Why Own an Inflatable Mattress?
I think we all have a pretty good picture in our minds when we hear mention of inflatable mattresses. Depending on how old we are typically has a great influence on what picture we see. It used to be that a decent inflatable mattress took up just about as much room as a standard mattress… even when deflated. They were not always convenient items. In fact, most considered them more trouble than they were worth. They were big, heavy, and required a lot of work to inflate. For the most part, people preferred to just have visitors sleep on couches. Even cots were more practical.
All that has changed in recent years with the introduction of the Aerobed. They are relatively small when deflated (they roll up inside a nylon bag the size of a large sleeping bag stuff sack), and perhaps more importantly, they inflate with the press of a button after they are plugged in. Of course, if you are considering this as an item for the outdoors, the fact that it requires electricity might still make a product like this impractical.
Before continuing, however, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the beloved Coleman inflatable mattress. A friend of mine slept on this as his regular mattress for three years after college, and was insistent that he liked as much as any bed he had ever slept on. And for $50, he argued that it made a lot more sense than the $400 mattress that I was sleeping on at the time. And when it came time to move, it was especially hard to disagree. He simply pressed the air out of his bed and put it in a box. When he was done, I asked him to help me carry my mattress down the stairs and outside to the truck. The irony was lost on neither of us, and he was eager to point this out on every occasion. I suppose that was his right in retrospect… I’m sure I’d have done the same.
Inflatable air mattresses, getting back to our main topic, can be an incredibly useful thing. Whether for house guests, invited or uninvited, or kids home from school, invited or uninvited, their benefits far outweigh the costs of owning them. In fact, in another post, we have talked about storage beds, and why more houses should have them. The inflatable mattress sort of extends our point on this matter. It seems as if many houses today are built under the premise the more space and more rooms increase the level of comfort and make for happier families, but I would argue the opposite. Just as the storage bed forces people to do more with less, and come together a bit more, an inflatable air mattress has the same effect. And even if you’re having a couple over, companies like Aerobed have a product for them as well. These days, you can find a double air mattress just as easily as you can find a single. So why not tell your friend and his wife that they’re welcome to stay at your place for the weekend, but that things are going to be “a little cozy.” You won’t be able to outfit one with your extra set of super king size bedding, but that’s probably not the worst thing in the world.
If you’re looking for an inflatable mattress, there are a number of outlets that I would recommend. Of course, you’ll first need to consider what you want out of the product. In case it isn’t very clear, I am a big believer in both the Coleman and the Aerobed lines of products. However, they are two very different animals, so to speak. The Coleman is great if you’re looking for something that is a little more portable, that doesn’t necessarily need electricity. Get this if you can sleep on anything, and have that younger back that so many of us miss when we get into older age. They make a wonderful product, and don’t assume that it is in any way inferior to more expensive products based on price alone.
That being said, the Aerobed is certainly still the Cadillac of this category. With a highly efficient air pump that inflates your mattress quickly and effortlessly, this mattress has to be seen to be believed. When it is fully inflated, many people have trouble noticing that it is not a standard mattress with internal coil springs. Somehow they have created a product that inflates so completely as to convince people that they are sleeping in a normal bed… pretty amazing. Now, as you might expect, you’re going to have to pay quite a bit more for an Aerobed, with these mattresses typically going for around $100. Really though, you can’t go wrong with either of these options. Unless you’re my old college roommate, this isn’t going to be the primary mattress for anyone, simply a stopgap for visitors when they spend the night. So, do a little shopping, and analyze your budget, and go from there. Best of luck, and check back with sleepybedtime.com for more helpful advice.
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