A new must-have for camping in the mountains: A practical review of the ultra-lightweight, high-output air pump "AEROGOGO GIGA PUMP Air"
Written by Yasushi Hisatomi
Are you aware of the mountain gear genre that has become increasingly popular over the past year or two, with new products appearing one after another?
This is the " small electric pump for air mattresses ."
Air mattresses have continued to evolve day by day, becoming incredibly light, compact, and highly insulating, cementing their place as the mainstream sleeping pad for mountaineering. A compact electric air mattress pump is a convenient piece of gear that uses the power of a motor fan to inflate an air mattress in an instant. This small gadget makes setting up an air mattress quick and easy, whereas previously it had to be inflated manually by mouth or with a special pump sack.
I've tried almost every new electric pump in the world, and this review is about my current favorite, the AEROGOGO GIGA PUMP Air. This ultra-compact and lightweight air pump has become indispensable, and I'd like to talk about its practical quality, which goes beyond its lightness and compactness
table of contents
- Main features of AEROGOGO GIGA PUMP Air
- Detailed review in the field
- At just 28 grams, it's palm-sized and so light and compact you'll forget you're holding it
- It fits the NEMO mattress without any issues, which was a concern. It also fits air mattresses for mountaineering from various manufacturers
- The air mattress inflates in less than a minute. Despite being so small, it has excellent airflow and quietness
- Connect two units together to double the power! Maximum pressure can be doubled to 7kPa
- Optional waterproof compression bag is ideal for travel and extended expeditions
- Also great as a bonfire blower
- Summary: Once you try it, you'll never want to give up on it. It's so convenient, and the equipment is even lighter and more compact. A new must-have for camping in a tent has been born
- "AEROGOGO GIGA PUMP Air" details and purchase information
Main features of AEROGOGO GIGA PUMP Air
Founded in 2017 Aerogogo is a cutting-edge outdoor manufacturer based in California that leverages its deep R&D capabilities, built on 15 years of academic research into aerodynamics, to push the boundaries of ultra-lightweight, highly efficient inflatable technology across a wide range of outdoor activities. Their flagship product is air pumps. In addition to mountaineering mattresses, they have also developed air pumps for a wide range of outdoor activities, including cycling and stand-up paddleboarding. Their latest product, the " GIGA PUMP Air ," is an ultra-compact, lightweight electric air pump that has achieved success through numerous crowdfunding campaigns, including Kickstarter and Makuake. It's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and weighs just 28 grams. Its battery can be replaced with a standard mobile battery, and it can be connected to any device with a 5V/2A output, such as a smartphone, outdoor lantern, or Bluetooth speaker. As long as there's enough power, the pump will operate. In addition to its high maximum pressure of 3.5kPa, it boasts an air flow rate of 180L/min, a filling speed that rivals that of competing products, and is also quiet. With 1+6 types of valve adapters, it covers valves from almost all major manufacturers.Once you experience this ease and convenience, you'll never go back.
Favorite points
- Only 28 grams and palm-sized
- Maximum pressure 3.5kPa, high wind power of 300 liters per minute
- High power yet quiet
- Can be powered by a mobile battery or other electronic devices
- Fits sizes from major mattress manufacturers including NEMO, Thermarest, Rab, EXPED, and Arata
- If you use it as a blower, it can also be used as a blowtorch for a bonfire
- 5-year warranty
Points of interest
- Not waterproof or dustproof
Main specifications and evaluation
| Item Name | AEROGOGO GIGA PUMP Air |
|---|---|
| weight | Actual weight: 29.5g |
| size | 43×43×36.3mm |
| color | Silver, orange |
| Wind pressure | 3.5 / 2.8 kPa |
| Air volume | 300L/min |
| Power consumption | 40mAh/min |
| Rated Power | 15W |
| accessories | Storage pouch, 6 nozzle types (19mm / 18mm / 17mm / 28mm / 23mm / 6mm) |
| Outdoor Gearzine Review | |
| weight | ★★★★★ |
| Portability | ★★★★★ |
| Power | ★★★★☆ |
| Quiet | ★★★★☆ |
| Power consumption | ★★★★☆ |
| multifunctionality | ★★★★☆ |
| durability | ★★★☆☆ |
Detailed review in the field
At just 28 grams, it's palm-sized and so light and compact you'll forget you're holding it
The AEROGOGO GIGA PUMP Air package includes the device itself, a mesh storage pouch, and six different nozzles
Just as rumored, when you hold it, it's so light you'd be surprised at how light it is. The device itself is about the size of your thumb, and even with the cable it fits in the palm of your hand
Regarding the difference between the official weight of 28 grams and the actual measured value of 29.5 grams, the answer was that because the surface is painted, there is a possibility of an error of about 1 gram due to individual differences
Looking at the overall structure, one side of the main body is the injection port (see photo below). This port itself functions as a nozzle, so when combined with the six types of nozzles included, it is compatible with seven types of injection ports
The other side is an air outlet (see photo below). This outlet allows you to quickly remove air and can also be used as a blower, as described below
The device comes with a short (10cm) USB-C cable. Normally, you can simply connect the jack on this cable to a mobile battery or similar device to instantly start inflating (or discharging) air
If the provided cable is not long enough, you can also operate the device by connecting your own USB-C cable to the other visible USB-C port
When you're traveling, you can plug the cable into this USB-C port and hook it onto a carabiner, so you'll forget you're even carrying it (see photo below). *However, it doesn't seem particularly durable, and it's not waterproof or dustproof, so we don't recommend leaving it hanging outside
It fits the NEMO mattress without any issues, which was a concern. It also fits air mattresses for mountaineering from various manufacturers
Six types of adapters (19mm / 18mm / 17mm / 28mm / 23mm / 6mm) are available to fit different mattress nozzle shapes. The standard size without the adapter is 20mm, so it's compatible with a total of seven nozzle types. It can be used with air mattresses from various manufacturers, as well as leisure equipment such as swim rings
I tried it on every mattress I had on hand, and first of all, the 20mm without the adapter fit perfectly on the "NEMO" mattress (see photo below) . In fact, in my previous review, I mentioned that it didn't fit perfectly on the "NEMO" mattress, but it was discovered recently that this was a manufacturing defect. This has been fixed in the latest batch, and it fits perfectly on the NEMO mattress without any issues. This is a big step forward, as this was the biggest concern.
Fits NEMO's latest mattresses without an adapter
Of course, there is no problem with Thermarest either (photo below) .
It also fits perfectly with Thermarest mattresses
The Rab and Arata mattresses fit perfectly, so I was able to inject without them coming off even when I left them on. As far as I could tell, there were no mattresses that didn't fit. Excellent!
I was able to connect the Rab mattress without any issues
It also fits perfectly with mattresses made by Japanese manufacturer Arata
The air mattress inflates in less than a minute. Despite being so small, it has excellent airflow and quietness
Anyway, the value of this product is that it automatically inflates the air mattress. Perhaps because the market is still young, the electric pumps that have recently appeared from new manufacturers are marketed as being "lightweight and compact", but when you actually use them, you often find that they don't have enough air force and take a long time to inflate, and the air pressure is so low that it takes forever to inflate the mattress, which is really frustrating
In that regard, I was honestly surprised by the high performance of the GIGA PUMP Air
I immediately tried it out with the NEMO Tensor Trail, inserting the GIGA PUMP Air nozzle into the air mattress's inlet and connecting a mobile battery. The result was a powerful wind that was unexpected for something so light, filling the NEMO Tensor Elite to almost 10,000 in just over 40 seconds. It's so powerful it could easily rival a full-fledged model with a built-in battery. It's insane. By comparison, it took about 1 minute 10 seconds with the Thermarest Neo Air Thermo and about 1 minute 30 seconds with the Rab Ultrasphere 4.5
*You can see the entire process in this video
As for its quietness, it is a bit quiet when used in a quiet tent site, but it is not so quiet that it is a concern at all when used in a busy tent site or when climbing streams like I do. It feels like a small vacuum cleaner. It only lasts for a few tens of seconds, so if you use it inside a tent, it is not so quiet that it is a concern
Another concern is power consumption, which is only 40mAh per minute of inflation, meaning that each inflation requires about 25mAh. This means that a standard 10,000mAh mobile battery can inflate the air mattress hundreds of times. Power consumption is not a concern
Connect two units together to double the power! Maximum pressure can be doubled to 7kPa
Whether you do it or not, if you absolutely need more power, you can use a trick called "linking two units together." Each unit requires its own independent power source, but by linking them together and feeding each unit with power, the maximum pressure increases to 7kPa, twice as much as before. When I actually tried inflating a car with this, it didn't take exactly half the time, but it was close to it. It's like Screw Kid and Kendaman's hellish screw-twisting
Optional waterproof compression bag is ideal for travel and extended expeditions
The separately sold "Travel Vacuum Bag" is convenient for travel and long-term expeditions. The stuff sack, which is about 20 liters in size, tightly seals the air. Simply connect the pump's inlet port to the outlet port that matches the nozzle size, and when you suck out the air (start the pump), it instantly compresses, reducing the space by about 60%. Using it to store items like a sleeping bag or down jacket can significantly reduce space. It's waterproof and made of very durable fabric, so you can use it outdoors without worry
Also great as a bonfire blower
In addition to inflating the air mattress, this electric pump can also be used as a blower in place of a fire blowtorch. I haven't taken it with me on mountain stream fishing yet, but I'm looking forward to trying it out this spring
※Quoted from the official website
Summary: Once you try it, you'll never want to give up on it. It's so convenient, and the equipment is even lighter and more compact. A new must-have for camping in a tent has been born
Until now, electric pumps for air mattresses have often had batteries built into the device itself, but the ``external power model'' that has recently appeared in an effort to make them even lighter has a weakness: it lacks power
AEROGOGO GIGA PUMP Air is ultra-lightweight, yet powerful enough to eliminate such worries, while also being energy-efficient and quiet. It's a model that can finally be said to be a long-awaited, practical, ultra-lightweight pump. Eliminating the pump sack that comes with the air mattress also reduces weight and luggage. In conclusion, it's the most user-friendly electric pump sack I've ever used. It's definitely on my standard equipment list for camping hikes and stream climbing.
"AEROGOGO GIGA PUMP Air" details and purchase information
For more product details, please visit the AEROGOGO GIGA PUMP Air official website
We received a 10% discount coupon from the manufacturer! If you would like to purchase with the discount, please purchase directly from the link below,
Alternatively, enter the coupon code "gearzine10" when purchasing on the above domestic website to apply the discount
If you would like to purchase from a distributor in Japan, please use the following stores
Please consider a paid membership to support the website while enjoying exclusive articles and events!
Related reading
A new must-have for camping in the mountains: A practical review of the ultra-lightweight, high-output air pump "AEROGOGO GIGA PUMP Air"
[Lightweight? Wind-powered? Quiet?] A small electric pump for air mattresses is interesting
NEMO has done it again. How has their first full-scale mountain backpack, the Persist™ 45L Endless Promise®, set a new standard for mountain backpacks? [Hands-on Review]
The freedom of being able to "leave it alone" without worrying about temperatures ranging from -40°C to 80°C. A thorough review of the next-generation mobile battery, the "HAMAKEN WORKS New SSPB Semi-Solid-State Battery," a long-awaited choice for snowy mountain and car camping users, in the frigid cold of Hokkaido