~~*~~ Bestway Comfort Quest Flocked Double Air Mattress ~~*~~

You may think I'm completely insane (I don't actually care) but I love camping with my 3 large dogs - 2 Labradors: Pig n Oink and an Irish Water Spaniel: Puddle. Admittedly, the first time was a little stressful - there were fat baby Pig footprints all over the inside and out of the tent, then there was the ripped door when she basically tried to run through it and we're just going to ignore the millions of tent pegs that have literally been lost into the ether when the girls and their friends have run through the guy ropes. However, there's nowt quite like waking up in the morning, opening your eyes just a wee bit to see your 3 best friends staring intently at you 2 inches away from your face - there are no sneaky lie-ins when you go camping with gundogs.

I'd camped through America and Thailand and the worst thing for me was not sleeping because I'd pitched the tent on a load of pine cones (I'm not renowned for my common-sense). So back in the UK and planning a weekend with my bestest friend (Pig) in the lakes, I purchased my first airbed and I've never looked back. This however, is my 4th airbed, the others going the way most inflatables do when they encounter the combination of claws and fat arses. 2 years ago I bought my first Bestway Air Mattress from Wilkos and I still have it - not bad considering it's been on numerous camping experiences and kept me comfy in the kitchen whilst whelping Pig's babies for 3 long and arduous weeks. It has since then been used for all drunken friends that stay over and I'm so pleased I got another to line the entire base of my 4 man tent (I was fed up with being turfed off by the 3 fat butts as they wanted comfort).

The airbed comes neatly packed in a cardboard box with a lovely picture of it placed lovingly on a lawn - I've never camped on a lawn but I have placed the airbed on very uneven horse trodden fields and with the airbed underneath me, I couldn't tell. Beware, after removing it from the box and using it once, you will never ever return it to its original state but this shouldn't be a problem - I keep mine in a bin bag in the shed and neither of them have suffered. There are minimal instructions included which basically state not to set fire to it, blow it up using industrial machinery or float out to sea - I can confirm though during one particularly damp Cumbrian experience June 2012, that the air bed floats quite happily though the flocked material was damp for many days after. I like the fluffier side as sleeping bags don't slip and neither do the girls; there's also a distinct lack of 'farty' noises when you turn over which is always nice when camping with friends.

This is not merely an air bed, it is an air mattress with coil beam construction which actually makes it ruddy comfortable and retain its shape even when the Pig clambers on and Oink makes a leap for cuddles. It's a double airbed and this is actually a double - there's plenty of room for 2 humans. It doesn't come with a pump and although I survived at first without buying one, it takes a great deal of puff to blow it up so I invested in a car lighter/mains pump thingy which is ace and takes about 3 minutes to inflate. Deflating it takes no time at all - remove the quick deflation valve and start rolling it up from the opposite end - done. It states on the details that it'll take 295kg/46 stones - I can confirm that the 4 of us weigh just over 150kg so that's loads more doggies I can happily take camping with me. With this weight in mind, we slept on it for a week, (in the middle of gale force winds, hail and torrential rain) and it didn't need re-inflating once. It measures 140x191x23 and fitted easily in my 2 man tent, 2 of them line the floor nicely of my 4 man with no gaps at all. It's not a light object when deflated (3.5kg) so don't go packing it in your suitcase as a 'just in case' but definitely do sling it in the car if there's the slight possibility you'll be sleeping under the stars.

You can purchase them for £13 from Wilkos at the moment so I suggest stocking up because Christmas is coming and it's perfect for unwanted family guests. http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/camping /bestway-comfort-quest-flocked-air-mattress-double /invt/0228343/
Or give them a ring on 08456 080807 and ask them how many people have purchased airbeds for their dogs - I must be mad.


Me, Pig, Puddle & Oink.

August 2012.

Review will more than likely appear elsewhere.