A smooth-to-the-touch greige polyester fabric covers the PVC structure on this air bed. I was impressed: I think it would blend well into most modern and classic design schemes. It took around three minutes to inflate and deflate, making the Intex one of the faster-to-assemble air beds in this round up. The manual inflation port within the cord storage is also easy to find, which would come in useful if you’re camping and want to use your own standalone pump. Air chambers: Air beds with vertical air chambers are more comfortable because they work to distribute the weight. It’s worth noting that while air chambers that run side to side look more comfortable, they can sag when you lie down.

Self-inflating designs still need time to work and almost always require a few big breaths, or pumps, to completely inflate. Larger options may require a foot pump. Or you can buy an automatic pump that either plugs into your car’s power, if you are camping near the car, or has its own battery supply, like this excellent model from Flextail. How we test air mattresses

The best air mattresses and sleeping pads you can buy in 2023

That’s why we’ve pulled together this list of key factors for Hi-Gear Hi Rise Foam King Size Air Bed below, to help you choose if it’s the right product for you and your budget. We found that the raised air beds in our test didn’t have any specific thermal insulating properties. To retain warmth, it’s advisable to place a rug or blanket under the air bed. Also add a blanket, or better still, a thermal mattress protector under your fitted sheet. Voited sells the CloudTouch indoor/outdoor camping blanket, that is both stylish and warm. That got us thinking though, that we’re looking at every possible item from Hi-Gear so it would be good to narrow our search down even further and only look at Hi-Gear branded products within the Double Airbeds category. The cost of Hi-Gear Double Airbeds The raised sides, to stop you rolling out at night, are quite thin compared to other air beds I tried, but this does give you more surface area to sleep on – something my 6ft partner Daniel, who also tested the bed, appreciated. My tester friend Tina also pointed out that she liked the feel of ‘wave beam’ structure on the top, as it made her feel secure. 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.

The Touchxel seemed a little noisier than the average air bed I tested, but this may be down to the fact that at the time of inflation it was late and I was tired. It’s constructed with 42 air coils for comfort, but I found the grooves on the top layer a little less inviting than some of the more streamlined designs. These grooves do provide grip, however, and kept me securely in place during the night.Like most air beds with a built-in pump, the Bestway is noisy to inflate and deflate, so this is something to bear in mind if you’re putting it up late at night, but it only takes five minutes each way and the instructions are straighforward. A five-minute pump left the bed feeling too firm for my liking, so I used the dial to relieve the pressure a little and give the bed a bit of bounce. 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. Consider whether you want a single or a double – there are also some great ones for kids – as a standard single air mattress is just 60cm wide, which is much smaller than a normal single bed. So, if you want to spread out, or snuggle up with someone, a double may be far more comfortable. Of course, if you're going away, ease of use and transportation are also super important, and there are so many designs and varieties out there that suit all needs.

We’re really pleased to have scored Hi-Gear Hi Rise Foam King Size Air Bed so highly, givimg it 9.7 out of 10, making it well above the average for all Double Airbeds. Not a brand generally associated with the great outdoors but certainly one that’s synonymous with sleep and mattresses, Silentnight’s self-inflating design is solid value and an incredibly comfortable option. We tested the double, however, a 60cm single is also available for half the price. It has an insulation “R” rating of 2.3, making it best suited for summer expeditions. We love the fact it also comes with an expensive repair kit and a bag that can be used to inflate the air mattress saving your lungs after a long day’s hiking. The best air mattress will make sure you sleep well outdoors, and if you’re planning on camping regularly, it’s the single most important piece of kit, aside from your tent. After all, a holiday isn’t much fun if you’re not getting proper rest, especially if you’re spending a week running around with free-ranging kids. To give that price some context we then looked at all of the products available from Go Outdoors in the Double Airbeds category. We found 6 items in total. What’s the price of Double Airbeds?The choice of airbeds for occasional guest use has become a lot more sophisticated in recent years,’ says Jessica Alexander from the National Bed Federation. ‘While they are not intended as a replacement for a proper mattress – since they don’t provide the same support – they are increasingly impressive in terms of comfort.’ Air mattresses are usually either self-inflatable or need blowing up manually. Usually, only the thinnest camping mats can be inflated with just lung power; larger air mattresses usually require a pump and can take some time to fill. What often sets good mattresses and cheap mattresses apart is the use of one-way valves. These make blowing them up much easier as no air can escape during the process and they are also much less likely to leak. Most manufacturers advise that children under eight should not sleep on an air bed. Each design will also have a maximum weight capacity for the user. The Bestway Fortech design has a total weight capacity of 350kg (55 stone), for example. There’s so much information available online when we’re shopping now, that it’s easy to find lots of detail about products like Hi-Gear Hi Rise Foam King Size Air Bed. This is of course really helpful, but there’s almost too much information available, so it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for. Much like the Dreamboat Double from Outwell, this mattress is not compact or lightweight, but what you lose in portability, you gain in plush, 10cm-deep foam padding and a generous layer of air.

Inflation time: It’s worth noting how long it takes the air bed to inflate – it’ll usually be a couple of minutes. If you find it hard to get in and out of bed, look for a high raised air bed design. The self-inflating air beds we tried go up to 48cm in height at the pillow end, compared to thinner camping-focused designs that can be just 16cm in height. Do air beds feel cold to sleep on? When inflating our air beds, we’ve used our lungs, supplied inflation bags, built-in pumps, and, when more effort was required, we relied on the Quechua hand pump. 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.

Air bed FAQs

Price – as you’d expect the price of a product can be an instantly recognisable factor on what sort of quality you can expect. Whoever came up with the phrase “you get what you pay for” pretty much hit the nail on the head. Whilst it’s not always the case and there are many bargains to be had, you can as a general rule, expect the higher priced products to offer better quality than a the cheapest option. We’ll dive into the price of Hi-Gear Hi Rise Foam King Size Air Bed in more detail in a moment. Some air beds come with a patch kit, which typically includes an adhesive, applicator and patches that match your air bed material. However if you don’t have this kit to hand, you can either buy one (taking into consideration the colour and material of your mattress) or fashion something yourself. Substitutes for a patch include some kind of thin, plastic material, such as part of a shower curtain liner – and you’ll want to use a strong glue as your adhesive, so your DIY work dries tight. I chose a range of double, king and queen air beds from the likes of Argos, Decathlon, Dreams and Active Era that have built-in pumps and can be manually pumped up too. I rated each air bed on its design, warmth, comfort, portability and assembly. I took into consideration pillow and edge support, how easy it was to get in and off the bed and whether it came with extras such as a puncture patch or storage bag. So, from air beds with pillows for extra comfort to high-rise ones to make you feel like you're in a real bed, here are our top 12 products. Staycations just became seriously stylish. Supplied in a carry bag that’s around the size of a pillow, this camping mat has two valves to make inflating and (importantly) deflating super simple. If you wait for an hour, air will naturally be drawn inside and it will just need a few big breaths to top it up to the firmness you like – or, if time is tight, it doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes to inflate manually. It can also be clipped to a second mattress to make a double, which is a well thought out bonus.