If you’re currently looking at camping chairs and sofas for sale, hunting for some furniture to maybe add some comfort to your awning space, have you considered inflatables? The technology has come a long way from the days of unstable, wobbly airbeds – so much so that the Practical Caravan team conducted a large group test, including a review of this bright and affordable Bestway Moda.

Inflatables are often overlooked caravan accessories, but well worth considering. When deflated, they’re very compact, light and easy to store, so when you’re packing for your tour, they’re no problem at all. They’re also pretty affordable and often come in fun colours, which you can co-ordinate with your other caravanning gear.

The drawbacks? Well, you can’t leave them outside as there’s a chance they could blow away, so these are probably only an option if you have an awning. Inflatable chairs are also liable to being punctured, so care is needed when using them. You will also need to remember that whatever make or style of chair you buy, every couple of days it will need to be topped up with air. In addition, engineering a truly supportive backrest has proved to be a tough challenge for the developers of inflatable chairs, but nonetheless, we think you’ll be impressed by the lounging comfort many of these chairs can provide.

In assessing which of these blow up camping chairs will be the strongest addition to your touring kit, during the Practical Caravan group review we subjected them all to the same test. We timed how long each chair took to inflate and to deflate. This is clearly important, as you don’t want to waste precious holiday time pumping up your chairs. We used the same 12V pump throughout, so as to be fair and to achieve comparable results.

Inflatables can be unwieldy when blown up, so we also took into account their size and how much seating space they have. Value for money and comfort were further key factors when testing and rating these chairs.

At only £10, the funky looking Bestway Moda is within everyone’s budget. It comprises three large cylinders joined at their ends to make a triangle. In theory, you sit in the hole in the middle, but the hole normally disappears when the structure is fully inflated. The front tube is low, and serves as a leg support, while the other two meet higher up to form a surprisingly supportive backrest. 

Granted, this is one weird-looking piece of furniture, but it works well as both a lounger and as a chair in which you can sit up straight. It is compact, too, boasting a footprint of 85cm x 85cm. The 42cm-high leg support puts you further from the ground than most other inflatable seats do. It’s a good option that scored three out of five.

Other products tested by Practical Caravan include the Intex Beanless Bag, SunnCamp single flocked sofa, the Vango armchair, the Bestway Nestair, the Gelert ABD099, the Easy Camp Movie Seat Double, the Intex Café Chaise which gives you a chair and a footstool, and the Bestway Comfi Cube. The winner of our inflatable camping chair group test was the SunnCamp 5 in 1 sofa bed.