Guest Bed, Dog Haven, Therapy Couch: An Ode to My Coleman Camping Cot
In 2016, I found myself needing a guest bed for a small space on short notice. I ended up buying a basic camping cot, the Coleman ComfortSmart Cot (which comes with a thin mattress pad and has a metal frame that folds up neatly for convenient storage). Years later, I can say this cot is one of the most functional purchases I’ve ever made. Here I share all the ways I use my cot and how I came to love it so much.
A compact guest bed
I originally bought this cot as an extra bed for guests. I was living in a small house at the time, and the closest thing I had to a guest bedroom was a narrow little nook right off of my kitchen. The house had no closets, so a cot that I could fold up and slide behind a couch or under a bed sounded appealing. It worked wonderfully. When folded, the cot is about 2½ by 2 feet. Guests slept happily on the cot, and I would even sleep on it when my dad visited and stayed in my bedroom. This cot is far more comfortable than I would’ve thought, too. It has just enough cushioning—which I can also adjust by layering blankets—with none of the awkward, middle-of-the-night deflation you get with an air mattress. And the cot’s height makes it easier to get in and out of than some blow-up mattresses. When I’m not using the cot, I can fold it up and tuck it tidily behind a little desk.
An ideal dog bed
It turns out that the cot is also a dog magnet. My dog loves it so much that after I moved to a larger house with a room for an actual guest bed, I set up the cot just for him. I put it in the sunniest spot in that house and let him snooze the day away. He’s a larger dog, and the twin bed size really lets him stretch out. If you have more than one pup, the length will also allow for easy sharing.
A cozy napping spot
When I moved (yet again) into the house I currently live in, for the first time ever I had an office that was mine and mine alone. In an attempt to lure my dog into hanging out with me while I worked, the very first thing I did was set up the cot in there for him. It didn’t take long for the cot to start beckoning me to come and lie down too. For months I resisted, thinking it would be counterproductive to lie down to work or, even worse, take a nap break. It turns out I was very wrong—having a resting spot in my office is just the best. Sometimes I move to the cot to work, because I’ve found that changing positions renews my focus. Other times, when I feel my mental resources burning out, I lie down on the cot (or fit myself in around my dog), set a timer for around 15 minutes, and nap or rest with my eyes closed. The cot is perfect for this because it’s comfortable enough to sleep on but also a bit more spartan than my actual bed, so I’m less tempted to sleep beyond my intended nap time. Just having the cot set up in my office is a nice visual reminder to plan for breaks.
A therapy couch
I’ve always struggled with depression, and in 2020 I finally committed to really putting in an effort to treat it. That means meeting with my therapist multiple times a week. In March, when the coronavirus pandemic necessitated switching from in-person to phone appointments, my therapist asked me if there was a place in my home where I might be able to replicate the classic therapy-couch setup in her office. I looked over at my cot, and suddenly it had a whole new purpose. I told her that, yes, I had just the spot, and I settled into my therapy cot for our session.