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| NEWS FROM PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE |
24/06/2010: South Africa
Campingaz Inflatable Mattress Review
Review by Brenda Marx
The main reason why we want a mattress to rest upon is comfort while sleeping. In cold, winter conditions, mattresses, however, also provide important insulation from the cold ground beneath us.
What are then the most important features one should look for in a camping mattress?
- A strong enough outer fabric to avoid punctures with a valve that seals 100% so as not to deflate during the night
- A non-slip upper to keep you from sliding off during your trip to dreamland
The CAMPINGAZ inflatable mattress has both these features. It also comes complete with repair patches, but if taken care of properly I doubt that they’ll ever be necessary. The top cover has got a velvety finish that keeps you and your sleeping bag in place, especially if the ground you’re lying on is not perfectly even.
The pump (plugs into the cigarette lighter of a car) inflated the mattress within a mere 20 seconds. I had to top up the inflation a bit after the first nights sleep, although I think it could be that the test model I used had a little bit of stretch in the fabric, because it was brand new. It was fine after the second night.
No Princess and the Pea stories here - I did not feel the ground underneath me. But this is NOT a mattress to be used in the Karoo during winter, as the huge amount of air is too much for a person’s body to warm up, and it was COLD!
Inflatable mattresses trap the air between our bodies and the ground, creating that important insulation layer. While foam mattresses are better insulators than air-filled mattresses, it’s not always possible to lug your Edblo or Sealy due to space constraints on a camping trip.
Sleeping on the mattress is like sleeping on a jumping castle. Pressure on the one side forces the air to the other side, even though it was properly pumped and closed. I woke up tired, so I will not recommend this to people who use camping as accomodation for high activity outdoor adventures, like climbing, hiking or mountain biking.
What is this mattress good for then? Summer camping.
Families who want to get out there and be close to nature to chill and relax.
Anyone who wants elevation from the ground and does not think those expensive self-inflatables can provide a comfortable rest, will probably find this model an acceptable second-best to the comfy foam or coil spring mattresses we have at home.
Folded and packed, it takes up very little space, and the valves and the pump are very user-friendly. To deflate it back into its complete vacuumed form for packing up also took a whopping 20 seconds, so hardly any time lost there.
This is also a great mattress to have at home as a spare for visitors to crash on, if no other spare beds are available.
Click here to see the full specs of the Airbed
Below: Brenda testing out the airbed for Duesouth
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