An airbed is not only handy as a guest bed in the home, but it can also be used as a comfortable camping mattress. We’ll show you what to look for when using an airbed while camping and give you some tips on how to buy a suitable airbed.
The use of an airbed at the campsite may sound a bit strange at first. Are they not too big to fit into the tent? And what about the power supply for the integrated pump? And not to mention the rough surface – won’t that burst the mattress? These are some of the questions we are going to answer in this article.
Advantages of using an air mattress
Nothing is worse than waking up in the morning and feeling eighty years old. The back is totally tense and leaving the tent is agony.
The reason for this back pain is, in most cases, the hard cold stony ground you’ve been laying on. The body is just too used to the cuddly warm and soft mattress at home.

So, if you do not want to wake up to the feeling of having worked in the mining industry for the next camping trip, you need the comfort of an airbed.
Thanks to the air cushion you do not sleep directly on the floor and are therefore protected from moisture, cold and the hard stony ground!
What to look out for before buying
Several considerations should be made before deciding on a model. Unlike the ordinary airbed, one for camping needs to meet entirely different requirements. It’s totally different if you put the bed on the carpet in the living room compared to unfolding it in a small tent on the hard ground.
Consider the following before buying a camping airbed:
The size of the airbed – The first thing you should measure is the inside dimension of your tent. Airbeds are available in double, queen or king sizes and it would be annoying if the mattress did not fit into the tent. Also, keep in mind that the airbed will take up space in the tent and may accommodate fewer people.
Material and soil protection – Will you place the mattress on the floor directly? Then you should check the material of the air mattress. You should check if the material facing the ground is hard enough and scratch resistant: it needs to work outdoors. Note: An aluminium-insulating mat (75 × 50 inches) can provide additional protection here.
Hand pump or built-in pump – Would you like to use a built-in pump? A self-inflating airbed with an integrated pump is convenient as you only have to press a switch to inflate the air mattress. However, such models are somewhat impractical for outdoor use because you will not have any power connection. If the airbed does not have a built-in pump you will need lung power or a hand or battery pump.
Finally, the air mattresses recommended here should be a good starting point to help you find the very best sleeping surface for your next camping trip – take a look.






Thanks for pointing out that you can save yourself from back pain while you are camping by using an air mattress. My friends and I are going on a camping trip in two weeks, so I’m thinking about buying an air mattress to take with me. I’m going to look for a good supplier of camping equipment that can sell me an air mattress.
Thank you for sharing this awesome article! I have been camping for the last 6 months, now I enjoy it, now I have my air mattress too, can you please tell me where to find the best air mattress?