Intex Dura-Beam Deluxe Airbed - Twin

I used to love these mattresses. The first one I bought lasted me over 5 years, traveling with me on the road across the country because I liked it better than the hotel beds. And I used it for my guests who used to comment on how great the bed felt and how well they slept. But the last three that I bought all in the last 16 months have started leaking in less than 5 months. The last one only lasted 2 weeks with only 5 nights of use. This does not include when I inflate them and let them stretch and inflate them again several times. I follow the instructions to a T. I don't know what to do, because I am extra tall and this is the only mattress that I can find that has excellent support that is also 2 inches longer than the standard twin air mattress length. Expecting a person to inflate and then put the mattress in water to find the leak is crazy. Its not easy at all. It also seems, at least for me, that the leak occurs along the seam. And the soft side won't take a patch kit. And the leaks always start to occur after putting it away and refilling it. FYI I vacuum the floor before and after every time it is used or put away. I also am very careful to deflate the mattress and pack them exactly like they came originally. I even go so far as to put an extra blanket under the mattress to protect it while sleeping. And thats a good idea anyway because the mattress tends to draw the heat out of your body and feel cold dispite the cloth layer. Its an excellent rest when they are not leaking So if you buy it, expect to have to keep returning them until you get a good one, and get 6-8 months of use out of each good one. An expensive mattress may cost you 150 dollars or more and last a couple years. That means the Intex Twin is between 0 and 50 dollars more than the expensive mattresses every two years. Other brands will also be shorter unless you buy a queen or king size. The frequent returns are time-consuming and if the company just made them a bit better, lasting more than 6-8 months they would be worth the money. I'm tall and cant sleep on a soft mattress. This is also true for my family (for when they come to visit) So the longer mattress with good support matters enough for me that I keep buying them. And I will keep looking for a very stiff, taller twin from a better company. But this is it for now.