Zempire  Monstabed Twin Air Bed

I have been an air mattress camper for a long time, but after a recent trip where it dipped near freezing, I knew we needed something with insulation. I was going to buy a double mat to put on top of our existing air bed, but came across this and wow - it checks all of the boxes. You can adjust the firmness of the mat separately from the air bed section, and the valves are intuitive to use. I didn’t have a problem fitting it back in the bag. It doesn’t come with a pump but it has an adapter which worked fine with my Amazon pump. The first time I rolled it up there was a small seam gap where the mat section connects to the air bed section - sealed it up with the repair kit and no issues. It didn’t seem like that section was under pressure except when deflating, so who knows. I didn’t have time to exchange before my trip and it held up fine. Zempire claims the R value is 10 and I believe it - it felt like it was a heated pad, I was so toasty. May not be able to use this guy in the summer. It is large to travel with, definitely car camping only.

My path to this mat was an odd one. Researching how I could have been safer camping through a thunderstorm, I saw that it's generally considered best to be off the ground, both to prevent your body from being a conduit to the ground, and to insulate you from the energy traveling through the ground. At a combined ~15" thick, Monstabed does just that, without a metal frame. I'm no stranger to comfortable mats. I'm in my 30s now, and a side sleeper, so my backpacking air and foam mats are proving to be less and less comfortable. I upgraded in 2022 to an Exped Megamat Max 15 Duo, and this Monstabed proved to be yet another upgrade. It's generally the same footprint as Exped's most deluxe model, but the height difference is luxurious, if you have the space. The air and foam layers provide plenty of support for me+1, and has the height to allow my shoulder and hips to sink when I lay on my side, which the Exped did marginally. It's also really nice having a seat-height surface in the tent for socks and boots. I find the air portion does most the heavy lifting, then the foam gets dialed in for comfort and can be easily adjusted while still in bed. Adjusting the foam isn't much of an option in the Exped, because making it softer also drops you to the ground. I found the foam plenty warm, but our first few nights were only in the 40s. The Monstabed can be outfitted with most deep full mattress fitted sheets and mattress protectors. I threw a quilted mattress protector on mine to help soften the impact of dog nails, and went with a warm down blanket on top. I used a Flextail Max Pump 3 to inflate and deflate, and I would pair them again in a heartbeat. The Zempire pump was OOS from the manufacturer and REI, but honestly it looks like a total piece and I'm glad I didn't spend $50 on it. I only have two notes. You'll need a tent with vertical walls or a massive footprint for it to fit. Certainly measure first, and make sure you're accounting for the ~15" height. Secondly, I'm not terribly thrilled that Zempire chose to require a threaded adapter to fill the mat. I would prefer fill valves similar to literally every other air mattress out there, and not having to carry a small, critical adapter with the mat. But it's otherwise perfect, and surprisingly a solid value, too.

Did a pre-fest test run. Instruction manual is too small to read. Can't get it to deflate enough to fit into the carrying bag. Broke one of the valves immediately, and the pieces of it are lost in the air channels. I'm sure that it'll sleep fine, but it's a beast to manage. All packed, it'll take up as much cargo space as my 6 person tent.

Introducing a partner to camping? Well, this is the mattress for you. I needed to find a way to get my city bound partner out into the woods and decided to invest in this most indulgent purchase. Three nights under the moonlit sky, and my partner was completely sold; my heart broke on the other hand, knowing that my own mattress at home paled considerably compared to the Zempire twin mattress. We used queen sheets — which fit perfectly— and each slept in our own sleeping bags topped with a wool blanket. There were no issues whatsoever with air leaking and, in the three days we camped, we did not have to top up as the mattress kept nice and firm. Note: I am not an entirely patient person and so I did have a smidge of an issue with using a hand pump with this product as it did require a lot of air to inflate (note to self: buy the electric pump). But, it was worth all the effort for the decadent afternoon naps and luxurious sleep. Also, stuffing this mattress back in the carry case was by far the most impossible task (an electric pump would have helped deflate it enough to fit in its carry case). If you don’t want to have a sweaty, frustrating camp break down experience, then just get a larger carry case. We experienced the same thing with the Zempire Aerospeed 10 tent. These are not negatives for us though, just things we have to make minor adjustments to.