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Favored Inflatable Air Bed Mattress and Mats for Travel, Camping, Hiking

July 3, 2023 - Many people find using an inflatable air bed in their camping tent more comfortable than a sleeping bag. They are lightweight and when deflated don't take much room to carry along in the car.

When selecting an inflatable air bed for your camping / hiking trip you will find you have several good options. You can get different sizes such as twin, full, queen or king. There are inflatable air beds for your car back seat or the cargo area of your SUV if you are car camping or for use just while you are traveling to your campsite.

Inflatable air beds can also be raised in height to make them easier to get on to and off of.

If you are hiking or just want to go easy and simple you may prefer one of the self-inflating air mats.

Choosing Your Camping Air Mattress

Heavy

You can choose either a heavy or light camping air mattress. The materials used in inflatable air bed mattresses affect the weight.

If comfort is your chief priority, a heavier bed is recommended because it will be made of a thicker, more comfortable material that will also last you longer. If you have kids or camp close to home these type air mattresses will work well for you.

Light

If your outdoor adventure is hiking, trekking or rock climbing rather than sleeping in a tent, you will want to stick to the lighter weight air beds or mats, which enhances portability and convenience usually at the cost of durability.

This does not mean that your air bed or mat will be flimsy but that you can't have the kids jumping on it. If the kids aren't coming along a lightweight air mattress or air mat will probably be the perfect fit for you.

Hand vs. Electric Pump

If your camping spot is close to where you park the car, then an electric pump mattress will be just fine. If however, your camping spot is a long distance from your parking spot, the bulkier electric pump will make things difficult or you so it is best to choose a mattress that comes with a hand / foot pump.

Portable Pump

You can always buy an electric pump later if you decide you need it, they come with either AC or DC plugins. A DC electric pump will draw power from your vehicle's 12V outlet whereas an AC electric pump will require a wall outlet or generator.

Battery Powered Pump

Some of the air bed mattresses come with a built-in pump and generally run off a pair of 4D batteries. This type air bed is ideal for those camping / hiking times when you want the luxury of an easily inflatable mattress and have no access to outlet power or your car outlet.

Self Inflating Air Bed Mattress

These type air mattresses are very lightweight and easy to handle. This is an air bed that is ideal for long distance hikes. May not be your most comfortable air mattress but certainly better than the cold hard ground.

Air Bed Mattress Size

You can get an air mattress in a single size, queen air bed, king size air mattress, single height air mattress or raised double height air bed. Air mats used by hikers are usually made for one camper.

If you plan on tent camping think about the size of your tent. You will probably be more comfortable with some room to a walk around your mattress or some space to store some of your gear protected within the tent.

Sleeping In Your Car

Even if you are tent camping you may have more people than your tent will accomodate so it is nice when someone can sleep comforably in the car. There are comfy inflatable air beds for the backseat of your vehicle. Also, there are air mattresses for the SUV cargo area which will give you room to sleep more than one.

Air Beds for Heavy People

If you are a large or heavy set person then you will want to pay attention to the weight load of the air bed mattress that you select. There are some good queen air beds that have a weight capacity of 600 lbs that are very comfortable for the heavy set person.

Other Features and Accessories

The list above are primary considerations when selecting your new inflatable air bed. There are a number of other features and accessories that we will cover as we individually discuss these popular and favored inflatable mattresses.