The Best Air Mattresses, Tested

She has over 15 years of experience in the consumer products industry and a degree in fiber science from Cornell University. Lexie serves as an expert source both within Good Housekeeping and other media outlets, regularly appearing on national broadcast TV segments. Prior to joining GH in 2013, Lexie worked in merchandising and product development in the fashion and home industries. That’s perfect if you’re trying to avoid carrying the board at any point. Though slightly smaller, it’s also easier to carry and, therefore, better for adventures requiring a bit of portaging.

The Ozark Trail canopy very well might be one of the best selling 10×10 tent brands of all time. The easily recognizable logo has been seen by nearly everyone at youth soccer tournaments or beach vacations in recent years. Andrew brings his writing experience to outdoor gear and adventures throughout the Americas. When he’s not writing, playing gigs, or exploring the outdoors, he’s hanging out with his dog Campana.

The Wawona 6 is more complex to set up than a classic dome-style tent like the Wireless 6, but not by much. We recommend doing it with two people, but one person can manage in about 15 minutes. As with any free-standing tent, with this one you stake out the four corners, and then you feed the two main tent poles through the Wawona’s fabric sleeves, which go halfway down the tent’s body. The North Face’s color-coded poles make this process easy to navigate. (We were stubborn and didn’t look at the instructions.) Once you identify the front and back, the process is straightforward. The fly goes up and over the tent body, covering only the upper half of the mesh dome, and then forms the glorious vestibule with the aid of a third pole.

Lexie Sachs is the Executive Director of Strategy & Operations at the Good Housekeeping Institute. She has more than 15 years of experience in the textiles industry, including merchandising and product development for home products, and holds a B.S. Lexie joined GH in 2013 and has extensively tested all types of bedding. Air mattresses are some of the first products Lexie tested in the Textiles Lab, and she swears by them for overnight guests or sleepovers at her home. Still, taller beds are more of a hassle to fold down and store and take longer to set up when compared to a lower-profile or “single-height” bed (typically under 12 inches). It all comes down to personal preference and whether you’re using it at home or on the go.

But when ISLE released the Switch Pro, we decided it was worth a revisit. Just a half hour of driving from my apartment in east Atlanta, I can hop on the river and find myself immediately surrounded by nature’s abundance. Singing birds, bubbling rapids, and the frequent absence of other humans — I’ve had some of the best days of my life lately. The North Face Wawona 4, which we used to list in our Other Good Tents section, has been redesigned; it’s now made of polyester, not nylon. I do repairs on homes, swimming pools, recreational vehicles & PC Computers when I am off of work.

ozark trail canopy tent

In my case, I got caught under my board, which was flipped beneath a log. Thanks to the relatively small amount of weight, I was able to disentangle the board and flip it back over — quickly resolving a risky situation. I also think my board was initially weighted too heavily in the rear, making it more difficult to maneuver. A group of ozark trail instant cabin four canoers literally brought a chainsaw to deal with the many fallen trees blocking the river. As we paddled by, they told us we wouldn’t be able to continue without them clearing the way for us. ISLE has referred to its Pro series of boards as “inflatable hardboards.” GearJunkie tested the ISLE Switch before this tech was integrated.

But I can say with confidence that I never envied the hardboard kayakers during my testing. Many of them, however, slowed down to inquire with raised eyebrows about my Switch Pro tackling whitewater while laden with gear. Over the last 2 months, the brand’s inflatable standup paddleboard (SUP)/kayak hybrid has carried me down a hundred miles of Georgia rivers. Since 1960, we’ve welcomed your family and friends into our fold, making our front yard yours. We invite you to keep the tradition alive with a mile of breathtaking riverfront camping and lodging along the picturesque Meramec River. Nestled in a serene valley among the rolling Missouri hills, Ozark Outdoors Resort is your ultimate escape for relaxation and bonding with friends.

The Switch Pro backpack is larger and fits more gear, with a more rigid design and wheels on the bottom (not the lightest or best for portages). About an hour later, I was just chilling in the river at the same exit when an elderly fisherman lost his footing and suddenly found himself swept away by the current. In the space of probably 10 seconds, I told him to throw me his rod, then I hopped off my 11-foot board and pushed it out to him, which he ozark trail canopy tent managed to grab just in time for me to pull him back to shore. But when I decided to go river camping with a friend, I didn’t have camping gear for two people (I do most things solo). So I bought a $90, 6-pound Kelty Tanglewood 2, an $18 Ozark Trail sleeping bag from Walmart, and some cheap sleeping pads. The Switch Pro’s advantages over comparable options quickly became clear when I capped off my testing with a camping trip down the Etowah River.

Unfortunately, you have to buy a separate groundsheet for the Wawona 6 and for most other tents its size as well. Both Base Camp tents have two doors and lots of mesh in the main tent body. But unlike the Mineral King 3 and the Tungsten 4, the mesh on each Base Camp tent starts high on the walls—more than 4 feet from the ground. This design is a big plus for people who regularly camp in crowded campgrounds and don’t like to get naked in front of strangers.

In many cases, small repairs or continued careful use is the right course of action. But when safety is compromised and functionality is greatly reduced, tent replacement is the clear choice. If you are wondering whether to replace your event tent, you’ll find that many of today’s top tent manufacturers offer high-quality event tents engineered to last a lifetime. Though replacing an event tent may be a big investment in the moment, it’s one that will pay for itself over time when a top-notch tent is purchased. With this in mind, tent replacement is often the right choice for event hosts, businesses, sports teams and other organizations.