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1. you are paying for a pump with every bed
2. if your break the bed a perfectly good pump is thrown away
3. if you need more than one you are carrying extra weight/space requirements

Tigang: Ref: With a home-made adapter we even use ours to suck the air out of space-saving vacu-bags.

I'd be interested to know how you did this. [Please]

Quote: Originally posted by James Watt on 03/7/2010

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Not sure if Missmiaow is still involved in the topic, but further to my post, I tried out the CampingGaz/Coleman single airbed last night.
My wife has a chest infection so I advised her to stay indoors.

I inflated one as far as the pump allowed (it seems there is a safe pressure limit on the pump)

Sitting in the middle did not cause my rear end to reach the floor of the tent, so a good start.

I had a restless night, but that did not involve putting undue pressure on the mattress, (e.g. standing, bouncing) because I used my Tesco Dome Tent.

In the morning, trying the 'bottom' test, it did reach the floor of my tent.

Therefore, in conclusion, neither of the two types of airbeds I've purchased, are fit for purpose.

I'm reluctant to keep purchasing beds that are an expensive waste of (my hard earned) money.

It does appear that some tenters find the SIM (Self Inflating Mattress) comfortable, but others find the airbed ones so (like us). But obviously, not when deflated.

Neither of us are keen to resort to doing without, as we did in the 1970's.

So I'll have to do some research to find a cost effective solution.

Regards James

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Airbeds always go down to a certain extent overnight but it doesn't mean that they're leaking. You blow them up on a warm(ish) evening, then put them in full contact with the cold groundsheet for a night and they're bound to feel softer, because cold air contracts, warm air expands.

You can of course insulate under the airbed and this helps to a certain extent. But really, as long as it's not leaking, all you have to do is to top up the average airbed every three days or so with a couple of puffs of air. It's not important that it gets softer overnight and that you can touch the floor when you sit on it, as long as it remains comfortable to sleep on for a full night.

Quote: Originally posted by taffyp on 02/7/2010

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WE got outwell excellent flock king size airbed. Comfy but seems to go down every night and needs topping up daily.
Kids have coleman comfort double. It seems to keep its air better.

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How Odd !  Our Outwell Excellent Air Beds never ever went down. Do you have the double filler thingy pushed in all the way ? They are the best air beds we've ever had.

Oh just read the hot air/cold air thing - maybe it was due to that !!!?

The other big advantage of SIMs of course is that you can either use them as sitting space during the day or lift them easily and either stack them to one side or put them in another pod. Very useful for children's pods where they like to have their own little den and private space, and it's helpful to have extra availible room inside when it's raining.

They do save space in the car . Not because they're any less bulky than an airbed and pump of course...in fact, the fatter ones are more bulky...but because you don't have to bring all the insullation, extra mats, fitted sheets, fleece blankets and all the rest to ensure you don't freeze on the airbed. All you need is the mat, a sleeping bag and camp pillow. They're easy and quick to use and even small kids can set up their own pod themseves using a SIM.

We've currently got two fairly basic SIMs for the kids (HIghlander, which is one of the generic rebadged types), an Aldi one from a couple of years back and an eight year old Thermorest which developed a small split in the cover last time out. I have mended this with Tenacious Tape and we'll see how it goes, otherwise it will be time for a new one.

We've also got two Coleman Double Comfort airbeds. Excellent items, have never leaked, great for avoiding the dreaded roll-together. The first one has lasted us for five years of regular use and the second, bought on sale as a replacement when required, has never yet been out the box because the first one refuses to wear out. So I can recommend the Coleman as an airbed.