One of the most common worries for would-be campers is whether they’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep in a tent – after all, a family holiday or a festival weekend isn’t much fun if you’re not getting proper rest. And the best way to make sure you sleep well in the great outdoors is on a decent air bed. Naturally, this is a critical point. You don’t have to think about how well your spring mattress is going to hold up over the night, but you do need to concern yourself with this feature when it is only air between you and the ground. Heavy-duty materials and reinforcements can not only help prevent damage, but it can help the product to last longer as well. A great warranty that covers punctures will also go a long way. Of course, for the health of the sleeper and the animal, choose non-toxic materials. Another feature that was a must have for me is the built-in electric pump that lets you inflate and deflate the air bed in a matter of minutes. If you’ll be regularly inflating and deflating the bed, then you’ll appreciate the powerful pump.

We found that the raised air beds in our test didn’t have any specific thermal insulating properties. To retain warmth, it’s advisable to place a rug or blanket under the air bed. Also add a blanket, or better still, a thermal mattress protector under your fitted sheet. Voited sells the CloudTouch indoor/outdoor camping blanket, that is both stylish and warm. Many air mattresses have built-in air pumps to make them convenient, whether you are setting up a space in your home or going somewhere else. Just make sure that while you choose a product fitting for your animals, it also provides support and comfort for you. Unlike the regular air bed, this particular one combines a double air mattress to give you both height and increased levels of comfort. The base even extends outward when fully inflated to give the mattress the stability of a real bed.

According to Lauren Fountain from the Sleep Foundation, to fix the leak, you’ll need to locate the hole and then clean the area. She goes on to say you then need to “use an adhesive and some plastic or vinyl patches to cover the leak” and “after letting the patch set for several hours, you can test the patch to ensure the mattress is no longer leaking”. If you’re looking for a blow-up mattresses for the great outdoors, you can discover more in our feature on best air beds for camping. For this review, we’ve mainly focussed on large air beds with built-in electric pumps. There is some crossover: respected camping brands such as Vango, Bestway, Hi Gear and Intex also offer blow-up beds for home use that have the height of a standard bed and are roomy enough for two. The choice of airbeds for occasional guest use has become a lot more sophisticated in recent years,’ says Jessica Alexander from the National Bed Federation. ‘While they are not intended as a replacement for a proper mattress – since they don’t provide the same support – they are increasingly impressive in terms of comfort.’ Its firmness didn’t last through the first night however. As expected, I needed to top up in the morning. The instructions point out that like most PVC air beds, you will need to add air to the bed more frequently the first few times you use it as the fabric stretches to its natural shape.

If you find it hard to get in and out of bed, look for a high raised air bed design. The self-inflating air beds we tried go up to 48cm in height at the pillow end, compared to thinner camping-focused designs that can be just 16cm in height. Do air beds feel cold to sleep on?Most air beds will come with specific instructions on how to deflate your air bed, so read the manual carefully. ‘For a design with a built-in pump, you’ll need to plug in the air bed and turn the dial to the deflate position for no longer than the recommended time, which is usually under five minutes,’ says Jessica Alexander from the National Bed Federation. How do you store an air bed? One of our experts routinely uses it in her home, both for overnight guests and movie nights with her kids, and she notes that the mattress feels substantial and doesn’t sag under your weight. Several of our testers have praised the generous 18-inch and 22-inch heights, highlighting how easy it is to get on and off the bed and how “you don’t feel like you’re sleeping right on the floor.” Just keep in mind that we recommend being patient when deflating the mattress, as we’ve found that applying unnecessary force to the inflating component can permanently damage it. The best air mattresses strike a balance between convenience and comfort. They should be portable, versatile, and easy to set up—no huffing and puffing required. Thankfully, now that we live in a time of self-contained air pumps and anti-leak technology, finding the right air mattress for you can easily be accomplished online.

Height: A taller air mattress that's at least 18 inches high is typically more comfortable, but a lower profile one is easier to roll up and carry. It comes down to personal preference and whether you're using it at home or on the go. Pump: For a super-easy-to-use air bed, you’ll want to opt for one that has a built-in pump, including manual, battery-operated, and plug-in. We’d suggest going for one with an electric option, as this will make the blowing-up-process faster. The top surface can be a soft, non-slip material, for example, brushed cotton. Some contain additional comfort materials such as a layer of memory foam. Sometimes the inside of the mattress is divided into chambers - either vertically or horizontally arranged - to ensure better support.’

Best double camping bed: ReadyBed double inflatable camping air bed and sleeping bag

This is a great convenience, and it may make the extra cost worth the investment in your mind. No one wants to manually re-inflate a bed in the middle of the night. Some air beds come with a patch kit, which typically includes an adhesive, applicator and patches that match your air bed material. However if you don’t have this kit to hand, you can either buy one (taking into consideration the colour and material of your mattress) or fashion something yourself. Substitutes for a patch include some kind of thin, plastic material, such as part of a shower curtain liner – and you’ll want to use a strong glue as your adhesive, so your DIY work dries tight.

According to the Sleep Foundation, it’s completely natural for air beds to lose some inflation over time. However, if this happens regularly, it’s probably due to a puncture of some kind. If this sounds like a problem you’re dealing with, fear not, as DIY repairs are very common within the air bed community.This article was written by GH Institute Textiles Lab Executive Director Lexie Sachs, who has a B.S. in fiber science from Cornell University and more than 15 years of experience in the textiles industry, including merchandising and product development for home products. Lexie joined GH in 2013 and has extensively tested all types of bedding — including mattresses, sheets, pillows, comforters and more — using specialized lab equipment and hundreds of consumer testers. Air mattresses are some of the first products Lexie tested at GH. With two drawstring pulls on either side, the bag that this air bed comes with is possibly the most practical of all the storage bags in this test. It’s also one of the lightest to carry. The built-in pump can be used for up to five minutes at a time to inflate and deflate, and I found that the bed was nicely blown up with a bit of squish at around the 4.5 minute mark. I may not have my priorities right, but the first thing I wanted to do when inflating the Intex was to give it a stroke. Its top layer of wonderfully smooth fabric feels good to touch. Team that with the vertical lines spanning the bed’s length, and the Intex looks and feels very enticing to sleep on. Like most air beds with a built-in pump, the Bestway is noisy to inflate and deflate, so this is something to bear in mind if you’re putting it up late at night, but it only takes five minutes each way and the instructions are straighforward. A five-minute pump left the bed feeling too firm for my liking, so I used the dial to relieve the pressure a little and give the bed a bit of bounce.