Mom2TheTeam Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 We enjoy tent camping. We started doing it about 3 years ago. This will be our 4th or 5th trip. We have a 10 person tent and we set up air mattresses to sleep on. The problem is our air mattresses are always leaking. We blew up our air mattresses a couple days ago to see which ones were good. We blew up 3 queens and 2 singles. 2 of the queens leaked enough that they aren't useable. One of the singles did too. One of the queens was questionable. So, 4 out of 5 aren't holding air. :thumbdown: Most of them are fairly new. 1 has only been used 2x's before and it's ours. These are all different brands. Actually, the only one that really held air was the cheapest brand. :tongue_smilie: We don't allow shoes on them or the kids to play on them really. We don't use them as trampolines. I don't get it. Is this just the nature of air mattresses?? Do we have bad luck?? What's the deal? Anyone else have this issue with air mattresses? Any ideas to help us avoid this with the new ones we are about to buy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I hate air mattresses, hate them! We have these: http://www.amazon.com/Adult-TriFold-Hide-Poly-Cotton/dp/B001N44E22/ref=sr_1_28?ie=UTF8&qid=1371649875&sr=8-28&keywords=fold+up+mattresses They are at Costco for $50 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 We have never had a lot of luck with air mattresses. They do tend to lose air for some reason, at least the ones we've gotten. We stopped using them and just use the thin foam pads. They don't provide support, but at least you don't feel every rock and stick under you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2TheTeam Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Those look awesome! At the store or on the website? I don't think we will be able to go to Costco before the trip. We are 45 minutes from Costco and we leave on Friday morning. But, technically, Costco is on the way......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I would suggest either foam-type mattresses which and inexpensive and last forever or therm-o-rest mattresses that could technically leak but are far stronger and easier to patch. We have had our therm-o-rests for 20 years of hard use and have not sprung a leak in any of them. The big bed air mattresses leak easily, are huge to store, are a pain (and loud) to inflate, and are cold. I am not sure why they are so popular for tent camping with all of those drawbacks. Tip - you can often find surplus military therm-o-rests from Campmor for far cheaper than the regular models. They are not as pretty but work the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 We use cots now but have had bad luck with air mattresses also. Actually, the boys and the dad use cots now. I stay home:). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinRTX Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Our air mattresses leaked every time. Usually the one to leak the most was the one I was on. We now use cots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 They have always been available at our local stores. Those look awesome! At the store or on the website? I don't think we will be able to go to Costco before the trip. We are 45 minutes from Costco and we leave on Friday morning. But, technically, Costco is on the way......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Camping air mattresses need to be carefully cared for -- not just when in use, but very much when they are empty too. Every time I've damaged one, it has been during rolling, transpiration or storing it... Not while using it, walking on it, or using it as a trampoline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I still hate them! It is dang near impossible to take such delicate care for them while camping that they stay in great shape. With so many times waking up on hard floors or ground, I won't even bother. Camping air mattresses need to be carefully cared for -- not just when in use, but very much when they are empty too. Every time I've damaged one, it has been during rolling, transpiration or storing it... Not while using it, walking on it, or using it as a trampoline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2TheTeam Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Camping air mattresses need to be carefully cared for -- not just when in use, but very much when they are empty too. Every time I've damaged one, it has been during rolling, transpiration or storing it... Not while using it, walking on it, or using it as a trampoline. See, that's the thing...we've never knowingly damaged any of them. We just deflate them (by rolling) and then keep them all together in their own plastic bin, nothing else goes in with them, which we put on a shelf when we get home. We can never find a hole anywhere. I feel we take good care of them. They just leak air. Maybe I'm missing something. It's very sad because it is such a waste of money. :( Okay, I'm seeing the trend. It isn't just us and we need to find another sleeping solution, probably not for this trip though. We have another planned later in the year. We will come up with something better by then. Maybe we will make what we have work for now because we probably can. (We have other mattresses we didn't blow up.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I have two queens and two twin, and one full air mattress. We managed to kill one queen after about 7-8 years of use. The rest are fine. We do use them a LOT more for guest bedding than camping, but I've never had trouble. I bought them at target on clearance. I do add more air each night, but I've never woken up on a flat mattress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 We use Thermarest - not sure that's what you want though, maybe you are looking for something cushier. :) I've used them for 20+ years, and I think we've only replaced two of them (and that, not within the last 8 years). We store them inflated - and only deflate and roll them when we are transporting them. I keep a patch kit in the stuff sack, just in case, but we've only used it once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2TheTeam Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 I've never heard of Thermarest. I'm looking at those now. They look good. My only concern is they are low to the ground. My husband complains about that with the air mattresses which are higher than those. Plus, they don't have a double size and, well...we are spoiled and like to sleep together even when camping. :001_wub: Although, I did see they have some bedding that puts two together. I wonder how well that works......or, maybe we need to suck it up and sleep next to each other instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Yes, they are low to the ground. :) We are backpackers, not car campers, so that's never been an issue for us because carrying much more would be too heavy for me, LOL. Everything we have, though, can be connected together - so sleeping together is doable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2TheTeam Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Yes, they are low to the ground. :) We are backpackers, not car campers, so that's never been an issue for us because carrying much more would be too heavy for me, LOL. Everything we have, though, can be connected together - so sleeping together is doable. It's good to know they can connect together. We can definitely sleep apart, but we don't like to, especially when vacationing. I don't mind being low to the ground. My husband always has. He rarely sits on the floor with the kids. He plays on the couch or at the table or whatever. (It isn't that he doesn't play with them.) I'm often found on the floor even when my kids aren't around. I even sit on the floor at the library to look at books on the bottom shelves. I have no issue with it. I can definitely understand not wanting to carry anything heavy. We hike on our camping trips, but we always set up house at a campsite and go back there at the end of the day. After all, we do have 6 children 7 and under. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 We've been tent camping for years now, it seems to be just the nature of air mattresses. We need a new on every couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plath Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 We LOVE our thermarests! Dh and I use them and the girls use ridge rests. They're much warmer when it's chilly out than using air mattresses which lift you way too off the ground. (and they are silent when they fill up which I much prefer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 We use Thermarest - not sure that's what you want though, maybe you are looking for something cushier. :) I've used them for 20+ years, and I think we've only replaced two of them (and that, not within the last 8 years). We store them inflated - and only deflate and roll them when we are transporting them. I keep a patch kit in the stuff sack, just in case, but we've only used it once. We LOVE our thermarests! Dh and I use them and the girls use ridge rests. They're much warmer when it's chilly out than using air mattresses which lift you way too off the ground. (and they are silent when they fill up which I much prefer) Another vote for thermarests here! They are absolutely great. My kids more or less grew up with them, so when one took his on an overnight camping trip with others they thought he was "underprivileged" or similar and offered him an air mattress instead. He looked at them like they were out of their mind... and (hopefully politely) told them no thanks - that his was better... Even my mom (definitely in the senior citizen category) loves camping with us as long as she has her thermarest. She won't go without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I have! My cousin gave me one to sleep on at her house and put it on a hard wood floor. By around 1am, it was on the ground! Too late to wake anyone up or try to find the pump and pump it up. It was miserable. I have two queens and two twin, and one full air mattress. We managed to kill one queen after about 7-8 years of use. The rest are fine. We do use them a LOT more for guest bedding than camping, but I've never had trouble. I bought them at target on clearance. I do add more air each night, but I've never woken up on a flat mattress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I hate air mattresses, hate them! We have these: http://www.amazon.co...d up mattresses They are at Costco for $50 each. You are making me go to Costco! I have an older roll-up foam mattress, but maybe I need a spare? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Everything I have ever read says that air mattresses are horrible. Deflation and no insulation. Ds, who hikes a lot and wants a light pack, uses a closed cell mattress, currently the Thermarest Z Lite Sol. It folds up, not rolls up, so is easy to pack; plus one side is reflective for better warmth. http://cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/z-lite/product Dd uses a self inflating Thermarest over a thin blue closed cell pad. (The closed cell is for extra insulation, not comfort. I use a self inflating Thermarest over a thick foam pad (similar to the one in post #2) over a thin blue closed cell pad. One thing I do (my OWN idea, lol) is to carry some open-weave shelf liner(sort of rubbery) from the hardware store. Some sleeping bags can slide around on the self inflating mattresses; I used to find my self sleeping partly on the ground when temp was in low 30's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plath Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I have heard many air mattress pumps being run in the middle of the night in campgrounds that have electricity so deflation is obviously a common problem... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I would suggest either foam-type mattresses which and inexpensive and last forever or therm-o-rest mattresses that could technically leak but are far stronger and easier to patch. We have had our therm-o-rests for 20 years of hard use and have not sprung a leak in any of them. The big bed air mattresses leak easily, are huge to store, are a pain (and loud) to inflate, and are cold. I am not sure why they are so popular for tent camping with all of those drawbacks. Tip - you can often find surplus military therm-o-rests from Campmor for far cheaper than the regular models. They are not as pretty but work the same. We also use thermorests and have never had a problem. They are quite comfy too. We also use thermorests and have never had a problem. They are quite comfy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Another vote for thermarests - been using mine for 20 years. I like the non-slip idea! I've had the experience of sliding partly off and ending up on cold ground. They have the flexibility to be used in backpacking in the future, if you or your children ever get into that. They've been a great investment for us. If you even are "crazy" enough to do any winter camping (It's fun, but not for everyone), then they are by far the best thing to keep you warm, along with a good sleeping bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I just saw a great camping matress idea. Use the big foam puzzle blocks! We have a giant floor puzzle map of the world - totally going to take it camping in July. We use our thermarests for backpack camping, but my old bones just need more now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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