Affordable Emergency Use Mattress at Daiso

On a news feature this evening they were showing a selection of disaster preparedness goods for "national crisis-level disasters". The one that stood out to me most was this "Disaster Stockpile Air Mattress". Apparently, it has been getting a lot of attention lately for its usefulness.

When purchased it is small enough to fit in a handbag. It is plastic. Once you add air it is 195 cm x 60 cm, and it can take up to 130 kg weight. The top section can be rolled up to form a makeshift pillow. It comes with repair patches too in case it gets punctured. It could easily be used at evacuation shelters or even just camping.

However, despite being sold by DAISO, this isn't actually a 100-yen item. The mattress costs ¥700 before tax, although that is still a fairly affordable price for an emergency preparedness product.

One potential drawback is that, without a pump, it is not particularly practical. And if you are relying on an electric pump during a power outage, that could be a problem too. That said, if you already have a hand pump at home, I think this could make a useful addition to an emergency kit.