The Best Air Mattresses For Camping, Overnight Guests, And More

Whether you like to get out into the great outdoors regularly or your home is a hotbed of activity for guests, air mattresses can be indispensable. The best air mattresses inflate quickly, are easily adjustable to your preferred firmness, and perhaps most importantly, maintain their air pressure throughout the night. With so many options, coming up with a shortlist can be difficult when you don't know where to start. So, to help you make heads or tails of the myriad choices, here are our top picks.

With a flocked top and sides, a built-in pillow, and a waterproof comfort quilt top, the King Koil air mattress checks a lot of boxes on the list of things you want in an air mattress. But the bells and whistles don't end there. The King Koil air mattress also features an internal pump with separate inflate and deflate knobs (anyone who has ever used an air mattress will tell you how amazing that detail is), and it fully inflates in two minutes. If that weren't plenty, the King Koil air mattress is designed with air-filled coils and internal layering that keep your spine aligned while you sleep. This air mattress has thousands of five-star ratings on Amazon, and coming in at just under $170, it sounds like a steal.

The SoundAsleep dream series air mattress is an excellent pick for couples who prefer a larger air mattress. With dimensions just shy of a standard mattress, the difference is negligible. The Dream Series air mattress features 40 internal air coils that evenly support the weight of multiple sleepers up to 500 pounds.

Like most air mattresses, the Dream Series air mattress features a waterproof flocked top to keep your bedding in place and a Sure-Grip bottom so the bed itself doesn't slip and slide throughout the night. This mattress is made of eco-friendly PVC, which is extra thick and puncture-resistant. It also features a patented one-click internal pump, which not only gets the air mattress to full inflation in four minutes but also makes for quick top-offs if you need to adjust the firmness level.

For those looking for a lower-price air mattress that doesn't miss a beat when it comes to quality and functionality, the Intex Dura-Beam deluxe comfort plush airbed mattress is a great option. With a built-in electric pump, inflation and deflation can be done at the touch of a button, and full inflation time takes only four minutes.

The Intex Dura-Beam air mattress is generously sized at 60 by 80 by 22 inches, and it has a maximum weight capacity of up to 600 pounds. Coming in at around $80, this air mattress may not be the best choice for everyday use, but it's perfect for overnight guests. It also comes with a storage bag, so it's easy enough to grab and go when your next camping trip rolls around. It's also worth noting that the Intex Dura-Beam has thousands of great reviews on Amazon, with many of the reviewers sleeping on the mattress for weeks at a time and coming out on the other side with only good things to say about it.

At only 10 inches tall, the Coleman Quickbed Airbed might be best reserved for your next camping trip. But while this bed is no-frills, it gets the job done. It features a coil construction that contours to your body for better support. A flocked top keeps your sheets and bedding in place, and a dual-sealed valve prevents leaks so you're not waking up on the forest floor. A word to the wise: You will need a Coleman airbed pump to get this one up and running, so you'll have to factor that additional cost into your final price.

With a fiber-tech interior construction, a built-in pillow rest, and a 16.5-inch raised bed for added comfort and convenience, Intex's Dura-Beam series is a good option for regular and even daily use. The twin-size mattress has a weight capacity of 300 pounds, while the queen-size mattress has a weight capacity of 600 pounds. A built-in electric pump inflates and deflates this airbed quickly for a speedy setup, and if you're on the move, this air mattress comes with a carry bag that's perfect for storage and transport.

If you're camping or traveling with little ones, you might consider an air mattress made especially for them. Granted, air mattresses are on the floor, so there won't be any broken bones, but a little rollover insurance is never a bad thing. Great for hotel rooms and tents alike, the Intex travel air mattress includes a manual hand pump for easy inflation and works with standard crib sheets.

For sleepers looking for a real-bed feel in an air mattress, the 18-inch Insta-Bed Raised Air Bed is a great option. Not only does it have a raised bed height of 18 inches but it also features a flocked top and 35 circular air coils to ensure comfort and support all night long. What's more, this raised air mattress includes not one but ‌two‌ built-in air pumps as part of its NeverFlat technology: one to inflate and deflate and another to continuously (and silently) monitor and maintain the air pressure.