Most people swear by the mattress they have on their own bed, at home. It’s where we usually sleep best and where we feel most at home, obviously. That’s why hotels’ most frequent complaints are to do with the comfort of the mattresses on their beds. It’s not necessarily because the mattresses are of poor quality, they're often of superb quality, in fact, it’s because it comes down to a matter of opinion. Some like them hard, some like them soft, some like them in the middle of the two, and so on.
Air mattresses you won’t find in most hotels, that’s for sure, but what are the key things about them that mean people either love them or hate them. Let’s find out.
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Flexible
As All The Stuff rate and rank the options for you, you’ll find that most Air mattresses are really flexible and adjustable, going some way to counter the variables when it comes to sleeping away from home. Extra inflation or deflation can really make a difference in helping the user find what suits them and their sleeping habits. An air mattress is also extremely portable: simply deflate it, stick it in a bag and move on to the next place. Perfect for sleeping under a different roof each night, or under the stars every night. An air mattress can help you get out and enjoy the wild.
Allergies?
If you're allergic to dust mites or prone to becoming dinner for hungry bed bugs, air mattresses could be a good option, as the chances of dust mites and bed bugs taking up residence on an air mattress are far fewer than on a traditional mattress. Bed sores are a rare occurrence for air mattress users also.
Adjustable
Any good air mattress will be highly adjustable, with settings allowing the user to tailor the height, the firmness and the amount of inflation to their specific preferences. This is perfect for use inside the often-cramped confines of a tent. Once you've found your preferred arrangement, it's a good idea to make notes or take photographs to help you achieve the same results in the future.
Read also: Top Secrets about Sleeping on an Air Mattress Long Term
Romance
Romance isn’t limited to the bedroom, as most passionate people know only too well, but if it is limited to a bed, then an air mattress will do just fine. It might be a bit more of a wobbly experience, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
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Spare Room
If you’ve got guests coming to stay, but no spare beds, an air mattress can become that extra room you wish you had. No mess in the day time, as you’re able to pack it all away, but a luxurious sleeping environment for your VIPs come nightfall. You will no longer be saying you don’t have the room. It could also come in handy if you and the partner aren’t seeing eye-to-eye.
The Other Side
Now, most of the points mentioned above make the purchase and possession of an air mattress seem like a no brainer but hold on just a second, there's always a downside. Don't allow yourself to become too deflated by reading about the other side of this coin.
Leakage
Over time, air mattresses can become pretty susceptible to leaking and wear and tear. When this happens, patching up is only so effective. If you’re thinking that you’ve sprung a leak, you’ll be certain pretty quickly in the minutes that follow, alerted by either a hissing sound or a sinking feeling. These things don’t last forever.
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Pump it Up
One further disadvantage concerns the potential pump or controller problems. It's usually easier to use an electric pump, which will get the job done in seconds, although some people prefer to put their back into it and blow the bed up with either lung power or step power on a foot pump. If a pump fails in terms of either how it takes on air or how it is sealed, it will result in difficulty of maintaining air pressure.
When this happens, the bed is usually unusable, but the low price, when compared with a normal mattress, means this isn't the end of the world. Pumps are hard to repair and replace, as they are usually built into the inner workings of the mattress. In many cases, it isn't worth the time or the effort to repair the pump and it might be just as easy to repair the whole mattress, as wasteful as that sounds.
Linen and Pressure
Sometimes, some people don’t like the texture or the noise of an air mattress, though this is usually an easy fix. It comes down to air pressure and linen. Don’t lie there in your tent, on an unmade, half-inflated air mattress and expect to feel like you're in a 5-star hotel. Be realistic. Exploring our frequent flyer blogs about exploring the wild will give you further insight into the benefits of using air mattresses and using them properly.