Littlelife Arc 2 review: ultra-lightweight and compact, but does it work for sleep?

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Our verdict

The Littlelife Arc 2 travel cot is probably about as lightweight a travel cot you can get, which makes perfect sense the moment you think about the logistics of travelling with a baby or toddler. It’s light, compact and easy to put up and down once you’ve got the hang of it. For our original tester Ruth, who reviewed it in 2019 with her 18-month-old son, it delivered exactly what she needed. A simple, portable sleep space that worked reliably on trips away. It earned a Mumsnet Best award at the time, largely because it balanced practicality with thoughtful design in a way bulkier travel cots didn’t.

Fast forward to 2026 and we decided to re-test the Littlelife Arc 2 with new mum Ally, who tried it out with her baby daughter, aged from six months to one year during the testing time-frame. While Ally praised the same strengths in terms of lightweight build quality and overall portability, she said that her daughter struggled to sleep comfortably in the cot due to is low base and thin mattress.

Comparing the two testers' experiences, the Littlelife Arc 2 remains a strong choice of travel cot for those prioritising compact and lightweight portability, but bear in mind its tent-like layout won't suit all little sleepers. If your baby is used to a more enclosed or elevated cot, it may not be the best choice.

Bottom-line: For portability and lightweight travel-friendly use, the Littlelife Arc 2 is still very much the travel cot to beat. But its tent-like set up won't suit all little ones, so choose wisely.

The above scores are primarily based on Ally's testing, with slight alterations to reflect Ruth's experience too

How we tested the Littlelife Arc 2

Ruth tested the Littlelife Arc 2 in 2019 with her 18-month-old son, using it on family trips as a primary travel cot. Her focus was on ease of use, portability and how well it functioned as a reliable sleep space away from home.

Ally re-tested the Arc 2 in 2026 with her daughter, using it from six months through to one year over three to four overnight stays. She used it both indoors and plans to use it outdoors as a playpen. Her testing focused on real-world setup, comfort, portability and whether it could replace a more traditional travel cot.

Together, their experiences cover both toddler and baby use, and give a clearer sense of how the Arc 2 performs across different stages and sleep needs.

-Parent-tester Ruth, 2019

How safe is the Littlelife Arc 2?

The great thing about the Littlelife Arc 2 is that it’s designed like a tent so your child is close to the ground at all times – and there's no chance of them falling out.

This ultra-compact storage system makes the Arc 2 unique. The mesh is insect-proof too, which is perfect for hot climates or the great outdoors. Another bonus to the mesh is that your child can peer out and see you from multiple viewpoints, making them feel safe in unfamiliar surroundings, even when the cot is zipped up.

A nifty zipped panel at the side of the cot allows you to lift baby in and out easily or, if they’re a crawler or walker, they can move in and out themselves while playing.

You wouldn’t have to worry about them being able to get out if you didn't want them to though as the zip is on the outside and fastens into a safety toggle so that little fingers can’t get to it.

While its design makes it look flimsier than it actually is, this travel cot is surprisingly robust. The tent poles bend to hold the fabric taut and are easy to secure with ground pegs, which are included in the pack. There is a possibility that a child could put a ground peg into their mouth, but only if they were left lying around. Our 2026 tester Ally praised the Arc 2's safety, pointing out that its lightweight design doesn't compromise on its overall sturdiness once assembled.

Littlelife's Arc 2 is also fire retardant although the instructions clearly state you shouldn’t set it up near any fire hazards, something to be aware of if using inside a larger tent on a campsite.

It would withstand a small child running into it, but if fallen on it would likely be bent out of shape – the shock-corded aluminium poles should help to limit any damage here though. This travel cot can also be used in the garden to protect your child from the sun. A separate sunshade, which provides protection from UV rays at SPF30, goes over the Arc 2 and can be bought separately, and the mesh sides are well ventilated.

How easy is the Little Life Arc 2 to assemble?

It took a few minutes for our tester, Ruth, to work out what was what, but once everything was laid out in front of her it was easy to make sense of it all. After sussing out all the parts, it took her around five minutes to assemble.

The main part of the cot is assembled like a tent with two colour-coded poles, one silver and one green, that correspond with the coloured webbing. The poles come folded into sections but, once put together, are fairly lengthy which means that you'll definitely need some room in the living room or garden for assembly.

The poles are then inserted into eyelets to give the cot its dome-like shape. You will need apply some pressure to do this, but excessive force shouldn’t be used as you would risk damaging the cot.

Once this is done, you then need to attach the pole clips to the respective poles, unzip the side entry door, fold the mattress out and place it inside.

There are Velcro fastening strips on both the bottom of the mattress and the cot base to make sure the mattress stays firmly attached and doesn’t move around. The mattress sheet then goes over the top.

Ruth found it needed a bit of extra tucking in around the sides as it was slightly oversized for the mattress.

The travel cot includes an instruction manual, which can also be downloaded from the Littlelife website. However, if you work better with visuals, there is also a handy video which shows you exactly how to assemble the Arc 2.

Ally had a similar experience, though found the learning curve slightly steeper at first. “I watched a video on how to assemble it, and it was tricky the first time but became easier.” She also describes it as “just like a tent, with collapsible tent poles that need to be threaded through the correct loops.”

Taking the cot down is easy as you just do everything in reverse, but we would suggest packing the poles and ground pegs away as you go. It also took a few attempts to find the best way of folding the cot down so you could get it back into the carry bag rucksack it comes with. Ally agrees here, noting that “the mattress and shell need to be folded quite specifically to ensure it can all fit back into the rucksack.”

Read next: Discover the best baby monitors for peace of mind

How does it look?

The Little Life Arc 2 doesn’t look like your standard travel cot but that’s part of the beauty of its design.

If it was shaped like most cots on the market then, admittedly, it wouldn’t be as easy to pack down and carry around. It provides a lovely, calming environment and Ruth said it felt a bit like her son was sleeping in a bubble.

There is only one choice of colour, which is a mixture of green and silver, but this gives the travel cot a more outdoorsy feel in keeping with the Littlelife brand.

While it looks like it could be pitched outside of your own tent if camping overnight, this isn’t something that we'd recommend doing. If, however, you were planning to use the cot inside the compartment of a family-sized tent, there would definitely be enough room for it.

-Parent-tester Ally, 2026

What's the Arc 2 like to use day-to-day?

In terms of general use, this cot could be used for short trips away or for longer holidays abroad but not used in place of a regular newborn bed or cot bed.

The Arc 2 doesn’t take up too much space, but the poles tended to get in the way in Ruth's bedroom. She also felt that it wasn’t also easy to find somewhere to put it because of it's dome shape.

The poles also need to be unhooked from the eyelets to fit through doorways but, when it is packed away inside the rucksack it comes in, it can easily be placed under a bed or in a cupboard for storage. Ally found this compactness a real strength, saying, “It fits inside a small rucksack” and “doesn’t take up much space at all.”

It’s so light that it can be picked up and put down without having to take it apart, but the mattress and sheet would need rearranging to make sure it was safe to place a child inside once the cot had been relocated.

During the summer it would make a great shady spot and both Ruth and Ally pointed out that this is where the Arc 2 really shines. Ruth, who tried out her Arc 2 both inside and in the garden, said she felt that it more suited to outdoor use due to the space required for set up and use, and its tent-like properties.

-Parent-tester Ally, 2026

When it came to comfort, both Ruth and Ally found that their little ones had trouble settling to sleep in the Arc 2. While Ruth's toddler struggled with the feeling of enclosure and needed the side panel open to sleep, Ally's baby struggled with the Arc 2's lack of structure. "She is quite specific in her sleep needs and generally doesn’t sleep well when we are away from home, but I also believe she needs a bit more structure to her travel cot, and to be up off the floor."

How easy is it to clean?

The mattress sheet is machine-washable as well as being lovely and soft. While you can't wash the outer material, it can be wiped down easily with a damp cloth and dries very quickly.

Ruth spilled milk on the interior and exterior and had no trouble getting rid of stains. She pointed out that the mattress sheet could be removed very easily and quickly, which helped mitigate the chances of stains on the actual mattress, which would be trickier to clean.

Does the Littlelife Arc 2 represent good value for money?

While the handy carry bag and mattress are included in the price, we think you’d need to be really into travelling to get good use out of the Arc 2. At around £110 RRP, it sits at a mid-range price point, which feels fair enough, but only if you're likely to get good use out of it.

Ally found the Arc 2's value for money depended heavily on whether it worked for sleep. “If it worked then I would think it is good value for money, but because it doesn’t, I have to say no this time."

Final verdict

If you’re looking for a lightweight travel cot that's ideal for those grab-and-go moments, then the Arc 2 is still the best choice of lightweight, super-portable travel cots. If, however, your baby prefers more structured and/or raised sleeping environments and isn't the type to fall asleep anywhere, you might be better off with a more traditional travel cot.

-Parent-tester Ally, 2026

Where it still really shines is flexibility. It works just as well as a portable playpen, a shaded garden spot or a lightweight option for travel abroad. If those are your priorities, it remains a smart, practical buy.

About the author

Jenny Wonnacott has been working as a Content Editor for Mumsnet since 2022 and, as part of the core baby and child editorial team, has been responsible for the bedtime category of articles, buyers' guides and review content for most of this time. She has extensive experience of researching, testing and reviewing a wide range of baby and toddler sleep items from travel cots to swaddles, baby monitors to toddler beds.

A mum of three, Jenny has done her fair share of late-night Googling in search of the best baby sleep aids - and now puts that experience to good use by ensuring Mumsnet’s reviews and buyers' guides are practical, trustworthy and based on genuine insight. She works closely with medical and industry experts and Mumsnet’s community of parent testers to make sure every product recommendation truly lives up to Mumsnet's goal of making parents’ lives easier.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet Baby & Child product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing – this includes recommendations from the Mumsnet Talk boards. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

All prices correct at time of publication