What Is The Most Durable Air Mattress For Camping

What is the most durable air mattress for camping that you can take anywhere and can survive the extreme conditions Mother Nature throws at us?. We all know that finding an airbed suitable for the harsh camping conditions can be a bit hit and miss at the best of times.

If they aren’t’ bending out of shape and warping in the middle, they are prone to air leaks from the tinniest of pin holes created from a twig you passed on the trip from the car to the tent.

It’s an air mattress, they aren’t bullet proof but they should not be as fragile as pool water beds either. If the torment of continuously needing to patch air leaks, or even worse shell out for a new air mattress every time the warmer months roll in. Then you simply can’t afford to not check out the below heavy duty air mattress built durable for camping conditions.

How Do We Rate An Airbed To Be Durable?

We consider the durability of an air mattress to be highly important, whether it’s for camping or to be simply used as a guest bed. How well the product is made and the heavy duty rating are critical factors to consider.

Generally speaking, the most durable airbeds are typically the more expensive ones too. But like anything in life, you get what you pay for. So when you consider spending $30 on a cheap air mattress and it may not last one camping trip, compared to a $100 air mattress that can last fro several years. It’s easy to see the value in buying a higher quality and longer lasting airbed.

The definition of durable is highly relevant to choosing the best air mattresses suitable to campers. “able to withstand wear, pressure, or damage; hard-wearing”. However, when we go camping (Which is not as much as I would like), there’s one other crucial factor that needs to be addressed.

That is, the pump. I am not a powered campsite camper by any means. So I can’t go camping and need to rely on a power source from campsites. So the pump that comes with the bed has to be able to take rechargeable batteries, or the air mattress must have the ability to use an external pump which is rechargeable.

An air bed with a built in pump that relies on electricity is no good to me. With these factors considered along with personal experience/research, we have compiled what we believe to be the toughest and most durable airbeds on the market that you can take camping anywhere.

The Best Most Durable Air Mattress Of All Time

#1. The Sound Asleep Camping Edition

Sound Asleep ‘Dream Series‘ air mattresses have been one of ours and many others favorites for quite some time now. This ‘Camping’ edition is pretty much the same high quality, but built specifically for camping whereas the original Dream Series has a built in pump that requires electricity to inflate.

But the camping edition is designed for just that. Camping in the outdoors. Made using thicker higher grade materials (PVC) in multiple layers to resist puncturing and finished with a waterproof flocked top.

The thicker and more layers internally an air mattress has, the better chances it has of surviving a puncture. Nothing is 100% puncture proof, but this Sound Asleep model is well up there among the best. If your tent is thicker and you use camping tent footprints underneath the air bed you are almost eliminating the chances of a puncture. From inside the tent at least.

The base of the Sound Asleep airbed is considerably thick and has a unique anti-slip design. This is called the ‘Sure Grip’ which is designed to keep the bed from floating around the tent. Which can also lead to punctures if unexpected sharp objects were where you thought they were ‘safe; before. But once the bed slides around on the plastic tent base, are no longer considered safe. So having this Sure Grip is a very nice touch.

Whats The Sound Asleep Durability Like?

As for comfort and longevity of the Sound Asleep, amazing is a word that comes to mind. Because this bed uses an “I” air flow system compared to the horizontal channels you often see on cheaper air mattresses it wont bend or warp out of shape. Nor will you sink into the center of the bed.

The ‘I’ chambers work as support braces for impact. So when you lay down and even sit on the edge of the bed you don’t sink due to air being forced to other parts of the air mattress. The ‘I’ chambers take the grunt and actually support the weight and not distribute it unevenly. This is the #1 reason I love the Sound Asleep range. Purely on support. It’s great for people with bad backs like myself.

What About The Pump…Good For Camping?

The Sound Asleep Camping Edition certainly does come with a pump at no extra cost. But is it any good for campers?. The pump that comes with the Sound Asleep ticks all the boxes for a camper not reliant on energy sources.

Firstly it’s an external pump, not built in. So it can be taken away from the bed to recharge if needed. The pump also has additional nozzles which can be used on additional inflatable air beds or products. So in the odd occurrence that you do spring an un-fixable leak, you can still use the pump on just about anything.

This pump is rechargeable and comes with a car and home adapter. So you can charge before going camping and if you camp near your car you can always use the car to recharge the pump. The 24 hour charge time is worthy of noting. So make sure to charge the pump the day before heading out. Once charged you can potentially get 6 inflates and deflates before needing a top up. This will differ from person to person, but it is not a one inflate wonder by any means.

Recap On Why This Is The Top Rated Durable Camping Airbed

In summary, the camping edition by Sound Asleep Products is designed for the outdoors world. With heavy duty thicker PVC boasting multiple layers and a sure grip bottom all to compliment the flocked (Non noisy) waterproof topping be prepared for one tough air mattress.

The technology involved on the inside of the ‘I’ chambers are what truly make this the number air mattress on the market for me. Completing the rounds is the external rechargeable pump. Built for campers. Enough said!.

Most Durable NON PVC Air Mattress

Lightspeed Outdoors 2 Person Review

PVC products may not be a typical thing you worry about on a day to day basis. But many people believe PVC should be left in the past. The health risks associated with PVC are the reason many big name companies are opting for a safer plastic to use.

The number one alternative to PVC when it comes to air mattress is TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane). Which turns out, it’s even more durable than PVC and safer for you. So it’s a win win. Which leads us to the Lightspeed Outdoors 2 Person camping air mattress review and why it is one of the more durable airbeds around.

So the Lightspeed airbed is made from TPU, and the reason this stuff is so durable is that it is not only lighter, but can also stretch a heck of a lot more and doesn’t have the bubble effect that you see on cheaper PVC air mattresses. Being more of a flexible and stronger plastic, you can expect less puncture holes from twigs, rocks and such. While PVC is also great for durability, TPU has the upper hand here in terms of strength.

Back To The Lightspeeds Toughness Review…

Much like the Sound Asleep, the Lightspeed 2 person air mattress is designed to cater the outdoors person. We have covered the strength of the material used to make this mattress (And believe it to be one of the toughest going around), but yet to mention the superior support offered.

Where the Sound Asleep uses ‘I’ chambers to provide exceptional support, the Lightspeed  ‘stabilizers’ are what create the exceptional full body support. Think of them as lots of little connective tissues between the inner top and bottom of the air mattress. Each Stabilizer is connected to both top and bottom to form a stable surface above. Hence the name Stabilizer.

Now you may have seen mattresses that have these kind of support stabilizers before. But how many did they have?. Not many is my bet. What makes the LightSpeed so awesome is the shear amount of Stabilizers. With this many little support bars, it’s almost impossible to not feel your whole body evenly supported. But with such awesomeness comes a higher price tag. But you gotta ask yourself, how much is a durable, reliable and stable sleeping surface really mean to you when you are in the middle of nowhere far away from the comfort of your inner spring mattress?.

As for the pump, does it suit camping conditions?. Absolutely. It’s an external pump with 3 different sized nozzles. It takes 4 x D size batteries. So while not being rechargeable, you can take a solar powered charger and rechargeable batteries and never have the fear of an inflated bed to sleep on.

The inlet valve on the Lightspeed is also a Boston valve, meaning there are 2 sections; one for inflating and the other for deflating. So you won’t loose air when trying to inflate to your desired level of firmness. Do note, both caps need to be on firmly to prevent any air loss. All an all this true Queen size air mattress by Lightspeed has all the attributes needed to be classified as a highly durable camping bed.

Best Budget Durable Air Mattress Minus The Pump

47% More Puncture Resistant Coleman – Single Or Queen

I’ve said before and I’ll say it again. It wouldn’t be a best of list without the name Coleman being thrown around right. They are a hugely successful world wide brand, but how does this ‘Durarest’ stand up to the other top rated durable air mattresses?.

In regards to the Coleman name, the Durarest is the most durable airbed in my opinion. While I’m not going to cut one open to ensure that it exactly 47% thicker and 25% stronger than there standard air mattress.

I will attest to the thickness and high quality build of the Durarest. It looks tough and is very durable in regards to withstanding easy punctures.

The Durarest doesn’t come with a pump, but it does take your typical camping pump to inflate/deflate via the 2 way valve. If you haven’t got a pump already, fear not. We have you covered here with the best camping airbed pumps.

The Durarest model comes in 2 sizes, Queen (On display here) and Twin. Both are single in height which in my opinion is better for camping conditions. As the tent roof is not always that high, you need to be closer to the ground in order to maximize space.

As for support and comfort, the Coleman is up there with the like of the Sound Asleep. A soft suede like material on top of the mattress eliminates that annoying plastic rubbing noise so common on cheap models. Plush its very nice to touch and sleep on. The support is similar to what Sound asleep offers.

Vertical chambers pushing air upwards to hold the body evenly without sagging. Not quite as good as the Sound Asleep version, but then again this Coleman air mattress is considerably cheaper.

The last cool thing about this Durarest airbed is how easy it packs away. I’m use to fighting with the air mattress when it comes to packing up for the sad and sorry trip back to reality. They never seem to roll up to the same size they were when first bought right. But this Durarest is something else. It’s without a doubt the easiest and tidiest pack and roll system I’ve used on a air mattress before.

Overall, the Coleman is a fantastic buy, but it does have the flaw of not including a pump. This may or may not be an issue for you. But Coleman does have their own brand name pumps available too.

The reason we put this bed as 3rd on our list is simple. Other folks have had problems with the air mattress blowing out or obtaining a leak rather quickly. While this is not relevant to myself, it’s definitely a concern if you do happen to get the ‘unlucky’ air mattress.

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