Kelty Sleep Well Airbed : Rest Easy

If you haven't already read my review of Kelty's Palisade 4 Tent, I'll say it again, "I'm a princess camper!" You won't catch me backpacking to a remote location with nothing but a thin foam sleeping pad strapped to my pack. I'm all about car camping and my Kelty Sleep Well Airbed.

I love nature as much as the next person, but I'm not really that into roughing it. I like fancy food, and if I have to sleep outside I need as much comfort as possible. So I use a Kelty Sleep Well Airbed. It comes in its own handy tote bag, with an air pump that can be charged via an electrical outlet. (It also comes with an adapter so that I can charge it from my car battery via the cigarette lighter). When it first arrived, I charged the pump overnight, then inflated my bed in my living room the next day. It took only minutes.

The following day I used the pump to deflate the bed, and again, I was finished in minutes. Because the pump is efficient at removing air, I had an easy time folding up the bed and packing it into its tote for storage. A few weeks later I used the bed and pump at a campsite at 10pm on a cold, rainy night. I was miserable and shivering and a little bit worried because I hadn't charged the pump before leaving home, but it still had enough power left to give me a thick, firm, luxurious mattress. It was the saving grace of an otherwise awful night.

I've had a lot of experience sleeping on inflatable beds since I'm a frequent house guest at my friends' homes during my annual summer travels, and Kelty's Sleep Well Airbed is the most comfortable inflatable mattress I've ever slept on. It's made out of tough vinyl, with a soft coil top that's also flocked to provide enough resistance that my sleeping bag doesn't slide around. Nice.

The bed is more than 5" thick, so it's plenty substantial and it holds air very well. After sleeping on thin, narrow camping pads, the Sleep Well Airbed is a dream. It's long enough for my 6' tall frame, it's plenty wide, and I don't feel the ground at all. It really is like sleeping on a mattress. I tested a twin size Airbed ($89.95); it's also available in queen size ($99.95). (See shopping links below.)

Bottom Line: If sleeping in a tent is a challenge, or if you just like the comfort of car camping, the Sleep Well Airbed can provide you with a good night's sleep!--E.D. (Oct '10)

BUY ONLINE: $89.95, click to shop. Queen size on sale now at REI for $74.93 (12/01/2010).

Manufacturer's Site: www.kelty.com

Share on Facebook 

Sign up Now for Email Updates on Gear Sales