Best Rollaway Folding Bed
You’ve got guests coming, and you’ve got your couch. Or maybe the guest rooms are full, and all you’ve got is a poor air mattress that may or may not have a hole. If you want something more reliable than an air mattress but still fits into storage just like one, a rollaway bed could…
You’ve got guests coming, and you’ve got your couch. Or maybe the guest rooms are full, and all you’ve got is a poor air mattress that may or may not have a hole. If you want something more reliable than an air mattress but still fits into storage just like one, a rollaway bed could be the thing that saves your hosting skills for good.
Rollaway beds have come a long way since the rickety, noisy ones of your grandmother’s era. They still fold up and stow away, but they’re more comfortable, more supportive, and way less likely to take off one of your fingers during set up. We’ve compiled our favorite rollaway beds to help you get started, plus answered a few questions you may have. Let’s take a look.
In This Article
- What’s The Purpose Of A Rollaway/Foldaway?
- How Do I Choose A Rollaway?
- How Do I Care For My Rollaway?
- Best Rollaway/Foldaway Beds: The List
- Our Top Pick – Zinus Memory Foam Resort Folding Guest Bed
- Runner Up – Lucid Rollaway Folding Guest Bed
- Budget Alternative – Zinus Weekender Elite
- Best For Heavier People – Milliard Premium Twin Size 75″ X 38″ Folding Bed with Luxurious Memory Foam Mattress
- Best Extra Long Rollaway – Jay-Be J-Bed Folding Bed with Aluminum Frame and Memory Foam Mattress
- Final Thoughts
What’s The Purpose Of A Rollaway/Foldaway?
A foldaway or rollaway bed uses a real mattress on a frame that folds in the middle and secures for easy storage. It typically has wheels in the middle of the frame that help you move it around, and the mattress is thin enough to fold up easily. The frames are typically metal, and they can support varying amounts of weight based on their specific construction.
It’s more comfortable and more reliable than an air mattress that can get holes. Because it uses a real bed, it tends to be a little more supportive than air mattresses and a little bit warmer. It can also handle a bit more weight than an air mattress and is mostly more supportive than your couch.
How Do I Choose A Rollaway?
Before you decide on a rollaway, there are a few things you should consider. Not all rollaway beds are the same, and there could be a few that better fit your unique situation.
Mattress Type
The mattresses for rollaways come in a few different styles. The two most common are memory foam and innerspring.
Memory foam mattresses are a little softer and a little easier to fold up. Because they compress so well, you may be able to get a slightly thicker mattress without having to sacrifice folding capability. It also might be useful for those with back issues who need a little bit more contouring overall.
Memory foam is naturally antibacterial and mold resistant, which might be a useful feature for a bed that will see a lot of action from different people over the years. The downside is that it can break down more quickly because of the depth and it sometimes needs frequent airing out because of the petroleum-based components in memory foam.
Innerspring mattresses are more familiar feeling and can be better support overall for those with aches and pains. Springs don’t break down as quickly at this thickness, but they can be difficult to compress. You may not be able to get a mattress that’s as thick as you’d like because of those springs. The good thing is that it’s less likely to need to off-gas as some memory foam options out there.
Size
The typical size of most rollaway beds is comparable to twin although slightly smaller. You can get ones that fold down to a mere five or so inches in depth and ones that stay much thicker. Thin options are easily stored in the closet or underneath an existing bed, but they may be uncomfortable for long term sleeping. Other, thicker options are more comfortable to use, but they may be more difficult to store.
Other options fold into pieces of furniture such as an ottoman or a cabinet. These can be good if you plan to keep your rollaway in your main room and have nowhere to put it out of sight. The ottoman style is more like a cot than a bed, and the armoire or chest styles can be larger pieces of furniture that could interfere with your small space.
Weight Support
You need to check the weight restrictions of any rollaway bed you decide to use because the weight support can vary wildly from one model to another. If you plan to use the bed mostly for children, for example, weight limits around 100 to 200 pounds would be fine. Full grown adults may tax that weight limit a lot more so something that can handle closer to 250 to 300 pounds could make sleeping a lot more comfortable. Many of the newer models can support even 400 or so pounds.
You can also consider how tall your guests may be. While rollaway beds will always come up a little bit short, a higher weight limit often comes with more inches on the sides and ends that could accommodate larger guests more comfortably.
Portability
Rollaway beds are relatively portable and offer a lighter weight option to regular beds. On average, they may weigh around 30 or so pounds (give or take depending on the model), but many have those handy wheels located in the middle of the frame to make it easy to move once everything is folded up.
You should consider what you can physically move by yourself. If the folding and stowing process is too difficult, you’ll never use it, but you also want it to be as sturdy as you can manage. Make sure the wheels are sturdy. Wheel designs like castors help make it easier to move the bed in all directions depending on how you want to store it.
Special Features
Most rollaway beds aren’t meant to support weight or height that’s much above average, but some beds certainly can get close. If you plan to have a variety of guests, you may want to consider a bed that accommodates weights in a greater range than most standard rollaways. Since a full grown man can easily reach over 200 pounds, that 250-pound limit can come up quickly. A bed that adds 100 pounds to that limit could be a better option.
Likewise, some beds aren’t meant to handle adults that reach six feet. Since the average height of adults is climbing, you may want to consider at least a twin XL if not an extra long bed, in general, to help keep feet from hanging off the end.
Price
The price of most rollaways is relatively cheap considering how much beds and frames cost now. However, we believe that investing in well-made products will end up saving you money in the long run when you have a quality product that doesn’t break easily.
There are plenty of beds on our list that should satisfy your needs and balance your budget without sacrificing any quality or benefits. Make sure you know what is possible in your price range and always err on the side of quality.
How Do I Care For My Rollaway?
You should always take care when folding and unfolding your rollaway. Forcing the frame to open and close in ways that stress it can age the joints a lot faster. Carefully opening and closing helps keep those joints in top shape.
Never stack things on top of your bed when it’s in storage. The extra weight over the long term can cause damage to the frame or the deck which could lead to sagging. Also, keep your bed away from heat sources as this can degrade the mattress fibers over time and create pressure on the joints as the temperature changes rapidly.
Some mattresses have zip-around covers, but if yours doesn’t come with one, we recommend purchasing one anyway.
Best Rollaway/Foldaway Beds: The List
Our list includes not only our favorite rollaway bed but some options to satisfy other scenarios. They’re quality and support a good amount of weight so you can host a range of guests in your home. Each one is convenient and offers support and comfort to sleepers, so they don’t feel so put out by not sleeping in their own beds.
Our Top Pick – Zinus Memory Foam Resort Folding Guest Bed
The Zinus is a twin-sized memory foam mattress that folds easily and offers just about as much support as you can get from a rollaway bed. The frame is a solid steel frame with a powder coating and wheels in the middle help move it easily when it’s time to pack up.
The five-inch mattress uses a top layer of contouring memory foam on top of four inches of supportive polyfoam for an all-around supportive sleep with no crossbars or metal pieces that can irritate you in the middle of the night. It’s designed to look like a standard box spring with a cover and a mattress to give it more style when it’s in use.
Zinus uses a biofoam that replaces much of the petroleum-based products with a plant-based product to help reduce the odors in memory foam. It supports a weight of up to 250 pounds and weights around 50 pounds when folded up. That’s on the lighter end of the spectrum, but it should be supportive for most people.
What Customers Like:
- five inches of memory foam
- design is thoughtful
- biofoam has less off-gassing
Common Complaints:
- expensive
- not suitable for larger adults
Runner Up – Lucid Rollaway Folding Guest Bed
Our next rollaway bed is a slim design rollaway with a four-inch memory foam mattress and a steel frame. It uses three inches of dense support foam underneath an inch of contouring foam to give a comfortable yet still supportive sleep surface with no bars or lumps to interrupt sleep.
The deck is spring supported so that it gives more as a real mattress would. It’s easy to fold and unfold, quickly locking into place for safety whether folded out or put away for storage. Wheels in the middle help move it, and the steel frame is a simple black option with secure supports.
It’s available in a twin and a twin XL and includes a ten-year warranty against defects. This is one of the best warranties on the market for rollaway beds, so you’ve got a lot covered. It has a higher weight limit of 350 pounds, but we found that the overall feeling of the mattress for the Zinus was a bit more comfortable for most sleepers.
What Customers Like:
- higher weight limit
- slim design
- available in two different sizes
Common Complaints
- thinner mattress than the Zinus
- spring supported deck makes a little noise
Budget Alternative – Zinus Weekender Elite
Another Zinus on this list and this time one with a sleek profile and plenty of support. It features a four-inch memory foam mattress with one inch of contouring foam on top of a three-inch dense support layer. It has a steel frame with castors designed to hold the bed in place once it’s unfolded.
It weighs just under 25 pounds, making it one of the lightest beds on our list. It folds down to just under 9 inches in depth, making it easy to store underneath a bed or even a more massive sized couch when not in use. The mattress is pretty comfortable and should protect you from feeling the springs in the platform.
It supports weights of up to 250 pounds, but it will sag just a bit in the middle if you push that weight limit. It’s only about 31 inches wide, which is a little bit less than a twin, but you still get a 75-inch length. It’s on the smaller side, but for occasional use, it should do the trick.
What Customers Like:
- affordable option
- four-inch mattress
- narrow folded depth
Common Complaints:
- deck sags just a bit the heavier you are
- narrower than a twin
Best For Heavier People – Milliard Premium Twin Size 75″ X 38″ Folding Bed with Luxurious Memory Foam Mattress
Milliard’s premium rollaway holds up to 400 pounds without sagging or buckling. The mattress is a four-inch style with one-inch contouring foam and three inches of dense support foam. The trampoline style deck is fully supportive but able to withstand a higher amount of weight than standard rollaway frames.
The all steel base is structurally reinforced and include straps to ensure that there’s no sagging. It has wheels located in the center of the frame to help move it, and it folds down to about 12 inches thick for storage. It comes entirely assembled minus the wheels, which are simple to attach.
It’s a bit more of an investment, but considering the higher weight limit, that may be a necessary expense. If you have a wide variety of guests over, you may need the flexibility. Be sure the straps are fully engaged to help prevent sagging, especially for heavier users.
What Customers Like:
- supports a larger amount of weight
- straps to prevent sagging
- provides a four-inch mattress
Common Concerns:
- bigger investment
- weighs almost 50 pounds
Best Extra Long Rollaway – Jay-Be J-Bed Folding Bed with Aluminum Frame and Memory Foam Mattress
The J-Be J-Bed is a whopping 80 inches long, making it one of the longest rollaway beds on the market. It features a memory foam topped mattress that rests on wooden slats for a closer feeling to a real bed than other rollaways. It accommodates taller guests easily and has an attractive wooden foot and headboard.
It has locking wheels in the middle that help you move the bed once it’s folded back up. The legs and frame are a lighter weight aluminum that reduces overall weight despite the size. Wood comes from a sustainable source, and neither the wood nor the mattress requires a lot of off-gassing or airing out. It opens and closes in seconds, and slides easily for storage.
It comes with a free lifetime guarantee against frame defects and exceeds numerous safety standards in the United States and Great Britain. It ships fully assembled to your door, needing only the wheels put into place. The mattress may need a little breaking in at first and could need a little warmth to reach full softness, but otherwise, this is an excellent option for taller people.
What Customers Like:
- 80 inches long
- wooden slats feel like a real bed
- lifetime warranty
Common Complaints
- mattress is very firm
- expensive
Final Thoughts
Offering your guests something more than just your couch makes you host of the year. If you don’t have space for a full guest room, a foldaway bed can hit that sweet spot between the convenience of an air mattress and the support of an actual guest bed. Many use memory foam mattresses now for more comfort than those old two-inch mats that used to come on rollaways.
We recommend thinking about the type of guests you’re most likely to have and buying a bed that corresponds more closely with that type. There are good options out there to fit both your budget and your storage solutions, so no more need for trying to make a couch comfortable. Get your guests their own little space and remain in their good graces. Happy hosting!