I was wondering if anyone has had one of those beds they advertise (usually late night) on TV and could recommend a decent one? I mean the ones which have an integrated Pump you just switch on (presumably electronic?) and the bed does it's magic and after a few minutes it's all set! They come in an array of sizes.
I'd like to know how sturdy/comfortable/practical/reliable and suitable for camping they are please. If anyone has had any experience of them, I'd be extremely grateful to find out.
Personally, I would not use an airbed after my trusted double one failed on me mid trip over Christmas in December 2011, and switched to a camp bed plus a self-inflating mattress (SIM) on top afterwards, which was much more comfortable than the airbed as the camp bed provided more height, and the SIM provided better insulation from the cold ground.
Perhaps the newer ones are better and less likely to leak. However, if an airbed leaks, it would be very difficult to find the leak for it to be patched up during a camping trip IMHO.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
I'm not entirely sure 'reliable' inflatable beds exist anymore, just about every modern PVC inflatable bed, seat or toy seems to develop a leak sooner rather than later! Seam failure rather than getting a traditional 'puncture' seems to be the great risk.
I've got an ancient (1960's vintage) rubberised canvas 'LiLo' brand airbed still going strong after literally hundreds of uses and 50 odd years, but I regard my modern PVC beds (bigger and more comfy when they work!) to be virtually disposable for each trip, certainly none of my friends seem to get through a camping trip without either a repair or replacement of the bed being necessary! Cynic that I am, I actually pack a spare air bed!
Built in pump means one of three things, it requires a 240v mains supply (have you always got EHU when you camp?), it requires a 12v supply from a car cigarette lighter socket (can you either get the car close enough to your tent for cable to reach OR will the fully inflated bed fit through the door of your tent if inflated outside - don't take that for granted!!!), it's got it's own disposable/rechargeable batteries?
What happens if the internal pump fails or no suitable power supply is within reach, can you plug in an external pump, or is the bed useless?
The sort of stuff advertised on late night TV tends to be more gadget than quality, and often not much of a bargain, so my expectations would not be high.
In general, air beds are like Marmite, either loved or hated, so no doubt you'll get opinions more on that than in built pump merits or otherwise. Personally, I like air beds, but would never bother with in built pump types, too expensive, and with too many disadvantages, but then I'm quite capable/willing to use a foot or hand pump.
All plastics have a degree of gas permeability; generally, the harder the plastic, the lower the level of gas permeability.
Some newer plastic membranes are oxygen occlusive in high end laminates for food and pharmaceutical packaging; however I doubt if one would find them in an airbed.
Hence airbeds/blow up chairs/footballs made out of PVC go soft over time, even where there is no leak.
With camp bed + SIM sleeping system, even if the SIM develops a leak, it can still be used as a liner on top of the camp bed to provide insulation.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
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Topic: Integrated Pump Air Beds
via mobile 10/5/2022 at 9:59pm
