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04/3/2025 at 9:14am
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Karsten 350
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Joined: 28/6/2017 Silver Member 
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Can anyone recommend a good quality air bed. I am fed up of buying rubbish off Amazon (Bestway beds), they don't last one camping trip before they start going down. We have two Hi-Gear airbeds that are 6-7 years old and are fine but the new products, even hi-gear just don't last. We are take care of them when in use and pack them away carefully but they still develop leaks.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, ideally we would want a standard good quality air bed not a sims or those huge double height ones!
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04/3/2025 at 10:48am
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Joined: 05/8/2013 Platinum Member 
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I bought a double air bed in France last year for E20 in a sale. My camping companian had a bad back and couldn't sleep on camping mats.
It's yellow and has a flock surface, it seems well made and fills the floorspace of a 3 man tent.
Since I don't have an air bed pump am wwilling to part with it.
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Enjoy the liveliness of the syntax.
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04/3/2025 at 11:32am
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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TBH, recommend a good quality airbed - NO!
I'm very much a fan of air beds, and always had really good sleeps on them for many decades of camping, so not the least bit of negativity towards them as a bed, but finding a quality one these days, I don't hold out hope!
We often go away as a crowd of up to a dozen of us, and it's pretty much a certainty that a trip out to the shops to buy a replacement bed is necessary for somebody, at least one or two will fail during our few days stay! Origins of the beds range from 'quality' well known brands to obscure unbranded ones, it doesn't seem to dictate which ones fail!
I'm now cynical and take two with me, plus puncture repair stuff, to ensure I get through my stay with a functioning bed!
First thing to remember is that the PVC material they are made from is not entirely airtight, at a molecular level, air permeates slowly through the material and they deflate over time, so a periodic 'top up' is normal and to be expected.
Secondly, what can be a comfortable inflation at overnight temps can be seam straining overinflation during warm/hot days! Tents interiors can get incredible hot on sunny days (40 odd degrees!), that causes air to expand and that effectively overinflates the bed, couple that with the significant softening of the PVC material at those temps and you have the perfect storm to pop a seam! A lot of people seem to overinflate beds for use anyway, they 'ping' like a drum skin! I always like a little give in mine, that gives more scope for the increased daytime inflation to be tolerated.
As to buying quality? Price is not always much of a guide, with a big brand you pay for the brand name on top of the article itself, not necessarily getting you a better quality bed! I've settled for Aldi/Lidl middle aisle ones, moderately good quality at a good price, AND often a 3 year warranty, so exchange/refund at least if (when?) it does fail.
Reached an age where the old bones protest a bit at the getting up and down from a all so low air bed, so invested in a fold up camp bed, which has yet to be used in anger, as last couple of camping trips cancelled, time will tell if as comfortable, but higher hopes it won't collapse under me!
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05/3/2025 at 2:51pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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Worth remembering for those that extoll the virtues of SIMS over air beds - a SIM is only in effect a thin airbed with a bit of foam in it to inflate it instead of using a pump - that's where the 'self inflating' bit comes in! If it gets a puncture, it deflates and becomes ineffective just the same as an air bed! - and quite a number seem to!
The pros and cons of one or other come down to convenience of setting up, but little more.
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06/3/2025 at 8:48am
Location: Liverpool
Outfit: Swift Challenger 560
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We have one that we bought in Costco that is great quality. We used to use it when my parents came away with us in the caravan and we gave them the fixed bed and slept in the awning. It was extremely comfortable and has lasted well.
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Pixie
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Topic: Air Beds
via mobile 04/3/2025 at 12:33pm
