Compact electric air pump on a picnic rug

3-in-1 Rechargeable Air Pump - Inflate, Deflate, Light

$49.99

Inflating a sleeping mat by mouth at the end of a long day is the worst ten minutes of a trip, and it puts moisture inside the mat that stays there. This pump does it in a fraction of the time, then does two other jobs as well.

It inflates, it reverses to deflate — which is what actually makes a mat or air bed pack back down to its original size — and the base works as a camp light with three settings: normal, strong, and an SOS flash for emergencies. It recharges over USB in about two hours from a standard 5V 1A source, and a red indicator warns you when it drops below five percent so you are not caught out.

A travel lock is the detail that matters in a packed bag: hold the switch for three seconds and the motor is disabled, so it cannot switch itself on against your gear and flatten the battery before you arrive. Hold it again to unlock. Suits sleeping mats, air beds, pool toys, pillows and dinghies.