Best Budget Ultralight Air Mattress
(8 Month Review)
After 8 months of testing, I wanted to share my experience and thoughts using this 500g, Forclaz Trek 700 Ultralight Air Mattress. I have spent 20-30 nights wild camping with this mattress and keep in mind that I’m not paid to promote this product, I’m simply sharing my honest option on this air mattress.
Could this be the best value ultralight air mattress and is it worth €45?
Let’s start off with the numbers.
Specifications (Forclaz Trek 700)
Weight
510g
Packed Dimensions
10 x 26 cm (2L)
Inflated Dimensions
180 x 52 x 5.5 cm
Size Capacity
One Person
Thermal Insulation
R-rating 1.6
Seasons
Spring, Summer, Autumn
Inflation Value
Bi-way System (Easy Inflation)
Warranty
2 Years
Materials
Main fabric 57% Thermoplastic Polyurethane, 43% Polyester (PES)
Weight vs Size vs Durability
Firstly let's discuss the weight of this air mattress. Decathlon state on their website that this air mattress is Ultra lightweight, I don't want to disagree with them but if I'm honest it is on the border for being called an ultra-lightweight air mattress.
I have noticed that many other ultra-lightweight air mattresses are available on the market and they only weigh 300 grams total and they cost about the same price as this air mattress.
However this mattress is still incredibly lightweight for the money and it definitely doesn't feel heavy, my question is what are you getting for the extra 200g in weight?
In simple terms, you are paying for the ease of use, access to thousands of decathlon stores around the world, which is great for repairs, and you are getting a 2-year warranty included.
The durability of the air mattress is good. I've owned this mattress for 8 months and I haven't gotten a single puncture, the material feels thick and durable.
The size of the air mattress when fully inflated is nice and wide for me personally, and I'm 173cm tall. I bought the large size there is no small size available where I am based, I could only get extra-large or large.
Inflation and Deflation
When it comes to unpacking this air mattress away it’s quick and easy.
Inflation is simple and takes around 1 minute or less, with its Bi-value system trapping air in when you breathe into the mattress even when you take a breath away from the seal
Deflation is not as fast as inflation but pretty quick nevertheless.
Packing up could be improved, I found that removing all the air out of the mattress takes a few minutes longer than I would like and you can pack away in a rush but then air is often trapped inside the air mattress, as a result, it takes up more volume in your bag.
Comfort
The design of this air mattress in my opinion does offer great comfort but has some bizarre quirks about it.
I have slept many nights on this mattress, and I can definitely recommend it (in the perspective of a foam mattress).
The mattress has 8 tubes running down its length, which means design-wise when you lie down on the mattress the left and right sides tend to rise upwards as if your sitting in a taco.
On the top you will find plenty of non-stick pads which I personally find bizarre, I wonder why they didn’t put them on the bottom of the mattress, because it has a tendency to slide and move around during the night, I didn’t fall off as much compared to other mattresses, and it does keep you in place but, on a slope, you find the mattress will still tend to slide around as normal.
Insulation
Its thermal insulation is rated at an R-value of 1.6 and in simple terms this means the mattress is not recommended for winter temperatures at night.
The best-case scenario for camping with this mattress is between the seasons of spring, summer and autumn.
In my opinion, the lowest operating limit is between -5 and 5 degrees celsius, and the best operating temperature would be between 0 degrees all the way up to 20 degrees and night.
Conclusion
I can highly recommend this mattress, we even have two of these Trek 700 air mattresses. Before I owned this mattress I used foam pads which over the years have given me back discomfort and these air mattresses greatly improve my nights while camping, they aren’t replacing your standard bed mattress but at 500 grams they are far lighter!
Also when you buy from decathlon this mattress comes with a 2-year warranty included. Over on Amazon.com when you compare the other ultra-lightweight air mattresses a majority of those products don't come with warranties.
Finally let’s summarize what you are getting with this mattress, high-quality materials, decent design, simple inflation, lightweight, nice simple colour scheme, 2-year warranty and a budget-friendly price available worldwide.
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