The Luno Life Luno Air Mattress 2.0 is a super-comfortable sleeping system for your adventure rig that adds 15 inches of legroom to your bed.
Overlanding is so hot right now. Social feeds feature extravagant rigs, rooftop tents, and attractive couples sipping tea inside their expansive, custom-built vans or trucks. But, admittedly, owning one of these expensive rigs isn’t nearly as common as making do with a Subaru hatchback and accepting the relative downgrade in sleeping comfort.
But Luno Life is working to change that. The brand’s Luno Air Mattress 2.0 is a sleep system like no other. The twin-chamber, custom-shaped air mattress and base extenders take advantage of every square inch of real estate in the back of over 1,800 vehicles. It provides unheard-of room and comfort for a “regular” car. It transforms daily drivers into legitimate overlanding vehicles.
The Luno Air Mattress 2.0 System
My daily driver is a 2018 Subaru Outback. It’s ideal for my hourlong commute, attaining excellent gas mileage. And the AWD system has gotten me where I needed to go for both work and play — as long as I had a tent for overnight forays.
I did choose the Outback because, in dire situations, I can lie down angled in the cargo area with the back seats folded down. But it wasn’t comfortable, and even my dog would have a hard time sharing that space.
Enter the Luno Air Mattress 2.0. It’s a dual-chamber, 4-inch-thick air mattress covered in 300-denier Oxford fabric. It has the requisite freeze-resistant, fast-inflating-and-deflating valves. It’s nothing extraordinary, and during unboxing, I wasn’t at all impressed.
But then came the “ah-ha” moment. Working with the custom shape tailored to closely match my Outback floorplan are two inflatable base extenders. They fill the gap between the rear seat and the front seats to add 15 inches of usable length. This feature alone transformed my Subaru from a car camping vehicle into an overlanding vehicle.
The system also comes with a 12V inflation pump, a storage bag, and a repair patch; it weighs 15 pounds.
Overnighting With the Luno Air Mattress 2.0
Again, the air mattress’s initial feel during unboxing didn’t elicit any excitement; but once I started inflating the components, the potential became apparent. The fit of the bed within the cargo area was excellent; every available horizontal surface was covered, including the entire width of the rear seats, all the way to the doors.
Two cube-shaped base extenders filled the void between the back of the front seats (when forward) to the top of the rear seat (folded down). This extra length was the key to making the cargo space livable for two adults — this greatly enhanced functionality, which changed my attitude toward the product.
But what got me excited was the comfort of the air mattress. Again, the initial feel threw me off. Once inflated with the included pump in 2 minutes, with firmness customized via a one-way adjustment valve, I was blown away at how comfortable it was.
The Luno Air Mattress 2.0 was as comfortable as the high-dollar foam mattress in my adventure van. I’m a side sleeper, so I appreciated the 4-inch thickness and adjustability. My opinion of the Luno Life system elevated more.
Luno Air Mattress 2.0: Incredible Stability
My 80-pound dog jumped on the other side of the mattress, and my view of the system reached an all-time high. The independent chambers meant her movements didn’t affect my side of the bed, something even my home mattress fails to do.
And each side can be adjusted for firmness independently, which my human counterpart did, as she only weighs a hair over 100 pounds compared to my 165-plus. This independent adjustment isn’t possible with single-chamber air mattresses. For solo slumber, one side can be left deflated and folded under to save space.
Dog hair and debris came off the 300-denier Oxford nylon covering easily and suffered no visible damage from my dog’s nails and my cavalier treatment. The Luno Air Mattress 2.0 is much more resistant to punctures than a typical backpacking air pad. The fabric also seemed easily washable when necessary.
Luno Air Mattress 2.0: Possible Downsides
One thing potential buyers should note is that the Luno Air Mattress 2.0 is not insulated. That means that you’re basically sleeping on, well, air. And if that air is cold, you likely will be too.
I tested it down to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit and was comfortable. But I’m a warm sleeper. Of course, you can add insulation with a simple sleeping pad like a Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest if you wanted to use this through the winter. Just be aware, in cold weather, this mattress won’t provide warmth.
Finally, deflating the mattress and base extenders was super quick, but getting everything to fit into the 16.5 x 29-inch bag was time-consuming. To prevent future frustration, I would most likely use a larger bag.
Your Car Is Now an Overlander
Before I received the Luno Air Mattress 2.0, sleeping in my Subaru Outback was a last-ditch resort. I put up my tent in freezing rain to avoid cramming myself into the back to sleep; forget it with a dog or another person.
But the Luno Life Air Mattress 2.0 wholly transformed my mind and vehicle. I now consider my daily driver a competent overlanding vehicle. No, I can’t stand up like in my van, and yes, my gear resides outside. But in most places and conditions, I want to spend as little time inside the vehicle as possible, and there’s no issue with gear being outdoors.
The Luno Air Mattress 2.0 opened my mind to the option of sleeping in my Outback comfortably. And at an MSRP of $225, it’s the cheapest overlanding vehicle conversion ever.
