You will notice if you look at my website that I like to use examples from my own life. I really feel that the best way to help ordinary people find what they’re looking for is to relate to them as an ordinary person – myself. This product review will begin with a story that all you parents out there will be able to sympathize with.
Moving Out
My oldest and closest friend has been married happily for so long that thinking about it makes me feel old. They have a wonderful and brilliant daughter who has just entered college. Unexpectedly she decided that she would prefer to live in the college dorm instead of continuing to live at home with her parents. They really weren’t prepared for her to leave the nest so soon, and they really resisted the idea at first.
After some tears and a lot of heart-to-heart discussion, the daughter finally convinced her parents that this was what she wanted, and they went with her to check out her home away from home. One look at the bare dorm room containing only an ancient bed that had seen better days (about a half a century ago), and the tears returned. But they chose to support their daughter’s decision and help her decorate and furnish this room. The top item on the list was something to sleep on.
SimplySleeper 49T Air Bed (Twin)
Here’s where I come in. These friends called me with this story because they couldn’t really afford a regular bed on their budget, and they thought I might be able to use my camping-gear expertise to help them.
As you can probably guess, I knew just the product to suggest: the 49T Raised 18″ Twin Airbed from Simply Sleeper. This is why I recommended it.
Comfort and Durability
This company has built their reputation on their durable products, including this raised air-bed. It’s made of Durmothane TM Polyester, a patented material which is stronger than any other material you can buy, as well as being breathable.
If you’ve ever had cause to sleep on an air mattress, you know that they can get unpleasantly sticky while you are sleeping on them. This is not a problem with this model. The surface is made of 100 percent microfiber which feels luxurious and moderates your temperature while you are sleeping. Moisture instantly gets wicked away from your skin, so you don’t end up sticking to your bed. This is a great feature if you live somewhere hot and can’t have air conditioning.
On top of these benefits, this mattress is also resistant to punctures. This mattress is made of heavy-duty PVC, but it goes an extra step and is laminated as well with PVC. You are less likely to puncture your mattress, and it is also less prone to stretching out of shape. This construction helps the mattress hold on to its air as well, so it doesn’t have to be constantly inflated.
The mattress is composed of three layers of material, resulting in a construction that is more durable than most of the beds available today, as well as being more comfortable. The bed is raised, so sitting on it is fine, just as it would be on an ordinary bed (an important consideration if you live in a dorm!) and grips on the bottom keep the bed from tipping or sliding around.
Other Things to Consider
No review of an air bed would be complete without some discussion of how you inflate and deflate the mattress.
Simply Sleeper earns more points for its completely automatic patented built-in pump. It’s hard to imagine a more user-friendly inflating system: all you do is unroll the mattress, put the pump on its “inflate” setting, and sit back while the pump does the work. In just four minutes, your bed will be completely inflated and ready for you to put the sheets on it. To deflate the mattress, follow the same procedure. Switch your pump to its deflate setting and it will automatically remove all of the air. When the mattress is empty, you can roll up the bed for easy storage in the carrying bag that’s included.
If you need a bigger bed, you’ll be glad to hear that this air bed is also available in Queen Size. Because the twin was so popular, there was a big demand for the bigger size, and the manufacturer complied.
The Bottom Line
This bed does cost more than some of the other available options, but it was worth it to my friend. His daughter uses this bed in her dorm, and now all of her friends have started bugging their parents to buy them one too!
You probably already know that you can always find deals by shopping online. Check out Amazon and you’ll see what kind of deals you can get on this air bed.
Also, check out my review of the queen-sized model. Unless your space is really limited, I would recommend buying a queen size, as the price difference is very small.
