Bamboo Cover air mattress review – 2023 update

by air mattress reviews

Good airbed that’s been discontinued

You probably found this page by following the links in off our main guides. If that’s the case, we have bad and good news.

The bad news is that, although very good, this bed was discontinued.

The good news is this – there’s an air mattress that ticks all the same boxes…and a few more – it’s the SoundAsleeep Cloud Nine, which you can see reviewed here.

We’re leaving the rest of the review as-is for a while…just in case this bed comes back. Just don’t fall in love with it ’cause you can’t find it anywhere…believe me, we tried.

Words from the old review

This air mattress is a part of the “new wave” air mattresses.

It’s the second best in ratings and top choice in many statistical categories – the most important being durability and resistance to developing leaks.

It’s currently rated with an all-time high of 96/100 in the category of durability, which makes it the runner up. Let’s see what makes it tick.

best choice by airmattress com queen

Last updated: 2023

But, does it live up to the hype?
*Our testing results*

Looking past the marketing lingo

This airbed is the first product coming from a company (website) that only used to sell other brands up to this point.

They’ve been in the industry since 2003 and once this airbed hit the market towards the end of 2016, the reaction in the industry was bordering on frenzy.

But we never take things at face value, we test and review the products before offering any conclusions. Here’s what we saw with this one.

fitted bamboo topper and skirt

All quality ratings

  • 93%
    Air retention - 93%
  • 92%
    Comfort - 92%
  • 96%
    Durability & Longevity - 96%
  • 93%
    User satisfaction - 93%
  • 91%
    Value for $ - 91%
93%

Not thicker but better PVC

The other airbed that’s as tough and made from a material that’s as puncture resistant is Fox Plush, which weighs almost twice as much as this airbed because the PVC is 43% thicker.

The durability of the material of Best Choice Bamboo doesn’t come from the fact that the PVC is thicker (like with the Fox Plush), but multi-layered and nylon encased. This makes it the only one of it’s kind on the market.

In terms of weight/packing size vs. durability and longevity there’s no better air bed out there.

illustration of the airbed material

Overall Rating

%

User Satisfaction

User satisfaction stats from our evidence

  • 1 in 108 users of this air mattress have noticed an air leak within the first month of use (this is what we call factory leaks)
  • Within a period of 6 months, 1 in 80 people have noticed their airbed leaking
  • Within a year the number goes up to 1 in 68 (1.15%)
What this means for you

The warranty period of this airbed is 1 year, which means that, according to our stats, there is just over 1 % chance that you will have to go through the hassle of replacing the bed.

This makes it one of the best air mattresses out there, especially in terms of reliability.

unboxing

Air retention and durability ratings

As we saw in the stats, this bed is one of the few most reliable in terms of air retention leak- and puncture resistance and durability.

Air retention
The main reason for that is the innovative PVC

The material used to make is not just any old vinyl. The most important difference is that it’s laminated (nylon encased).

Explaining how the material is different is not easy, so just think laminated paper. To prevent paper from deteriorating, we laminate it by adding a layer of thin plastic.

Why does it make such a big difference?

The laminate nylon-encasing doesn’t just make a difference in terms of being more resistant to punctures.

Probably the more important difference is the stretching of the material. Regular PVC stretches much more and this puts much more stress on the seams, which is why airbeds of lower quality develop invisible leaks at the seams.

If you owned a lower quality airbeds before you probably know what we’re talking about.

frontal view of the infalatable bed

Is it comfortable?

Who it’s not for

It’s not for people who prefer sleeping on soft air mattresses. Because the vinyl doesn’t stretch as much this inflatable bed doesn’t have that bouncy “quality” most air beds have.

This is a firm and stable air bed that feels and sleeps very similar to a regular spring or latex mattress.

One of the few models that comes with its own topper

Air mattresses with a topper, whether it’s memory foam or a pillow top fiber are usually much more expensive than this model. Alternatively, you can get a topper that will make the air mattress more comfortable and pay extra money for it.

close up bamboo cover of best choice air mattress

Comfort Rating

User satisfaction rating

Current user satisfaction of this airbed is 93 %.

This is a number that we get when we combine the existing user reviews and those of our testers and represents the % of people who rated it with either 4 or 5 stars.

This is the third top rating overall, and highest in the category

There are two other airbeds that currently have a higher user satisfaction rating.

The first one is the Cloud 9 which costs about 50 % more than this model and the other one is the Camping Series by SoundAsleep, which is a camping air mattress.

What this means for you?

At these numbers and percentages it’s not about quality anymore, but personal preference. Every air mattress with a consumer satisfaction of over 85 % can be called a high-quality airbed.

Then how do I choose?

This is the airbed for you if you are looking for an air mattress that won’t be used once or twice and packed away in a shed.

QUEEN size Best Choice RAISED unboxed airbed

%

User Satisfaction

Is it worth the money?

One of the TOP 3

It’s our opinion that this bed is one of the TOP 3 best value-for-money products you can get. We looked at it from any angles possible, from projected lifespan (which you can see below)

The fact that it comes with a topper at no extra charge to the fact that it’s versatile and can be used outdoors because it comes with a separate valve for manual inflation.

Value for $

Bottom line

This is a conservatively-priced airbed and will be the choice of a conservative buyer who plans to use it more than a few times.

Fact Sheet:
  • Inner design – Constructed with coil beam
  • Internal high-capacity pump
  • Available sizes: Twin XL, Full, Queen, King
  • Dimensions of the Best Choice Raised Airbed: Twin XL – 80 x 40 x 15’’, Full – 18 x 16x 9″, Queen – 60 x 80 x 19’’, King – 84 x 81 x 18
  • Top surface – Vinyl reinforced with nylon (custom cover available). Height 20” (raised)
  • Warranty – 60 day risk-free and limited 1 year
  • Weight capacity: 200 lbs. for the Twin XL; 300 lbs. for the Queen; 600 for the King
  • Color: Blue
Features
  • Alternate valve
  • Bamboo Best Choice RAISED Airbed uses a high capacity pump with quick inflation time.
  • The Alternate Pinch Valve makes it suitable for outdoor use.
  • Drawstring storage bag.
  • Eco-friendly bamboo bed skirt.
Top Sleeping Surface

The top of the airbed has a velvety feel. It is made with a mix of nylon and vinyl. Fully raised, it stands at 18 – 20”.

Materials Used

High-quality nylon laminate to prevent stretching at the seams.
The nylon and vinyl combination makes the made lighter, comfortable and durable.

Company (manufacturer) and Power options

Manufactured by Fox Air Beds and distributed by FoxWebstores.

The custom cord of the Best Choice RAISED Airbed is designed to be compliant with US wall outlets (110V).

A power adapter is needed if the mattress in other countries because higher voltage could damage the pump.

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Any affiliate fees never add cost to you. Never. And we only recommend personally tested or thoroughly researched products.

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Author

  • Bob Ozment

    Bob has been testing and writing about all things sleep (and especially blankets, air mattresses and folding beds), for 8+ years now. before that, he worked as a Quality Assurance Manager with one of the bigger names in the sleep industry. He holds a masters degree Statistics, Actuarial & Data Sciences from the central Michigan University at Mount Pleasant. He's one of the people who designs our producing testing and statistical models. He’s a stomach sleeper, but nobody’s perfect.