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You just had a great night camping with your family and friends. You swam in the lake and sat by the fire and roasted marshmallows. But now, it’s about 5 in the morning and you’re waking up with horrible back pain. This could have been avoided, had you brought along an air mattress.
Air mattresses are excellent for camping as they keep you from having to sleep on the hard, uneven ground. You don’t want to spend your entire trip feeling stiff as a board. If you’re planning on sleeping in a tent, the use of an air mattress can be the difference between comfort and pain.
What exactly makes for the best Air Mattress?
Contents
While any air mattress is a good air mattress when it comes to camping, there several things that set each mattress apart. For the purpose of camping, a mattress that can be inflated and set up quickly is ideal.
Depending on how many people you intend to have sleep on the mattress, you must choose an appropriate size. It’s important that, regardless of the size, there is some extra space on the outside of each person on the mattress. This will keep everyone toward the center, preventing the sides from closing in and pressing all of the air toward the middle of the mattress.
What are the Advantages of using an Air Mattress When Camping?
The most obvious advantage of using an air mattress during camping is that it will keep you comfortable while you sleep. Sleeping on the ground can be rather uncomfortable, and if you already have existing back problems, it can instigate spurts of pain.
Another possible advantage of using an air mattress when camping is that it will keep your dry inside your tent. Between rain and dew, some tents can take on a bit of liquid throughout the night. Sleeping on an air mattress will keep that liquid from making contact with your body.
Who are the Contenders for Best Air Mattress?
SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress
With its ComfortCoil technology, this SoundAsleep air mattress provides 40 internal coils to aid in support and durability. A 1-click internal pump can fill the entire mattress with air in under 4 minutes, meaning you don’t have to manually inflate it at all. Made of a multi-layer, puncture-resistant material, its top surface is very thick, ensuring reliability and comfort throughout the night.
Coleman SupportRest Double High Airbed
The SupportRest Coleman Airtight System ensures that no air will leak out over the course of the night. Double the thickness of most air mattresses, it provides you with added comfort and support. With a plush top surface and a heavy-duty construction, it’s as cozy and durable of an air mattress as you’re going to find.
Fox Outfitters Airlite Sleeping Pad
Designed for use by a single person, the Airlite Sleeping Pad by Fox Outfitters is as portable of an air mattress as you’re going to find. With a built-in foot pump, it is ridiculously easy to inflate, saving you a great deal of time and effort. Its thick tubular design and anti-rip surface ensure complete comfort and durability, making it great for sleeping outdoors.
Considerations when Choosing the Right Mattress
When trying to choose an air mattress for camping, the most essential aspect to consider is how comfortable it is. If your air mattress is comfortable, you probably won’t have any complaints. However, that doesn’t mean that comfort is the only thing you should consider. With camping comes a number of obstacles that require more from your air mattress than just its comfort. While you must consider its size and thickness, you must also consider the material it’s made of as well as its inflation capabilities.
Size
Air mattresses are available in a number of different sizes, from single-person sleepers, to Twin sizes, to Queen sizes. When purchasing one, you should consider who might possibly use it in the future. If you think more than one person will ever use it at one time, you should go with something bigger, like a Queen. If you need something for backpacking, a single-person air mattress will work just fine.
Material
When it comes to construction materials, air mattresses are fairly limited. While most are made of PVC, some are made of urethane plastic and rubber. Typically, the PVC air mattresses provide both the best comfort and durability. It should also be noted that many air mattresses have suede or plush surfaces to provide extra comfort.
Thickness
When it comes to sleeping outdoors, you’re going to have to deal with uneven ground, tree roots, and rocky soil. To counteract these elements, you’re going to want to an air mattress that’s thick enough so that you can’t feel anything through it while you’re laying on it.
Inflation Capabilities
When you set up camp, you have a lot of work to do. From unloading firewood, to setting up tents, and more, you must put forth a lot of effort. That’s why the inflation capabilities that your air mattress possesses are important. While some mattresses require you manually blowing them up with your mouth or an external pump, others are able to blow themselves up either through an internal electronic device or built-in pump.
Related: The Best Camping Cot (Guide)
Size
SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress
A Queen-size air mattress, the SoundAsleep Dream Series measures in at 78 inches long and 58 inches wide, making it more than big enough for two people. This ensures that there will be no risk of falling off of its sides in the middle of the night.
Coleman SupportRest Double High Airbed
Available in both Twin and Queen sizes, this Coleman air mattress measures in at 75 inches x 39 inches and 78 inches x 60 inches respectively, allowing it to accommodate either one or two people at a time. This will leave ample room at its edges to ensure that no one is able to roll off.
Fox Outfitters Airlite Sleeping Pad
Available in two different sizes, including a long version that’s 78 inches x 24 inches, and a regular version that’s 72 inches x 20 inches, the Airlite is designed for use by one person. With the ability to be folded up in a tight and compact manner, it’s great for backpacking and other endeavours in which you won’t have much storage space.
Material
SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress
Made of eco-friendly PVC, this SoundAsleep air mattress combines both comfort and durability to ensure high-quality long-term use. With an extra-thick, waterproof flocked top, it provides excellent support for your entire body. A multi-layer, puncture-resistant central material reduces the risk of damage and deterioration, ensuring that the mattress will stick around for many nights of use.
Coleman SupportRest Double High Airbed
Like the SoundAsleep mattress in our top 3, this Coleman air mattress is constructed of a PVC material, providing equal parts comfort and durability. With a thick, plush sleeping surface, it will allow you to get a good night’s sleep without the annoyance of sticky sweat build-up.
Fox Outfitters Airlite Sleeping Pad
Made with internal polyurethane coating and individual air valves, this Fox Outfitters air mattress can withstand a great deal of wear and tear. Lining its exterior are a composite of fabrics that will provide you with a great night’s sleep.
Thickness
SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress
As far as overall thickness goes, this SoundAsleep air mattress is 19 inches thick, making it a superb mattress for camping. Constructed specifically as a double-height bed, it makes use of a dual chamber design which contorts to the various curves and points of your body.
Coleman SupportRest Double High Airbed
Just an inch thinner than the SoundAsleep Dream Series, the Coleman SupportRest Double High Airbed is made specifically for outdoor use. Guaranteed by Coleman to not leak any air, it provides consistent and reliable support for your entire body all through the night.
Fox Outfitters Airlite Sleeping Pad
Though it’s just 3.5 inches thick, the Airlite Sleeping Pad makes use of a series of individual air pockets that form and contour to your body, ensuring maximum comfort at all times. In fact, each air pocket can be adjusted to accommodate each specific part of your body, whether it be your head, feet, hips, or any other body part.
Inflation Capabilities
SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress
This SoundAsleep air mattress is the one mattress in our top 3 that is capable of inflating without any physical exertion put forth by the person who’s using it. Its patented one-click internal pump is capable of fully inflating it in under 4 minutes. If need be, this pump can also add tiny bits of air, or let tiny bits of air out.
Fox Outfitters Airlite Sleeping Pad
Equipped with a built-in foot pedal, this Fox Outfitters air mattress is ideal for camping purposes. It requires no batteries and allows you to inflate the mattress completely in little time with very little effort required.
Coleman SupportRest Double High Airbed
Unlike the SoundAsleep and Fox Outfitters air mattresses in our top 3, this Coleman air mattress does not come equipped with an internal air pump. This means that you will be required to either buy a pump of your own, or attempt to blow it up with the use of your lungs, which is not suggested.
Our Camping Air Mattress Reviews Are In
Coleman SupportRest Double High Airbed – Balanced Choice
Built for both indoor and outdoor use, the Coleman SupportRest Double High Airbed is an incredible buy. Designed to fit queen-sized sheets, the the airbed’s superior support and extended height make it easy to rise early in the morning. With a focus on leisure and support, Coleman brings the comfort of your bedroom into the campground with the SupportRest Double High Airbed.
Pros:
- Larger size (Queen)
- Great Back Support
Cons:
- Pump not included
Fox Outfitters Airlite Sleeping Pad – Best for the Money
Designed for use by a single person, this air mattress from Fox Outfitters is a very good product at a reasonable price. Its built-in foot pump allows you to inflate it with very little effort or trouble. Water-resistant and equipped with tubular air pockets, it forms to the ground that it’s sitting on, and to the body that’s laying on it, making it as comfortable as possible. If you’re looking for an outstandingly comfortable and reliable air mattress at a very reasonable price, this is it.
Pros:
- Easy to inflate
- Ridiculously comfortable
- As portable as any air mattress you’re going to find
Cons:
- A little narrow
SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress – Best Overall
Without a doubt, the best air mattress for camping currently on the market is the SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress. Its 1-click automatic pump inflates the mattress without any manual work required, doing so in under 4 minutes. When you factor in its thick, comfortable top surface as well as its waterproof and puncture-resistant capabilities, you realize that you’re looking at an extraordinary air mattress. If you’re looking for the best air mattress for camping, this is undoubtedly it.
Pros:
- Self-inflating
- Ridiculous comfort and support
- Waterproof and tear-resistant
Cons:
- Not the most portable air mattress around
Conclusion
While camping is an undoubtedly fun thing to do with your family and friends, an entire camping trip can be ruined by a sore back. In order to keep your body in working order throughout the trip, it’s necessary to make use of an air mattress.
Ridiculously comfortable and highly-functional mattresses like the SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress provide excellent support with very little effort involved. Unfold the mattress. Click the inflate button. And wait for your temporary bed to be laid out in front of you.