Coleman Trailhead II Cot (Model 2000020274, UPC 00076501051353)

Published · Researched 2026-09-21

2026 lineup note: Current — the Trailhead II remains Coleman's standard steel X-frame camp cot in 2026, widely stocked at hardware chains, Academy Sports, and Home Depot. Model #2000020274. Flagged data conflict (see Key Specs): retailer listings disagree on dimensions (25" vs 35" width) — dimensions below are marked disputed.

Version lineage (2023–2026)

• Long-running product: The Trailhead II has been sold in essentially this form for well over a decade (it succeeded the original Trailhead cot). No redesign announced or documented in 2023–2026.
• 2023–2026: Same model number (2000020274), same UPC (00076501051353), same 300 lb capacity, same powder-coated steel X-frame and polyethylene-coated polyester sleeping surface. Price has drifted in the $65–$75 street range with inflation.
• Honest advice: There is no meaningful "old vs new" version to choose between — a used Trailhead II is the same cot. Check the fabric for UV rot/tears and the X-frame pivots for rust; those are the failure points, and at ~$70 new, used units should be genuinely cheap ($25–$35) to be worth it.

Overview

The Coleman Trailhead II is the archetypal budget car-camping cot: a military-style steel X-frame that snaps open to lift you off the ground, aimed at car campers, scout troops, and guest-room duty. Made by Coleman (The Coleman Company, a Newell Brands subsidiary), it trades packability for simplicity and price — at ~20 lb it is strictly a drive-up-campsite item. Coleman positions it for campers up to 6'2" (some listings say 6'6"; Coleman marketing copy varies — treat 6'2" as the conservative figure).

Key Specs

Dimension conflict (open correction): Do It Best / Coleman dealer feeds list the cot as 25" W × 76" L × 13" H. Academy Sports (via locally.com) and DK Hardware list ~73–75" L × 35" W × 17" H at ~21.5 lb for what appears to be the same model number. Coleman Japan's parallel-import spec (190 × 78 × 42 cm ≈ 75 × 31 × 16.5 in) splits the difference. This may reflect a running design widening, regional variants, or retailer data errors — I could not resolve it from public listings. Measure or confirm on Coleman's current product page before citing dimensions.

Pricing

• MSRP: Not published by Coleman (Coleman does not enforce MAP on this line).
• Street price: $66.99–$74.99 — Do It Best $74.99 (2026-09-20 crawl, "in-store price may vary"); Academy Sports $69.99–$66.99 (locally.com, 2026-09-20); DK Hardware $87.59. GearTrade (used, "Good" condition) lists retail cost $67.49.
• Typical big-box/Amazon street price hovers around $65–$75; holiday sales dip toward $55.
• Re-verify live — hardware-chain pricing moves frequently.

In the Box

• Trailhead II cot (frame + fabric pre-attached)
• Carry bag
• Everything needed is included. A sleeping pad on top is strongly recommended for cushioning and cold-weather insulation (community consensus).

Warranty

1-year limited warranty against defects in material and workmanship, original retail purchaser only (per Amazon/Coleman product data feeds and Home Depot's warranty field; Coleman notes warranty length may vary by product — for cots it is 1 year).

Support & Parts

Coleman customer service handles warranty claims; replacement parts for cots (fabric decks, leg assemblies) are inconsistently available — owners more often report replacing the whole cot than repairing it at this price. Support reputation is middling: functional but slow, and warranty requires proof of purchase from an authorized retailer. Given the ~$70 price, most owners treat it as semi-disposable, which undercuts the value of the 1-year warranty in practice.

Community Verdict

The Trailhead II is the default recommendation for a first/cheap cot — owners praise the dead-simple X-frame setup and the genuine comfort upgrade over ground sleeping, especially with a pad on top. The recurring complaints are weight (~20+ lb), bulk, and the narrow 25" width for broad-shouldered sleepers (if the 35"-wide listings reflect reality, that complaint may be dated — another reason the dimension conflict matters). Scout leaders and car campers consider it the price/performance floor of the category; nobody calls it refined, everybody calls it adequate. Versus the alternate-track Teton Sports Outfitter XXL: the Teton is wider, taller, and ~2× the price for bigger campers who find the Coleman cramped.

Images

• images/coleman-trailhead-ii-cot-1.jpg — primary exact-model product shot
• images/coleman-trailhead-ii-cot-2.jpg — alternate angle
• images/coleman-trailhead-ii-cot-3.jpg — folded / in carry bag
• [research workspace] — customer photo, cot set up outdoors on grass (BazaarVoice / coleman.com review photo)
• [research workspace] — assembled cot outdoors with reviewer holding carry bag for packed-size scale (YouTube review thumbnail, titled "Coleman Trailhead II Cot")

Research date: 2026-09-20. Prices verified from Do It Best ($74.99), locally.com/Academy ($66.99–$69.99), and DK Hardware ($87.59) listings crawled Sep 2026. Open data-quality flag: retailer dimension specs conflict (25" vs 35" width, 13" vs 17" height) for the same model number — re-verify dimensions on coleman.com before purchase or publication.

Long-term durability & warranty-claim reality

Research date: 2026-09-20.

The Trailhead II is a decade-old steel X-frame design whose durability story is simple: the cot doesn't break; the accessories around it do. The thick steel frame and taut canvas survive years of use including kid abuse (TentsNTrees: "can handle the abuse kids will put on it"; HappyTechFam: "used this cot for years… hasn't shown any signs of wear or structural weakness"). It's "remarkably quiet for a metal frame" — a yearly drop of WD-40 on the joints keeps it silent (GoOutdoor.us).

The known weak points:

1. The carry bag tears easily — multiple owners report bags arriving with holes or tearing quickly; the bag canvas is far thinner than the cot canvas (YouTube owner review: "Both of ours came with holes in them… I have noticed this in every store I looked at these in").
2. Assembly is the rite of passage — the second end brace needs real leverage the first few times; it eases with use. Not a defect, but buyers with limited hand strength should know.
3. Squeaks develop at joints; annual lube fixes it.

Cot dims still disputed: 75 × 35 × 17 in (TentsNTrees, Amazon-era) vs 73 × 35 × 17 in (zzdsport spec table) vs 75 × 30 × 17 in (campingandcamping). Carry all three with the flag — verify against your tent floor. Coleman publishes a 1-year limited warranty and no MSRP; street runs $66.99–74.99 (Sept 2026), with historical lows near $50–55.

Version history — year by year

• 2023: Decade-old design, unchanged. Model 2000020274. No MSRP published.
• 2024: Unchanged. Street $55–75 depending on retailer/season.
• 2025: Unchanged. Same X-frame, same canvas, same 300 lb rating.
• 2026: Unchanged. Street $66.99–74.99 observed Sept 2026.
• Net: There is one Trailhead II. Buy on price; there is no "new version" to wait for or avoid.

Head-to-head vs closest rivals

• vs Kelty Lowdown Couch (in catalog, /library/gear/camp-furniture/kelty-lowdown-couch/): $67–75 vs $199.95. The cot is the real bed (17" off the ground, taut canvas, 300 lb); the couch is the better hang that can host a nap. Overnight guest → cot. Fireside lounge → couch.
• vs REI Co-op Camp Roll Table (in catalog, /library/gear/camp-furniture/rei-coop-camp-roll-table/): Not a rival per se, but the classic car-camp pairing — cot for sleep, roll table for kitchen. Both are decade-stable designs you buy once.
• vs Teton Sports Outfitter XXL / Cabela's Big Outdoorsman (outside catalog): The upgrade path — bigger, heavier (~31 lb), pricier. The Trailhead II is the value floor; those are the comfort ceiling.

Care & maintenance

• Annual WD-40/silicone on frame joints prevents the squeak owners complain about.
• The canvas is taut and firm — brush off dirt; spot-clean with mild soap. Don't machine-wash the canvas (shrinking risks the fit on the frame — UNVERIFIED, but standard canvas-cot guidance).
• Inspect the carry bag seams before each trip; they're the failure point. A $10 duffel is a fine replacement when the stock bag gives up.
• Dry the steel frame after wet trips; it's painted, not stainless.

Buying traps

• Dimension listings vary by 2–5 inches across retailers — measure your tent, then measure the actual cot on arrival, and keep the return window in mind.
• "Military style" markup: identical X-frame cots sell under many brands; the Coleman name buys the 1-year warranty and consistent canvas, not a different design.
• Price swings: $50–$75 street. At $75 it's still fair; under $55 it's a buy. Don't pay "premium cot" money for this design.

Community Verdict (expanded)

Appending new sourced voices to the verdict above:

• TentsNTrees: "one of the tougher cots I've tried and… an excellent option for a long-term cot"; the kids-abuse endorsement.
• GoOutdoor.us (2025 review): the WD-40 maintenance tip and the "heavy — let Amazon deliver it" practicality.
• YouTube owner review: the carry-bag holes warning ("noticed this in every store") paired with "very pleased at how well made they are… I didn't feel like it was going to rip."
• GamingShogun: the pad recommendation — "lay down one of Coleman's self-inflating mats across it" — the standard comfort upgrade, and the $49.99-era price anchor.
• HappyTechFam (multi-year): "hasn't shown any signs of wear or structural weakness… consistently comfortable and secure sleeping surface."

Key Specs (gap fill)