Bottom Line, I've owned this air mattress for a year, and I have loved the customizable comfort and toughness.This mat has travelled with me for 5 months of pre-deployment training all over the state and been with me to 4 forward areas. Whether provided a mattress on a bunk or a simple cot, this mat made the difference in providing a restful night's sleep in every environment. This was largely because it has both foam and air, and can be made firmer to counteract a terribly over-soft military mattress, but also be allowed to be softer to provide comfort on a cot or even the ground.Personally, I think the designers struck the perfect balance: It's thick enough to allow even a side sleeper to feel cradled when the mat is on a firm surface and thin enough that it packs down reasonably small for portability. It's not THAT small, of course; but while my fellow soldiers may have had some jokes when they saw me carrying this looped through the top of my ruck sack, they soon learned that it's comfort and versatility was worth the extra bulk.Now, it IS an air mattress, and any valve out there will leak at least a small amount of air over time. I put a few breathes in every other week or so, and have had no problems. The plastic valve has been somewhat tricky to get lined up closed at times, but once you get the feel for it, it's no big deal.This mattress is not made for grunts or ground pounders, where every pound is sacred and any bulk is fat to be trimmed. This is great for mechanized troops, static deployed troops, or National Guard soldiers that travel and stay at or near their armory. As I said above, I traveled a LOT for pre-deployment, and I stayed in armories on cots many nights. This air mattress saved me a world of pain, making my cot or my Yukon a comfortable home away from home.I love this mattress so much that I'll be gifting this one to some lucky troop when I come home and I'm buying a new one. The exact same model. I don't know how to endorse this product any more fervently than that!