Air mattresses are a great thing to have when you are camping.   They can make you feel more at home and less like you are outside sleeping on the ground.   Here are a few things you should consider when you buy an air mattress or inflatable bed for your tent. And if you are looking for more information on which air mattress should you get check out our page about the bestselling air mattresses from Amazon.

1.  How portable is it?  This really shouldn’t be a problem for you at all.  Almost all air beds come with a duffle back to carry it in.  They are very light and easy to carry with you.  The only time this is going to be an issue is if you are going to be hiking or backpacking into the campgrounds.  If you are hiking in, you probably won’t want any more weight than you will already have with you.  Every little thing can add up. 

2.  Is it easy to inflate?  Most air beds are self inflating and come with the air mattress.  However, that is not always the case.  You are going to  want to make sure before you buy an inflatable bed whether or not it has a pump.  If the one you purchase doesn’t you can usually find air mattress pumps for sale in the same section of the store.  The pump is the heaviest part of the bed.   You should be aware that the pumps sometimes use power cords or batteries.  You don’t want to get to your campsite and realize you don’t have the power to inflate your bed!  Sometimes your car will have an outlet that you can use and you can also find manual pumps that don’t need any electricity to work  .

3.  How high is it off the ground?   This is important for a number of reasons.  How high it is determines how much like a real bed it is.  It also can making getting in and out of bed easier or more challenging.   Not every air bed will be made the same height so you will need to figure out what is most comfortable for you.

4.  Is it waterproof?  This is another really important question. Cheap tents will sometimes have features that aren’t the greatest at keeping the tent dry.  Most tents have some degree of condensation build up regardless of how well ventilated it is.  This condensation will build up along the sides and the bottom of the tent making them feel a little damp.  So whatever is next to the wall of the tent or the ground is also going to get a little wet.  Sometimes the rain fly or footprint is inadequate and this will make it get even wetter!  Having one that is waterproof will make sure it can be used multiple times without getting ruined by any built up condensation.

5.  How easy will it be to repair?  You don’t always have much control over the ground you are going to be sleeping on while camping.  It is not uncommon to sleep on the ground and feel like you slept with a rock in your back all night.   Now imagine what this is going to do to the inflatable air mattress that can pop!  A good footprint underneath the tent can help the surface underneath the tent be smoother and protect it from any punctures. 

6.  How much space will you have?  This is probably the most important question because if you don’t have the room inside your tent or your tent size is too small you won’t be able to use the mattress!  You can get many different sizes of air mattresses so knowing how much space is available to set up the mattress will help you as you are trying to decide between them. You don’t want to get a queen air mattress if your tent only has room for a twin air mattress.   A 1 man tent isn’t going to fit a queen size air mattress very well, however, most cabin tents are going to have plenty of room depending on how many people you want to sleep in it and how much gear you are bringing with you.

7.  The Price.  Most of the brands that make tents also make air mattresses.  This is great because they know what you need to have in a durable camping bed.  However, some of these air mattresses can get pretty expensive even from brands that are traditionally inexpensive. 
Ironically, Wenzel who makes some of the lowest priced tents make air mattresses that sale for well over $100.  The Wenzel Insta-bed Queen Raised Sure Grip with built in pump is listed for $119.99  This is more expensive thana lot of the Wenzel tents I have seen!

A trusted tent brand, Coleman, also makes them.  A Coleman Air Mattress can include many options like a built in MP3 player or alarm clock.  Depending on the size and features you want you can get them as cheap as $20.  That price will get you a twin sized air mattress.
Two other brands that you will come across are Aerobed (which is higher priced) and Intex which you can also find in the $20 range.
 
Other Options besides an Air Mattress
If you realize you aren’t going to have room for an air mattress but still want something to make the ground a little more comfortable you do have a couple of other options.  You can try a tent cot or a camping pad.  A camping pad is going to be the smallest and easiest of the options to fit in any tent because it simply can be rolled up.  It won’t take up as much space as the air mattress will when it is rolled out either.  A cot however will be heavier and still can take up a considerable amount of space.  The advantage of getting a camping cot is that you will be raised off the ground a little bit more and so its a little more like what you are used to with your bed at home.