Aerobed PakMat

This review is based on our experiences with two of these inflatable beds; the first was unsatisfactory, and the company sent us a second; however, that one has also proven a major disappointment.

We had thought this would be great for car camping and some canoe camping, for a "mature" camper, who is resistant to sleeping on the rough ground. Since it has been a "bust" as it were, we cannot recommend this product to others.

We purchased the PakMat so that my husband's aching back could continue to participate in camping trips...originally for car camping, and later for canoe camping. Though the product was a bit large, it was self-contained, as the case serves as the pump.

The pad has 5" loft when inflated (no blowing it up..the container serves as a bellows-type pump), and has the nice horizontal baffles that make sleeping more comfortable. It was long enough for my tall husband, and seemed like it would do the trick.

On the first use (in a lean-to) last summer, the pad was completely deflated by the middle of the night. We have a large AeroBed mattress that we have used for years, so we thought that spending the $100 on this pad would be a good investment. Wrong...we checked it at home, and though we could not find a source of leakage, it was clearly losing air.

We contacted AeroBed. They had us e-mail them some documentation and photos, and they sent us a replacement. We cannot complain about the ease with which they honored the warranty. The replacement pad was used 5-6 times last summer, and seemed to hold more air, but not as firmly as it should be. Sure enough, first trip this year, it went flat during the night.

At this point, we consider the pad a waste of money. When inflated, it was a bit of a "luxury" camping pad...but when it was deflated, not at all! We will now purchase an inflatable pad from another manufacturer.