We’re looking at options for my husband who will be living in an unfurnished house for a couple of months (working away from home). He’s keen on a self-inflating air mattress, and we would love some feedback from anyone who has experience with them. Mainly comfort and if they stay inflated with use. Thank you.
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Choice hasn’t tested them that I can find and I have not had nor used one in a meaningful time. Some anecdotal posts might assist at product review noting single reviews are meaningless, unhappy owners are more prone to post, and trends in posts can be instructive.
I suspect a few Community members will also add their experiences.
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Is he young, fit and free of back problems?
I’ve relied on air mattresses (camping store products) for extended periods.
The non slip fur like top coating helps if you use sheets. I always used at least one on the bottom. Also an under blanket made from a synthetic wool with a firm weave to help it breath, absorb moisture.
I found them too hot in summer as the mattress does not breath, and freezing cold in winter because they are just air beneath you. In a fully air conditioned room at 22-24C and with appropriate night wear, they are just ok.
Getting up from the floor or off one might be a challenge. They offer minimal support to push off and are very low, even the double height versions. I became accustomed to a rolling action that left me bedside on my knees on the floor. OK before bedtime for some, but not the most elegant for a midnight trip to the fridge or porcelain.
Camping out under the stars is fun for the first few nights. Camping out in the bedroom has few delights. It’s worth a trial at home for a few nights before deciding, and looking at some more comfortable alternatives.
P.S.
Cats love to try their claws on them. Finding leaks is a pain. I never found a reliable easy repair kit.
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Thank you, I agree. I have researched reviews, but none were very insightful. I hope other members will hep out.
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I used a few different self inflating beds in the past.
As @mark_m said, they are OK for a few nights, at best. When lying on my side, my shoulder and hip generally felt like they had penetrated through to the hard floor.
Perhaps he might consider some HD foam cut to the right size?
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I bought one as an interim when I had no functioning bedroom a/c, to put in the loungeroom. Hated it. Th sheets slide around like they are on ice (and yes, theres a flocked coating on the top), you can’t tuck anything in, you lose your pillows off the end, and they are just pretty uncomfortable. The one I have isnt exactly self-inflating, but all I had to do was plug it in to power and it did the rest.
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Is there a reason for a self-inflating bed? What about an inflatable bed?
I have slept on some very comfortable inflatables in a home situation. You need to pump air into them but there are various types. Vacuum cleaner reverse, electric blower, built in.
And camping it is always the good old inflatable ‘lilo’. The sound of the ‘farting footpump’ is a first day highlight. Campers will know that well.
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Thanks for your replies and suggestions. I’ll try to remember to report back in a couple of weeks on my partner’s experience. 
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I have had these in the past…similar to a Thermarest.
If one is travelling and carrying luggage a lot, then they have merit as they are light and compact.
If one is sleeping in the one location for extended periods and doesn’t need to handle/carry luggage, I would be opting for a thicker mattress such as outlined above. Inflatable mattresses need a manual or powered pump to inflate them and heavier than self inflating ones…foam used as a mattress is light but very bulky (hard to compress).
The thinner self inflating mattress are (just) better than sleeping on the ground without anything, but nowhere near as comfortable as a thicker mattress.
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With foam you absolutely must air it each day. I slept on one on the floor when building my house and sometimes neglected to lift it up during the day - it only takes a warm night to produce a wet spot on the floor, which will cause mould to grow in the mattress if left too long.
Thermarest,As @phb mentions above, are pretty good in my experience of month long camping trips in Tassie and shorter trips elsewhere. The do offer quite good insulation, I’ve slept on snow with one and a down sleeping bag, and been comfortable. Putting feet into frozen boots in the morning, not so comfy!
Make sure you have the non-slip side up though. When my Thermarest eventually died from too many small holes, I bought a cheaper copy, but it wasn’t as good, and I often slipped off it.
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Hi @Lee1, my husband and I have self-inflating mattresses. As others have mentioned they are good for portability if you are backpacking/camping but if I’m sleeping more than a couple of nights I start to long for a better bed situation.
I have often found a decent bed mattress on sites like Gumtree or Facebook marketplace for free or less than $20. That’s what I would be doing in his situation - and then re-sell/give away at the end of the 2 months.
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I have a Coleman king single Big Mat, which I have used for camping a few times. It is self inflating, and very comfortable. Fairly big, you would not go backpacking with it, weighs about 5kg. Comes with compression straps and a carry bag. I would recommend it. They are about $100-120.
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I purchased a inflatable bed number of years ago. I felt it was hard sleeping on it. It was used several times when someone stayed in at my place. It is more intended if camping out doors. I haven’t used it in a while. I would give it a 70 percent rating for comfort. 70 percent for price and 70 percent reliability. Just my own opinion. I think the brand was Coleman purchased at anaconda store. Not to sure on price. I remember it includes a repair kit if a puncture occurs
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We bought a Coleman double height self inflating queen size mattress & slept on it for 8 months when we were in a rental house waiting on our home to be built. It was excellent. I would highly recommend getting the double height - it’s more like the height of a normal bed with no hassles about getting in or out of bed. We paid around $120 just over a year ago & bought it from Camping World. We still use it as a second bed for visitors.
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We also have a high walled one, once it re-inflates itself we have found it quite sturdy and comfortable. We got it after we lost our furniture in the 2011 floods and wanted a “normal” bed to sleep on while awaiting the insurance. It has a indent all the way around so that the fitted sheets sit snug to the bed.
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Hi @debsmiles, we did think of him taking a proper mattress, but that idea was impractical due to space constraints. He has travelled to a small western town where the probability of getting a mattress as you suggest would be pretty slim.
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Hi, my daughter used one for quite a while and it worked very well and lasted for months.
https://www.kmart.com.au/product/king-single-air-bed-with-built-in-pump/2355819
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The ‘regular’ QB mattress from Kmart is very good for $39. It has felt on one side. There’s a 2 stage valve on the matress to help inflation. First stage is fully open, the second has a one-way valve; good for topping-up.
A separate air pump $25, which takes 12-24hrs to charge-up the first time is very fast, and good that it is cordless. Charges from 240V power-pack (included) or from a 12V Car Cigarette Plug. Better than having a pump permanently connected to the mattress. Cordless is convenient. There’s a couple of models at KMart. Mine looks a bit taller, but they’re good. A bit loud (sure) but fast. Inflates in 3-4 minutes. There’s another for $29.
https://www.kmart.com.au/product/built-in-foot-pump-air-mattress---queen/2207818
https://www.kmart.com.au/product/rechargeable-air-pump/2493323
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I have used 3 of the same type (sorry, can’t remember which one) with a built in (very noisy) inflation fan and had varying levels of reliability. One failed after only a couple of months, the other 2 lasted a couple of years. Bearable for a few nights. As noted here, leaks are difficult to find and repair,
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A good solution if the pump is easy to carry and can be recharged at the place it is being used at. I wonder why self inflating though was asked about rather than pumped beds. Was it because of the likely lack of power? @Lee1 noted the house would be unfurnished but doesn’t say whether power is available or not.
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