For camp beds, you want to look at the fabric material as well as the frame material. The best camp beds are constructed from materials such as nylon, polyester, or polycotton. Each material has its benefits outdoors. For the final icing on the cake, we loved the two side tables which the Coleman ships with. These attach on each side of the bed and act as night-time tables to put a lamp, a drink or your book on. There’s even integrated cup holders – nice touch Coleman! For shorter trips or when space is at a premium, we use the Vango Comfort SIM straight on the floor or if I’m on my own, I take my super comfy f ishing bed. Summary Whilst a fishing bed might not be the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of camp beds, Carp fishermen have been keeping a secret from the rest of us, and that’s the key to a comfortable night of sleep outdoors. Known as Chairbeds, Carp fishing beds are designed to provide somewhere comfortable to sit hour after hour, and they serve a dual purpose as they convert easily from a chair to a bed. My daughters were 5 and 3 years old when we first bought these foldable bunk beds and as mentioned above, they were absolutely fine on them. I think if you have a child who is used to sleeping in a bed, they’d manage very well, especially with the side panel and lipped edges. If you were at all concerned, you could also separate the bunk beds and just use them as single camping beds, or keep younger children on the bottom bunk. How much do they cost?

Fold-out beds are ideal for people who struggle to get up and down from a mattress or sleeping pad placed directly on the ground. Furthermore, a fold-out bed can offer a small amount of underside storage space in some cases. However, we think it’s worth sacrificing that space for a bed with criss-crossed legs as these offer increased stability.

Our camping sleeping set up

Whilst shopping online is convenient, we strongly recommend trying before you buy. So go along to your local camping shop, fishing superstore or visit somewhere like Go Outdoors first. Remember too that big camping shows provide the ideal way to get hands on and try out sleeping options to make sure you choose the one that’s absolutely right for you. Where to next?

The best option is to always opt for a bed that offers a little more space. For example, if you measure about 6 feet tall (182cm), opt for a bed that measures at least 185 cm to 190 cm long. The width depends on the type of sleeper you are. Some people don’t mind narrow beds, while others want some room to move around, or to sleep diagonally. In our buying guide below, we’ve shared some of the key features to look out for to ensure you find the best camp bed for the best sleeping experience. Size is an essential factor to consider when choosing a camp bed. You should especially consider the height and weight of the base and mattress together. Different individuals have varying heights, so make sure there is enough length in the frame and mattress to take your full expanse. The bottom line is that investing in the best camp bed allows you to sleep comfortably and healthily while not breaking the bank. Yet, the beds offer portability and compactness, so you don’t have to haul a massive load during your camping and other outdoor trips.Yes I highly recommend the Hi Gear Duo bunk! The bunk beds are portable, practical, convenient, durable and strong. Our kids loved them and took it in turns each night to sleep on the top bunk. They slept really well in the bunk beds, better than they have slept anywhere EVER before – sometimes even until 10am (!) in the morning (although this was also to do with the busy, outdoor, late-night camping lifestyle). Originally designed for overnight fishing at a lakeside, the flat profile of the Galician allows for a good night’s sleep with decent lumbar support. We found it very comfortable. The two pairs of legs simply rotate out from underneath – each leg has “mud feet” on the end which means you can put the bed directly on the ground without fear of sinking. Normally in a tent with a ground sheet this isn’t an issue of course. There’s an awful lot of construction that goes into a setting up camp, even with an inflatable Berghaus tent. I have to say rolling things up – mattresses, sleeping bags, you name it, is my LEAST favourite part of the camping experience. I think this is partly why the Hi Gear camp bunk beds appealed to me! I like the fact there’s no faffing around with pumps, and no issues with having to deflate beds like you get with blow-up mattresses.

They feel really sturdy – my husband even ended up sleeping on one for a night, during a bed-hopping evening with the kids – you know the kind. I’m 5’8″, so you can get an idea for the length of the bunk bed in the photo above. Double height mattresses keep you well off the ground, making it feel more like you are getting into a real bed and as such they can be a very good option for those with mobility issues. As well as looking and feeling more like a ‘real’ bed, double-height air mattresses are very comfortable. Coleman are one of our favourite outdoor gear manufacturers and the Coleman Airbed Cot is a great example of exemplary design. It’s a double camp bed using what we would call a hybrid folding/inflatable design – basically the base can fold away small and the mattress is fully inflatable. In our minds this gives the best combination of portability and comfort if there are two of you to cater for and you don’t mind snuggling up together! Coleman also offer a single bed option at about half the price using a similar layout. If you aren’t on a restricted budget, the Dam CamoVision Bed Chair is worth the investment. It’s another fishing bed which can also function as a chair or lounger, however we think it’s great for camping if you’ve got the room to transport it. It folds to a transport size of 85 x 80 x 22cm which is pretty big, but still manageable if you have a large estate car or camping trailer. The design of the bed uses three pairs of adjustable legs with large area mud feet designed to prevent sinking into the ground. The best camp beds are just as comfortable as your bed at home to allow you to enjoy the same sleep quality.The strong round aluminium frame of the CamoVision gives it a lightweight profile, while the microfleece mattress offers a very plush feel. For the sleeping surface, the camp bed features a 100% CamoVision 600D polyester shell for long-lasting durability. There is also a comfortable neoprene pillow integrated into the bed – nice.

The Hi Gear Duo Bunk Bed camp beds also seemed like they would be super handy for future trips where we might need to put them to bed in a smaller space than usual. The camping bunk beds for kids were one of the new-equipment successes of our holiday, let me tell you why… If you’ve ever used an inflatable stand up paddle board or inflatable tent, you’ll immediately understand how to get the Decathlon bed base pumped up. You literally unroll it from its carry bag, connect a compatible pump and start doing your business! It’s recommended to use the official Quechua double action pump to get this up to 6psi, but most other pumps should suffice. One great feature of the Decathlon camp bed is that you can very simply connect two of the bases together to make a double bed which is one of the comfiest around. Yes you still need the mattresses on top but we think it’s a great solution. Raised sleeping surface for easy entry and exit, which also reduces joint strain when getting out of bed.The kind of camp bed or mattress that you choose will depend largely on your budget, how much space you have and the level of comfort you seek. Cheap options like standard air mattresses/airbeds are great for those on a budget and for short, infrequent camping trips. Whilst regular campers will find that investing in a good quality SIM or a carp fishing bed can make more sense. Elevated fold-out camp beds provide additional underside storage, which is helpful in a tent with limited space. Downsides? Well the air mattress valve is not the best design meaning that you can get a bit of leakage as you remove the pump before you bung up the hole – not the end of the world, but it’s not as well designed as some of the dedicated air mattresses you can buy. Also the price – it’s not the cheapest camping bed in the world, but bear in mind that you won’t also need to buy an additional self inflating mattress.