Aerobed The Original | 2023 Ratings & Comparisons | TheSleepStudies

Hi and welcome to our guide on the Original Aerobed.

If you’re considering the model, this is the place to be. Below are its updated quality ratings and comparison to models in a  similar price range.

What you’ll see

Over the last decade, we reviewed over 140 air mattresses and about the dozen of them come from Aerobed.

What you’ll see below are ratings in five quality categories, from air retention and comfort to value for money.

Last updated – 2023

Our focus – The Original Aerobed in Queen & Twin size

We are aware that the brand has such of a long tradition that many people make have the misconception that Aerobed is a synonym for an air mattress, so let’s and clear that one up.

Aerobed is just one of the many brands of air mattresses – that’s why the analysis below will not only show you top picks from the brand but also compare them to the currently top-rated products of similar type & price range.

Before you move on, give Andy  30 seconds to explain what you’ll see on this page.

How to find exactly what you’re looking for

Aerobed Original – Queen and Twin

The Original Aerobed is the most popular among high-rises from the brand.

It’s an industry classic and one of the models from Aerobed that stood its ground in the flood of new arrivals in the industry.

It’s probably the most versatile model in their portfolio.

It’s fair to say that this is the staple product of the brand, so let’s compare its ratings to the top-rated airbeds overall – The SoundAsleep Dream Series.

Ratings comparison

More about the Original Aerobed Classic

The carry bag and packing size

The carry bag included with this model features a drawstring and it’s made of nylon.

The deflation is manual but the mega valve does a pretty good job of letting all the air out and allowing you to pack the bed neatly.

According to our measurements, the dimensions of the packed Aerobed Queen Classic are approximately 16 x 12 x 12 inches.

Coiled construction

The construction of the chambers is so important for an airbed that we would go as far as to say that it can make or break a product.

We emphasize that many times before in our reviews – inflatables that feature coils tend to outperform simple horizontal or vertical beams in terms of distributing weight.

This goes beyond comfort

It’s common sense… a stable, sturdy bed that doesn’t have a rickety, bouncy quality to it will give you a better night’s sleep.

But the importance of weight distribution goes beyond that.

A wobbly inflatable bed will not only be less comfortable but is more likely to develop leaks because both the inner and outer seams will take more toil and are more likely to give in to wear and tear. No such problems with this model. The stability is largely attributed to the two-story design.

The importance of coil number

Think about a classic mattress – you know that the higher number of coils, the better.

The Aerobed Queen  and Twin Classic features one of the highest numbers of oval air coils in the industry (48 and 32 respectively). This is what allows it to perform well in terms of weight distribution and motion isolation.

This is yet another piece of proof that Aerobed is keeping up with the times and changes in the industry.

Two-story design

Another important feature of this unit is the design that practically consists of two separate inflatables mounted on top of each other.

Why is this important?

Because the bottom layer, let’s call it “the foundation” will do most of the heavy lifting and the upper story will take less “abuse.”

The physics of it

When placed on the floor, the air inside “reacts” to the temperature of the surface until they even out.

So if you have a one-story inflatable, you will feel those changes as they happen. They will manifest as short blitzes of temperature change.

With this bed, most of these changes happen in the aforementioned foundation and the upper layer will see less temperature fluctuation.

Low-rise versions

Judging by the number of reviews shared online, this is their most popular low-rise air mattress from the brand.

Before we move on to the more detailed analysis, let’s do a side-by-side comparison with the highest-rated model in its type and price range.

Aerobed Original low-rise vs.
SoundAsleep Camping Series

A more detailed look at the Classic low-rise

This model used to be among the top 10 rated products when we initially started reviewing air beds all those years ago. But since then, the landscape of the market has changed significantly and, for the consumer, that’s a good thing.

This month’s update (as well as the last 4) have seen it steadily rising in ratings. The rise is not significant, but in a dynamic industry climate, it’s nothing to be shrugged off.

The shift

The new arrivals from companies like SoundAsleep shook things up in terms of technology and materials – the market is not dormant anymore.

We have to admit that we’re a bit of nostalgic nerds and we like the classic brands like Aerobed. We have seen no significant changes in this month’s update.

They did make some changes some of their new your models in a place to see that, but the gap in ratings is currently substantial – we’re excited to see what the future holds.

Oval coils construction

If you’re just stumbled upon our website and you are s new reader, let us iterate the advantages of coiled construction. Some of the new arrivals and brands are making a respectable effort to catch up, but for most of them, it’s still an uphill battle to reach the structural stability of the good ole’ trusted brands.

When we compared the statistics from a pool of data that is used for our statistical rating model, the conclusion was pretty straightforward. We compared products off the same brands and made of similar material.

Air coils were the better performing option than beams in terms of structural stability in about 80% of cases. That’s probably the strongest suit of this bed.

The Classic features one of the highest numbers of air coils in the industry – 28 for the Twin size and 42 in for the Queen.

Less sinking, less swaying (goes both for the Twin and, more importantly, larger sizes like Queen or King)

The oval coils do a much better job at distributing weight which makes for a much more comfortable sleeping surface.

To describe it simpler, models like this have less of a wobbly feeling, since the air coils act as stabilizers and minimize side movement and swaying.

With products like this, you also see much less sinking, and that’s a frequent issue in air beds of lower quality.

With these, the chambers will make a cocoon-like nest in the middle of the bed. For heavy sleepers, it can even cause the sides to elevate from the ground.

In Queen size it’s even more of a problem because an unstable top surface will have two sleepers rolling towards the middle of the bed and ending up using just about 60% of the surface and pushing against each other.

Temperature of the room

If you’re using the bed for camping in the cold, this has its pros and cons – it is less comfortable but the two sleepers will probably be warmer.

On the other hand, if the night is warm, you’re in for one sweaty and hot snooze.

You’re not likely to see those issues with The Classic.

Bottom line – out of all the products from the established brands (that you could call veterans) the Classic was one of the beds that stood its ground in terms of comfort.

The most likely reason for that is the high number of coils paired with solid vinyl and well-crafted connections, seams and stitching.

The legacy of the mega “ air release” valve

Aerobed has been one of the most dominant names in the air bed arena for over two decades now.

Back in the day, the valve and the pump were nothing short of groundbreaking – the fact that the design remains relevant to date speaks volumes.

To be specific – the main change that the “air release” valve introduced was the unparalleled speed of inflation and deflation.

That’s true even today and this model can take on pretty much any product out there in terms of the pump efficiency. We would give it full 5/5 stars in that quality aspect.

Value for money

If we are talking about the bank for your buck, the Classic belongs to the top 5% of camping airbeds out of 45 we reviewed so far – you can see the full list of top 10 best camping your mattresses here.

Motion and temperature isolation

The motion isolation quality aspect goes back to what we talked about above – the vertical and horizontal stability and the Classic performs pretty well here.

The temperature isolation and the other hand is a bit more intricate issue.

Since this is a low-rise and there are barriers between the chambers the air inside moves more freely, which is sub-optimal for temperature isolation.

Here’s why

The beds that perform better in resisting temperature change usually have some type of system in place to minimize air movement. The reason for that are micro-currents of air that swirl around inside the inflatable.

Let us try to put to the science behind it in simple terms

Any closed environment (like the inside of your airbed) will distribute energy to “achieve” equilibrium.

What does “equilibrium mean exactly?

It simply means s that the cold and warm air will move around until the temperatures even out. Speaking in those terms, the inside of an inflatable is not just one chunk of air but it consists of many clusters of cold and warm air.

Up and down

The cold air has higher density and, on initial inflation, it will be closer to the bottom surface. Once you get on the bed, your body will dissipate heat making the air that’s closer to the top surface warmer. Soon, these micro-currents will start to move up and down to re-distribute the energy.

How it “behaves” in real life

What this means in “real life” is that you might feel warm at one moment and suddenly feel a rush of cold air.

That’s the bottom line – these cold rushes are not about the quality of the material but the inner design separation of the chambers/beams.

One downsides of the pump system

The two main downsides of the otherwise well-thought-out pump are the absence of the auto shut-off safety system and the manual deflation.

The first one means that you inflate the bed to your desired firmness and then just shut the pump off. With some of the modern air beds, this is simplified by including presets which allow you to choose your firmness and just leave the pump do its job.

The second one means that the pump is not a two-way and if you want to deflate the bed, you just open the valve and squeeze the air out.

This is a more significant issue with smaller valves and not really a red light with this bed since it features the mega valve that releases air in mere moments.

Volatility of the vinyl

According to our statistics, the Aerobed Queen & Twin Classic has a somewhat higher percentile of people who report initial rubbery smell (compared to some of the higher-rated products in its price range).

One & two person sleep

The capacity of ths bed will depend on whether you’re sleeping alone or with a partner. The maximum weight on Aerobed Twin Classic can take on is 300 pounds.

On the other hand, the weight limit of the Classic Aerobed Queen can be either 450 or 600 lbs, the former is for one sleeper and the letter is for two people (300 pounds per person).

FAQs about the Classic low-rise

Is it the good option to use it with a platform base?

Although the low rises are more shape-adjustable, it would be hard to effectively use it on a platform. It will likely slip and move much more than a regular mattress would.

The confusion surrounding the capacity

With most air beds the fact sheet precisely lists the recommended weight.

For this bed, however, it’s a bit trickier and we have received a few questions about it.

Most of those were about the capacity of the Queen-size since two numbers appear – 450 and 600 lbs.

Let’s clarify that

The two numbers listed as recommendations of the company are for one and two-person sleep.

One sleeper will exert more pressure onto a smaller area, which is why the recommended limit in this scenario is 450 lbs.

If two people are sleeping this Aerobed Queen size, the weight will be more evenly distributed

Hence, the 2nd listed capacity is 600 pounds.

The risk of over-inflating

We did mention that there is no auto shutoff safety. But if you do leave the pump running it will only inflate the bed to certain firmness and then cease adding air.

Alternative inflation

In case you want to take this bed camping, you might be wondering if there is an alternative way to inflate it.

To the best of our knowledge a leg or manual pump can work, as long does it comes without latches and includes nozzles that would be a good fit for a round opening of the valve.

Pairing it with a car outlet

The pump used here is meant for power outlets and if you want to use it with the car outlet, you would need a converter/adapter.

That also goes for power outlets of voltage that’s not 110 V.

Side surfaces and cord storage

The pump is built-in and the only parts that stick out are the controls. The cord neatly packs into a dedicated space on the side of the bed.

This is a nice touch since it gets the cord out of the way. You would think that that’s all always the case but we’ve seen too many beds that don’t include a dedicated space for cord storage.

Aerobed Queen Comfort Anywhere

Its main competitor in the category (including all brands is the Serta Perfect Sleeper.

You can see their facts sheets below.

Choosing between the two

The margin in ratings between the two is slight and the choice will come down to how much you want to spend.

The Opti Comfort has slightly higher ratings in comfort but it’s about 20% more expensive.

With the two beds being of similar quality, Serta Perfect Sleeper is the higher rated bed in “value for money.”

Another notable difference between the two are the dimensions

The Serta is longer but 2 inches narrower. It’s also 3.6 inches higher compared to the Opti-Comfort.

The razor-thin margin means that choosing between the two airbeds will come down to your taste and preference.

A closer look at the Comfort Anywhere

Two-tier design

This one is pretty important because people who get an air mattress of this type are getting it for frequent use and expect long-term comfort.

Two-tier means that there are actually two separate inflatable parts; one goes on top of the other.

Why is this important?
If you read the humdrum about weight and temperature distribution, you probably found it to be too monotonous, boring even.

But this is where it comes in handy.

The two-tier structure makes for a more comfortable sleep because the bottom inflatable takes on the job of energy and heat distribution and the top layer is much better isolated.

The bottom tier does most of the “heavy lifting,” which makes the top tier less prone to temperature changes.

Sheet grip

A common concern among airbed owners is that the sheets they choose might not be good enough to tightly hold on to the site indentations (ribs).

Two-tier design with the deep side indentations found in this model makes this a non-issue.

The part that separates the two layers is deep enough to form a firm grip, especially if you’re using fitted sheets.

One thing to look out for – the height of the upper tier will make deep-pocketed sheets too loose and you’ll want to go with the lower sheet profile (shallow).

Aerobed King

Apart from the Luxury Collection, there is only Aerobed King model that we know of – it’s the stylish Elevated 14-inch.

It includes all the nifty add-ons seen in other products from the brand but has a bit more pizzazz to it.

It’s one of the best-looking air beds we know and we can only compare this Aerobed King to one product – the Best Choice with the bamboo topper and side skirt.

Below are the details and ratings.

Aerobed King Vs. Best Choice Bamboo

Aerobed Full with quilted foam topper

The two Aerobed models we talked about above are not really your classic home air bed, so let’s take a look at one that does belong to the group.

This Aerobed Full includes some nifty add-ons that 98% of inflatables do not.

First of all, it comes with an attached foam topper. Our statistics tell us that about 40% of new air mattress owners choose to get an extra topper to make their air mattress more comfortable.

With this Full-size Aerobed, there’s no need for that because it comes with a topper of its own.

The second thing that you only see a remote control in high-end models, even some of the best air mattreses don’t come with one.

We’ve seen these features other products, but it’s usually one or the other.

Air mattress that’s the closest matchis Lazery Sleep.

Aerobed Full vs. Lazery sleep

Aerobed Twin One Touch

Aerobed tends to make air mattresses that stand out from the crowd, whether it’s the design or the way the pump works.

The One-Touch Comfort is probably the closest to a classic “air mattress look”.

That’s why we’ll compare it to the most popular airbed out there – the Dream Series.

Aerobed Twin vs. Dream Series Twin

The Original Aerobed Queen

The Original Aerobed comes with a headboard and it’s an eye candy

As far as appearance goes, it’s close to the look of a regular bed, especially the headboard with the bonded patterns.

The Woosh valve

The bed also includes the mega Whoosh valve that makes the deflation faster and easier.

Sheets

As per the company, The Original Aerobed is a good fit for the standard queen-sized sheets. The two-story design is better at tightly holding the sheets in place. In that quality aspect, we place The Original Aerobed Queen the top 4% of air mattresses.

Puncture and leak resistance

We have to admit that were not huge fans of seeing claims like “100% leak-proof.” We tested too many inflatable beds to take a claim like that at face value

We would say there is no such thing as 100% leak-resistance. No matter how good an air bed is, it can still be punctured or develop a leak.

That’s true for even the toughest and most durable and mattresses out there – you can see our top picks in the category of most durable, heavy-duty air mattresses here.

Aerobed Luxury Collection

The Aerobed Luxury Collection includes a range of products starting from single-size all the way up to an Aerobed King.

What’s different about the Luxury Collection are the innovative antimicrobial materials.

Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that it’s not the materials themselves but the antimicrobial treatment designed to protect the surface.

The technology used here is limited only to the Luxury Collection and features a control wand and a built-in pump with 3 firmness pre-sets.

Aerobed Deluxe

One more high-end product coming from the brand is the Deluxe Aerobed.

The most notable difference of the Aerobed Deluxe is the surface. It’s 100% percent cotton (natural).
While the finish of the Deluxe is cotton, the construction is heavy-duty PVC and the controls are based on their one-touch technology.

The Deluxe series comes with all the neat stuff we already talked about – from the Whoosh valve to the carry bag.

Aerobed for kids

The brand also makes inflatable mattresses for kids. One of them belongs to the top 3 kid-size air mattresses.

It’s been locking horns for the top spot in the category with the Shrunks Tuckaire travel bed which you can see here.

Aerobed replacement pump & valve

The Aerobed pump is unique in a few ways and we come to make specific recommendations about any other generic pumps that can work with.

The best we can do here is give you the information that Aerobed replacement pumps are available on their website in the parts and accessories section.

Other Aerobed air mattresses
– honorary mentions

Aerobed warranty

The official Aerobed warranty is one year limited, starting from the date of purchase. The warranty covers any flaws in workmanship and materials and to claim it you would need the sales receipt or other form of proof.

If you’re getting your bed online, your purchase history with the retailer should be proof enough.

The good part that drop-shippers, retail stores and dealers can’t change the original terms.

Claiming the warranty – authorization & returns

To claim your warranty, you’ll need a return authorization. To get it, contact the Coleman Company directly.

How it usually goes

You will be advised to include a pack with your information and the short description of why you’re returning the product along with the proof purchase. You then send the packages via FedEx Ground, Parcel Post or UPS. The package should be insured and sent to the Coleman return department in Wichita.

You will get the exact address from their customer service.

Where to buy an Aerobed air mattress

The brand is widely available both for online and in-store purchase in chains like Costco and Walmart.

Availability of Aerobed at Costco, Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond & Target

Both Costco and Walmart carry pretty much all products that we’ve listed above and even some we haven’t. What we saw in our research is that some of the Aerobed air mattresses that are not available with other retailers can be found at Walmart.

A good example of that is one of the more popular model for camping – the All-Terrain Sports.

Aerobed at Bed Bath & Beyond

We can’t paint with a broad brush and the make general claims about the availability of Aerobed at Bed Bath and Beyond.

What we can share here is that at the time of the last update to this guide, models available at Bed Bath and Beyond were somewhat scarce – more so than the range available at Costco and Walmart.

Aerobed air mattress history

The story of the original Aerobed brand dates back to 1992 when they patented a groundbreaking way for quicker inflation/deflation.

Back then, it was hard to imagine a deflation takes only 15 seconds.

Since 2000

Following the release of The Original, the company improved on it by introducing the raised version in 2001. The goal was to get as close as possible to the feel of a regular bed.

In 2002, Aerobed released what they described as an “improved model.” The pump of this one was even faster (30%) and made their beds 20%, firmer.

In 2010, the company merged with Coleman and remains one of the leading brands to date.

Repairing an Aerobed

Reparation of an Aerobed is similar to that of an airbed, but let’s reiterate here by going through the process of patching step-by-step.

1. Locate the leak

If the leak is substantial, locating it can be as simple as isolating yourself in a quiet room and simply listening for a hissing sound.

However, it won’t be at is easy is that most cases simply extend to be small and hard to find.

If the listening test doesn’t do the trick, make a solution of water and soap feel a spray bottle. If you already have a suspected area in mind spray dissolution over it and bubbles will appear at the leak.

2. Most common leak spots

In most cases, the source of the leak will be in the area surrounding the pump or at the seams.

A cautionary note

You might stumble upon some tips that advise extreme measures like submerging the whole unit into water to locate a leak.If you do this, you’ll definitely pinpoint the source of air-loss but it you will probably ruin your mattress.

In other words – this might solve the problem but can cause a bigger one.

Here’s why

The inside of the bed will remain moist and probably turn into a breeding ground for mold and mildew. There is no reliable way that we know of to completely dry out an airbed that’s been fully submerged in water. Moving on…

3. Dry it

The next step will be to completely dry the moist area around the leak. The fastest way to do it is by using a blow dryer (the kind you would use on your hair).

4. Deflate and flatten

Completely deflate the bed and place it on a flat surface with the leak source in the middle. From that point on you have the options to use different types of sealants for the patching (glue, tape, patch fabric or combination of the three).

Sealants that are based on glue will be your safest bet for flocked surfaces, while tape and fabric will be the go-to solution for the vinyl parts.

5. If it doesn’t work

Patching vinyl is tricky and it’s hard to decide what kind of leak is more difficult to repair. The issue of vinyl oils

If the leak is on the vinyl parts, the problem is the thin layer of oil the coats the vinyl. It’s the only surface that gives it the shiny look.

If you use regular or even super-glue, these oils will react with the chemicals in the bond and the leak will probably re-occur.

That’s why specialized kits usually include a chemical that prevents the reaction and keep the bond stable.

Repairing the valve

If the source of the leak is the valve, it gets even trickier.

In our opinion, it might not be worth it in the long run. You’re probably better off getting a new mattress.

Summary and a note about future updates

We’re constantly gathering new information and doing your best to stay on top of and quality changes that might happen with the air beds. Typically, we update the guides quarterly to make sure that the information presented is up-to-date and relevant.

We might deviate from the schedule if we notice and your “red lights.” These usually come in the form of a significant change in the user satisfaction ratings.

When this happens, it triggers an unscheduled update for one product only. Over the years, our database has grown to a mammoth-like size and continues to grow. With that growth, the reliability and accuracy get better.

The purpose of it all is to do the research so you don’t have to and minimize the guesswork involved in choosing an air mattress.

Our team currently has 6 members and the website is our full-time work, so if you have any questions or dilemmas feel free to share them in the comment section below.

You can expect us to respond within one day.

Stay smart,

The Sleep Studies team