Okay, I'm going all out and buying my DD an airbed, too, for her church sleepover which will take place on a very hard floor. I don't know if I should buy a twin, or a queen. Queen makes more sense in general if we have guests, of course, and price wise is only $3.00 more than the twin. However, the queen will be cumbersome when it's just her and it won't even fit in her bedroom (or any bedroom we have with all the furniture/beds already in them and their small size) so it would always have to be used in the living room or family room. A twin would be easier to haul around and such, but not so useful for more than one guest. What do you think?? Twin or queen?? She can share and let someone else sleep on it with her, each in their own sleeping bag. Also, I bought Greatland airbeds. Are they any good? WHY are 'Aerobeds' SO expensive?? I realize they come with a pump and a mattress pad, but they were $200!!! I spent $20 on the Greatland queen!! What fantastic things am I missing out on with my cheap Greatland??

By Pamt on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 08:54 am:

We are the air bed pros, since we sleep on them frequently on mission trips. Someone from our church in MO gave us an aerobed as a going away present when we moved here and we have enjoyed the heck out of it. There is a huge difference. The one you got is fine for one night, but when you are sleeping on the floor for a solid week doing physically and emotionally draining work, the difference is obvious. Other airbeds will slowly deflate all night---usually not to the point that you are on the floor, but enough so that your butt sags lower than the rest of your body in the morning. Air beds are also a pain to inflate and most have caps that aren't attached (I don't know why!), so invariably we have youth lose the caps and there is no way to keep the bed inflated. I would buy a twin Greatland for an occasional sleepover type of thing and if you want an air mattress for guests, it is worth the extra bucks to go for the queen aero.

By Trina~moderator on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 09:26 am:

We have three Aerobeds and absolutely LOVE them! I remember being in your situation and having difficulty decided what size to get. We started out with a queen, and although it has been great, there are times when it's too big. Then we bought a full and recently purchased a twin. Now we're all set for every scenario. LOL! As Pam stated, they are comfortable and worth the $. We use them often and have no regrets. My sister and her DH slept on the queen over the holidays and were raving about it in the morning. They said it was much more comfortable than the inflatable mattress they had and much easier to set up and take down.

By Mommmie on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 12:19 pm:

I wouldn't send an airbed to a one night kid sleep over at the church esp if none of the other kids have them. Is that common where you are?

By Trina~moderator on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 12:57 pm:

Good point, Mommmie. For just a one night thing I would probably send along a camping sleep pad with a sleeping bag.

By Tayjar on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 01:53 pm:

Did you buy an electric pump so you can inflate the bed? I highly recommend the pumps that come with an adapter that plugs into the wall and can be charged up. They cost a little more but well worth it. Plus, they stay charged for a long time. Makes it handy on overnight trips.

Will she have room at the sleepover for a queen? Also, if there is extra room on it, other kids might want to sleep with her. How will she choose who gets to? Might want to talk about that before she goes to avoid some hurt feelings.

We have a queen and a twin, the twin is for sleepovers or Girl Scout camp.

By Kate on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 08:38 pm:

The rolled up mats cost as much as the airbed!! I am keeping the twin, thanks for the advice. And yes, everyone brings air mattresses to this church sleepover, and this way I will have it for any guests, too. I also have a daybed so I could sleep two if necessary.

Target has their camping gear 75% off!! I bought the most awesome Coleman air pump/compressor/deflator with two hoses, four nozzles, and the pumping, compressing, and deflating capabilities. It is electric with your basic cord and just plugs in and doesn't charge, you just use it from the wall plug so no worries about charging or using batteries. And we never ever camp and we never ever will, so I don't have to worry about lack of electricity in the wilderness and being unable to plug it in. It was a $60 pump and I got it for $15.

By Mommmie on Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 04:45 pm:

Very cool!

By Kaye on Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 04:54 pm:

I guess I need to head to target...we camp way too much!