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Unless you're lucky enough to have a guest room in your humble abode, hosting people is kinda tough (read: somewhat of a disaster). They usually end up either crashing on your lumpy couch or tossing and turning on an air mattress that deflates halfway through the night, and neither situation is exactly ideal. While you can always invest in a quality sleeper sofa or sleeper chair, you'll probs save a lot of cash (and room!) if you get a rollaway bed instead. What's so good about foldable beds, you ask? Pls, allow us to explain. folding camping bed
The best rollaway beds are designed to *actually* give your guests a decent night's sleep, and as a bonus, you can fold 'em up and tuck 'em away when they're not in use (which is a task that's made much easier by the wheels included on the bottom). Gotta love space-saving furniture!! Here are some of my fave folding bed options, based on my research:
Ahead, you'll find deets on all the folding beds and cots worth your money, as well as some tips for buying a foldable guest bed that doesn't suck. Oh, and be sure to check out our top-rated Murphy beds and storage beds for even more space-saving sleep solutions.
It may be a lil pricey, but you really can't beat this folding bed from Milliard. It comes with a dual-sided, five-inch-thick twin foam mattress that's firm on one side and plush on the other, and the wire lattice frame is durable enough to hold up to 300 pounds. Plus, it only takes up a little over a foot of space when folded. Magic!
THE REVIEW: According to one tester, "I was really hesitant about purchasing this bed, but I’m so glad that I did. It is very comfortable to sleep on and easy to fold in the morning. I had surgery on my cervical spine a few months back, and this bed was very supportive, and I did not wake up with neck or back pain. A definite must buy!"
Okay, but the fact that you can get this (actually comfortable!) rollaway bed for $100 is, frankly, bananas. Available in three size options (and with two mattress thickness options), this budget-friendly bb boasts a metal lattice frame that can support up to 265 pounds, as well as four 360-degree swivel wheels and a high-rebound foam mattress.
THE REVIEW: "When I got it, I was very pleased with how thick the mattress is," one tester notes. "The first thing I noticed was the softness and comfort. That's the most important thing when getting a bed. The frame is sturdy, and it folds and snaps together closed easily. This bed will be used for many future visits I'm sure."
Available in three different sizes (cot, twin, and twin XL), this rollaway bed from Lucid features a four-inch-thick foam mattress and a hammock-style suspension system that feels way less stiff than traditional slat and mesh bases. You'll love that it can support up to 350 pounds and takes up less than a foot of space when folded.
THE REVIEW: "My mom visited me for a week, and she loved sleeping on this bed," writes one reviewer. "It has a memory foam mattress, and you can't feel any bars through the bed. After she was gone, the bed easily folded up for storage in the closet. I'm very happy with my purchase and would definitely buy it again."
With its sturdy steel frame, hammock-style base, and spring suspension (which can support up to 350 pounds), this folding bed from Brookside is another extremely solid option—and amazingly, it only weighs about 40 pounds. It's available as a cot, twin, or twin XL bed, and you'll love that the four-inch-thick gel-infused foam mattress works to keep you cool as you snooze.
THE REVIEW: "This rollaway bed is both convenient and comfortable," says one reviewer. "It folds up really easily and compact so that it can be stored in the back of a closet or storage room. The mattress top is really soft, and the mattress itself is quite comfortable and breathable. It is sturdy, but also lightweight, making it easy to move."
Not looking to spend a ton of cash on your new guest bed? Peep this lightweight option from DHP. It comes with a high-density, polyester-filled mattress on a wire lattice frame, and like all the best rollaway beds, it's got a compact, foldable design (it takes up just about a foot of space) and wheels to help you store it away—all for a lil more than $150.
THE REVIEW: "This is exactly what I needed for a small room and temporary sleeping situation," one review reads. "It was easy to assemble. The instructions were very clear. I slept on it last night, and it is very comfortable. This morning, I was able to easily fold it up and tuck it out of the way. I highly recommend this for small spaces."
Your mind will be *blown* when you see how tiny this bb becomes when it’s fully folded up. In its smallest form, this rollaway sofa bed (which comes in six colorways) is a compact ottoman, which can be used as a stool or side table. Roll it out with the backrest tilted upward, and you've got a lounger perfect for movie nights. Lay it entirely flat, and you've got a cot-sized bed in a pinch.
THE REVIEW: As one tester writes, "Purchased this convertible sofa for a NYC studio. Perfection in every way: style, size, and multi-functional. Can be tucked away when not needed and expanded in increments from ottoman, loveseat (add back), lounger, and then—in its full-size glory—a single bed for guests. Highly recommend, you will be happy you bought it!"
Looking for something a bit more luxe? Then pls turn your attention to this collapsable airbed, which legit provides the comfort and height of a real bed. Your guests can choose between plush, medium, and firm settings, and when you're ready to store it away, you can easily collapse, fold, and pack it back into its wheeled storage case. Choose between a twin-size bed (which supports up to 300 pounds) or a queen (which supports up to 450 pounds).
THE REVIEW: According to one reviewer, "I bought this recently, as I was expecting guests and do not have a formal guest room in my home. It was easy to set up and inflate. My guest slept on it for a week and said it was comfortable the whole time. She did not have to re-inflate. I was impressed with the ease of deflating and zipping up the storage container."
No, that's not a cabinet—it's a bed! Super cool, I know. When opened, this plywood cabinet (which comes in three wood stain options) transforms into a queen-size bed, complete with a cool gel six-inch memory foam mattress that can support up to 500 pounds. TBH, I wouldn't blame your guests if they decide they never want to leave.
THE REVIEW: “The bed is absolutely gorgeous and well made," one reviewer writes. "It is more than I had imagined. The wheels made it easy to move around. I can’t wait to use it. It is hard to believe that a bed is in this lovely cabinet.”
Anyone who wants a guest bed they can very literally roll up and store in their closet should check out Airweave. Available in every size from a twin to a California king, this Japanese futon has a unique interwoven design that evenly distributes weight and allows for airflow to keep ya cool, and though it's less than three inches thick, it's ahh-mazingly supportive.
THE REVIEW: "This mattress has given me the best sleep I have ever gotten in my life," one reviewer raves. "Didn’t think that something so thin would be better than a thick mattress, [but] so glad I gave it a shot. Look forward to crashing on it everyday. Airweave has changed my life."
While we wouldn't recommend sleeping on a foldable bed every night of the week, most people find that it's okay to sleep on a rollaway bed every once in a while. If you have enough storage space and overnight visitors to justify it, then a folding bed is well worth the investment and great for occasional use—but relying on a foldable bed every night will likely impact your sleep (and your back!!).
Most rollaway beds come with mattresses that are somewhere between three and five inches thick, while a standard bed mattress is 10 to 12 inches thick. That's because foldable mattresses need to...ya know, fold up into a compact shape. Sure, a thicker mattress will offer better support, but keep in mind that mattress thickness will also affect the potability and storage potential of your rollaway bed.
Because they're designed to fold up and put away, it's pretty much impossible to find a rollaway bed mattress thicker than six inches. That's why it's a good idea to also invest in a mattress topper that'll give your bed a lil more oomph. Here are a few other things to consider when getting a folding bed:
The metal frames of most rollaway beds may be durable, but you'll still want to make sure the frame you choose is strong enough to support any guests you may have. Most beds will tell you the maximum weight capacity they can handle, so be sure your choice makes sense for your potential guests.
While standard beds often have wood slats, folding beds rarely do—and if you see a folding bed with a wooden slat system, it's best to steer clear. Rollaway beds with wood slats tend to be much flimsier and easier to break, which is why folding beds that use durable wire latticework or spring suspensions to support the mattress are a much better choice.
Before you buy a rollaway bed, check out the dimensions for when it's unfolded and folded—especially if you don't have a ton of space in your closet for storage. Typically, a thinner mattress means a more compact bed when folded up, but that's not always the case.
As you probably know, Cosmo's lifestyle team spends all day, every day scouring the internet, testing products, and reading reviews so we can bring you the type of high-quality content we'd want for ourselves (and our standards are preeeetty darn high, TBH).
It's also really important to us that each of our shopping articles adheres to the 15 Percent Pledge, and we try to make sure the products we feature are good for both you and our planet. If we wouldn't buy something for ourselves, we sure as heck won't recommend it to you—and we're always gonna keep it really, really real. Pinky swear.
Corinne Sullivan is an Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers a variety of beats, including lifestyle, entertainment, relationships, shopping, and more. She can tell you everything you need to know about the love lives of A-listers, the coziest bedsheets, and the sex toys actually worth your $$$. She is also the author of the 2018 novel Indecent. Follow her on Instagram for cute pics of her pup and bébé.
Daisy Maldonado is an associate shopping editor at Cosmopolitan who loves writing about fashion trends, must-have beauty products, and digital culture. When she's not writing, you can almost certainly find her shopping (she knows her credit card numbers by heart) or obsessing over celebrity news. Although she’s acquired an extensive closet over the years, her favorite item she owns is a Harry Styles Love On Tour hoodie she purchased at his concert in Manchester. Daisy's work has appeared on Refinery29, The Daily Beast, E! News, Allure and more. Keep up with all of her chaotic travels, NYC life and fashionable moments on her Instagram.
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Corinne Sullivan is an Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers a variety of beats, including lifestyle, entertainment, relationships, shopping, and more. She can tell you everything you need to know about the love lives of A-listers, the coziest bedsheets, and the sex toys actually worth your $$$. She is also the author of the 2018 novel Indecent. Follow her on Instagram for cute pics of her pup and bébé.
Hot Stamping Sheet Metal Parts Daisy Maldonado is an associate shopping editor at Cosmopolitan who loves writing about fashion trends, must-have beauty products, and digital culture. When she's not writing, you can almost certainly find her shopping (she knows her credit card numbers by heart) or obsessing over celebrity news. Although she’s acquired an extensive closet over the years, her favorite item she owns is a Harry Styles Love On Tour hoodie she purchased at his concert in Manchester. Daisy's work has appeared on Refinery29, The Daily Beast, E! News, Allure and more. Keep up with all of her chaotic travels, NYC life and fashionable moments on her Instagram.