Bianca Pineda, a commerce writer at The Spruce specializing in bedding, bath, and home decor, also contributed to this article. She included additional product picks, including the kid-friendly Hiccapop Inflatable Toddler bestway air mattress Travel Bed. After the mattress is filled, the motor keeps running, but air won’t go into the mattress, so you don’t have to worry about it over-inflating or popping, something the King Koil runner-up pick didn’t have.
Of the ten air mattresses we tested in the Lab, this option was one of the easiest to set up—even with a frame! The process was largely hands-off, and it took only six and a half minutes to complete. The setup for this bed couldn’t be any simpler, as you just unzip the case, select the firmness level, and move the dial to inflate. To find the best, we tested several air mattresses for everything from indentation over time and overnight leakage to puncture resistance and bursting strength in our Lab. We then had real consumer testers set up the mattresses and sleep on them at home to rate their ease of use and comfort.
The top of the mattress has a powder-blue flocked velvety material that keeps sheets from slipping around, provides a softer feel, and minimizes the impression one might have of sleeping on a pool float. We had no problem getting our queen-size fitted sheets to grip the mattress snugly, which wasn’t always the case with other testers. We also like that the SoundAsleep comes in five sizes (including full and twin XL), compared with the King Koil, our runner-up, bestway twin air mattress which comes in only three. 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. In 2017, my husband and I slept (uncomfortably) on an air mattress in our basement for 21 consecutive nights as we waited for construction to be completed in our home.
When fully inflated, its dimensions are just shy of a queen mattress—it’s 78 inches long and 58 inches wide, rather than 80 inches long and 60 inches wide. But the small difference in dimensions wasn’t noticeable in our testing, and we appreciate that this mattress has a substantial 500-pound weight limit. We then literally (and carefully) leapt into each mattress and noticed how well it stayed put or if it felt unstable or scooted across the floor. The next day, we checked to see if they’d lost any support and remeasured their height to see how much they’d deflated. One of the most common concerns with air mattresses is their durability, so if any of them showed wear and tear or ripped during handling, we took note.
Take note that we had no concerns about durability during our tests. Deflating the mattress was fast and easy, and it collapses to fit inside of a zippered duffel bag with wheels. It would be easy to roll this air mattress out of a closet, but it’s worth mentioning that the case is a little heavy and bulky. It may be challenging for one person to carry it up a flight of stairs and would probably best be stored on the same floor where you plan to use it. Like other mattresses we tried, it did move an inch or two when we jumped on it during stability testing. We suspect that a grippier bottom or more flocking would help the mattress hold its position better.
You may receive promotional offers, advance sale notices, and new product alerts. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Sales might make a mattress less expensive, but are always changing. Emily Estep is a plant biologist and journalist who has worked for a variety of online news and media outlets, writing about and editing topics including environmental science and houseplants. Danna Lorch is a freelance writer with a decade of experience covering the visual arts, design, architecture, the trades, and parenting.