Coleman ComfortSmart Deluxe Cot Review 2019

Coleman ComfortSmart Deluxe Cot Overview

Cots. Love ‘em, hate ‘em, need ‘em, got ‘em — everyone seems to have an opinion about these unusual sleep creatures. Not quite a bed and almost a sleeping pad, a cot can leave you scratching your head even as you’re resting said head a cozy foot off the ground.

Coleman has been creating camping equipment for over a century — the Google machine tells me that William Coffin Coleman began selling pressure lamps in 1900 before developing a host of sleep-related outdoor products. A staple of those sleep-related products was, and is, the camping cot. Specifically, the Coleman Comfort SmartDeluxe Cot.

Sleep off the ground, with a bit of padding, anywhere you can lug this thing.

If you fancy yourself a cot, by jove you may have found the one. Read the full Coleman Comfort SmartDeluxe Cot review below, and see where it lands on our guide to the Best Camping Mattresses.

Coleman ComfortSmart Deluxe Cot Specifications

Gear Review of the Coleman ComfortSmart Deluxe Cot

Origins: Easing You In

Honestly I had the darndest time figuring out how to test this cot because I couldn’t throw it on my kayak or stuff it into my backpack. Finally I weaseled my way into a Carnelian Bay camping invite, and quickly became excited about coloring past the lines of my ultralight proclivities.

I enjoyed haphazardly filling my trunk with senselessly large gear (also known as wonderfully luxurious gear), and as I slid the Coleman Comfort SmartDeluxe Cot across the backseat of my Nissan Juke I smiled at the knowledge that this would be a different wilderness sleeping experience than I was used to!

Large, in charge, and high off the “ground”, the ComfortSmart Deluxe is made for deck-side sleeping.

In case you’re not catching the vibe, ultralight inflatable sleeping pads and mummy bags are my typical sleep weapons of choice.

Revelation: The Moment I Knew

Confession: I’ve slept on cots before and was not impressed. At all. Not even a little.

It was against this preconceived backdrop that I popped open the Comfort Smart Deluxe and nestled it into my tent. And popped open is really all I had to do. For someone accustomed to significant set up time (lots of blowing and rolling), the quick and easy nature of this cot brought a big smile to my face. Off to a good start!

The good news is that it fit into my two man tent. The bad news is that it BARELY fit. But that was entirely my fault as this cot is designed for a much larger car camping tent. I was actually super impressed that it fit.

Cots aren’t meant for small two-person backpacking tents, but they can be squeezed in when necessary! We recommend a larger, 4-person tent.

Easy to set up and actually fits in my small tent? The ComfortSmart Deluxe was growing on me.

But lying down on it for the first time was what officially propelled me onto the bandwagon. Maybe this is minutiae and only something that would be appreciated by people with broad shoulders, but I loved how wide this cot is! My past cot experiences left me hunched and deformed like Gollum, but the Comfort Smart Deluxe let me spread my wings and stretch out. True to its name — so comfortable!

Comfort is as comfort does.

Digging Deeper

As night fell and the spring chill began to creep up from the lake, I found myself appreciating a couple other key features of the cot. First, it doesn’t bow and sag in the middle as many other cots are wont to do. The Comfort Smart Deluxe is taught, making the sleep you get on it delightful.

Second, and of major significance, the foam pad that comes with this cot is fantastic. Of course an inch of foam feels good to lay on, but perhaps more important is the insulating layer it provides between your body and the cold air flowing under the cot.

The removable 1-inch foam topper is what makes this cot comfortable. It’s a huge mattress, basically.

With such a simple piece of gear, these two elements make it an easy choice if you’re looking to purchase a camping cot.

Comfort – 5 Stars

I rolled around all night. Not because I was uncomfortable but because I could, and I take my testing seriously. I was on my stomach, my back, my sides. I may have even been on my head at one point during a particularly odd dream. And I was mucho comfortable throughout.

We don’t recommend sleeping like this. Good for photo ops though!

Durability – 5 Stars

I am not easy on my gear, and I didn’t make an exception for this cot just because its soft. Through multiple set-ups, take-downs, car trips, and storage spots it performed like a champ. And, unlike most other sleeping pads and mattresses, it can’t pop!

Inflation and Deflation – N/A

No inflation required! No deflation either, though the folding time was about five seconds.

Packability – 3 Stars

While easy to use, this cot (and every cot that I’ve seen) is not designed for maximum space saving. You’re going to need a large vehicle to transport it, and clear out room in your garage to store it.

It doesn’t pack small, but it does fold easily.

For its size, it does pack pretty well, thus the medium stars. That said, this is a giant, huge, monstrous piece of gear compared to something like the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite, which also technically works for sleeping at camp.

Grievances

My only real grievance with the ComfortSmart Deluxe Cot is that it easily refolds itself and dumps you unceremoniously onto your nether regions if you have not made sure it’s entirely locked out. I knew this and still managed to get dumped twice. Be careful. Or better yet, set up a video camera and make some money on YouTube.

My other grievances are simply general cot cautionary tales. Cots are bulky and take up a ton of room. The Comfort Smart Deluxe took up my entire back seat. If I had a smaller car I literally would have had to strap it onto my roof. Know that going in.

The other important thing to remember about cots is that air flows underneath them, so they are not ideal for cold nights. If you do choose to use a cot in a chilly environment, make sure to use an extra-warm sleeping bag, or pile on another sleeping pad like the Z Lite Sol for a bit more warmth.

As far as cot-specific performance, the ComfortSmart Deluxe is both comfortable and deluxe, which I guess makes it smart!

Final Word

I went into this expecting to be underwhelmed, and now have the Coleman ComfortSmart Deluxe permanently set up in my guest room to show it off. Which tells you that I’m weird, and that this is one sweet cot.

Where to Buy Coleman ComfortSmart Deluxe Cot

We tested the Coleman ComfortSmart Deluxe Cot. It’s only offered in one color.

Coleman also has the ComfortSmart Cot, which isn’t as “Deluxe”. This version is smaller overall, just under 70 inches long (5.8 feet) and 25 inches wide. It does weigh less, but we find that if you’re shopping for a cot, you might as well get the one that fits you no matter what.

Compare Coleman ComfortSmart Deluxe Cot prices below.

Josh Mathe

Josh Mathe is passionate about squeezing every last drop from life, and helping others do the same. He is the best-selling and award-winning author of "I, Athlete" and "In the Footsteps of Greatness", as well as a speaker, fitness expert, nutritionist, ultra endurance athlete, and life adventurer. Josh is the owner of One10 Performance & Nutrition, and when not in office he spends his days in the mountains moving as fast and light as possible. Josh holds a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition, and is a certified sports nutritionist (CISSN), Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES), and endurance coach. He lives in Sacramento, CA with his wife and three crazy animals. For more information or to contact Josh directly, please visit his website.