The Lightspeed Outdoors TPU air mattress/pad has been one of our top choice among camping air mattresses for as far back as we can remember. A refreshing mix between a sleeping pad and an air mattress, this 2 person TPU is a refreshing addition to the market and hits the sweet spot for many campers, including most of our featured testers. It’s lightweight, durable, battery-operated so it pretty much check all the boxes of a good camping airbed.

With the current ratings of 88 / 100 and with Durability as it’s main forte (rated at 90/100), the pad/mattress is still one of the few top camping choices.

Current Overall rating

Last updated: March 2019

 

Since SoundAsleep products are our known point of reference for anything we’ll potentially allow into our tents, let’s see how this bad boy faired against their camping series model.

Side-by-side comparison

	Lightspeed Outdoors	Sound Asleep Camping Series
Comfort	87/100	94/100
Durability	90/100	95/100
Air Retention	86/100	92/100
Pump	88/100	92/100
Value for money	89/100	92/100
Overall Rating	88 / 100	93 / 100
Color	Green/Brown-Blue /Blue	Blue
Sizes	2 Person	Twin/Queen
Height	6.25"	9"
Read more on Amazon

Lightspeed info on this camping air bed:

• 2-person air bed
• PVC and phthalate-free
• Adjustable firmness via stabilizing system and 2-way Boston valve
• Material – TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane)
• Superior durability
• Packs up compact and lightweight
• Better temperature stability and abrasion-resistance
• Battery operated pump
• Oversized bag for storage
• Measurements – 79” x 55” x 6.25”
• Packed size – 18.4” x 9.2”
• Weight – 6 lbs

 

We’ve received a mouthful of information here. Time to put it all to the test by filtering it through some positive and negative user feedback. The experiences presented below are updated with new data and feedback we received since the latest update. If we send a mattress out for free testing we tend to not include those experiences in this section, for the reasons of maintaining objectivity.

The things users liked about this air mattress for camping in their reviews:

• The pump works like a charm, and the bed fits perfectly in the back of our Ford Explorer
• The mattress is very comfortable and doesn’t bounce you all over the place when your husband twists and turns like there’s no tomorrow
• It inflates super fast, and it’s extremely light to carry around. I would even go as far as to say you might backpack with this. I like my sleeping surface a bit softer, so it was more comfortable for me with less air pumped into it. It’s a matter of personal preference, though
• Best air mattress for camping I’ve ever had! I’ve burned through half a dozen so far, and I was left sleeping on the ground way too often. This little guy holds air day after day without having to refill it every couple of hours or so
• I’ve used it three times for camping so far, and so far, so good. The last time I slept on it with two other people, and it took it like a champ. I know it says two people max, but exceeding that limit didn’t seem to do much to the mattress itself. It didn’t lose any air, nor did the seams mind
• I love the carry bag I got with it. Most of all the fact that it’s way bigger than it really needs to be to fit the bed comfortably. I just hate when I have to roll the hell out of the mattress to fit it into a bag that was made to carry it around
• It’s perfect for my husband and me. The size is also great for our 3-person tent, so it doesn’t take up all the space inside nor does it push on the sides of the tent. Great buy, and a great solution for all our troubles with outdoors sleeping arrangements

• The valve prevents any air from leaking out before I can screw the cap on, which is just great. The mattress doesn’t have that “stretching time”, so there’s no need for topping it off until it reaches its full size
• The material feels pretty durable, so I’m not afraid the thing will get punctured or anything. I have a personal knack for picking the worst possible camping spots, so it’s a personal relief knowing we have a tank among camping air mattresses handy. Once I set camp on some pretty sharp rocks, it was a disaster…
• I really like the fact that it doesn’t have any harmful materials in it. It’s an Eco-friendly, but also a people-friendly air mattress for camping. I’ve read a bunch of reviews and articles where people talk about the harmful effects of PVC and phthalates, and this bed was just the right thing to put my mind at ease
• I’m the most passionate camper with the shortest camping carrier out there. However, I’ve had 2 Intex air mattresses and 1 Coleman. Lightspeed Outdoors feels much more durable and heavy-duty overall. The material seems thicker, it holds air better and just gives off the feeling of a dedicated camping mattress. The price tag doesn’t even begin to reflect the sheer quality this model has to offer
• The pump met all my expectations. It gets the job done perfectly, and rather quickly, I might add. I’ve had a bunch of PVC air mattresses I used for camping, and this one feels the most solid by far
• It offers great support for an air mattress! Unfortunately, my bad back can’t keep up with my love of camping and the outdoors, so back pain became quite a problem over the years. With this bed, I feel my spine being aligned properly, and it throws in an extra benefit of taking care of my hips and shoulders as well
• It amazing how well-rested and rejuvenated I feel every morning after spending the night on this air bed. I needed to stretch for almost an hour just to get me moving every morning, and now I can just get up, get dressed and get on with enjoying everything Mother Nature has to offer
• Best air mattress for camping based on the sheer quality-to-price ratio. It holds its own even when compared to the most expensive mattresses I’ve owned over the years. I even got a great discount, so I paid around 70 bucks for it. It was quite the bargain

Downsides reported in recent reviews of the Lightspeed Outdoors:

• It’s a great mattress, but it has a pretty slippery bottom. So, the only thing I would change for the better would be to add some rough patch of material on the bottom that would prevent slipping. Things being as they are, I always put something underneath the mattress to keep it locked in place
• The bed makes squeaky noises when we move, but not loud enough to wake us up once we fall asleep. The noise seems to be louder when we’re camping out in cooler weather conditions
• The pump needs 4 D batteries, which means it’s reasonably heavy to carry around. The mattress itself is quite light for the size
• The size doesn’t seem quite right. I didn’t whip out my measuring tape just yet, but it feels more like Full-Size than Queen. The thickness is just right, though. It supports me no problem, and I’m a pretty big of a task to support. There’s even enough space for two people to fit comfortably and move around

Final thoughts

This camping air bed has a lot of things going for it, and we’ll focus on the couple of them not noticed by the customers. Well, they all reflect on the things like comfort and stability, but we’ll throw a bit of science into the mix.

The first thing we’ll talk about is TPU as the material of choice. I’ve written a lot about the potentially harmful effects of PVC, and I’m really glad every time I see an eco-friendly camping mattress. The bigger thing is the absence of phthalates. They’re used as “plasticizers”, which make the PVC softer than it would be without them. PVC is a hard plastic material that needs to be softened in order to make for an air mattress. That’s where plasticizers come in.

We’ve already written about TPU in so many places, we won’t repeat the same story here. We’ll just point out some of the benefits it holds over PVC. As we already said, it doesn’t need phthalates to make a decent air mattress. It’s much lighter than PVC (40%, to be exact). It’s also more durable, abrasion-resistant and less prone to ballooning or stretching.

It’s no wonder TPU is used in making hiking shoes and boots.

The Stabilizing system featured in this mattress is patented and entrusted with securing equal weight distribution over the sleeping surface. It also keeps the surface from losing its rigidity over night, maintaining it nice and flat at all times. That’s how it contributes to the overall comfort. 192 stabilizers connect the bottom and the top of the mattress, ensuring minimized motion transfer and bouncing.

Boston valve allows for two things. It makes inflating/deflating the mattress a piece of cake, and it gives it a note of customizability when it comes to firmness and comfort. The first cap serves for inflation/deflation while other can let air get in but not out. That opens up the possibility of targeted firmness control.

This model got 88/100 overall rating after our merciless slew of tests, which is an amazing result. As we always say, it’s not exactly SoundAsleep, but pretty darn close. It’s no wonder it got 2nd place in our newest “Best air mattress for camping” update.

It’s a great addition to the ever-growing family of camping products, and it won’t leave you on the ground in the middle of the night.

Since the last update, we tweaked a few things in the way we rate products, all with the purpose of making the whole process more reliable. We are still working on those, but since we have a hefty number of updates behind us, we do believe that our ratings paint a pretty clear picture of a product.

If you feel like there is something we haven’t covered about this Lightspeed, or have an experience of your own to share, do drop us a line in the comment section and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

Be a smart camper,

Last updated: March 2019