Fold-away beds - is the AeroBed OK?

[JCMAC]

Sent: 10/26/2005 10:48 AM

  I have a rear sofa/bed and am tired of leaving it down with a mattrice all the time.  To maxamize day use I am considering a AeroBed which inflates in 60 sec and deflates in 15.  This way I have the rear area available during the daytime.  My use is only 10-20 days /year.

  Does anyone have any experience with the AeroBed?

John

[Oz]

Sent: 10/26/2005 1:31 PM

The Aero-Bed might be a good option.  I've used one.  It's easy to store because it doen't take up much room and It's really good for adjustible comfort and support.

But, the other option is simply using your sofa cushions for the bed when converted.  This is how most rear bed layouts are designed anyway.  Conversion is no more hassle and takes less time than inflating/deflating, folding, and storing the air mattress and that's just one less thing to have to find space for.

I've tried both ways over a period of time and this is my evalutation:

We leave ours set-up as a bed almost all the time so using the air mattress would be quite sensible. 

The air mattress is comfortable and there are no cracks like there is between the cushions when converted into a bed.

But, if you are converting it on a daily basis, just using the cushions is less hassle, you don't need any extra storage space, and it doesn't matter if your foam cushion gets a pin-hole in it.  And, If you use dense foam for your cushions, they will be as comfy as the air bed.

We opted to just use the cushions and convert the sofa/bed as needed. 

- Sob

[OldEdBrady]

Sent: 10/26/2005 8:12 PM

I have no experience with Aero-Bed.  However, we do have an inflatable mattress.  We refuse to use it in the winter.  It takes forever to warm up, and, if I go to bed at 10, I don't care to freeze until 1 or 2.

So, if you only do warm weather RVing, it should work OK.

And, by the way, even an super-duper electric blanket set on high, an hour before going to bed helps not at all.

[enigma960080]

Sent: 10/26/2005 10:06 PM

I, more like my mother, has experienced  the Aero-Dead...

3 times,  the  auto inflation device  would fill,  the instructions  said  cannot  be  overfilled,    WRONG..   after  2 or 3 days,   seam tears  on the  edgs  and  on the 'air coils'   we  even  left  it  underinflated  after the  first one...   each  time  i took them back to Target  for  exchanges,   after  the 3rd  in 2 or 3 weeks,   we gave up.

[Afubar69]

Sent: 10/31/2005 3:52 PM

I personally love the AreoBeds.  I use one full time in my home as my regular bed.  I have a twin size one in the bed above the drivers seat in my Winnie (I bought that one while in Kuwait to use on my cot).  I will say that using the AreoBed full time does cut their lifetime down to about 18 months, but that 12 months longer than any Coleman air mattress I've ever used. 

The reason I use the AreoBed is because of a bad back.  I started using water beds, that was better on the back, but went camping once, slept on an air mattress and have never gone back to a regular bed, even take one when I have to go somewhere to spend the night, to include hotels.

To help with the transfer of cold, never allow the air bed to come in contact with the side of the motorhome (if you have too, place a blanket between the side of the motorhome and the mattress.  Place a blanket under the airbed, then place a thick cover over the airbed, then a mattress pad, then your sheets.  I use a down cover.  I've never had problems with the cold.  To the person that used an electric blanket with his air mattress, be very careful doing that, but if you put the electric blanket under the air mattress and turn it very low, you'll have no problem staying warm.