We’ll be keeping a close eye on it during long-term testing to make sure it holds up as well as the SoundAsleep. The most important qualities an air mattress has are reliability and comfort. No air mattress is going to be as comfortable as a real mattress, but the SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress comes as close as possible—it doesn’t lose air overnight and feels supportive. If you can spend more money and have more storage space, you may want to consider a folding foam mattress, Japanese futon, or sleeper sofa instead.
The dealbreaker was that this mattress stubbornly resisted being fully deflated and folded back up following testing. I was left with a heavy hunk of PVC, and the accompanying tote bag meant to store the air mattress couldn’t be used at all. Air mattresses typically sit very low to the ground, which can potentially make your guests feel uncomfortable if they don’t like being so close to the floor. But since the Ivation EZ-Bed air mattress comes with its own bed frame, it looks and feels more like a real bed—especially when placed in a guest room. In our tests, we found that this model was comfortable, well-designed, and overall a pretty good value.
Carry bags that come included with the blowup mattresses are usually flimsy and the stitching tends to separate with frequent use, but we don’t see that happening with this product. Whether you’re using a repair patch that came with your mattress or a separate repair kit, it’s best to follow the instructions on the package. You’ll also want to let it sit overnight to cure before re-inflating the mattress and testing your handiwork. When shopping for the best mattress, always look at product and customer reviews.
Although we buy most of the products we test, sometimes we do get samples from companies if purchasing a product ourselves isn’t an option. All products go through the same rigorous process, whether they are purchased or sent by the company. One thing to keep in mind is that this air mattress has a shorter warranty period than the rest of our picks—180 days compared to one year for the others on this list. People who have back pain or other ailments can get relief from a variety of pressure points on air mattresses.
During the testing, I thought the King Koil model came closest to mimicking the feel of a real coil mattress. At about 17 pounds, it was light enough to move around and inflated fully in just under 3 minutes. The flocked top and sides add some extra grip for sheets and minimizes the feeling of sleeping on a pool float (as opposed to the SoundAsleep, which is flocked on only the top). But this does mean that the sides can be more prone to gathering lint. The King Koil Luxury Air Mattress (20-inch) was one of the most comfortable mattresses I tested. It lasted an impressive 48 hours without needing to be re-inflated and deflated easily within 3 minutes—folding up perfectly in the included nylon tote.
Some of the more affordable models—like the Beautyrest Skyrise Raised Express Air Mattress on our list—come with external pumps, which are still relatively easy to use as long as you don’t misplace them. Fortunately, air mattresses are available at a wide array of prices; it’s up to you to figure out how much you want to spend. Make no mistake, air mattresses of all prices can run the risk of deflating or puncturing over the years.
When you do find the leak, note the area with a marker and then deflate the mattress. Clean the area with a simple all-purpose cleaner and a lint-free rag before applying sealant and a patch over the affected area. Several of the mattresses we tested came with patch kits; if you need one, you can usually find patch kits at your local outdoor store or get kits like these online.
But the feature that really sets it apart is a built-in dual air pump system. One pump inflates and deflates the mattress, while the other continuously monitors and silently maintains your preferred air pressure during the night. The mattress has 35 circular coils for extra support and is lightweight enough to easily tote from room to room. The Intex Comfort Dura-Beam is also one of the tallest air mattresses we tested, measuring 22 inches high when fully inflated. There’s a little lip around the periphery that suggests there’s a protective barrier designed to keep you from rolling off (it won’t). The Intex Comfort Plush Elevated Dura-Beam Airbed (22-inch) was firm to sleep on, but it took longer to inflate than other models, around 5 minutes.
The Cool-Teak fabric technology gives the Luxury Cover a cooling, breathable, and contouring feel while also being washable and easy to zip off. The mattress has an inbuilt pump that makes it easy to inflate and deflate the mattress in a matter of minutes. It also has higher firmness levels overall beautyrest mattress queen for support and comfort throughout the night. Before you browse through a handful of models and brands, you should decide how high you want your air mattress to be. Generally, shoppers have two options — low-profile and double-height — both of which have their own set of pros and cons.
We appreciate the extra height, which makes it easy to get in and out of the bed. We were also very impressed by the support and durability of this model, which has some edge support beautyrest air mattress and didn’t sink at all after being weighed down overnight. It’s also worth noting that you can choose from three firmness settings to find what’s most comfortable for you.