No, you're not dreaming: Air mattress technology and design has advanced to the point where many temporary air beds are now as comfortable as beds costing hundreds or thousands of dollars more. This makes a blow-up mattress a great choice to keep around for overnight guests, family members who may visit regularly but don't need an everyday bed (like grandkids), or as a temporary solution for someone who has moved and has to wait for their regular bed to arrive. The right air mattress or sleeping pad can also make camping trips a lot more comfortable, providing a layer of cushioning between your sleeping bag and the ground. Some outdoor air mattresses are, in effect, outdoor beds, bringing all the comforts of the double bed in your home to the great outdoors. Sleeping pads are lighter and thinner than regular air mattresses, making them suitable for folding and carrying in a pack. However, while sleeping pads are thin and lightweight, these self-inflating wonders still pack a lot of comfort in a small package.
Queen- and twin-sized air mattresses are by far the most common, but some manufacturers make air beds in full or king size as well. It's important to check the actual dimensions on the blow-up mattress you're considering, however; some air mattresses are sized a bit smaller than the true mattress size. Air mattresses also vary in thickness, but in general they can be either single-height or double-height. A single-height air mattress sits anywhere from 7 to 13 inches off the floor, which can make it difficult for some to get in and out of, especially those who may have physical challenges. A raised, or double-height mattress, by contrast, inflates to between 18 and 22 inches high, bringing it much closer to normal bed height. One caveat: that extra thickness might require you to buy deep-pocketed fitted sheet sets, which are less common and more expensive than standard sheets. Head on over to our separate report on bed sheets for our top recommendations. Some air mattresses are very basic, just blow up rectangles, but other air mattresses have extra features, such as raised bumpers or built-in pillows.
Many people like those features because they help keep your bedding -- and your body -- from falling off the air bed if it's not up against a wall. Parents of small children are particularly complimentary of air beds with bumpers as they feel that those bumpers give their child a feeling of security. All blow-up mattresses, regardless of what they are used for, have one thing in common: they‘re inflated with a pump -- although some sleep pads are then topped off by blowing into a valve. The pump that blows up the mattress may be built-in or a separate unit, and it may run on standard household current, battery power or muscle power (like a bicycle pump). Some mattresses do not actually come with a pump, which can be both a plus and a minus: you have to purchase the pump separately, but you can choose the type that's most convenient for you, and if it breaks you don't have to replace the whole mattress. Air mattresses should not be confused with permanent-use air beds such as the Sleep Number bed, which uses air-filled pockets in place of springs.
Inflatable air mattresses like those covered in this report can be quite inexpensive and are intended for occasional or short-term use only. While some owners do report using an inflatable air mattress as their regular bed, manufacturers do not recommend using air beds for long-term or permanent use. Most of the poor reviews we saw related to our top-rated air mattresses were from people who groused that the mattress started to lose air after months of daily use -- something that's to be expected from using what is, essentially, a reinforced, rectangular balloon. Also, since you are sleeping on air, blow-up mattresses, even those with pillow or flocked tops, tend to have poor insulation. Because of that, we recommend putting a blanket under your air bed and topping it off with a good, thick mattress pad before adding the rest of your bedding. Permanent air mattresses, on the other hand, are meant for everyday use and get excellent ratings for longevity and comfort, but they can also cost $1,000 or more -- at least as much as a traditional innerspring mattress.
For more information about permanent air mattresses, see our separate report on mattresses. of the top six air mattresses based upon a large survey of owner satisfaction. , , a major retailer of camping and outdoor equipment. We looked at what users had to say about how comfortable each mattress is to sleep on, as well as how easy it is to set up and to break down for storage. We also paid a lot of attention to durability: how well the mattress holds air during the night and how likely it is to develop problems, such as a leak or a pump failure. The result is our top-rated air mattresses that offer the best combination of comfort, durability and ease of use.Welcome to the March update of the guide on the best air mattress and their reviews. March finds us on a kind of a high, because we finally have a change in the 3 TOP-rated airbeds. A new exciting (well, exciting for us) arrival to the market is now ranked 3rd behind the undisputed SoundAsleep. The Dream Series by SoundAsleep has been lounging comfortably at the top with a significant gap in ratings over the runner-up for more than a year now.
You’ll understand the reasons of our (it might seem) frivolous excitement, as you scan and hopefully read the reviews of the air mattresses. Alas, we don’t see that happening anytime soon, at least not for the title of the best-air mattress and the # 1 spot where the SoundAsleep Dream Series has, as we said, dominating for almost 2 years now. However, after 6 months of calm seas, any change is good. See the rankings just below the introductory video ( which explains who I am and what we do at BestAirMattressGuide). Make sure you take a minute to watch the video demo below, it’s crucial for understanding the advantages of the currently top-rated airbed. It will also help you understand everything discussed in the reviews. Let’s summarize and see the top choices side by side, along with their basic specs and overall ratings. Below, we’ll just go into some airbeds that were close but didn’t quite make it to the TOP 3 In other words, a few honorary mentions that we didn’t have the heart to leave out.
The Serta Raised with the never flat pump is one of the air mattresses that never left the TOP 10. Literally never when it comes to our website – since we started it back in 2012 it was below the place #10. It’s low point was at the very beginning when it was dancing from place 7-10 for about a year. But, to be honest, back then we were still trying to tweak our testing and rating methods to truly reflect the quality of the air mattress. As things settled, this Serta quietly found its way into the TOP 5 and, then, the TOP 3 where it stayed for over 6 months. Up to this month’s update, that is. Version of the Serta Never Flat with a flocked top * and a TOP CHOICE among EZ airbeds with a frame The Insta EZ is a high-end product with a price tag to match but if you want an airbed that will be the talk of the breakfast table What people who own it say: * and a top budget solution If you need an airbed that will be used often, this budget-friendly blow up bed might be the choice for you.
Intex is one of the industry’s most established brands. However, airbeds for home use are not their primary field, it’s stuff like lilos, above-ground pools, inflatable sofa and lunges and inflatable chairs. Among their air mattresses, this one is by far the best choice. Opposed to their outdated models that might be cheap but rightfully so, the Comfort Plus is different. Primary because of the new Fiber-tech technology. It was always our mission to be as precise as possible and that led to diversification of our guides. I am a brand man and if that makes me shallow so be it, it’s the simple truth that some brands simply make the best air mattress. I buy same brand jackets whole my life, same brand jeans, I simply like the “energy” surrounding certain brands. And I believe that I have now found my brand of air mattresses. I’ll tell you here and now, when it comes to inflatable beds, I like Aerobed. Nowadays, Most of the bigger brands like Intex, Coleman, Serta have similar models and it’s a rat race.
And the rat race is good, it results in better products and more attention to what we, the customers, need. And lately, some newbies, like Sound Asleep with their Dream Series have been shaking and baking in the market. These are your top picks when it comes to air bed brands. In the comparison tables we look at some other options because you can never have too much information, but in my honest opinion these brands are top notch, tested over time and passing the tests with flying colors. each of these brands has some fluke models, but we won’t be talking about those here. We’re interested in the best products. Now we are coming to the “meat” of this page – the top 5 airbed reviews (in no particular order) . Just five inflatable beds that I humbly concluded are the best all things considered. Please read it, I lost my eyesight in front of that screen to compile this info. Here, we wanted to mention the airbed that were at some point among the top 5 or 10 but have since seen a significant decline in ratings.
We are trying to keep tabs on all the air mattresses we review here to better understand why quality declines happen so that we can better understand the industry trends and know what blow up beds need re-testing. We do update our guides every two months but we don’t test the beds every two months, the updates are a result of updated reviews from our featured testers. Only when we see a significant decline is when we re-test the airbeds from scratch. These three have seen such a decline at some point over the last two years but we still can’t out our finger on the reason. All the indicators with these beds (primarily leak development after 1, 3 and 6 months) have gone up, and not by little, hence the drop in ratings. Ratings – 78 / 100 If you are here you are either looking for a guest bed for your house of camping gear like inflatable pads. If you are looking for the later, I’ve got you covered – here is my ultimate guide to sleeping pads. It’s where you’ll find comparison charts, recommended products and reviews of the best rated sleeping pads.
But here, we’ll mostly deal with air mattresses, most of them to be used for around the house or for less extreme camping conditions. And it is a big decision, granted. Especially for those who have people over a lot. If you are not going to pamper yourself in these kind of things that determine the quality of your life, where else? I am a perfectionist and at times very indecisive. My most recent search started with me having the feeling that I’ll go over to Amazon and order an air bed within 10-15 minutes. But this seemingly simple decision turned into hours and days of research, especially when I saw all the options, new brands, types and pros and cons of each of them. And let’s not forget here that I am an aged camper and I can safely brag that I do know a lot about air mattresses. Well, this is not gonna happen to you. Because you found this website. When things got complicated I started making notes and that turned into a notebook with tables and comparisons…
OK, you must be thinking, “What a nut…” And you’re probably right. But be nice now, this nut is going to help you find the best air mattress for your money. So, long story short, grab a mug of coffee and dig into this website, it is a shortcut that will save you tons of time and frustration. I have gathered the best of the best in air mattresses here. And don’t worry if you are intrigued, I will tell you which one I got in the end. It’s a cliche but we cannot just tell you what to get. We don’t know your budget or your needs, but if you need our help just shoot me an email and I’ll respond within 24 hours. Yes, one last thing that you should think about and is a good idea -using a mattress cover or pad to make the air bed more comfortable and protect it from punctures. I’ve created a definitive guide to choosing the right mattress protector where I cover the topic comprehensively. Take a look at that, it’s worth your time I guarantee it! Take care and sleep tight.