In a world that values mobility and convenience,the best portable mattresses is one of the most versatile pieces of furniture you could ever own. Urban dwellers love it for its space-saving feature; outdoor enthusiasts laud it for its flexibility and ease of use.
There’s so much more to a portable mattress than meets the eye and choosing the best one could be tricky. To save you from headaches and sleepless nights, we’ve come up with this shopping guide on how to choose the best portable mattress.
Benefits Of Having A Portable Mattress
Most guests wouldn’t mind sleeping on the couch, but they’ll probably suffer from backache the next morning.
Give your guests the best you could offer with an ergonomic portable guest bed. The best ones (more on this later: Product Reviews) are made from memory foam and other soft materials, so your guests can enjoy a good night’s sleep. After the guests leave, simply fold and stow away the mattress for safekeeping.
For those renting out a room, a whole apartment, or running an Airbnb business, you can get Super Host points for having extra mattresses that could accommodate additional heads or a bigger group. And if the portable mattress is a good kind, they’ll take notice and give you rave reviews. It’s a win-win for both parties.
Depending on the size and model, a portable mattress can function as a footrest or ottoman, or even as a sofa when folded.
Outside the bedroom, it can be converted to just about anything. Create a movie night lounging area. Turn your backyard or garden into an outdoor sanctuary, or a spare room into a personal meditation and yoga studio.
Whether indoors or outdoors, a portable mattress can also work as a portable sleeping bed for kids who love to tumble, jump, and play. On the upside, most portable mattresses have removable covers, so it would be easy to wash them if they get dirty.
Let’s go beyond the picnic party to bigger adventures. Whether you’re out exploring forests or climbing mountains, you can easily transport and carry a portable travel mattress on your back. When it’s time to rest and catch your breath, you’ll definitely be relieved you brought one.
A portable mattress is more comfortable than lying in a portable sleeping bag, where only a slim piece of fabric separates your body from the ground. Hikers and mountaineers can sleep tight like a content baby and wake up energized to conquer adventures.
Different Types Of Portable Beds
Searching for a portable mattress in a retail store is pretty much like shopping for clothes.
It really depends on your personality (your style), what you will use it for (the occasion), and your budget or target price range. But just like shopping for a new outfit, choosing the best one can be overwhelming.
There are a lot of models and brands out there, but it would be easy to narrow down your choices by familiarizing yourself with the three major types of portable mattresses.
Air or Inflatable
The most budget-friendly, air or inflatable mattresses in one of the most popular and best portable mattresses sleeping beds. It varies in thickness, ranging from 3 inches all the way to 20 inches or more. Since these require air, you will need a separate pump to inflate them. Should you buy this type, go for the models that have built-in pumps. It may be a bit pricier but it will definitely be more convenient.
Air or inflatable mattresses are generally considered not as comfortable as traditional beds. But if you’re in a rush or in a tight budget, these can be temporary solutions. You can also temper the firmness of the mattress with a comforter or a bed topper.
Foldable
The most versatile type, a foldable is characterized by its ability to bend into two (bi-fold) to three (tri-fold) sections or folds held by a cover. The price range varies, depending on the material. Foldable beds can also work well as travel mattresses. The most popular one and the wisest you could invest in is memory foam. Made of viscoelastic polyurethane foam built over polyfoam core, memory foam is adored for its softness and its ability to reduce pressure on the body.
Portable and lightweight, a foldable mattress is perfect for a variety of activities, such as outdoor use, exercising, or lounging.
Rollaway
A rollaway is the most expensive type because of its structure. It’s a cushioned mattress on a bed frame or solid base. Most models come with wheels for mobility.
This means it’s the heaviest type, but comfort more than makes up for its bulk. This is the closest a portable mattress could get to a traditional bed. Its frame holds up a body from the ground and a mattress hugs the body for extra support.
In terms of the material of the mattress, it’s usually memory foam or a combination of a latex base and memory foam topping.
This might not be the perfect accessory for your lounging area needs, but it’s the best bet for a guest bed. When not in use, the bed can be folded easily into a bag or wheeled away to a storage area.
Check out our Top 10 Picks for the
Best Portable Mattresses
Very Portable
Best Choice Products Tri-Folding Memory Foam Gel Mattress Topper
Hypoallergenic
Better Habitat SleepReady Memory Foam Floor Mattress
Hypoallergenic
Rolling Bed Traditional Japanese Floor Futon Mattress
Top 5 Foldable Portable Mattresses
Milliard Memory Foam Tri-Fold Mattress
Features
- Sizes: twin, full and queen
- Perfect for side and back sleepers
- Thick foam, back pain reliever
- Very portable
For ten years, Millard has been helping Americans sleep better, and this 6-inch tri-fold mattress is one of their premium products.
This stands out for several reasons. One is density: It’s six inches thick to ensure full support of the body. This can definitely carry thicker than average or heavier individuals. And as a rule of thumb when shopping for a mattress: the thicker, the better.
Second is temperature neutrality: memory foam is notorious for retaining heat, but Millard’s material was designed to be temperature-neutral.
Luxuriate in Milliard’s memory foam that boasts of a CertiPUR-US certification, a removable, washable cover that’s ultra-soft bamboo, and a slip-proof bottom.
Cozzi Trifold Foam Folding Mattress
Features
- Sizes: single and double
- Double-purpose bed and sofa
- Medium-firm conforming to the body
- Very portable
The Cozzi Trifold Mattress is definitely worth that bang for your buck. It’s very reasonably priced, but that doesn’t mean it’s quality is of a lower caliber. At four inches thick, Cozzi is recognizable for its gray zip-off cover that’s easily removable and washable.
Cozzi can double up as a day bed as it can easily be converted into a couch. This is an excellent choice if you’re thinking of using the mattress as a yoga mat, lounge area, or as camping seats in a music festival. If you move around a lot, then this might be your match.
Best Choice Products Tri-Folding Memory Foam Gel Mattress Topper
Features
- Sizes: twin, full and queen
- CertiPUR-US certified
- Removable, washable cover
- Unique cooling technology
- Very portable
This model is perfect for those who dislike memory foam’s bed heating tendencies. Temperature is the top priority here, with a gel mattress topper cooling things down.
On the downside, it’s only 3 inches thick, but it has all the fine features of the other good models: easily foldable with two built-in handles and convertible to a floor couch or day bed.
Better Habitat SleepReady Memory Foam Floor Mattress
Features
- Sizes: twin, full, queen, portable kids/crib size
- Washable, water-resistant cover
- Easy to carry
- Comes with a travel bag
- Hypoallergenic
Better Habitat is a top pick for families with kids because of its hypoallergenic feature against dust mites, bacteria, molds, and mildew.
It may be thinner at 3-inches, but it sets itself apart by being rollable instead of foldable and fitting in a convenient travel bag with carry-on handles. For those who love to travel, this is a real score, giving extra protection with its washable, water-resistant cover.
Rolling Bed Traditional Japanese Floor Futon Mattress
Features
- Sizes: twin, full, queen, portable kids/crib size
- Washable, water-resistant cover
- Easy to carry
- Comes with a travel bag
- Hypoallergenic
Last but not the least on our list for foldables: a Japanese futon mattress that earns points for its unique design. Also called “shikibutons”, futon mattresses are especially configured to be put down on the floor. But don’t worry about comfort. This 3-inch mattress made of polyester fiber with a foam layer can provide you with a soft slumber.
Most users recommend this as extra seating or interesting furniture in a massage or TV room.
Top 5 Rollaway Portable mattresses
Lucid Rollaway Folding Guest Bed
Features
- Size: Twin, cot, twin XL
- Breathable rayon soft bamboo cover; good for those with allergies
- Medium firmness
- Good for lodging an extra guest
If you’re looking for an ideal, sturdy and stable guest bed, then LUCID rollaway might be your best bet.
It features a spring-supported deck rather than rigid slats or bars that won’t let your body bounce. In terms of comfort, LUCID is on top of its game. Its 1- inch layer of memory foam on top of 3 inches of supportive base foam makes it a medium-firm mattress, which is the ideal firmness for most people.
If you’re having a guest over, simply unfold the bed and lock the dual-caster wheels in place. To store, unlock, unfold the frame, and smoothly wheel away to its hiding place.
Milliard Premium Folding Bed
Features
- Trampoline bed base
- Auto-folding legs
- Removable, washable cover
- Dual-locked caster wheels
- No special tools required for assembly
For a guest bed, you would want something that’s easy to set up that requires the littlest effort. This one is made from double-reinforced steel that opens and closes with a Clamshell folding style and an assisted mechanism.
Like LUCID, this is 4-inches thick, but it boasts of a trampoline bed base that’s supple and supportive to the body.
Plus points: you don’t need special tools to assemble this. After receiving the package, simply attach the wheels to the base and you’re good to go.
Zinus Traveler Elite Folding Guest Bed
Features
- Budget-friendly
- Comes with a storage bag
- Weighs 33 lbs., ideal for singles
- Removable washable cover
A rollaway is not a popular choice for people on-the-go, but this very handy rollaway model might make it to your travel packing checklist. This is the most lightweight option, an ideal choice if you could carry a frame with a mattress for your travels.
But don’t think this loses out on comfort. The 4-inch mattress has a high- density foam base with a top layer of foam padding, making it cooler than other models. Buy this if you like to sleep cool and own a rollaway bed to function as both a guest bed and a travel mattress.
Mecor Folding Mattress
Features
- Budget-friendly
- Hammock style with the fabric mesh base
- Cot size, perfect for surprise sleepovers
Another budget-friendly option is the Mecor rollaway, with a sturdy metal frame and a three-inch-thick foam mattress.
Like Zinus, Mecor is lightweight and would fit easily in the trunk of your car. If you like siestas or daytime naps, this hammock-style mattress can be easily pulled out from your closet and set up.
What makes this model special is its 34 metal springs that provide support to body movement and a flexible breathable fabric mesh base.
Regalo My Cot Portable Toddler Bed
Features
- Comes with a travel bag
- Super easy to assemble
- Removable and washable cover
- Matching fitted sheet
- Choice of blue or pink colors
- Toddler or cot size
Taking your kids on vacation? You will need a multi-purpose kid-friendly cot.
The Regalo Portable Toddler Bed is 48 inches long, can hold children up to 75 pounds, and is recommended for children 2-5 years old. Sans the wheels, this portable cot unfolds in just a matter of seconds and holds on to the ground firmly.
This lightweight cot has a durable steel frame and a canvas bed liner with a matching washable fitted sheet for your little one’s comfort. The canvas material makes it great for camping and setting this cot up is breezy and fuss-free.
This is great for nap times, sleepovers, vacations, and playtime.
Editor’s Choice
We believe that choosing the right portable mattress heavily depends on how you plan to use it. Is it going to be used mainly as a guest bed, or are you planning to take a camping trip soon?
Size can also be a big factor. Are you looking for a regular-sized, portable queen bed? Or are you in the market for larger, king-sized types? If you are thinking of a narrower size, a futon mattress can also work.
What do we recommend?
You can hit two birds with one stone with any of our recommended foldaway mattresses. The Milliard and Cozzi Tri-foam are both great choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s a combination of a huge range of several materials, like memory foam, polyfoam, latex foam, polyester batting, wool, cotton, adhesives micro coils, and natural fibers.
Portable mattresses are mostly made out of memory foam due to its flexibility and comfort, but some are combined with other materials like latex.
A mattress can range from firm to soft or somewhere in between. A firm bed can carry your weight but could cause back pain. A soft bed can swallow your body in, so the pressure points of your spine won’t be supported.
Essentially, a great mattress should support your body in a neutral position, where all the essential parts are properly aligned, such as the curvature, buttocks, heels, shoulders, and head. Ultimately, it all boils down to choosing the most comfortable bed, as you consider factors like your size, health condition, and your sleeping preference or preferred sleeping position.
Conclusion
A portable mattress is more than just a spare bed, so shopping for one’s needs to be given some extra careful thought. After all, this piece of furniture slash travel accessory always serves its purpose, whatever the circumstances.
With this comprehensive shopping guide, you can buy the best portable mattress available in the market so you can rest easy and sleep tight.
