Bestway Air Bed - Premium Fortech Queen AirBed Complete with Built-in AC Pump and Carry Bag

Product Information

If you’re looking for a blow-up mattresses for the great outdoors, you can discover more in our feature on best air beds for camping. For this review, we’ve mainly focussed on large air beds with built-in electric pumps. There is some crossover: respected camping brands such as Vango, Bestway, Hi Gear and Intex also offer blow-up beds for home use that have the height of a standard bed and are roomy enough for two. The durable material is great for use both indoors and outdoors, and inflates in as little as three minutes — though be aware that you’ll need to buy an appropriate pump separately.

Best Air Beds 2023: which air mattress topped our expert

Air beds range from simple air-filled lilo to ones that look like beds in size and height. Look for built-in pillows and good edge support to stop you rolling out of bed. ‘The outer casing can be made from vinyl, PVC or rubber and the base should be tough,’ says Jessica Alexander. And for even more peace of mind, it also covers scuffs, spills and stains for the first 5 years. With Sometimes, we just need a robust air bed that is big enough for our guests to have the best night’s sleep imaginable.

5. Milestone Camping Airbed

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Bestway Fortech Essence Air Bed with Integrated Electric Pump

If you find it hard to get in and out of bed, look for a high raised air bed design. The self-inflating air beds we tried go up to 48cm in height at the pillow end, compared to thinner camping-focused designs that can be just 16cm in height. Do air beds feel cold to sleep on? The Pro Action air bed is notably thinner than some of the pricier ones on this list. They’re more suited for a couple of nights camping rather than as a mattress for Aunt Maude’s annual visit (unless you don’t want her to stay too long). Inflate easily with the foot-operated air pump, and enjoy the bed in as little as 30 to 40 seconds. Compact and lightweight, this is a great option to take with you whilst travelling.

Best air bed for ease of use: Decathlon Self-Inflating Camping Mattress

We so often choose the cheapest option available on the market, and this can lead to deflation issues as some cheap air mattresses simply aren’t robust enough to support our body weight as we sleep. The raised sides, to stop you rolling out at night, are quite thin compared to other air beds I tried, but this does give you more surface area to sleep on – something my 6ft partner Daniel, who also tested the bed, appreciated. My tester friend Tina also pointed out that she liked the feel of ‘wave beam’ structure on the top, as it made her feel secure. If you are an avid camper but are tired of night’s with just a sleeping bag and bedroll, the Milestone Camping Air Bed could be a brilliant investment for you. It is also constructed with air coils to help maintain the shape of the bed and keep it inflated throughout the night.

5 Best Air Beds in the UK 2023 - Best Mattresses Guide 5 Best Air Beds in the UK 2023 - Best Mattresses Guide

It’s also deeper than many other inflatable beds that we’ve looked at around 50cm. Admittedly it’s only about 5cm deeper thanthe Bestway air bed(#5), but it might make it feel a bit more like a ‘proper’ bed rather than one which has been put on the floor. For those who want to make sure that they have plenty of space for their guests, the Intex Inflatable Downy Queen Double air bed is an excellent choice. This bed is extra-long and wide so you should be able to fit two adults on here comfortably. But more than that, if you invest in a decent air bed, you'd expect it to be easy to set up and tidy away, for it not to make an irritating squeaking noise when someone turns on it and not to have an unpleasant odour.

Best luxury air bed: Dreams Bestway Fortech Air Bed

Air mattresses and air beds are easy to use and can be put together to create an amazing bed for people to lie down and have a kip. Whether you have a teenager with friends who need to crash after a party, a group of tweens or children having a slumber party, or anyone else you might care to host, an air bed is one of the best ways to do it. Like most air beds with a built-in pump, the Bestway is noisy to inflate and deflate, so this is something to bear in mind if you’re putting it up late at night, but it only takes five minutes each way and the instructions are straighforward. A five-minute pump left the bed feeling too firm for my liking, so I used the dial to relieve the pressure a little and give the bed a bit of bounce.