How do you get on with them? I bought a Coleman double, having used one at my son's house, it was really comfortable. Used it for one holiday, excellent!
But beware!
Next holiday eight months later, it went down slowly overnight, woke up on the ground. After a long time found a tiny pinhole in a pocket weld, then the weld round the pocket split and that was that.
OK only £30, at a local store. I try to support them.
Now this mattress has a two year guarantee. Had I gone to Amazon I'm sure I would have had a refund. The shop refused, they accused me of walking on it and storing it in a damp place(centrally heated spare room?). Next time I won't shop locally. I went to small claims. I hoped to use the Amazon reviews as evidence. 11% of reviews are about untraceable leaks and failed pocket welds. I lost because after six months the buyer has to prove fault at manufacture. Thing is you use it for holidays, almost certain it will be after six months when it fails. Coleman were no help, and neither was the guarantee. Is it worth me buying another? Amazon or not?
I've got a 1960's genuine 'Lilo' branded rubberised canvas airbed that gets used occasionally for guests at home, and seems perfectly fine, bizarrely I can't get into my head that it can still be relied upon after nearly 50 years, so I take a modern 'plastic' airbed camping as I need a 'reliable' bed, with the almost certain knowledge that it WILL leak, because nearly all of them seem to! It's barmy I know, but that's the way it is!
Last modern airbed I bought was from Lidl/Aldi, a convertible affair that can be a single height double bed, or a double decker single, both of large proportions, and with attachable inflatable pillow(s). .... and yes it sprung a leak! Good news was it came with a 3 year warranty and Lidl/Aldi are good to their word and supplied a replacement without argument. I did manage to find and fix leak on the original, so now I've got 4 beds! ..... but they do deflate sometimes in a unpredictable fashion, think it must be the valves, sometimes good for days, other times soggy overnight!
As I often camp with a crowd, it seems that plastic airbeds can be relied upon to FAIL! Usually several of our gang either have to suffer a soggy bed, fix a leak, or scuttle off with some urgency to find a replacement! Never been known for all of us to see a week out without some incident. This is a 'ritual' that has been practiced for decades! Cheap obscure brand or expensive premium brand seems to make very little difference - they are all doomed to fail sooner rather than later is the experience!
There are technical reasons why they may 'soften' over days, the material itself is not entirely airtight, air will permeate through the actual fabric, rather than escape from a leaking hole. Reinflating after a few days should be expected even in the best of circumstances. Joints and seems are always a weak spot prone to failure.
Feeling a little smug, just invested in a fold up camp bed, so deflating airbeds will be someone else's problem now.
Many decry airbeds as uncomfortable and with a catalogue of disadvantages, but I've never found that to be the case, and I like them, but I don't trust them anymore! My aged bones are also telling me I need a higher bed to ease getting in and out of these days, so the fold up bed is both to overcome distrust in airbeds and ease my old bones.
Thanks. I will go back to my Halfords camp bed. The mattress was good while it lasted, five inflations, and stayed up for six days. The leak was in the recess round the pocket, well protected area, inside when folded, not prone to external damage by thorns etc, convinced it's a structural fault.
If you’re looking for replacement mattress I’ve got a selection, I use the unigear Camphy 3 is superb 7cm thick and easy to inflate and so comfortable whether back sleeper or side sleeper and I’ve got 2 and neither has ever deflated and it has an R rating of 2 so it pretty warm for late spring early autumn camping. If cold then lay it on a foam mat and will be warmer, hope this helps.
If you have a hole on a seam you will never make a lasting repair and you’ll just end up sleeping on the floor at some point, this mattress has never failed. One tip is either use an inflation sack to fill or flex tail mini pump your breath is damp and will cause mildew to form in time.
I gave up on blow up airbeds after my trusted double developed a leak mid trip while I was camping over Christmas in 2011.
Luckily, I was only 6 miles down the road from home, so I went home and got the single airbed out so that I could continue with my trip.
I did not bother trying to find the leak on the double airbed as I don't have a bath at home, and it had served me well for about 4 years or so.
It should be noted even if there was no leak, air would still permeate out of the airbed slowly over time, more so when it was warm. It is the nature of single unlaminated PVC.
I switched to camp bed plus a self-inflating mattress (SIM) on top, and it was a revelation as the combination was so comfortable.
It was also easier for me to get in and out of bed being higher.
In the event the SIM developed a leak, I would still be able to use it on the camp bed for added insulation.
The SIM I bought, a Therm-a-rest Luxury Map XL, was so comfortable I bought another one to make a double to be placed on the floor of the inner tent in the event I would go camping with another person.
DK
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Topic: Inflatable mattress failure.
via mobile 04/3/2024 at 2:18pm
