While air beds can happily do double duty as both guest beds and camping gear, it’s probably worth thinking about how your air bed is going to be used before settling on one. If you’re the sort of camper that packs a car and has a tent that you can stand full height in, it’s less of an issue, but some of the bigger beds are way too heavy to throw in a backpack and fit in a small tent if you’re heading off to a festival on foot. If you’re planning on getting an air bed predominantly for use at home, look for one that won’t leave your guests nose to skirting board when they’re lying down. There are a number of mattresses that, when fully inflated, sit around 50 to 60 centimeters off the floor, which makes them feel much more like a proper bed and less like a camping accessory. The bigger the bed, the more you’re going to want an electric pump. While you might be fine with the idea of blowing your li-lo up using your own lungs, you’re going to want a pump for anything bigger than that; a larger foot pump might do the trick (you’ll be there forever if you try it with a hand-held bicycle pump), but an electric pump is the easiest option. Some beds come with their own electric pumps built in. These are usually mains operated, so do check if you’re planning on taking one of these camping.
