When most of us think of portable beds, out of all the different styles and designs that exist, what is frequently thought of is the folding bed.
This really is the quintessential portable bed.
Which is not to say that the folding bed is the most convenient of all the portable beds, as it is definitely not.
However it is fairly portable.
Compared to other styled portable beds, the folding bed looks very similar to an ordinary bed.
It generally comes with legs which will fold down and the mattress will unfold as well, which gives you the common bed shape that most people want from a portable bed.
There certainly is a lot to be said for sleeping raised off the ground.
This is certainly never truer than when camping out, where staying off the ground to sleep provides you with some safety from critters that move about on the ground! Even in more civilized surroundings, such as in the home, there is a lot to be said for bedding down raised off the ground.
It gives a genuine sense of luxury as compared with the lower down inflatable mattress.
Storage is much more of an issue with the fold-away bed, however, than with the likes of the inflatable bed.
Where the inflatable mattress will probably effortlessly fit in a backpack, the folding bed will only fold up a tad and must be stored in a cupboard or wardrobe.
It remains a great space saver, however, and is a terrific item to have when visitors come over to stay, However you will need a comfortable amount of storage space to keep it out of the way the remainder of the time.
When it comes to preparation time, the folding bed is the winner without a doubt over the inflatable bed.
In a race, the person with the folding bed will be sleeping in total luxury before the person with the inflatable bed is finished inflating their bed.
Fold down time is also a real winner for the folding bed; taking just a few minutes to put away.
When compared with the amount of time it takes to deflate an inflatable mattress, it is almost no time at all.
Foldable beds are quite tough, and are likely to last a very long time.
The only comfort problem comes with prolonged use, where the folding point of the bedding may become soft and worn.
In most cases, however, this is simply not a problem for most people, who only use their folding beds occasionally.
The folding bed is the standard upon which all the other portable beds are measured.