Some fashion snobs would never deign to buy an Aero Bed, the air-filled mattress that has become a staple of camping trips and guest-room accommodations. But the Aero Bed is an excellent alternative to a full-size "permanent" bed for several reasons, the biggest of which is cost. For about 100 dollars (maybe a little more, maybe a little less) you can have the comfort and room of a standard bed that costs two, three, even four times as much.

The next biggest benefit of Aero Beds is convenience. As with other air-filled furniture, the Aero Bed inflates and deflates easily thanks to a patented valve-and-pump system that obviates hours and hours of manual inflation. Anyone who's ever tried to fill a bed with the air in his or her lungs will be hugely grateful for this innovation.

More Perks of the Aero Bed

Once you're through using your Aero Bed, simply lie on top of it and depress the valve. Within seconds your bed collapses into two-dimensionality. The equivalent with a frame bed would require unbolting the rails and hinges and storing the lumber, which would still take up far more room.

Best of all, the Aero Bed uses hundreds of micro-pillows to give you or your guests maximum support, even for the most "aggressive" sleepers. Aero Beds may not be the apotheosis of contemporary furniture, but they're great for travel, camping, or those occasions when your houseguests bring houseguests of their own. In the world of discount home furnishings you could stand to do a whole lot worse.