Air mattresses in the fall into three honest categories: guest mattresses for indoors, camping mattresses for tents, and self-inflating roll mats for backpacking. They're solving different problems, and a £30 inflatable from Tesco doesn't really solve any of them well.
For guest sleeping at home: the genuine difference between £30 and £80 is whether your guest can move without the mattress dying.
What you're actually buying for
| Use | Type | UK price |
|---|---|---|
| Occasional indoor guest sleeping | Self-inflating raised airbed (single/double height) | £60-£120 |
| Permanent guest bed (rare visitors) | High-end raised airbed (Aerobed Premier) | £100-£200 |
| Family camping (tent) | Camping airbed with foot pump | £25-£60 |
| Solo camping / backpacking | Self-inflating roll mat | £40-£120 |
| Festival / one-off | Supermarket basic airbed | £15-£30 |
For typical UK households with occasional overnight guests: Aerobed Premier Single or Double at £80-£140. Substantially better than budget options; substantially cheaper than buying a guest bedroom.
Aerobed: the standard
Aerobed is the dominant indoor air mattress brand. Specifically the Aerobed Premier line (raised, inflatable side rails, mains-powered pump built in). Inflates in 90 seconds, deflates in 60. Single/double/queen sizes.
For indoor guest use: Aerobed Premier is the right answer. £80-£100 for single, £120-£160 for double, £160-£200 for queen.
Why it's better than a £30 supermarket inflatable:
- Stays inflated overnight (guests don't roll onto the floor at 3am)
- Raised height (guests aren't sleeping at floor level)
- Built-in pump (no faffing with foot pumps)
- Replacement repair patches included (every air mattress eventually punctures)
- 2-year warranty actually honoured
The downside: at 8-9kg packed, it's not a backpack-friendly camping option. It's specifically an indoor guest bed that stores in a wardrobe.
Camping airbeds
Different problem entirely. For tent camping with kids, you need something that fits in a car boot and inflates with a foot pump or 12V car pump.
Coleman QuickBed (£25-£45): The reliable family camping airbed. Single, double, queen sizes. Decent valves, holds air for the duration of a typical camping trip.
Outwell Excellent Single (£40-£70): Outwell is the family-camping brand. Their air beds are slightly more durable than Coleman, in similar sizes.
Vango Comfort Single (£35-£55): budget-mid option, common in camping shops.
For UK family camping: Coleman or Outwell at £30-£60 covers the use case. Don't bring an Aerobed Premier camping, the mains-powered pump won't work without a generator.
Self-inflating roll mats (backpacking)
For solo camping where weight matters:
Therm-a-Rest ProLite (£90-£140): The gold standard. Lightweight, packs small, durable, comfortable enough for adult backpacking. Genuine 3-season mat.
Outwell Dreamboat (£40-£70): alternative; slightly heavier; cheaper. Fine for car-based camping where weight matters less.
Cheap (£20-£40) self-inflating mats: punctures within 1-2 trips, deflates overnight, not worth it.
For UK adults serious about hill/wild camping: spend the £100-£140 on a Therm-a-Rest. For occasional festival or 1-night use: cheaper kit is fine.
What the supermarket airbed actually delivers
A £15-£30 inflatable airbed (Argos, Tesco, B&M) does roughly the following:
- Holds air for 4-8 hours (deflates audibly during the night)
- Single layer of vinyl that punctures easily
- Cheap valve that's hard to fully seal
- 1 season of festival/spare-room duty before failing
For a one-off (single guest, single trip), it's adequate. For anything regular, you'll be replacing it within 12 months and you'd be cheaper buying an Aerobed once.
What works
For most UK households expecting guests once a quarter or more: Aerobed Premier Double at £130-£160. Use it 4-10 times a year, store in a wardrobe between uses. Lasts 8-15 years if not abused.
For UK families that camp once or twice a year: Coleman QuickBed Double at £30-£45. Adequate; replace every 4-7 years.
For UK adults who do serious hill walking / wild camping: Therm-a-Rest ProLite at £100-£130. Lasts a decade with care.
For UK adults who specifically want a once-a-year festival mattress: Argos Habitat single airbed at £18-£25. Don't expect long life.
What to avoid
- £15-£30 single-layer airbeds for regular guest use (deflate overnight; pump wastes time)
- "Smart" airbeds with app-controlled inflation (£250+, features no one uses)
- "Orthopaedic" or "memory foam topped" airbeds at £200+ (mostly marketing; the foam topper is a £15 add-on you can buy separately if you want)
- Battery-powered pump airbeds for indoor use (mains pump is faster and more reliable)
- Storing airbeds half-deflated (creases the material; develops weak spots)
Storage matters
Airbeds fail because of how they're stored more than how they're used:
- Store fully deflated, folded along original creases
- Store in a sealed bag (dust gets into valves)
- Don't store in damp shed/loft (rubber seals deteriorate)
- Don't store with weight on top (single creases concentrate stress)
- Re-inflate and check every 6-12 months even if unused (catches slow leaks)
A well-stored Aerobed lasts 10-15 years. A poorly-stored one lasts 2-3.
Repair vs replace
Most airbeds eventually develop a slow puncture. Repair kits (included with most quality models) work for clean punctures, but valve failures and seam splits aren't repairable.
Repair makes sense for £80+ airbeds. Throwing money at a £25 supermarket inflatable repair is rarely worth it; replace.
The guest sleeping reality
The honest comparison many UK households miss: an Aerobed Premier Double at £140 vs a Z-bed (folding metal frame + foam mattress) at £100-£200 vs a sofa bed at £600-£1,500.
For occasional guests:
- Aerobed: storable in wardrobe, comfortable enough for 1-3 nights
- Z-bed: takes more storage; comparable comfort
- Sofa bed: doubles as living room furniture; comfortable for week-long stays
Aerobeds are right when guests are rare (4-12 nights/year). Sofa beds are right when guests are common or you have flexible rooms. Z-beds rarely beat Aerobeds at the same price.
This article is general consumer information about UK air mattresses.
Affiliate disclosure: Morningfold has affiliate partnerships with Aerobed, Coleman, Therm-a-Rest, Outwell, and Vango via UK retailers. See editorial standards.