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We’ve all had those off nights – whether traveling or at a sleepover – where you’re suddenly sleeping on the best air mattress in the world (or what you hope is the best, at least). While not known for their comfort, air mattresses are convenient.
With millions of products on the market, it was important to aggregate the best customer reviews, scour the internet for the best choices, and test the top products.
We slept in every position imaginable, and put each air mattress through the wringer. While we wouldn’t recommend going home and replacing your actual mattress with an air mattress, here are our top picks for the best air mattress – perfect for sleepovers, road trips, or any other temporary sleeping needs.
Our Top Pick
King Koil California King Luxury Raised Air Mattress
This fantastic air mattress from King Koil offers luxury and comfort – all for a killer price point. While it’s still an air mattress – this was definitely the most comfortable air mattress we tested.
If budget is no issue, this is a perfect choice for sleepovers and road trips. Highly recommended, and Amazon (and thousands of reviewers) agree with us, as well.
Other Great Picks
SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress
This is another stellar choice, with waterproof technology, and a very simple to use air pump. With thousands of stellar five star reviews, it’s also well loved by the public.
The price point is also good, though not the lowest on our list. If you plan on using your air mattress more than a few times each year – or if you just want to be as comfortable as possible while sleeping on one – this is the pick for you.
Intex Comfort Plush Elevated Dura-Beam Airbed
With thousands of great reviews, this is another stellar pick. We found it to be very comfortable, which was pleasantly surprising, since the price is much lower than that of other comparable mattresses.
While no one should sleep on an air mattress every night of their lives – with this one, you actually could. We definitely recommend this to anyone who prefers a comfortable night’s sleep – or if you just want an air mattress that will last a long time. Definitely recommended.
EnerPlex Queen Air Mattress
This super comfortable (and super affordable) air mattress is a great choice – and thousands of five star reviews agree. We were pleasantly surprised at how comfortable this mattress was, and we had no issues with it deflating, or being lumpy in any way whatsoever.
It also comes with a 2 year warranty, which is quite a good deal, these days. Reviewers have also noted that this warranty is genuine, meaning that you will actually get coverage, if something does go wrong. Another highly recommended choice.
Intex Dura-Beam Standard Pillow Rest Classic Airbed
This budget air mattress offers surprisingly great quality, but the low price tag it has. With tons of great reviews, it’s also very well-liked amongst consumers.
It was very comfortable for the price – which surprised us greatly. While you can certainly spend more and get some additional features, for most people, this is a perfect budget pick. Highly recommended.
Lazery Sleep Air Mattress
With 7 different settings, this is a luxury air mattress – perfect for anyone who doesn’t mind spending a little bit more. It was also very comfortable to sleep on, and we loved all the different settings.
While none of these air mattresses will have a headboard, or other trappings of a standard bed – they often have built-in electric pumps. If you don’t mind spending a little bit more, this is a perfect air mattress to choose. Highly recommended.
Insta-Bed Raised Air Mattress
With thousands of great reviews, and a good price point, this was another fine air mattress we tested. It has a nice price point, and it stood up to everything we tried, during our testing.
Some reviewers have noted issues with leaks, but we didn’t experience any of those issues during our tests, and the thousands of positive reviews tend to say otherwise, in terms of reliability. If you aren’t happy with any of our other picks, this is another great choice, when it comes to the best air mattresses.
Coleman EasyStay 4-N-1 Single High Airbed
This is another great choice – with an innovative 4-in-1 system, unique from all of the other mattresses we tested. We liked the double high twin option the best, but your own mileage may vary.
Another nice feature was the ability to support up to 300 pounds. We found the quality of this air mattress to also be top-notch, so we highly recommend it to anyone.
Intex Dura-Beam Deluxe Comfort Plush Airbed
This budget air mattress has a tremendous amount of positive reviews. It’s very durable, but still feels soft and like it’s made with the utmost quality.
Intex is well-known for the quality of their air mattresses, and this one is no different. While you can certainly spend more, if you only need a temporary solution, or simply don’t want to go over budget – this may be the perfect pick for you.
EZ Inflate Air Mattress
This is yet another great budget air mattress – with comfort, quality, and even a built-in pump. We loved how comfortable it was, and it will undoubtedly work great for children.
While some adults may want to spend a little bit more, for infrequent use, this is a perfect choice. Highly recommended, and we loved it during all of our testing.
What Is An Air Mattress?
An air mattress is just what it sounds like – it’s a mobile mattress great for traveling or camping, which is blown up with air. Instead of the standard coils found in normal mattresses, it’s loaded with air coils.
These mattresses are traditionally not as comfortable as regular mattresses, but they’re meant for infrequent sleeping – not every night rest. Some air mattresses have hand pumps, but many have built-in electric pumps, nowadays.
What Is The Best Material For An Air Mattress?
There are many different materials that air mattresses can be made from. PVC (essentially a vinyl-like mattress) and TPU are two of the most common materials, but there’s really an endless amount of possibilities.
Rubber and vinyl air mattresses are some of the most durable and comfortable, but it all comes down to how you plan on using your air mattress. Frequent use, especially if it’s rough, will kill an air mattress a lot sooner than infrequent gentle use.
What Is The Difference Between A Feather Air Mattress And A Foam Air Mattress?
Feather air mattresses can have filling (like goose-down), which makes them warmer and a little more comfortable than foam air mattresses. However, feather air mattresses are also more expensive, so the choice is ultimately yours.
What Are The Benefits Of An Air Mattress?
Surprisingly, there are a number of advantages to air mattresses. They’re light, portable, don’t take up much storage space, and can be used with no notice ahead of time.
Many times, you’ll use an air mattress as an emergency backup, while traveling, or camping. We don’t think anyone prefers to sleep on an air mattress over a normal mattress, but they definitely come in handy.
The best air mattresses also may help your back. At least compared to what it feels like to sleep on the ground.
How Thick Should An Air Mattress Be?
Usually between 4 and 11 inches is the ideal thickness for an air mattress. While you can go outside of this range, we definitely wouldn’t recommend anything less than 4 inches.
At that point, you’re basically sleeping on the floor, and part of the convenience and comfort of an air mattress, is that it’s much closer to a real mattress.
Can You Sleep On An Air Mattress Permanently?
The short answer is – yes, you can – but we wouldn’t recommend it. While there’s technically nothing wrong with sleeping on an air mattress every night, over the long term, it’s very likely you could get back pain.
This is because air mattresses lack proper support for your spine, leading to spinal alignment issues, over time. Even a couch, a recliner, a loveseat, or a futon would be a better choice for regular long-term sleeping, compared to an air mattress.
Other Buying Factors For The Best Air Mattress
There are so many factors to consider when buying an air mattress, Amazon alone has millions of options. You don’t want an air mattress that will easily deflate, and you want it to be puncture-resistant, as well as have an internal pump.
In our opinion, air mattresses are never quite as comfortable as normal mattresses, so we heavily weighed durability, when it came time to rank the different choices. Air pressure, a storage bag (or carry bag), a solid air pump, and solid air chambers were also factors we heavily weighed.
Sleepers who want comfort probably won’t choose an air mattress to begin with, but the best mattress for those in a traveling pinch is definitely an air mattress. We would not recommend an air mattress for everyday use, of course, since the comfort level just isn’t there.
The air coils and PVC in inflatable air mattresses are just not going to give you the same firmness level that a standard mattress will. While an inflatable bed is definitely convenient, it’s not going to offer the same level of comfort that your home mattress will offer.
The warranty for most air mattresses is not very long, which is why it’s important to choose a model that has lots of great reviews, and has proven durability. You also don’t want to choose an air mattress that will give you back pain, instead you should opt for a mattress that has great back support.
As you might imagine, a queen size air mattress is the most popular, but blow up mattresses also come in king sizes, as well as in twin size. Perfect for camping trips, you want to choose an air mattress that has a solid sleeping surface, as well as one that will allow you to get a good night’s sleep.
Most air mattresses have a hand pump (or manual pump, if you prefer), though other models are moving towards electric pumps nowadays. In order to do a proper mattress review, we had to test each model in different ways, from pillow top to memory foam – even to mattresses that lacked a mattress topper.
One proven brand, AeroBed, did not even make our list, as they’ve been outpaced by other manufacturers. If you want a regular bed experience, obviously an air mattress is not going to provide that – but a self-inflating mattress is perfect for overnight guests.
It’s also important to consider weight capacity – a low quality air mattress will not provide the same level of support as a normal mattress, and you don’t want to fall through your air mattress in the middle of the night. We typically have an extra air mattress in our guest room – just in case anyone wants to come and stay over, on short notice.
The Best Air Mattress
There you have it – our picks for the best air mattresses on the market today. Whether you want a budget model from Walmart, or a top of the line traveling air mattress – there is truly something out there for everyone.
Whether you want a simple hand pump, or an advanced pump system – there are plenty of choices out there for you. You can go with something with double height, or choose a Never Flat pump – which automatically maintains air pressure throughout the night.
Air mattresses have come a long way since the draconian days of the 1990s, and some are actually fairly comfortable to sleep on now. We hope you enjoyed this list – if you did, be sure to check out some of our other best product reviews.