What is the best air mattress?

August 29, 2013 9:38 AM

What are some great air mattress options?

A relatively-new air mattress got a puncture and all efforts to repair it have failed. Since it's now replacement time - how can we avoid this scenario again?

What are the great air mattresses out there? "Great" in this context means several things:

- able to comfortably sleep two people
- super puncture resistant or easily fixable or great return policy
- can be used with standard fitted sheets
- can be inflated with a pump that plugs into the wall

Any suggestions of air beds you've known and love? Price is a factor but willing to spend more for a more quality product.

Thanks!

posted by amicamentis to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

I just spent a night on one of these and slept incredibly well - first air mattress experience that didn't have me wishing for a good sofa. The fitted sheets didn't acutally, um, fit perfectly, but other than *looking* kind of janky because they weren't deep enough, it was an amazing night's sleep, inflation/deflation was a piece of cake with the built-in pump, and I woke up refreshed and happy.
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:41 AM on August 29, 2013 [1 favorite]

I came in to recommend the same one as Tomorrowful. We have the same one, our guests have all said how it is very comfortable, it inflates quickly, definitely big enough for two people. Yes, standard fitted sheets aren't deep enough, but everything else is awesome, and despite them not fitting well the sheet still always seem to stay on just fine. And ours is like 5 years old and still works perfectly.

one other thing, I don't know how you punctured it, but cats are murder to any air mattress I have ever seen. even just walking across them seems to poke holes. Keep cats away.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 9:43 AM on August 29, 2013

I have the standard queen Aerobed with a memory foam mattress pad, and my parents have slept on it with nary a complaint. I will also say that my 80lb dog loves it and is sleeping on it as we speak and it has held up so far. He likes to dig and nest with the blankets - enough that my sheets now have a hole in them - but the mattress has held up to the abuse (perhaps thanks to the memory foam topper, I'll admit).
posted by misskaz at 10:02 AM on August 29, 2013

Response by poster: It was a cat!! Great guess.
posted by amicamentis at 10:21 AM on August 29, 2013

There is no such thing as an air mattress that comfortably sleeps two people. It's not the size, it's the tossing and turning and jostling and flying up in the air. We've tried Coleman, we've tried various Aerobeds, and they're all terrible. Maybe two air mattresses would be better. We got a folding foam mattress that fits under a bed (for storage) and that was a bit better.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:57 AM on August 29, 2013

Okay, so if it is a cat issue then you NEED to make a very specific point of keeping the kitty separate from the air mattress. If you don't there will be no point in your investing in an airmattress of any quality. All of the advice you get here will be useless. I swear, kitties have hidden razor blades in their paws that they bring out specifically for air mattresses.

If you can, set it up in a separate cat free room for the guests, and make sure they know the cat cannot be in there.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 11:04 AM on August 29, 2013

Seconding misskaz: we've had a queen Aerobed for at least ten years and finally last year the air valve broke off, but was readily replaced by a cheap after-market product.
posted by Dragonness at 11:06 AM on August 29, 2013

Aerobed with a mattress pad to reduce the plastic-y feeling under the sheets (maybe if you get a topper that is thick enough, it will protect from catclaw-punctures?)

My husband and I slept on this setup quite happily for two months when we moved from one city to another. Also our dog hopped on and off it regularly too.
posted by kitkatcathy at 11:09 AM on August 29, 2013

If you've got the room, I recommend this monstrosity. It's great for older visitors who like the height of a normal bed. Having slept on it myself, I really like the headboard and the built in pump is awesome.
posted by veryhappyheidi at 11:23 AM on August 29, 2013

When I shared a home with a periodically insane cat (who was otherwise normal (probably, in other words, "a cat")) I bought a rubberized cloth dropcloth for painting and cut it to size for the mattress. I'd put it under the mattress pad and could not tell it was there.

It could, however, prevent pee from soaking to the mattress and was strong enough to prevent rips from making it through. It might not have been enough to prevent a puncture from a concerted effort but I think it would have helped with just running about.

You might consider such a thing on top of what kitkatcathy suggests re: a mattress pad.
posted by phearlez at 12:48 PM on August 29, 2013

So I got this guy. It was expensive, but it detects when it's going flat and it reinflates itself. My friends give it very good reviews. One of them bought an air mattress of his own and asked me "what was that awesome thing I slept on at your house?".
posted by middlethird at 3:46 PM on August 29, 2013

Coming in to second veryhappyheidi's suggestion of the queen aerobed with headboard. A friend used it for 6 months while training for a job out of town, and he recommended it to me. I purchased one to use on trips and when more than one couple comes to stay at my place. Everyone has had a good night of sleep.
posted by 6ATR at 6:04 AM on August 30, 2013