Air Mattress With Frame and Legs – Top 3 – January 2024 Update

Last updated: January 2024

And mattresses with frame and legs – Top 4

Air Mattress with frame, legs and a rolling case – top pick – Ivation EZ

Inflatable bed on frame, top camping pick

Coleman Cot

Airbed with frame from Serta

EZ with Never Flat Tech – good but expensive

Blow up mattress with frame (on legs) and with rolling case (box) – reference info and buyer’s guide

Inflatable bed on frame – the information gap

I’ve searched far and wide while gathering data for this and I’ve seen no good information on the topic of air mattress on legs and with rolling case.

So, I’ve decided to create it.

What you’ll see in this guide (and what you won’t)

You’ll see 3 air-mattress-with-frame recommendations based on comparing 14 beds from the category in 8 quality aspects.

You’ll also see the data, experience and logic behind the recommendations.

You will not see standalone frames – we have a separate guide on air mattress frames that you can check out here.

Bottom line – this page is all about choosing a blow-up mattress with a frame and rolling case that come as a bundle.

Who am I to talk?

Before starting this website on all things air mattresses, I worked in the airbed industry for over a decade.

I know when and how these are made and I know how to tell if something is worth your money.

I guess you could say I’m an air mattress expert of sorts.

You could also say I’m a nerd….and then high five my wife ‘cause that’s what she says it too.

Anyway…

Who cares about me….this guide is all about helping you make an informed choice.

Choosing a good air bed with frame – the three problems

Air mattress with a frame is easily the most sensitive category to choose in.

For three reasons:

1. Pairing a blow-up mattress with a frame is tricky – I’ve seen dozens of these come and go over the years. I’ve also seen a few stay – the few that actually get it right (we’ll get to those in a moment).
2. There’s no significant demand – this means there’s less information from other owners on how good the beds are.
3. The online sources are lacking – while writing this, I looked over everything that exists on the topic. It’s all superficial and pretty much useless for the potential buyer.

With the newly collected info, we have even more data to analyze the influence of specific quality aspects to this type of inflatables.

Blow up mattress with frame – looking for the perfect pump

Based on the pool of data we gathered for this guide, we would say that owners of EZ beds with a Never Flat pump would never go back to anything else.

If you just think about it – one of the main complaints people used to have about airbeds are the air leaks.

The “smart” pump (or the Serta in Insta call it, NeverFlat) solved the problem. The technology is probably the biggest milestone in the industry in the past few decades.

After all, it’s this technology that allowed the inflatable beds to become a mainstream sleep solution among temporary beds. The classic version of the featured in the top 5 of the last updates in both Queen and Twin Size – you can see the full guide on queen air mattresses here and the complete guide on twin air mattresses here.

What’s it all about?

A smart pump is designed to address two things:

1. Pinholes or seam leaks that are big enough for your bed to lose air and you to wake up on a half-deflated mattres
2. Stretching of the vinyl – it’s the nature of vinyl as a material to stretch. The first issue here is the initial stretching (which you’ll see with most airbeds). This one is not the big deal because it only takes a few nights for the vinyl to fully set.

It might become a problem if you’re using your bed in environment with significant temperature fluctuations.

For example, you might inflate the bed in a guest room before you even turn on the heat. In this case, once temperature changes (grows) it will feel like the airbed has lost air. Most of the time, this can be attributed to the vinyl stretching at higher temperatures.

Bottom line – mounting an air mattress on a frame is tricky.

It allows you to set up the bed and not give it in more thought because, if it does leak, the secondary pump will silently kick in and top it off back to your firmness preset.

That’s why we mentioned that the Serta and Insta EZ are in the category of their own and, in our opinion, are worth every extra dollar.

Appearance of the air mattress on legs

If you’re getting an airbed for, say, a guest room, one of the thoughts that might be on your mind is the appearance.

It’s another quality aspect where the EZs cannot be compared to any other inflatable – they look like they belong on the cover of an interior design magazine.

Set up

If you take a look at the pictures, your first impression might be that the frame is difficult to set up.

That’s not the case with any of the products we listed, especially the EZ beds.

All the three EZs are designed to automatically set up. This means that you don’t have to do anything; you just take the airbed out of the carry case, plug it in and watch it unfold.

As it inflates, the legs and frame of the air mattress will expands and automatically lock into place.

It’s not just easy, it’s impressive to watch. The same goes for setting them down. In the initial guide, this was just a bit more than an opinion we shared. For this update, we have more impression and user opinion to base statemennts like this on. They only confirmed our initial impressions.

Portability

A typical air mattress comes with a plastic carry bag and the quality of those is nothing to write home about.

The air mattresses with a frame come with a carry case that’s a whole different story.

When packed, it looks like a medium-sized wheeled suitcase.

Versatility

We’re only mentioning versatility so that we can address that of the Coleman Cot.

If your needs dictate so, it can be used to sleep 4 adults…maybe even a kid or two.

If this is your scenario, the kids would have to go on the airbed. The capacity of 600 pounds listed for the Coleman cot also applies to the inflatable itself.

The cot is sturdy and durable but we don’t see it is an option for sleeping more than two adults because there is a metal bar that separates the two halves of the bed.

The frames of the air mattresses

We didn’t see any significant differences in the quality of the steel used for the frames or legs of the 4 air mattresses we mentioned.

One difference is the set up – Coleman is the only bed here that doesn’t automatically set up, which is only natural because you do need access to power for that.

What we see as the more important quality aspect here is that all the frames lock into place and don’t feel unstable or clunky (and we have seen that with some of the competing products).

We believe that we haven’t addressed the main quality aspects of an air mattress with frame and legs so let us move on to the frequently asked questions about the specific models.

Twin air mattress with frame – an elusive beast

The twin air mattress with frame is rare but we’ve been seing questions about it so we took the time to dig deeper and find a few beds in the size the do the job Out of the top picks, the Ivation and Coleman blow up mattresses with a legs and case also come in Twin size.

We feel that’s enough because it covers both home and outdoor use.

Air mattress on frame – FAQs

Is there an option to separate the mattress from the frame?

This is one of the more commonly asked questions about the EZ beds. Unlike the Coleman cot, the mattress of all the EZs (Insta, Serta and Ivation) is fixed and cannot be detached from the frame.

This also answers the question about pairing it with a futon. To be honest, we’re not sure why , but we did receive a few questions about the possibility of using the beds with one half supported by the frame and legs and the other half rested on a futon platform.

The fixed designed doesn’t allow anything of the sort. It’s one of our top picks from the brand, too, you can see the full guide on Insta-bed models here.

The height of the mattress

We measured the height of the inflatable parts only and it’s approximately 9 ½ inches, while the overall height when fully inflated is 22 inches.

It’s true to size?

This is a quick question not only because some of the air mattresses we looked at were simply smaller than the list dimensions but, more importantly, it’s about being true to size when it comes to the sleeping surface itself.

Let us explain that one – because the design of any inflatable bed has more less prominent arches on the sides, some companies opt in to list the dimensions of the further-most points of the bed.

What this means for the buyer is that the actual slip sleeping surface is slightly smaller.

That’s not the case with any of the beds we listed and the dimensions and the fact sheet are the actual dimensions of the sleeping surface.

Terms of the warranty

This Insta is covered by a standard one year manufacturer’s warranty on defects in craftsmanship like leaking seams.

Is it easy to move around?

The whole set (air mattress, frame and legs) packs down to the size of a medium suitcase and weighs approximately 55 LBS. The wheels on the carry case make it easy to move around.

What kind of sheets to use?

Since we mentioned that it is true to size and the only available in Queen, we would recommend fitted queen-size sheets. The depth of the pockets should be a bit higher than the 9 ½ inches of the mattress to compensate for the arched sides.

Don’t make the mistake of choosing sheets that are not deep enough.

Other air mattresses do have indentations (ribs) on the sides for the elastic band to grip. If you look at the pictures, these mattresses are one-piece, so “shallow” pockets won’t have anything to grip.

Can I use it for everyday sleep?

None of these are designed to be the main bed and, typically, the company will stress so in the instructions manual. For everyday use, you would need something sturdier – you can see our guide on the most durable and heavy-duty air mattresses here.

Power

The plug-in is a standard 120 V AC and to use it with any other power source (like a car outlet), your only option will be a converter.

If you do decide to use a converter, do make sure that the power (wattage) of the converter/inverter is high enough. Otherwise, you’re risking damaging or even “burning” the pump.

If you’re asking us, we would not invest in this kind of a high-end product and then expose it to the elements.

That’s one of the reasons that we included the Coleman cot in this list – the design is similar & the Coleman is meant to be used on the outdoors. It’s also significantly cheaper.

Cord length and placement

We measured the cord of this Insta to be about 5 feet, so make sure to they take that into account when thinking about where you’d place the bed.

With classic airbeds this might not be a big factor, but with EZs it’s something to think about, for two reasons.

One – it is heavier and harder to move once set up, so we would advise setting the bed up in the room where it will be for the night.

Two – to make full use of the smart pump, you need to keep it plugged in through the night.

Getting an elegant eye candy mattress and then using extension cords all around it kind of beats the purpose.

The noise of the secondary pump

The secondary pump “engages” only occasionally and when it does, it’s practically silent.

If you are awake when it does its job you might hear low humming, but unless you’re an extremely light sleeper, we can’t see the sound waking you up.

The bottom end of the legs

One of the questions that kept popping up is whether the legs can damage hardwood floors.

The sturdy plastic used for the finish of the legs has no sharp edges and we’ve seen no complaints from owners about their floor being scratched.

That goes even for the users who burdened the mattress to its maximum capacity (500 LBS).

Edge support and weight distribution

Another common issue with the classic inflatable is the edges not being sturdy enough to sit on.

The combination of the sturdy frame and the multilayered pineal with chambered inner design is what makes an EZ bed different.

The edges are definitely sturdy enough to sit on, more so than with any other air mattress we know.

The risk of over-inflation

At this price point, it’s only natural that issues like this are addressed, which is the case with this Insta.

Important part of the pump design is the auto shut-off safety, which turns it off the moment the bed is inflated.

FAQs about the Serta air mattress with frame EZ

We already mentioned it a few times – the two EZs coming from Insta and Serta are very similar and most of the questions and answers above also apply to the Serta.

We only have a handful of FAQs specific to this bed.

Exact dimensions of the frame

We measured the frame for the queen-size to be 64 inches long, 54 inches wide and approximately 11 ½ inches high.

This puts the combined height of the whole mattress at 22 inches.

Best practices when it comes to storing

To maximize the longevity of the plastic parts, we would advise storing it at room temperatures. Avoid attics or basements where temperatures and humidity fluctuate.

This will have an impact on the longevity of both the vinyl and the plastic parts of the frame and legs.

What can I do if only want to replace the mattress?

We’ve seen a few cases of people whose mattress sprung a leak outside the warranty period. The seller of this Serta does offer replacement mattresses. For this, you would have to contact them directly.

Measured dimensions of the carry case

The dimensions of the carry case are 19 x 17 x 38 inches (as per our measurements).

Specifics of the smart pumps

This following section is not specific to the pumps of the two mattresses above, but we think it’s important to mention it.

In case you need to choose the power inverter on converter, the best practice is to adjust your choice to the specs listed. You can find these printed either on the pump unit or on the label attached to the cord.

In case the specifics are not listed with your mattress, we can give you a general outline of power specs that this kind of pumps (usually made overseas) adhere to.

• 60 HZ
• 1.1 A
• 130 Watts
• Max PCSI – 0.5

Let us stress one more time that the specs listed are general and we provide them for reference purposes.

These kinds of products have to meet the standards outlined in the UL catalog for household and commercial furnishings, STD 962.

FAQs about the third top air mattress with frame – Ivation

Can the pump be used without electricity?

Much like the previously mentioned models, the Ivation air mattress with frame features a built-in pump that runs on standard power and cannot be used with a battery-operated, a leg or manual pump.

Is the pump “smart”?

Since the two EZ models we mentioned above are the most popular airbeds of the type, people tend to assume that this Ivation also comes with the smart pump, which is not the case.

It only includes the primary pump that inflates and deflates the mattress.

Weight

The Ivation is a bit lighter and the whole set weighs just over 50 pounds in queen-size and approximately 41 for the Twin.

Mobility

The duffel case measures 26 x 16 x 21 “ (Queen) and 24 x 14 x 20 “ (Twin).

Height and size of the Queen and Twin

The length of the Queen and Twin is 78 and 77 respectively; the queen-size is 61 inches wide one between measures 40.

The heights are 24 and 22 “.

Is the mattress removable?

No, the inflatable is fixed to the frame and cannot be removed.

Does it include a repair kit?

Yes there is a small patch kit that comes with the package but, based on what we’ve seen; it has a very low percentile of air leak development.

FAQs about the Coleman cot air mattress with legs

Can this air mattress with legs puncture a tent?

The answer to this depends on the quality of your tent surface and how much you burden the air mattress. The plastic parts are rounded and there are no sharp edges, but it’s still possible.

If you’re using the mattress to its maximum capacity (600 LBS) is probably smart to add a layer of fabric to the plastic parts. It’s five minutes work and might save you a big headache in the long run.

Sleeping arrangements when used only as cot?

There are no prominent bars protruding from the bottom of the frame, but that doesn’t mean that you can use the whole surface of the cot if you’re sleeping alone.

In queen-size, there is a top to bottom metal bar at the middle, so even if you sleep alone, you’ll only be using half of the surface.

Is the pump included?

Unlike some other Coleman models, the cot air mattress with legs does include a battery-operated pump (4D).

Materials of the Cot and sleeve

The fabric used for the top of the cot resembles canvas and feels pretty durable, while the zippered sleeve is softer and made of cotton.

The cutouts on the top and of the sleeve make it easier to fit the inflatable in.

The side tables

The side tables are a nice touch, but they’re optional and can be detached from the frame if you feel like you don’t need them.

Is the frame high enough for things to be stored underneath?

The frame sits to 22 inches and, since the crows bars only the top, bottom and middle, there’s plenty of space to store things underneath the frame.

This makes all the difference because the bed does take up significant space in a tent.

Weight of the Queen and Twin

The weight for two sizes is about 40 & 30, for the Queen and Twin respectively. It’s also one of the top 10 best camping air mattresses as per last update.

Summary and updates

To make sure we stay on top of things and always provide relevant data and ratings, we aim to update our guides every 3 to 4 months, depending on how much new info we pool.

Typically, we re-test the products once a year, unless we see a significant change in the user satisfaction %s, which can trigger an immediate re-testing of the airbeds.

For you, this means that the ratings of information provided are always fresh and relevant.

With any questions, experiences or simply thoughts, please do feel free to reach out either in the comment section below or by directly emailing us through our contact page.

We respond to all inquiries within 24 hours.

The Sleep Studies Team