The Coleman Trailhead II Cot is an entry-level camping cot with an outstanding price-to-value ratio. The steel frame is sturdy and the sleeping surface is comfortable but could be too short for larger adults.
Let’s take a closer look at the benefits and drawbacks of the Coleman Trailhead II Cot:
Trailhead II Cot Review
The Coleman Trailhead II Cot is a great low-cost camping cot. Because it’s such a great value, it’s in our guide to the best camping cots for 2022. Man Makes Fire gear testers have spent a dozen nights on the Coleman Trailhead II Cot, and it’s a a win for people under 6′ tall — even though Coleman rates it for people up to 6’2″.
For people over 6′ tall, the Coleman Trailhead II Cot might be restrictive for back or stomach sleepers because the crossbars at the end could be uncomfortable on your feet or head and arms depending on how you sleep. It’s 75″ long, and if you do the math, that means it’s 6’3″ long.
The Coleman Trailhead II Cot is a popular all-around cot for camping — and impromptu sleeping on hot summer nights on the back deck.If you place an inflatable air mattress or even a closed-cell foam pad like the Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL Sleeping Pad on top, you can fill in the small depression created by the frame and extend the comfort for taller sleepers or back sleepers. (Side sleepers usually bend their knees, so length isn’t as critical to side sleepers.)
So, comfort for someone who is 6’2″? Maybe.
(If you’re truly looking for a large or long cot, you might want to check out the Best Big & Tall Cots section in our guide to the best camping cots.)
Sturdy Frame
The biggest benefit to the Coleman Trailhead II Cot is its sturdy steel frame. You get three X-cross legs with six points of contact with the ground and two cross bars for the ends. Coleman says the Trailhead II Cot will support up to 300 lbs.
It’s hard to go wrong with this frame design because once it’s setup, it’s very sturdy. One benefit of sleeping on a sturdy cot is that you can sit on the side of the cot, which makes it easier for adults with mobility issues (or just age) to get into and out of bed while camping.
One drawback to the Trailhead II Cot is that Coleman’s published width doesn’t accurately reflect its actual sleeping area width. The Trailhead II Cot is 35″ wide, but that includes the full length of the crossbars, which extend a few inches beyond the frame width to give you leverage when you setup the cot.
Even so — like all cots — you also lose a bit of width to the lengthwise bars that support the fabric: The resulting interior fabric surface for sleeping is closer to 30″ on the Trailhead II.
Difficult Setup?
We’re fans of the Coleman Trailhead II Cot’s sturdy classic design.The Coleman Trailhead II Cot is relatively difficult to setup the first couple of times. It starts out easy: Simply unfold the cot then push the side bars out to activate the X-legs and create the start to your sleeping surface. Next, you take one cross bar, slide it through a opening in the fabric at the head or foot of the cot and align the small raised pegs on the ends of the side bars with the notches on the cross bar.
So far so good.
The trouble comes with the second cross bar. Once you slide it into the fabric sleeve at the end and attach one notch to one peg, you must pull the cross bar with a lot of force to pull the fabric taught and place the notch over the peg. To do this effectively, you need to pull on the longer end of the bar to get your leverage.
Most people can learn the technique and get it done alone, but it’s much easier to do with a partner or even a kid. If someone sits on the end of the cot that’s already assembled, it’s a lot easier to pull on the other end bar because the cot won’t move or flip up.
Some people use the stand-up technique: Stand the cot upright so the bar that needs attached is down on the ground. You can step on the end of the bar, and with a bit of balance and finesse, push the bar into place with your foot.
If you want to avoid this sort of setup process altogether, check out our Best Easy Setup Cots section in our guide to the best cots.
Once you have the Trailhead II Cot setup, it’s sturdy and stays together.
Comfort Tips for Sleeping on Cots
Most cots that provide a taught fabric sleeping area feel as if you’re sleeping on a very firm mattress. It’s not bad, but if you want to increase your comfort, place an air mattress or sleeping pad on top of the cot — the small version of the Cabela’s 3″ Cot Pad fits the Coleman Trailhead II Cot well and is very comfortable.
If you don’t have a pad handy, an extra blanket underneath your sleeping bag can smooth out the edges of the cot frame and provide a bit more cushion and warmth, too.
Depending on how you sleep, these easy adjustments can make a big difference in comfort.
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The Bottom Line
The Coleman Trailhead II Cot is the best cot available in the $50~ price range. In fact, the price-to-value ratio is excellent. While it can be difficult to set up and is a bit short for taller sleepers, its classic design results in a sturdy cot for sleeping. Highly recommended.
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