make it the firmness you want. Highly recommend them.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

I didnt want to invest in a proper bed, hence I decided to get an airbed. This would be my only bed, that I will use every night to sleep on. I started with a 40$ BeautyRest air bed from walmart. It was decent, but the things I didnt like about it were the following.

1. The surface was not even, it had those stupid ridges. Easily solved with a comfort cover, or the thin mattress you can get for 20-30 bucks.

2. The pump locking mechanism was kinda stupid. While you had to twist the pump to lock it and pump air in, the moment you stop the pump, air gets out till you twist it back and pull it out. This means you either have to keep the pump on when you twist and pull out or you over fill it a bit so that its filled correctly when u take it out.

I then tried a Coleman, that was worse, the pressure didnt hold, it wasnt comfortable at all. It was shaped oddly, and my back and neck hurt real bad in the morning.

I then proceeded to try something a lilttle more expensive. I found the Ozark Trail air bed with memory foam. Costs around 80-90 bucks Queen size. Cheaper for twin. This is perfect. Its perfectly flat surface, feels soft thanks to memory foam. Holds the pressure, in fact I havent re-filled it in over 2 weeks now. The airlock is great and the pumping mechanism is just right. No back ache or neck ache. I highly recommend this air bed if you are looking for regular usage.

 

[Redo]

AeroBed's have always been good to me. Don't let your irresponsible friends or family use them.

 

[Edwood]

Having concocted a bizarre mix of portable air matresses and other mattress toppers, I have slept on an air mattress of some kind for over 7 years.

All in all, Aerobed's are great for part time use with guests. Built in pump that inflates fast, and deflates even faster thanks to the large door/valve air release. But Every one I've had develops leaks, one way or the other. And Aerobeds are quite expensive.

After going through 5 of them, I settled on a cheap Coleman one, and it stays inflated much longer. It comes with a battery powered pump (4 D cells), and has a neat valve trick, where you can push it in and it seals shut, so you don't get that old problem of air gushing out as you frantically try to seal off the valve.

Right now my most comfortable configuration is a Coleman airbed, with a wool/cotton blend (no foam) futon mattress on top. I've tried memory foam before, and it just gets too sweaty.

-Ed