Whether you're off on a family camping trip, heading to a festival with your friends, have unexpected house guests, or you're just planning on having a cosy night in your living room watching Netflix, having the right air bed is essential. Whether it's a single, double, or something a little bigger, the following factors are non-negotiable if you want to guarantee a good night's sleep: comfort, quality, and materials. 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.

If your air mattress doesn’t come with a repair kit, there are many available online, or you can repair the hole in the same way as you would with a bike puncture. How we select When choosing the best air bed for you and your family, you need to consider a few different things. After all, there are so many different air beds on the market, and narrowing down your search criteria can make your decision a lot easier.Another comfort point to be considered is the possibility of having a different material – such as memory foam. In this case, you are using the air in the mattress to support your body weight, but you get the added comfort of material like foam. These tend to be more expensive, but they do provide a comfortable night’s sleep in most cases. 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. 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. Thankfully, many companies are one step ahead and have designed toppers that consider the additional heat they’re delivering with their toppers and have included features like gels and more breathable textiles to offset these issues. 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”.

You love your animals and your sleep and shouldn’t have to sacrifice either to get through a night. If you are in the market for an air mattress, there are qualities to look for to ensure that you or your visitors do not wake up in the middle of the night in a slowly-deflating puddle of materials. For example, air beds that are not easy to puncture can help protect your sleep space from the curious claws and playful nips. This depends on how much your budget will stretch. There are three main types of pumps: a foot pump, an integrated pump or an electric pump. The majority of the top of the range airbeds come with a rechargeable or mains-operated integrated pump. They will also have a remote control that can inflate and deflate the mattress within a matter of seconds. They roll up small, similar to your average yoga mat and are extremely light. Some people might find them too thin and firm. However, note that they can also be used with a camp bed base for an off-the-ground set-up. Air beds follow the same sizing rules as regular mattresses, but they can feel a bit smaller based on their level of inflation.If the leak is too small, it might be hard to hear so another popular method is to gently wipe over the mattress with a soapy sponge and look out for small bubbles. Washing up liquid is good for this. 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. Inflation: There are two kinds of air beds: those that have a built-in pump and those that require an external pump. This is something you need to consider when choosing an air bed, as you need to figure out what you’d rather. As you can imagine, a self-inflating air bed is much easier to use on a regular basis - but it’ll also be more expensive.