Best Folding Beds – Buyer’s Guide

While we all need a comfortable place to lay our heads at night, sometimes we simply do not have enough beds or other spaces to accommodate our potential guests whether they be family, friends, or even strangers renting a room or larger space. This is a situation that calls for the best folding beds which will provide additional sleeping accommodations without permanently occupying your limited space.

Best Folding Beds 2021

As such, figuring out which is the best folding bed for you can be a difficult and frustrating task. That is why we have put together a list of the 5 best folding beds, highlighting what each one does best. Then we provide a helpful buyer’s guide, so you can find the best folding bed to suit your needs.

1. Edward’s Roll Away Bed Best Box Spring Folding Bed

The Edward’s Roll Away Bed is made by Bed and Bath Inc. This brand is a bit unique on our list in that it is the only company on our list that employs the only online business model. Generally, this allows a manufacturer to provide a product at a significantly reduced rate compared to the competition, but that does not seem to be the case for the Edward as this is actually the most expensive folding bed that we reviewed. That said, it is unique in a couple other ways too.

A Sturdy Mattress

A Regular Build

Beyond the box spring mattress, the Edwards is actually a fairly solid folding bed even if it is a bit overpriced. Still, this is one of the few folding beds to feature a headboard of sorts which will keep the mattress secure. This folding bed also only comes in a single size, but at least that size is a twin XL, so your guests will not feel too insecure when rolling over in the night. The frame is made of steel and has a weight capacity of 300 pounds.

2. Milliard Premium Most Durable Folding Bed

Milliard may not be the oldest company around, but they definitely have a keen eye for what it takes to make a sturdy folding bed. That said, this company does not specialize in folding beds specifically nor even beds or furniture more generally. That said, the company is a smaller business and makes it a point to give back to their local community though the company does have warehouses across the US.

A Sturdy Design

Thick and Thin

This aspect can actually be taken a couple ways, but on both accounts, it only makes the Milliard look all the better afterward. First, when this folding bed is folded up, it has a storage profile thickness of only 12”. That is the thinnest storage profile thickness of any rollaway type of folding bed on our list. That said, this thin storage profile does not affect the mattress as the Milliard folding bed also features a mattress that is 4” thick and made of memory foam.

3. LUCID Rollaway Editor’s Choice Folding Bed

LUCID may not have a storied history like some of the other bed manufacturers on the market, but they definitely understand what it takes to make a high-quality folding bed at a fairly reasonable price. In fact, while it is not a perfect folding bed, the overall mix of features has forced us to declare this the editor’s choice best folding bed that we reviewed. Though, as a company that specializes in beds, this should not be that surprising.

All-Around Good Bed

Second Best Specs

Continuing with the second best in everything category, this folding bed comes with a mattress that is 4” thick and is made of both memory foam for comfort as well as support form to prevent pressure points. On top of the robust mattress, the LUCID Rollaway also features the second highest weight capacity of 350 pounds though it should be noted that the folding bed is known to sag in the middle as you get closer and closer to the weight capacity.

4. Zinus Memory Foam Best Mattress Folding Bed

Zinus is another company on our list that you may not necessarily have heard of, but they are by far one of the more impressive that we saw and are arguably in the running on our list for providing the best folding bed were it not for the sheer versatility that the Editor’s Choice provided. Still, this company does specialize in beds and mattresses though it does not specialize in folding beds exclusively. Still, the mattress of this folding bed is fairly impressive.

The Cleanest Mattress

Some Transport Issues

When it comes to the Zinus, were it not for some unfortunate issues, we would be all over this as the editor’s choice. However, this is a much better folding bed for the guest than it is for the owner. For one, this has one of the thickest storage profiles that we saw and by far the thickest storage profile for a foam mattress. On top of that, the Zinus is also one of the heavier folding beds on our list which only makes it more difficult to transport before and after it is used.

5. Corner Housewares iBED Best Hideaway Folding Bed

Corner Housewares is an unusual company on our list in that it is not actually its own company. Instead, Corner Housewares is actually a subsidiary brand of the SpaceMaster company which specializes in providing some of the most compact options for smaller spaces.

That said, SpaceMaster does not specialize in folding beds or even relaxing furniture though it does regularly accomplish its mission of providing an incredibly compact product that is also quite functional.

A Different Folding Bed

The Good Lows

Still, if you are looking for a hideaway folding bed, then the Corner Housewares iBED does not disappoint. For one, this is the least expensive folding bed on our list, and it is not even close. In fact, it is 50 percent less expensive than the next closest competitor. On top of that, this may be the most convenient bed for the owner though the guest may feel a bit different. To wit, this is both the lightest bed on our list and also features the smallest storage profile with a storage profile thickness of only 5 ½”.

Best Folding Beds – Buyer’s Guide

When it comes to folding beds, it is almost an understood limitation that you should not expect the larger sizes to be available though that does not necessarily mean that the bed has to be tiny either.

Size

The size comparison of folding beds can be a bit difficult to judge specifically because it requires a bit of give and take. In this case, the larger the bed, the larger its stored profile which is often a problem since a folding bed’s ostensible purpose is to save space. As such, you will need to carefully determine how much space you wish to provide your guests vs how much space the folding bed takes up when not in use.

Cot

This is by far the smallest sized folding bed available and in fact, is actually one of the smallest sizes period meant to sleep an adult. A cot certainly will not win you any compliments from your guests but they will inherently present the smallest profile when in storage mode. It is worth noting that just because the cot is smaller than the other sizes of bed does not necessarily mean that it has to be an exceedingly uncomfortable bed. The mattresses which accompany many of the cot sized folding beds can actually still be fairly comfortable. Of course, no type of mattress will be able to hide the fact that some of your larger guests may, in fact, feel like they will fall off the bed if they roll over.

Twin

This is considered the size that most guests would define as acceptably comfortable. This is not to suggest that it is a large bed, and it is actually not too terribly much larger than a cot size bed, but it is the accepted standard that is not the smallest size. Of course, since the twin size folding bed is not appreciably bigger than a cot size folding bed, you should still expect some of your larger guests to potentially feel cramped or as if they could fall off of the bed should the guest roll over. Of course, one of the biggest benefits of this size of a folding bed is that it offers your guest a bit more room but does not unduly affect its storage profile.

Twin XL

Much like the twin, the twin XL is a size of folding bed that will not diverge all that much from the general size of the cot. In fact, the twin XL is not significantly larger than the twin and only truly improves on the size of a single dimension. Specifically, the difference between a twin and a twin XL size folding bed is that the twin XL size will be a little bit longer when it is unfolded. This is important because it does nothing to alleviate the feeling that you may roll off of the bed for larger guests. That said, this size folding bed should at least provide a bit more comfort to some of your taller guests. On top of that, it does not unduly affect the size of the storage profile.

Full

The full-size folding bed is indeed rare, though it is also by far one of the more coveted sizes of folding bed at least by guests sleeping over. Of course, this size of folding bed may very well defeat the primary purpose, from your perspective at least, of a folding bed in the first place. This is because a full-size bed is fairly large, even when folded up, which makes its storage profile a bit more difficult to manage. As such, if you are purchasing a folding bed to provide temporary accommodations in a space that is otherwise too small to do so, the larger profile may not make this all that valuable.

Type

Beyond the differing sizes of folding beds and how they affect the storage profile of the folding bed when not in use, the type of folding bed can also play an important role as well. In fact, though the type generally influences the portability of a folding bed more than anything else, the type of folding bed will also impact its storage profile. Depending on the specific type, this storage profile may even require additional steps taken in order to ensure that it functions as desired though this is by far the least common scenario found today even if it was more common a few decades ago.

Hideaway

This type of folding bed actually used to be more popular, but it has quickly fallen out of favor in recent memory due to some of the issues caused by the design. Much like how the size of the bed often becomes a choice between the comfort of your guests and the storage profile of the folding bed when not in use, the choice concerning a hideaway bed comes down to the storage profile size vs the ease of transport. Essentially, the big difference between the hideaway type of folding bed and the rollaway type of folding bed is that the hideaway type of folding bed does not have wheels on its frame. While this might make it more difficult to transport, it does significantly reduce the storage profile.

Rollaway

This is by far the most common type of folding bed and likely for good reason. As has already been discussed, the primary difference between the two most common types of folding beds is that the rollaway bed has a set of wheels attached to its frame to make transportation easier. Though, it should be noted that the wheels and their individual frames can sometimes add anywhere from 1’ to 2’ of height to the folding bed’s storage profile. That said, height is generally not the dimension that concerns people the most and instead the width of the folding bed ends up mattering more in regards to its storage. It should be noted that rollaway beds are generally more expensive than hideaway beds.

Static

This is technically a type of folding bed, though it is definitely not like either of the other two we detailed. As the name implies, this type of folding bed is not portable, or, at least, you would have significant struggles doing so. This is because the static folding bed is generally installed into a frame that allows the bed to fold into a cabinet or other type of cavity. The advantage of this arrangement is that it can generally store a larger bed size than hideaways or rollaways. Of course, the primary disadvantage is that this bed cannot be moved though the fact that its cabinet will generally be larger than the storage profile of hideaway or rollaway beds as well.

Mattress

Unlike other types of beds, folding beds are far more likely to include a mattress as part of their product. While there are still plenty of other bed types that will include a mattress as either part of a brand, product, or outlet, it is not nearly as common as with folding beds which almost always include a mattress. That said, the mattresses of folding beds can vary greatly in terms of quality and comfort. Of course, like pretty much every aspect of folding beds, you will ultimately have to decide between two diametrically opposed qualities that inversely affect one another. Basically, the thicker the mattress, the more comfortable it is likely to be for your guest. On the flip side, the thicker the mattress, the larger the storage profile of the folding bed. While the thickness of the folding bed’s storage profile may not be as important as the width, it is still generally more important than the height.

Profile

This is ultimately what a folding bed comes down to from the owner’s perspective since they are unlikely to make personal use of the folding bed all that often unless they live in an incredibly small space or are looking to purchase an all-in-one sleeping solution for a significantly lower cost than most of the other types of beds.

Regardless, whether the owner personally uses the folding bed or not, chances are they will want the bed’s storage profile to be as compact as possible without sacrificing too much in the way of comfort this is especially true if the owner of the folding bed actually intends to personally use it.

Portability

This, again, is another quality about folding beds that is almost certainly going to be more meaningful to the owner than it is to the guest sleeping over. Essentially, the biggest draw about a folding bed is that once you are done using it, you can easily store it away to either free up some additional space in a smaller home or to prevent an unsightly design disaster. Either way, the owner is liable to want a bed that can be easily moved from storage to use and back again. In this case, there really is only a single solution and it is the rollaway bed. While the hideaway bed may not be too terribly difficult to carry, it pales in comparison to the ease and convenience of a set of wheels.

Conclusion

As we can see, there is not a single product which will satisfy every person as the best folding bed. Instead, the demands of both the owner of the folding bed as well as the intended guests who will presumably use the folding bed will play a big role in determining which bed is right for you. Since pretty much every aspect of a folding bed becomes a choice of picking your poison, you need to consider carefully what is most important to you.

In terms of appealing to your guests, there are few folding beds that can truly compete with the Lucid rollaway guest bed. Aside from the fact that this is one of the few folding beds reviewed that comes in a twin XL size, it also has one of the nicer mattresses with a 1” thick memory foam layer on top of a 3” thick support foam layer. The only issue is that it has one of the larger storage profiles that we saw as well.

If you are looking for a basic folding bed and are not too unduly concerned with the guest who will be using it, then we recommend the Corner Housewares iBED. Granted, it is a bit more difficult to move around being a hideaway folding bed as opposed to a rollaway folding bed, and it also has the least amount of padding for its included mattress. That said, there simply is no other folding bed on our list that can even come close to competing in terms of storage profile.