Raised air mattress: is a double-high bed worth it?

Yes, if the bed is for guests or anyone who finds getting up from the floor hard. Raised air mattresses stand 18 to 20 inches tall on maker pages, close to a standard bed, against 10 to 12 inches for mid-rise models. The trade-offs: more air to fill, a longer inflation, and sheets with deeper pockets.

How tall is a raised air mattress?

Makers sort their beds by height, and the numbers on their own pages are the best guide:

“Double high” and “raised” are marketing terms without a fixed height, so compare the number in inches. King Koil lists its Luxury line in 13, 16 and 20 inch heights; the King Koil guide covers it.

What a taller bed gets you

A bed around 18 to 20 inches tall brings the sleeping surface close to the height of a regular bed. For a guest, that means sitting down onto the bed and standing up again rather than climbing up from the floor.

A tall bed also looks and works more like a guest bed than a camping bed. Some raised models add a headboard: Intex’s Deluxe Ultra Plush Headboard queen measures 60 x 80 x 18 inches including the headboard.

What it costs you

More air, more time. Intex lists about 3 minutes to fill its 12 inch queen and about 4.5 minutes for its 20 inch Thermalux queen. Its 18 inch headboard queen takes about 5 minutes.

A pump you depend on. Every 18 and 20 inch bed on Intex’s Deluxe and PremAire series pages has a built-in electric pump. That is convenient near an outlet, but read the built-in pump guide for what to do if the pump fails.

Deeper sheets. Intex says normal sheets work on its airbeds if their pocket depth matches the bed. A 20 inch bed needs a deep pocket; the sheets and toppers guide explains how to match them.

No extra load rating. Intex gives its full, queen and king beds a 600 lb limit at every height, so a taller bed is not a stronger one.

Raised and double-high air mattresses

Shop the range

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• Double-high queenShop on eBay →
• Air mattress with headboardShop on eBay →
• Raised twinShop on eBay →

When a mid-rise or low bed is the better pick

A 10 to 12 inch bed packs smaller, fills faster and fits under a sloped ceiling or in a tent. For camping, a low bed or a sleeping pad usually makes more sense than a raised home bed, and the camping air mattress guide explains why.

Getting a tall bed ready for a guest

A tall bed holds more air, so the effects of temperature and new vinyl are easier to notice. Intex says new vinyl stretches under body weight for the first few uses, and its owner’s manual says the air inside expands and contracts with temperature, which can lower the pressure. Outwell’s manual puts it plainly: cold air contracts and the bed loses some pressure; warm air expands. Inflate a new raised bed a day ahead, in the room where it will be used, and top it up before bed on the first few nights.

Measure the inflated height once it has settled, then buy sheets to match. If you plan to add a topper, add its thickness too.

How construction affects a tall bed

Intex builds most of its airbeds with I-beam construction: parallel internal beams, which it calls Dura-Beam, made from thousands of polyester fibers welded to the top and bottom. Intex says these fibers do not stretch over time. SoundAsleep uses what it calls ComfortCoil Technology, with 40 internal air coils in its Dream Series queen.

For all heights and sizes side by side, go back to the air mattress overview.