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. Used & new (18) from $134.02 This item's packaging will indicate what is inside.Ship in Amazon box Shop products for every room in your home from your Garage to your Kitchen. Serta Raised Air Mattress with Never Flat PumpDetailsAmazonBasics Microfiber Sheet Set - Queen, Dark Grey FREE Shipping on orders over .
DetailsSmart Home Bedding Super Plush Pillow Dust Mite Resistant Down Alternative (Queen/Standard, 2 Pack) FREE Shipping on orders over . Special Offers and Product Promotions Queen Pillow Top Bed Save Big On Open-Box & Pre-owned: Buy "Serta Raised Queen Pillow Top Air Mattress with Ne...” from Amazon Warehouse Deals and save 36% off the $209.95 list price. Product is eligible for Amazon's 30-day returns policy and Prime or FREE Shipping. See all Open-Box & Pre-owned offers from Amazon Warehouse Deals. 18 x 60 x 78 inches The Serta Raised Air Bed with Never Flat™ technology makes getting into and out of bed easier and just might be the most comfortable air bed you've ever slept on. Able to maintain it's pressure throughout the night, Never Flat™ elimates sagging and loss of air pressure that is so common in airbeds. Never Flat™ technology is an auto-engaging, whisper quiet pump that maintains constant air pressure throughout the night for an undisturbed, continuous night's rest that is never flat.
Choose your desired comfort level--Plush, Medium, or Firm--and let the powerful Primary Pump inflate the bed. Once inflated, the Secondary Pump continusly monitors and senses when it needs to silently engage in order to maintain the chosen comfort level throughout the night. *The powerful, integrated primary pump enables effortless inflation and deflation of the air bed. *The automatic shut-off feature turns the Primary Pump once the bed is fully inflated or deflated, allowing you to turn on the pump and walk away without worrying about the pump getted burned out. *Clear dial settings for plush, medium, and firm allow for preferred personal mattress comfort levels. *Pressure sensing technology constantly monitors and adjusts to match the chosen mattress comfort level. *Pump silently, as neccessary, engages throughout the night creating a consistently comfortable feel. *21 circular coils on the Twin Bed and 35 circular coils on the Queen Bed create a comfortable sleeping surface while vertical and horizontal reinforcements allow bed to maintain shape.
*Flocked top keeps bedding in place. Guaranteed to stay inflated all night! NOTE: Please ensure that the NeverFlat pump is turned on while in use in order to keep the bed feeling fully inflated. The bed is made from PVC which will stretch as it gets warm with use. As the PVC stretches, the bed will increase in volume and with the NeverFlat pumped turned on, the pump will keep the pressure at a constant level and eliminate the feeling of it deflating. Product Warranty: For warranty information about this product, please click here 20 x 14 x 14 inches ; Shipping Weight: 18 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Domestic Shipping: Item can be shipped within U.S. International Shipping: This item is not eligible for international shipping. Item model number: ST8400160-PARENT #994 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors) in Home & Kitchen > Bedding > Air Mattresses & Accessories > Air Mattresses in Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Camping & Hiking > Sleeping Bags & Camp Bedding > Air Mattresses
5 star63%4 star13%3 star6%2 star5%1 star13%See all verified purchase reviewsTop Customer ReviewsComfortable, quiet and sturdy - highly recommend!|Seam Ripped On 6th Inflation - Not Recommended| Best night's sleep I've had in a long timeOne night of comfortable sleep then it's landfill.|I am so, so, sooooo sick of air mattresses. They all seem to have the same fatal design flaw: the circles that give the matters its "quilted" look are not sufficiently reinforced, and this one -- my third in 12-months -- failed at the "seam" connecting the circles to the mattress. These "seams" and the circles they make are actually cones of vinyl keeping the mattress in a rectangular shape -- they are often referred to as "air coils." These coils physically connect the top of the mattress to the bottom. In other words, without the "air coils" the mattress wouldn't be a mattress, it would be a ball. To help explain this I'm going to use an image that is part of the description of a DIFFERENT air mattress which is made by SoundAsleep;
however, please know I have not had ANY experience with SoundAsleep-brand items SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress with ComfortCoil Technology & Internal High Capacity Pump - Queen Size. The image is just useful to explain the flaw in Serta's product.As you can see, the "air coils" play an important role in keeping the structure of the mattress. Additionally, one could imagine the tension between the top and bottom of the coil, which ends up pulling on the "circles." This is the weakest link. All three air mattresses I've purchased have failed at one of these points. What's worse is the fact that the once that seam fails a small tear becomes a large tear quite quickly. I've attached a picture of an intact coil on this mattress as well as two different views of a patch I applied.To be clear: This bed is rated for 500LBS!!! I'm not even close to half that weight. The failure of this bed is due to poor design and/or cheap construction. Something one wouldn't expect given the hefty price tag.