Lessee....

Once upon a time I combined an air mattress and ensolite foam pad for a really comfy, if heavy bed. Campfire sparks burnt holes in the mattress, but they were repairable. The rubber valve eventually disintigrated.

Was an early therm-a-rest adopter--had one of the original orange ones with the metal valve. It soldiered on for years but developed a slow leak. Figured out it was from abraded fabric and sent it to T-rest. They replaced it rather than repair it. I no longer use T-rests to sit on rock.

Wife.gov had her lightweight T-rest strapped outside the pack and sliced it open on a tree branch (luckily on the hike out). T-rest repaired it by re-sealing the outer seam--the pad looks like a shark bit it, but it's worked fine ever since.

We've had at least five other T-rest self-inflators that have never failed.

My BA Insulated Air Core loses its air overnight but I cannot find the leak in dunk tests. Can't be trusted.

My NeoAir (very early copy of the original) doesn't leak and I've used it three seasons. Or is it four? (Don't recall the year they came out.) My lone scare was discovering it nearly bursting sitting in sunlight on an otherwise cold day. Gotta watch that.

The Neo replaced a POE insulated inflatable that likewise, has never failed me.

In sum, I don't find they're doomed to fail, just that they can and I need to keep the probability as low as reasonable. Beyond the obvious "avoid placing them on sharp and abrasive surfaces," carrying them inside the pack is very helpful. The tiny NeoAirs make this a cinch.

Cheers,