| Best Choice |
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AirBedz Lite Truck Bed Air Mattress | CHECK LATEST PRICE | |
| Premium Pick |
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Pittman Outdoors Truck Bed Air Mattress | CHECK LATEST PRICE | |
| Best Value |
|
WolfWill SUV Dedicated Travel Mattress | CHECK LATEST PRICE |
If you are a mountain biker, hunter, fisher, camper or any kind of off-roader you’ve probably spent at least one night trying to bed down in the back of your truck – and it was probably one of the most uncomfortable nights you’ve ever spent!
A truck air mattress can be a fast and convenient way to transform your pick up into a way more comfortable place to bed down. It has a number of features that make it different from a regular airbed however, and it’s important that you select the right mode both for your truck and – most importantly – that suits your needs too.
The Best Truck Air Mattress
This product from Airbedz comes bundled with a pretty powerful, and very useful, 12V DC air pump that comes with a cigarette lighter adaptor to plug straight into your truck’s outlet. The 16 foot cord from plug to pump is also more than generous enough for you to plug in and pump up nice and easily. The excellent pump and the tough storage bag the product comes in makes this the perfect emergency mattress, to keep tucked away in the truck to be brought out and easily inflated as and when.
The mattress is good enough for regular use too, being constructed of nice, tough PVC to protect against punctures in the bed, while wheel well cut outs ensure a snug fit that takes advantage of every inch of space in the truck bed for maximum sleeping area.
- Includes a Pump
- Wheel Well Cut Outs
- Tough PVC Construction
- Brand AirBedz
- Model PPI PV202C
- Weight 15 lbs
The truck bed camping problem has been highly improved with inventions through technology, making events, night sleeps and outdoor trips comforting and more enjoyable. The AirBeds Original Truck Bed Air Mattress is fabricated in a 5’8 to 8 long and comes in a dimension of 17.5 by 16 by 8.3 inches to be able to fit in trucks, for a snug sleeping area. It weighs well about 1200 pounds when inflated and offers an integrated air-coil system that equally distributes its weight. Manufactured with a built-in rechargeable battery, both its performance and reliability are second to none. There is also a side switch which controls the inflation and deflation mode of the bed as well as a valve that directs and increases the tempo of inflations or deflation, allowing you to select your preferred firmness. It is highly convenient, comes with a carry bad which facilitates moving and storage is also very simple.
- Rechargeable Battery
- Durable
- Easy to Set up
- Convenient
- Brand AirBedz
- Model PPI 102
- Weight 18.4 pounds
This is another pretty unique design, however unlike the smaller product from ABCHEER we discussed above, this is a much larger version designed to fit the entire rear section of a SUV.
That of course is going to give you a whole lot more room to sleep in. The mattress itself is essentially divided into three sections that are inflated separately. That can help you to achieve a better fit into the vehicle cabin space – if one section doesn’t quite fit, just don’t inflate it. This level of customization is why WolfWill are able to claim that the model will fit into no less that 95% of all SUVs.
- Designed Specifically for Use in SUVs
- Divided into Three Parts for Easy Handling
- Soft but Durable PVC Construction
- Pump Included
- Brand WolfWill
- Weight 7.6 lbs
This product from Pittman Outdoors is all about comfort! A depth of 12 inches provides an incredible amount of cushioning, whilst the built in air coil system evenly distributes weight as you sleep. The newly redesigned valve also allows for simple adjustment during inflation and deflation, allowing you to easily tailor the firmness of the mattress to match your personal preferences.
Ultra tough construction has resulted in a mattress with extreme durability, making this the perfect option for the outdoorsman who needs a mattress that can stand up to any test. The pump is integrated and battery operated for ease of use and storage – never find yourself in the middle of nowhere and realize you’ve forgotten your air pump again! This is a very well designed product with a number of excellent and useful features – expect to pay top dollar for such a good air mattress however.
- Built-in Rechargeable Pump
- Utilizes All Truck Bed Space
- Built in Air Coil System Distributes Weight
- Brand Pittman Outdoors
- Model PPI 104
- Weight 15 lbs
Rightline have gone for a relatively simpler design with this product. Instead of cut outs to fit over the wheel wells, this product is instead designed to simply fit between them. This results in a design that whilst lacking in some of the bells and whistles to be found on the more premium products still has enough features to recommend it.
For one thing that simple design makes it a very versatile product. Because it lacks the cut outs, the whole thing can be laid out on a flat surface to quickly become a comfortable mattress anywhere – in the truck bed, on your living room floor or inside a tent.
- Simple Design
- Fits Between Wheel Wells
- Includes Pump, Patch Kit and Storage Bag
- Brand Rightline
- Model 110M60
- Weight 8.6 lbs
This is another premium product from AirBedz that also comes with a premium price tag! Still, you’re getting a lot of mattress for your buck here, with this model boasting a very impressive depth of 12 inches. That is putting a lot of very comfortable air between your back and the hard floor of the truck bed, so if comfort is your main concern then maybe give this one a try.
The usual hardwearing PVC has been employed in the construction for a tough mattress that can stand up to whatever the great outdoors can throw at it. Wheel well cut outs allow the mattress to stretch out over the entire truck bed. You can also pick up some fillers for those cut outs (sold separately) so that the mattress can also be used outside of the truck bed, say as a spare bed in your house for example. That makes it all in all a pretty useful and versatile product and goes someway to justifying that price tag.
- Comfort Fabric Top
- Wheel Well Cut Outs
- 12 Inch Thick for Supreme Comfort
- Brand AirBedz
- Model PPI 301
- Weight 19.6 lbs
This is an interesting product for a couple of reasons. On the one hand, it is of a slightly different design from the other mattresses on this list in that it is designed to be used on the backseat rather than in the truck bed. That makes it perfect if you are looking to sleep in your car or truck (or even take naps on long drives) but would rather stay in the safety (and warmth!) of the vehicle cabin.
The other interesting thing is this is very much the budget pried item on our list, with a price tag of well under $50. For that price however you are still getting a pretty durable PVC construction and a powerful pump that will have it inflated and ready it use in just a couple of minutes. So all in all, a pretty unique design here to help you sleep in comfort, and with a price that won’t give you nightmares!
- Designed for Backseat
- Low Price
- Durable PVC Construction
- Pump Included
- Brand ABCHEER
- Model US01+OS004624
- Weight 5.36 lbs
Best Truck Air Mattress Buying Guide & FAQ
There you have it, 6 of the finest Truck Air Mattresses on the market today. With an average price of well over a $100 though – and some premium models running to more than twice that – there are few things you need to bear in mind before you take the plunge.
That’s why we have put together this handy guide, to discuss some of the more important features and considerations when it comes to selecting the right air mattress for you.
First up, we’re going to tackle one of the most important issues – selecting the right size of mattress to go into your truck (or SUV).
What Size Mattress Fits in My Pickup Truck Bed?
The most important thing to do is to measure your truck bed (more on that in a minute) however these products generally come in 3 sizes:
Full – 54 x 74 Inches
Full XL – 54 x 80 Inches
Queen – 60 x 80 Inches
Both a Full and a Full Xl have the width to fit into most pick up beds, it’s the length that you have to consider. A full XL, packing an extra 6 inches in the length department, is better suited for Long Bed models of pick up truck.
The Queen size is wider and longer, and such is only suited for the biggest of pick-ups with extra space out the back.
You’ll notice a bit of differentiation with mattress dims as you shop – some will have an extra inch here or there – but broadly speaking they fit into one of the three categories above.
If none of these sizes comes close to fitting your truck bed, you may have to look at having a custom mattress designed. This is going to be pretty unlikely however, and probably only something you have to worry about if your truck itself has been custom made.
So long as you accurately measure the bed of your pick up, you should have no problem in selecting a mattress that is the right size.
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How to Measure My Pickup Truck Bed
You need to remember that there are three measurements that you must take:
- The length of the bed, from behind the cab to where the tail drops. Include the tailgate if you want a longer mattress.
- The width from one sidewall to the next
- The width between the two wheel wells.
That last measurement is really worth paying attention to, and it’s also the reason that you can’t simply buy a normal air mattress – at least not if you want to maximize your available room. Only a mattress specifically designed to use in a truck bed will include the cut outs that accommodate those wheel wells.
Of course, up in our list we also had a couple of mattress designs for use inside the car cabin. One was to make the rear seat into a bed, the other to the turn the trunk and rear seats of a SUV into a comfortable sleeping area.
Measurements for these are then going to be slightly different, so just take a look at the dimensions of these products to check that they fit. Broadly speaking, they are designed to fit into any vehicle that still conforms to the factory dimensions. In other words, if you have a pretty normal car that hasn’t been modified heavily you’ll probably be fine.
The SUV based product we discussed in the list above, for example, is stated by the manufacturers to easily fit around 95% of SUV cars.
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The Benefits of Having an Air Mattress in Your Car
So why drop a hundred bucks or more on a car mattress? Well, how much does a motel cost? Probably more, and your car is almost certainly cleaner than a motel room.
Joking aside, carrying a mattress designed for use in your car can really come in handy.
You could, for example, keep it in the trunk or tucked under a seat in the cabin for emergencies. So we’re talking long drives where you may feel the need to take a rest for example.
On the other hand, if you enjoy any of a range of outdoor pursuits – like hunting, mountain biking, hiking, or motocross just to name a few – then you might like to have a mattress because you know you’re going to end up sleeping out under the stars a few times. A mattress in the truck bed can be much more comfortable than pitching one on the floor. Your raised position up in the truck bed is also going to provide you with a degree of protection from wildlife – no one likes to wake up in a sleeping bag full of ants.
What Materials & Features to Look For in a Truck Air Mattress
So what should you bear in mind whilst you are looking for your model of mattress?
Well, first things first and the one of the most important elements to check out is the construction material, which will usually be:
PVC – All the models in the product guide above are made of PVC, and with very good reason – it’s extremely tough. That really matters when it comes to a mattress that is designed for your truck because, lets face it – truck beds are not always the cleanest and tidiest places in the world. There are plenty of little bits of debris and rubbish that can easily pop a mattress that has been constructed of weaker material than PVC.
Brushed Fabrics – PVC, whilst extremely tough, may not be the most comfortable material to spend a night lying on. That is especially true in hotter climates, and some mattresses come with a brushed fabric top layer for just that reason. Now, for planned camp outs you can bring sheets or some kind of covering to make the mattress even more comfortable. For emergency or occasional use however you might not be travelling with a sheet, so a brushed fabric surface can come in handy on a mattress that is being stored for that reason.
Pump It Up! – Blowing up the mattress is probably the hardest part of assembling it – unless that is you have a good quality pump. All of the products on this list come with their own electric pumps. They are usually external but sometimes are built in for ease of storage. They are all 12 Volt pumps, and they will all have your mattress pumped up and ready to go in a matter of minutes. That’s fast and convenient which is why we only selected products with pumps. Trust us, you don’t want to the only idiot at the campsite trying to blow up your mattress with a trash bag.
Wheel Well Cut Outs – The wheel wells in your pick up bed stick out and break up what would otherwise be a wonderfully flat surface for sleeping on. How inconsiderate. Well, many designs get around this by incorporating cut outs that the wheel wells slot into. This does give you more sleeping space, however if you want to use the mattress off of the truck – for example as a spare mattress in your home – you’ll have to spring for filler pieces to essentially plug the cut out gaps.
Air Coils – Only a couple of the products we featured include air coils, as they are only seen on higher end, premium models. Exactly as they sound, they are coils built into the mattress’s internal structure that are flooded with air when the bed is inflated. The benefit is that they help to distribute the body weight of sleepers more evenly, allowing for a more comfortable nights sleep. The downside of course is that they are usually also going to inflate the price tag!
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Sources:
- Horrifying Motels – Huffington Post
- Blow Up a Mattress With a Trash Bag – MacGyverisms Wonder How To
