TOWSURE CAMP BED
Price £7.85
Tel 0870 609 0070
Web www.towsure.com
Weight 3kg
Size Width 61cm, length 180cm
The cheapest camp bed in our test is very easy to construct: all you have to do is join several steel poles together and then insert them through sleeves along either side of the canvas sheet to form something that resembles a stretcher. Then push the three steel-tube supports into holes in the tubes and, vóila, a bed. It only took about 15 minutes to get this bed ready for action. With practice you could probably do it a lot quicker.
However, with a large adult trying it for comfort, the legs began to buckle and the canvas stretched and sagged like a hammock. It barely held him off the ground and the stitching on the canvas began to give. This, as with many similar beds, would limit its use to children or light adults. Better stitching might make it stronger without increasing the price much.
It is also too narrow for adults, making turning over very difficult, so the user might have to sleep on his or her back all night. Again, for smaller people this problem won't arise.
Verdict For children this bed would do the job, but you would need to spend a little more money if you wanted a bed for adult use.
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ARGOS SELF-INFLATING CAMPING MATRESS
Price £14.99
Tel 0870 600 1010 or text 07786 201201
Web www.argos.co.uk
Weight 1.4kg
Web Width 51cm, length 188cm
This air-bed does half the job of getting set up on its own. It is self-inflating, so there is no need to carry a separate pump or compressor and go to all the trouble of blowing it up. All you have to do is open the valve, watch the mattress inflate and then close the valve. When you wake up, just undo the valve, roll the bed up and fasten the straps tightly to keep it compressed in its tight, easy-to-store roll. On some thicker air-beds, you feel yourself rolling off, but this one provided the right amount of padding with no danger of the sleeper hitting the dirt. It also provides good insulation from the ground, but it would be more versatile if it were longer: anyone over six foot will have his or her feet dangling over the end.
Verdict A reasonably priced inflatable mattress that provides adequate comfort, although it is a little small.
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ARGOS SINGLE READY BED
Price £19.99
Tel 0870 600 1010 or text 07786 201201
Web www.argos.co.uk
Weight 2kg
Size Width 70cm, length 180cm
There will be no more rolling off the air-bed with this combined inflatable mattress and sleeping bag. The deflated air mattress slips into a sleeve on the underside of the sleeping bag, rather as a duvet fits into a quilt cover. And yes, it is as difficult as putting a duvet into its cover. But once it's done, the mattress remains attached to the underside of the sleeping bag, and the sleeper stays on the bed. It is only necessary to separate the set when you want to wash the sleeping bag, although it's probably best to remove the mattress when you get up in the morning so you can allow the sleeping bag to air out. The bag is wide enough for an adult to turn over reasonably easily at night, but the bed is on the short side for anyone over six feet tall. Although we did not test it in low temperatures, the 200gsm polyester filling of the sleeping bag should be warm enough for cool nights throughout the touring season.
Verdict Having a sleeping bag attached to the air mattress is a great idea, and all this for under £20 makes it stonking value.
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SUNNFLAIR CAMP BED
Price £19.95
Tel 0870 609 0070
Web www.towsure.com
Weight 5kg
Size Width 65cm, length 190cm
This camp bed promises so much with its anodised aluminium frame and strong nylon cover. But, based on our experience, it might turn out to be the stuff of nightmares, judging by the sample we tested, which we found impossible to assemble. The instructions are easy to follow and make it all sound so simple. All you have to do is unfold the frame that has the cover already attached. Then slide two crossbars through the canvas at each end of the bed and slot them into two studs on the frame to give the frame latitudinal support. The first bar goes in easily, but the second one on our sample was a challenge to fit. We even phoned Sunnflair for advice, but, after we'd spent two hours trying to get it to stand up, we gave up. The build quality of the legs and joints seems good and, overall, it appears that the Sunnflair camp bed will let you enjoy a good night's sleep if you can erect it. The fabric top is very taut which should provide plenty of support and prevent sagging. Being quite high it ought to make getting out of bed in the morning easier. But all this is speculation, since we could not construct it.
Verdict If you can't get the camp bed put up without giving yourself a headache then you'll have a bad start to your holiday.
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ARGOS ALUMINIUM CAMP BED
Price £19.99
Tel 0870 600 1010 or text 07786 201201
Web www.argos.co.uk
Weight 6kg
Size Width 70cm, length 190cm
This is one of the strongest beds we tested, and the sturdy aluminium frame is easy to put up. You open it out and put a bracing bar at each end. What makes this better than the Sunnflair we tested is that it can be set up almost effortlessly. One of the bracing bars is held with straps to the canvas. You loosen the straps to make fitting the bars to the ends of the bed easy. Once the frame is assembled, use the straps to draw the canvas taut. The frame was more than strong enough and long enough to accommodate a six-foot-tall, 16-stone adult. Another plus is its height of 42cm, which means getting up without an ungainly scramble, making it ideal for older people. But there's one drawback: it is the heaviest model we tested.
Verdict A well-made, well-designed bed that is easy to construct. Excellent value for money.
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JUST KAMPERS ALUMINIUM FOLDING BED J12401
Price £23.95
Tel 0845 120 4714
Web www.justkampers.com
Weight 5kg
Size Width 65cm, length 188cm
The most expensive item on our test, this bed is easy to construct and sturdy, making it worth the extra money. Just open it out, slot the bars in at each end, and the bed is ready to sleep on. Unlike the Argos aluminium camp bed, the supporting bars slide through the canvas fabric at each end, but they have slots in them to fit on the studs at the end of the bed, which makes them easy to fit. The hollow frame is lightweight but strong. It also boasts high-quality rubber leg ends that are big enough to stop the feet from digging into the ground. The canvas top is well stitched and supported a heavy adult with little sagging. Although the bed was not as long as the Argos model, it was big enough for a six-footer. For those who like to turn in their sleep, a bigger version of this bed is also available at 213cm long and 85cm wide.
Verdict An excellent folding bed that is easy to construct, well made and supremely comfortable, all of which make it worth the extra dosh.
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*** EDITOR'S CHOICE ***

CAMPING GAZ INFLATABLE BED
Price £9.95
Tel 0845 120 4714
Web www.justkampers.com
Weight 1.6kg
Size Width 73cm, length 188cm
What struck us most about this bed was the amazing value for money it offered. The cheapest inflatable bed on our test proved to be one of the best. It has a flock finish on the top with a conventional PVC base. The flock provides a warm feel, helps keep condensation down to a minimum and grips a sleeping bag, so it is less likely to slide off. Good support is provided by individual air pockets inside that act like mattress springs, compressing as you move. A welcome feature of this product is its double valve. You pull it out to pump up the mattress and then push it back in to create a seal that holds the air in while you detach the pump. The valve is then sealed again when you replace the stopper, which stop any air leaks through the valve, so you don't wake up on a flat air-bed.
Verdict Doubly impressive because it brings together great features at a low price.
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ARGOS HI-GEAR CAMP BED
Price £7.99
Tel 0870 6001010 or text 07786 201201
Web www.argos.co.uk
Weight 2.8kg
Size Width 60cm, length 182cm
There is no danger of over-sleeping on this bed: it is uncomfortable, narrow and sags, which makes turning over difficult. At least the Hi-Gear doesn't sag so much that the sleeper touches the cold and uneven ground. Still in all, this budget product is relatively easy to construct, but not quite as easy as the Towsure camp bed. Like the Towsure model, you start off by pushing two poles through sleeves in the canvas; the resulting assembly resembles a stretcher. Then insert four bent-metal supports into holes in the poles to create a low-slung platform. The Hi-Gear has four supports instead of three, which make it more rigid than the Towsure model, but only marginally so. These are hard to fit and the canvas surface sags like a hammock under the weight of a heavy adult. Nevertheless, the stitching seems stronger and the canvas itself feels tougher than on the Towsure.
Verdict You won't be losing sleep over the cost of the bed, but you will have an uncomfortable night on it.
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ARGOS INFLATABLE AIR-BED
Price £11.99
Tel 0870 600 1010 or text 07786 201201
Web www.argos.co.uk
Weight 2kg
Size Width 72cm, length 198cm
At 198cm, this is the longest bed we tested, and is easily big enough to accommodate a six-footer. But it's so narrow, you're likely to roll off. What makes this bed more comfortable than most, provided you can stay on it, is the raised area at the head of the bed forming a built-in pillow. That way you don't spend the night pulling the pillow back under your head, a common feature of a night on an air mattress. Although the bed's air valve is only a simple stopper, it seems effective and no air leaks out during the night. A textured finish covering both surfaces gives it a warm feel, but this may also make it difficult to clean dirt off the underside. For those who like to sprawl out in their sleep, or want room for their partner, this inflatable bed comes in a double as well as the single size.
Verdict Despite being narrow, the bed is a good value, especially for its length and the built-in pillow.
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