Aerobed Premium Raised Mattress Review

Air mattresses aren't anything new. Campers and college students have used them for years, but as baby boomer campers have gotten older and overnight guests have become more common, the lowly air mattress has gotten an upgrade. No where is that upgrade more conspicuous than in the Raised Queen Sized Premier Aerobed. Far from the old five inch vinyl mattress, the Premier Aerobed is a full 24 inches high, has a flocked cover and uses standard sized sheets. If you have frequent overnight guests, the Aerobed sounds like a dream product, but as a skeptic when it comes to TV infomercials, I had to try it.

The first thing you should know about the Aerobed is the cost. At $299 the Aerobed is as pricy as a midgrade conventional mattress, but you can't roll up a mattress and keep it in your closet, so you pay for convenience. He Aerobed comes with a carry bag and a built in pump that is supposed to inflate the Aerobed at the touch of a button. The pump works great and inflated the mattress quickly, although it was slightly noisy. Once inflated, the Aerobed looks impressive. It actually looks taller than the 24 inches claimed on the package, and it almost dwarfed the room. It also included a mattress cover and a dust ruffle. After I put the sheets on, it looked like a conventional bed.

Looks aside, the Aerobed would be useless if it wasn't comfortable. My first impression was that it was too firm. Fortunately, the Aerobed comes with a One Touch Wand that allowed me to slightly deflate the mattress until I was satisfied. This is a great innovation, because with a second adult on the mattress, the Aerobed needed more adjusting.

I spent the entire night on the Aerobed and was surprised at how comfortable it was. In some ways, it was more comfortable than a traditional metal spring mattress. There were no uncomfortable pressure points, and I woke up without any back pain.

When it came time to store the Aerobed, it didn't perform as well. It does deflate quickly, but I found it almost impossible to roll up small enough to fit into the included bag. After about 15 minutes of struggle, I was able to get the bag slipped over the Aerobed and was able to find room in the closet. It is very heavy, so don't expect to store on a high shelf without help.

It is made of puncture resistant PVC, so the Aerobed is made to last. It is also ideal for asthma and allergy sufferers because the PVC resists mold, mildew and other allergens.

Storage issues aside, the Aerobed performed much better than expected, even if it is expensive.