Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress: I Bought & Tested It

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Rating and Summary

The Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress is a very comfortable air mattress, complete with an in-built pillow that’s 2 inches higher than the air mattress. It’s also pretty high quality and user-friendly with its Boston valve. Most importantly, it’s a highly inexpensive PVC-free camping mattress.

However, the included pump isn’t very good, and there’s some amount of bouncing. Would I still recommend it though? Read on to find out!

This is a picture of me sitting on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This is a picture of me sitting on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress
7.3
Comfort
8.3
Ease of Use
8
Portability
5
Versatility + Sizing
7.8
Quality
Overall Score 7.3 / 10
Pros: Comfort, user-friendly, really inexpensive, great value for money
Cons: Pump not very good, some bouncing

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Check out the Sierra Designs 2P Mattress:

Product Details

Here’s what we’ll discuss here:

  • Unboxing
  • In the Box
  • Specifications

Unboxing

I bought the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress from Amazon, and here’s what the outer packaging looked like:

This is what the packaging of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress looked like when unopened.
This is what the packaging of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress looked like when unopened.

In the Box

After unboxing the Sierra Designs 2-Person Mattress, I got the inflatable mattress inside a stuff sack, and a pump.

This is a picture of me unboxing the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress. You can see the pump wrapped up in between the air mattress.
This is a picture of me unboxing the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress. You can see the pump wrapped up in between the air mattress.

Specifications

Here are my personal measurements and timings of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress:

  • Thickness: 7 inches
  • Loft: Air
  • Length: 77 inches
  • Width: 54 inches
  • Weight (Mattress): 4.8 pounds
  • Weight (Stuff sack): 1.5 ounces
  • Weight of pump (with 4 D batteries): 27.9 ounces
  • Packed Size: 14 by 8 by 7 inches
  • R-value: None
  • Material: TPU-coated
  • Valve: 1 Boston valve (color-coded)
  • Storage Pouch: Yes
  • Pump: Yes (battery-operated)
  • Features: In-built pillow (9 inches off the ground)
  • Fastest Inflation: 3.5 minutes (with included pump)
  • Fastest Deflation: 2.5 minutes

Testing and Performance

I put the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress through these 5 tests:

  1. Comfort
  2. Ease of Use
  3. Portability
  4. Versatility + Sizing
  5. Quality

Here’s how the Sierra Designs Mattress performed.

Comfort

Thickness and Loft

The Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress gets me about 7 inches off the ground. When inflated fully, my body does not touch the ground whether I’m sleeping on my back, stomach, or side. Even when I was leaning on my elbow or sitting down, I could not feel the ground.

This is a picture of me lying on my side on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This is a picture of me lying on my side on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

There’s an in-built pillow at one end of the mattress, which is about 9 inches off the ground.

This picture shows the in-built pillow at one end of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This picture shows the in-built pillow at one end of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

Dimensions

The Sierra Designs Air Mattress measures about 77 by 54 inches, which is slightly larger than a Full size, but smaller than a Queen for sure. For me, it fits 2 people quite comfortably.

This picture shows 2 sleeping bags on top of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This picture shows 2 sleeping bags on top of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

I found the in-built pillow very comfortable, and even though there were lots of divots along the air mattress, they supported my body very well and was surprisingly very comfy.

This is a picture of my hand running across the divots on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This is a picture of my hand running across the divots on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

Surface

The surface is not flocked, so it was a little bit noisy when moving in bed.

Bounciness

As for bouncing, there was a fair amount when there’s another person sharing the mattress, but it’s not the worst I’ve seen in an air mattress.

Ease of Use

Valve

The Sierra Designs 2-Person Air Mattress has a Boston valve along the side of the airbed, nearer to the top.

This picture shows where the Boston valve on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress is positioned.
This picture shows where the Boston valve on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress is positioned.

Inflation

To inflate it, you can unscrew this black 1-way valve, and using the included pump, it’ll take about 6 and a half minutes for the full inflation.

This is a picture of the 1-way valve (with a black cap, the top part of the Boston valve) of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This is a picture of the 1-way valve (with a black cap, the top part of the Boston valve) of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

You can also use this white 2-way valve for inflation, which takes about 2 and a half minutes, but air will leak out when you remove the pump, so you can use the black 1-way valve to top off the air after, which will take another 1 minute or so. (So altogether, 3 and a half minutes.)

This is a picture of the 2-way opening (the bottom part of the Boston valve) of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This is a picture of the 2-way opening (the bottom part of the Boston valve) of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

When inflating, you need to hold the pump in place.

Adjustments

I find the mattress super comfortable when it’s firm, but if you like it a bit softer, you can unscrew the white 2-way valve slightly to let a bit of air out. Just don’t unscrew it too much or too much air will leak out and you’ll have to re-pump.

Deflation

To deflate the Sierra Designs Air Mattress, just unscrew the white 2-way opening fully, fold the mattress in thirds, then use your body weight to push the air out.

This is a picture of me using my body weight to deflate the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This is a picture of me using my body weight to deflate the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

Fold it in thirds again, and then half it. This will get most of the air out, and takes about 1 minute and 15 seconds or so. Folding it up properly will take about another 1 minute 15 seconds, so altogether about 2 and a half minutes.

Stuff Sack

The Sierra Designs Mattress comes with an oversized stuff sack, that makes it easy to fit the mattress back in, even if it isn’t fully deflated. The stuff sack doesn’t come with any handles or straps for carrying though.

This picture shows that the stuff sack that comes with the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress is oversized.
This picture shows that the stuff sack that comes with the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress is oversized.

Portability

Packed Size

After deflating, the Sierra Designs 2-Person Air Mattress has a smallest packed size of about 14 x 8 x 7 inches. Here’s what it looks like beside a 32-ounce Nalgene bottle and the included pump.

This shows the rolled-up Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress beside a 32-ounce Nalgene bottle and the included pump for a size comparison.
This shows the rolled-up Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress beside a 32-ounce Nalgene bottle and the included pump for a size comparison.

The packed size will change depending on how you fold it and how much air you push out of it.

How to Fold

For me personally, I like to flip the mattress over, with the gray side facing upward. Then, I fold it in half, width-wise, 3 times. Then, I fold it in thirds, push more air out, and finally, roll it up and store it back into the stuff sack.

This picture shows me rolling up and packing the rolled-up Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress back into its stuff sack.
This picture shows me rolling up and packing the rolled-up Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress back into its stuff sack.

Weight

The Sierra Designs Air Mattress weighs about 4.8 pounds for just the mattress alone, the stuff sack weighs about 1.5 ounces, and the pump with 4 D batteries weighs 27.9 ounces or 1.7 pounds.

Versatility + Sizing

Usage

The Sierra Designs 2-Person Air Mattress is not insulated, so it’s best to use this during the summer. It’s a little too heavy for backpacking, especially with the pump and batteries, so you’re limited to car camping.

2-Person Tent

Here’s what the Sierra Designs Air Mattress looks like inside a Coleman 2-Person Sundome Tent.

This is what the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress looks like inside a Coleman 2-Person Sundome Tent.
This is what the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress looks like inside a Coleman 2-Person Sundome Tent.

It fits just nicely into the tent, with maybe a couple inches of extra space at the top. But basically, there’s no space for gear or anything else after inflating the mattress.

Livable space is pretty good, and there’s enough space for me to sit up and also to crouch.

This is a picture of me sitting on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress inside a Coleman 2-Person Sundome Tent.
This is a picture of me sitting on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress inside a Coleman 2-Person Sundome Tent.

When I was inflating the Sierra Designs Mattress inside the tent, I was squashed between the mattress and the tent, so I had the squeeze out after. But thankfully, the valve is somewhere near the top of the mattress, so you can inflate it from outside the tent.

Also, when I was lying on the in-built pillow, the wall of tent kept brushing against the top of my head, which was a little annoying, so I’d prefer to use this mattress inside a bigger tent.

This picture shows the tent walls of the Coleman 2-Person Sundome Tent brushing against my head while lying down on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This picture shows the tent walls of the Coleman 2-Person Sundome Tent brushing against my head while lying down on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

4-Person Tent

Here’s what the Sierra Designs Mattress looks like inside a Coleman 4-Person Dome Tent when placed vertically inside the tent.

This picture shows the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress inside a Coleman 4-Person Dome Tent.
This picture shows the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress inside a Coleman 4-Person Dome Tent.

There isn’t enough space to fit 2 of these mattresses, but having just 1 mattress gives me plenty of space for my camping gear. I also have lots of livable space.

Quality

Material

The Sierra Designs 2-Person Air Mattress is made of a TPU-coated, stretch-resistant, and abrasion-resistant material, probably polyester (at least, this is what I think). It’s PVC-free, I never had any issues with stretching, and my mattress was firm even on the first night of use.

This is a picture of the top surface of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This is a picture of the top surface of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

The top feels more velvety than the bottom, I think this is for additional sleeping comfort. The material feels decently thick and heavy duty, and I do believe that this can last for some time.

This is a picture of me touching the bottom surface of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This is a picture of me touching the bottom surface of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

Valve Quality

The valve is a Boston valve that’s made of hard plastic, is color-coded, and feels good quality. I never had any issues with leaking in the few weeks that I was using this.

Seams and Air Retention

The baffling is comfortable, the seams are good quality and air retention is very good. I slept on the Sierra Designs Mattress with another person (about 300+ pounds together) 3 nights in a row without having to top up any air at all.

This is a picture of me touching the seams of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress (while it's deflated).
This is a picture of me touching the seams of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress (while it’s deflated).

Pump Quality

The included pump is not very good; it’s quite low powered and it stopped working a few months in. It doesn’t even turn on anymore.

Stuff Sack Quality

The stuff sack feels high quality and seems to be pretty strong.

Pros and Cons

Pros

For pros, the Sierra Designs 2-Person Air Mattress is very comfortable. My body felt well-supported, and the in-built pillow supported my head really well. It’s very user-friendly, because the Boston valve is well-positioned, and makes it very easy to inflate and deflate.

This is a picture of me unscrewing the Boston valve on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This is a picture of me unscrewing the Boston valve on the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

It’s also easy to pack away into the oversized stuff sack. It’s lightweight and packs down small for a camping but not backpacking air mattress, and is one of most portable 2-person air mattresses. It’s also the least expensive PVC-free camping air mattress that I have, and has great air retention and high quality materials for the price.

This is a picture of me touching the top surface of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This is a picture of me touching the top surface of the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

Cons

As for cons, the pump I got wasn’t very good and stopped working a few months in and there’s some amount of bouncing.

This is a picture of the pump that was included with the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.
This is a picture of the pump that was included with the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress.

Also, I’m probably being nit-picky, but it’s quite a few inches smaller than a Queen. At 77 by 54 inches, it’s not a Queen, but in between a Full and a Queen. (Sierra Designs used to advertise this as a Queen, but they no longer do, so I guess this isn’t an issue anymore.)

Recommendation

Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by how well the Sierra Designs Air Mattress worked. It performed almost as well as some of my other air mattresses that cost 2 to 3 times more.

It does have flaws, yes, but I don’t think they’re very serious, and this is a solid case where the pros outweigh the cons. I think this is perfect for anyone looking for a comfortable, user-friendly and portable 2-person air mattress without a large budget, just be prepared for some bouncing and having to buy a new pump eventually.

Bonus: Must Read!

To find out how the Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress compares against the competition, here’s a blog post where I bought, tested and compared 10 of the best camping mattresses for couples.

This is a picture of me with 10 of my best camping mattresses for couples (from top to bottom) – Exped MegaMat Duo 10, Klymit Double V Uninsulated, Klymit Double V Insulated, Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress, REI Camp Dreamer Double, Alps Mountaineering Vertex Air Bed Queen, Lightspeed Outdoors 2-Person Camping Air Mattress, Intex Classic Downy Airbed, Coleman Quickbed, and the Etekcity Upgraded Camping Air Mattress Queen.
This is a picture of me with 10 of my best camping mattresses for couples (from top to bottom) – Exped MegaMat Duo 10, Klymit Double V Uninsulated, Klymit Double V Insulated, Sierra Designs 2-Person Camping Air Mattress, REI Camp Dreamer Double, Alps Mountaineering Vertex Air Bed Queen, Lightspeed Outdoors 2-Person Camping Air Mattress, Intex Classic Downy Airbed, Coleman Quickbed, and the Etekcity Upgraded Camping Air Mattress Queen.

Or, check out the Sierra Designs 2P Mattress:

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