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Best Cots

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Pros
Cons
Best of the Best
TETON Sports Outfitter XXL Cot (85"x 40")
TETON
Sports Outfitter XXL Cot (85"x 40")
Strong & Portable

Rigid and supportive, this large design is the best and most comfortable available.

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Strong & Portable
Bottom Line

Rigid and supportive, this large design is the best and most comfortable available.

Pros

Can be folded and thus is space-saving. Comfortable and easily portable. Easy to set up. Has steel legs offering strength and stability. Good size, longer than a twin mattress. Comes with a carry bag for easy storing options. Available in various sizes.

Cons

Assembly requires some physical effort and does not have customer support.

Best Bang for the Buck
Coleman Trailhead II Cot
Coleman
Trailhead II Cot
Top Quality

Comfortable and durable cot from a trusted brand with a high weight limit.

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Top Quality
Bottom Line

Comfortable and durable cot from a trusted brand with a high weight limit.

Pros

A reliable cot from a trusted brand. Frame is a cross-bar steel frame that promotes durability. Material and fit on the top, along with the size make it comfortable and roomy to sleep in. Rails themselves are more elevated than most other cots for better protection from the elements.

Cons

Bulky when packed makes it hard to transport.

LUCID Rollaway Folding Cot
LUCID
Rollaway Folding Cot
Most Comprehensive

A soft and supportive bed with a mattress is the perfect utility pick as your spare bed.

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Most Comprehensive
Bottom Line

A soft and supportive bed with a mattress is the perfect utility pick as your spare bed.

Pros

Comfortable and stores easily. Good spare bed. Easy to set up and rolls smoothly. Looks good and is compact. Easy to open and close. Tool-free installation requirements. Comes with locks and an installation guide. Has a 10 year-warranty.

Cons

It is designed very low to the ground

Coleman ComfortSmart Cot
Coleman
ComfortSmart Cot
Most Comfortable

A comfortable cot that is great for anyone who has not slept on a cot before.

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Most Comfortable
Bottom Line

A comfortable cot that is great for anyone who has not slept on a cot before.

Pros

A reliable cot that is extremely easy to set up. Great for any first-time cot user thanks to the thicker mattress that provides more comfort. The cot is designed with a steel frame that promotes durability.

Cons

Bulky design does not make it very portable.

Coleman Pack-Away Camping Cot
Coleman
Pack-Away Camping Cot
Best for Camping

A perfect camping cot that can be easily packed away for easy transport.

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Best for Camping
Bottom Line

A perfect camping cot that can be easily packed away for easy transport.

Pros

Small size, when packed away, makes it much easier to transport, making it great for camping. Removeable table is great for storage and to place water or snacks. Comes from a trusted brand in the outdoor space, making this a reliable option.

Cons

Can be too firm.

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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.About BestReviews 
HOW WE TESTED

We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.

First Reviewed
November 10, 2021
30
Models
considered
8
Hours
researched
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Buying guide for best cots

Lauren Corona
Written by Lauren Corona

Updated August 2022

Cots are used for a variety of short-term purposes, from camping trips to overnight guests. Just because a cost is a short-term solution, however, doesn’t mean it can’t be comfortable. The best cots are comfortable and fairly portable. Depending on your needs, you may want a cot that’s lightweight and easy to transport. Or, you may want a cot that’s rugged and extra-durable for heavier sleepers.

Please find information about our favorite cots on today’s market. For more information about cots and important information on how to choose one, continue reading our shopping guide.

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If you’re traveling with a brand new cot, make sure you go through a practice session first, setting up the cot and lying down on it to be sure it works the way you’re expecting. It wouldn’t be very pleasant to get caught away from home without a working bed.

Cot history

Cots, sometimes called camp beds, are thought to have first been used in times of war. Soldiers certainly weren’t going to outfit an entire barracks with single beds, and they never knew when they might have to pick up and move their location. Cots were the perfect solution.

Most cots are small, lightweight, and portable with an aluminum frame that folds easily. The actual bed part of the cot may be an all-wire frame, or it may be a panel of fabric or mesh stretched across the frame.

Interestingly, the word “cot” has different meanings in different regions of the world. While a cot is a portable bed in the U.S., it’s an infant crib in parts of Europe. For the purposes of this article, we’re assuming you’re looking for a portable bed.

Why would someone buy a cot?

As mentioned above, there are several different use cases for a cot.

Camping

Most people prefer not to sleep on the bare floor of a tent if the ground is uneven, damp, and/or cold. Being able to sleep a foot or two above the ground is often appreciated.

The portability helps, as you can easily tote the cot along with the rest of your camp gear.

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Did you know?
Other than the obvious reasons of making you more comfortable, another benefit to a cot is that you can store items beneath it in a cabin or while you are camping in a tent.
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Cabins stays

If you’re staying in a cabin with limited sleeping space, a cot can provide comfort where it’s needed.

Emergency situations

From time to time, there are emergency situations such as a tornado, earthquake, or hurricane that displace residents from their homes. Shelters can keep many cots in storage and can haul them out as needed.

Extra guests

It’s not always an ideal situation to give up your couch to a friend who decides to spend the night, and not everyone has a guest bedroom.

Cots provide an ideal solution: you can store them away in a closet, basement, or garage until you need them.

Similarly, if you’re a guest in someone else’s home and want a guaranteed place to sleep, you might prefer to bring your own cot along.

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For your safety
Avoid jumping or sliding onto a cot for safety reasons. When you’re ready to rest, sit down on the cot and ease your way into position. Also, do not sit on the side poles of the cot. Instead, sit on the fabric or mesh top.
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Factors to consider when shopping for a cot

There are several factors to consider when selecting a cot. Before you buy one, we urge you to find out all you can about the comfort level, assembly, size/weight, and construction materials of the cot in question.

Comfort and support

Everyone knows the value of sleeping in a comfortable bed. While cots don’t typically make for lavish sleeping quarters, you don’t want to feel like you’re going to break your neck or back sleeping on one.

To support your weight, a cot will either use a spring system or fabric tension. Sometimes, the tension can be adjusted to suit your desired comfort level. Make sure the cot bars are placed in such a way that they won’t be hitting you on your back while you sleep.

Some cots come with extra padding. Keep in mind, however, that the more padding you add to a cot, the bulkier and heavier it will be. If portability is a goal, you must somehow strike a balance between that and comfort.

Portability/assembly

If you want a cot for “just-in-case” purposes, or if you’re planning to store it in a cabin, portability might not be a big issue for you. But if you plan to use your cot for regular camping, you will likely want one that’s easy to carry.

Sometimes, the more portable cots will be marked as such. For example, a highly portable cot may be marketed as a backpacker’s cot. This type of cot may come in a convenient carrying bag with straps.

Most cots simply unfold and snap into place, but there are some that take considerably more work to put together. If ease of assembly matters to you, check product reviews to see what others have to say about the issue.

"If your chosen cot doesn’t come with any extras, such as a mattress, storage, or tables, you may still be able to purchase those items separately."
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Cot size and weight

An average cot is approximately 25 inches wide and 75 inches long. However, you’ll find some cots that are wider or longer than average. Extra-wide cots often stretch 40 inches across.

The size of a cot when it’s closed matters, as does weight. Cots tend to weigh somewhere between 15 and 20 pounds, though you’ll find some backpacker cots that weigh as little as two or three pounds.

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Did you know?
Cots aren’t all “single” beds. Double- and queen-size cots are also available.
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Construction materials

Though some cots are made of solid aluminum, most include supportive fabric as well.

We advise potential buyers to look for cots that incorporate polyester or nylon, as these materials are likely to be supportive yet easy to clean.

Mesh is a nice fabric, too, and it will keep you cool while sleeping.

Cotton canvas adds weight to the cot and is generally more difficult to keep clean.

"For daycare situations, stackable cots are sold in bright primary colors that can easily be put away and brought back out daily."
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Extras

Some cots come with “extras” that aren’t necessary for sleeping but are still nice to have. For example, a cot might come with its own carrying/storage bag or pillow.

It may include storage compartments on the sides or even a side table.

Some cots even have a tent built on top to create a one-person, all-in-one sleeping unit.

How much does a good cot cost?

Most cots range in price from $30 to $150, with more basic cots sitting on the lower end and upgraded cots with plenty of extras sitting at the higher end.

For a mid-range price of between $50 and $100, you can get an adequate cot that either has a mattress or one of the “extras” mentioned above.

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If keeping warm is a concern for you, there are mattresses, blankets, and cot warmers designed to address this issue. You can also hang a mosquito net around your cot if you’re worried about bugs flying around you while you’re sleeping.

FAQ

Q. Is there bedding that is made specifically for cots?

A. Yes, there is. You can buy a cot bedding set that includes fitted and flat sheets as well as a pillowcase.

Q. Do all cots fold up for easy storage/portability?

A. Most cots fold into something smaller, but there are cots that defy this expectation. For example, there are stackable cots designed for daycare or preschool naptimes. These cots stack to save space, but they don’t necessarily fold down.

Q. How much weight will a cot support?

A. That depends on the cot. You’ll find cots for children that are designed to hold 100 to 135 pounds, cots for adults that can hold 150 to 180 pounds, and cots for larger adults that can hold 200 to 275 pounds. An oversized cot might hold up to 500 pounds. We suggest getting a cot that’s rated for a weight a little higher than that of the intended sleeper, just to be safe.

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