Shoutout to the guy who sold me a leaky air mattress at a swap meet

I spent $40 on a used air mattress from a swap meet last summer. Thought I was getting a deal, but it had a tiny hole I didn't catch until I was out camping. Woke up at 3am flat on the ground with a sore back. Lost the money and got zero sleep that night. Has anyone else had luck patching those things or is it just a lost cause?

3 comments

3 Comments

michaelchen1mo ago

Woke up at 3am flat on the ground" describes the exact same thing that happened to me. I used a cheap bicycle tire patch kit from Walmart and it actually held for a whole summer after that. Just make sure to deflate the mattress completely, roughen up the spot with sandpaper, and let the glue dry for a full 10 minutes before pressing it down.

taylor_hayes2510d ago

Oh man, that 15 minute tip is gold - I've definitely had patches fail from rushing the glue before.

victorb741mo ago

Actually, you might wanna let that glue dry for closer to 15 minutes instead of 10. I patched an air mattress with the same Walmart kit last year and the first time I rushed it at 10 minutes, the patch peeled off after two days. Second attempt I waited a full 15, let it get tacky to the touch, and that thing held air for almost 8 months straight. Also, make sure the sandpaper grit is around 80 or 100 - anything finer and the glue won't bite into the rubber enough. Just a heads up from someone who learned the hard way.