This article covers 21 best portable book stands that are foldable, thin and lightweight, hence travel-friendly! These will make your reading experience enjoyable and fun, again!
If you love to read while traveling, read in bed, read while having coffee in the breakfast, read in a bedside rocking chair but you have to look down which is not a good posture, and it causes causes neck, shoulder and back pain?
Contents
Portable transforming Book Stands.
Although, all the book stands mentioned here are fold-able, but these folds down to a very small shape. It makes them easy to carry in pocket or purse.
1. Smartme Ultra-light Weight 0.33lb Transformer Book Holder
Not just the name, but the book stand is smart too. It is lightweight and foldable that makes it easy to carry. Your can even keep it in your pocket. Just unfold the stand, attach the book, hold it open and start reading. It attaches securely to the books with two pins located at the top and bottom. There is also a page holder that will hold the book open for hands free reading. Here is a demo video of Smartme book stand
2. Easy read book stand
This is another great transforming book and kindle holder for reading hands-free. The best thing of easy read book holder is the unique design that enables you to read anywhere you want. Now, there will no neck pain because your will have to bend your neck for long. See the demo video to understand the multiple uses of this book stand
3. Camino Folding, Transforming, Multi-purpose Stand For Books.
The amazing thing about Camino is that it folds into into a small rectangle shape. Your can keep it in pocket or bag and take it anywhere you want. If you are looking for book stands that take very less space, then your can compare it with SmartMe book stand that I have discussed above. It made of metal and provides a sturdy support to books, has multiple angle adjustment, and page holder clips that clamps the books from both side. Using this, your will be able to read hands free, and without neck pain. Demo video:
To keep the book open, there is also book page holders present. The quality of the plastic is good such that your will find it durable. You can adjust the angle to multiple levels. The maximum is 60 degrees. There is also page holders for keeping book open.
Portable Plastic Book Stands
These are sturdy, yet very light weight. They hold even the heaviest books, although they are light themselves. They are also very cheap as compared to others. Most of the plastic book stands folds completely flat which makes them ideal for carrying them while travelling. There is a special stand for kids in this category.
1. Adoy Portable, Foldable And Adjustable Holder For Reading
This is another simple book stand that is entirely made of plastic. This makes it inexpensive.
2. Cuteadoy Multi-functional Children’s Portable Reading Stand With Foldable Legs
If you are looking for a light weight and kids safe book reading stand then this is the perfect choice.It is colorful, lightweight and folds flat. Kids can easily take it to school or use it in home. To use, just unfold the stand, place the book on the ledge at the bottom, hold it open with green clips and start reading at the perfect angle. When you are finished reading, just fold it back and keep in in your bag.Other book stands are also a good option even if your are buying book stand for kids, but this one looks cool. Right?
3. Bestbookstand Actto Bst-09 Green 180 Angle Adjustable And Portable Reading Stand
If your are looking for something lightweight, sturdy and practical, then this one the most popular options. It has the option to change the angle of the book for maximum comfort of your neck. Your can change the angle for upto 18 different angles. That is lot more than 5 or 6 which are common in wooden stands.
4. Fellowes Booklift Copyholder, Platinum (21100)
If your are looking for a book stand that is light and sturdy then this is a good choice. Plus, it folds flat for easy storage. Turning pages, and holding pages open is also easy, because there are two patented clips at the books that keep it open. It has a non-slip base that protects it from slipping on the smooth surfaces like glass. It is heavy duty and perfect for even the heaviest books. It can handle upto 10 pounds of books.
5. Kloud City Bookstand 7 Adjustable Positions
It is also a heavy duty book holder that is made of plastic and steel. The front plate where your place book is made of steel, but the page holder clips, and the mechanism is made of plastic. The combination of metal and plastic has two benefits. The price of the book stand stays affordable. And it remains lightweight. This works great with books and e readers like kindle and iPad. Page turning is also easy. But some users find that the page holders do not work that well. Check out critical reviews for more information by clicking the image
Portable Metal Wire Book Stands
These portable book stands are heavy duty. They are thin and elegant that also holds heavy books easily. As compared to the wooden book stands these are thin and occupy less space. These book stands are made of either metal wires only, or some models also use metal wires with plastic. Here are the options.
1. Loxtong Adjustable Angle,Foldable Metal Book Stand
The best thing about this book stand is the design. It is simple to look at but does the job very well. Your can place paperback, and even the heavy books on it. But it is better suited for light and thin books. But it might not be the most durable book stand if your place heavy books. There is a page holder that will work decent and hold the book open. There is no spring loaded mechanism to push the pages open.
2. Yellow Adjustable Angle Foldable Portable Reading Book Stand
This one is similar to the one mentioned above with slight changes in the design. I like this one more than the Loxtong, because this one seems more durable to me. It is because the angle adjustment knob is made of metal. But there might be a problem in adjusting angle if the back support gets loose. It will slide down every time you change the page.
3. Fold-n-Stow Metal Bookstand Music Book Easel Display Holder
This book stand not for heavy books. Your can use it for light paperbacks. The best thing about this book holder is how portable and lightweight it is. You can fold it flat and keep it in your bag. On desktop, it does not take much space. To read, just unfold the stand and place the book on it. There is a page stopper at the bottom, but that does not do the job very well. If your place heavy books on it, it can damage the books due to the pressure exerted by the weight of the book. You an also adjust the angle by adjusting the wires.
1. Portable Pillow Book Stands or Book Rests
These are soft pillows that are lightweight, but hold the book at a better angle. You can put them in your luggage, and use them as a pillow. When not in use, they act as a nice pillow. Providing you cushioning and support. But, They do not increase height of the book. You might need to add an extra pillow to raise height while reading in bed. Here are the best ones in this category:
The Book Seat Book Holder And Travel Pillow
The Book Seat is portable book holder pillow that will make it easy to read books in bed, while travelling on a train, or when you are on beach enjoying your holidays. You can also adjust the angle of the book. It is because, it is like a bean bag which can be slightly adjusted without compromising the stability. Placing and removing books is easy. It has a little stopper made of clear plastic which helps holds the books open. Plus, it does not block text behind it. You can place books and then easily tighten the elastic to fix the book inside the book seat. When you are not reading, it makes up a great pillow in emergency situations. For more about this, check The Book seat review
2. Hog Wild Peeramid Bookrest pillow
This is another pillow book holder with a pyramid like design. It is a book holder, a pillow and a nice toy/ gift. Users love the quality of the product. Just put the hog wild peeramid bookrest on you lap and place the book on the slanted surface of the book rest to hold it at an angle. It does not have a page holder stopper like you get in the book seat. So, you need to get some kind of page holder clip to hold book open. It is a soft pillow, but at the same time, sturdy enough to hold books at a better angle. There are pockets to keep your reading glasses, pens, your phone, bookmarks, or the remote.
3. Flipy multi angle book holder pillow
Flipy multi angle pillow is a comfortable and practical lap book holder. It has a slightly different design. There are three different inclinations for your books. You can change the angle of the book every time to flip the pillow. The pillow is soft to touch, but sturdy enough to hold the books and ipad easily. There is no page holder to keep the books open, so you also need a page holder clip. To clean it up, put in a front load washer and you will get a sparkling Flipy, again.
Portable Wooden And Bamboo Book Stand.
These offer sturdy support to your book. You can adjust the angle of the book for all of them, but for some, you can also adjust the height to your liking.
How portable are they? I would say, not so much. But the fact that they fold flat, makes them portable. You can carry them with you in your luggage and they will take less space. Imagine yourself reading in a train. The book is on any of these book holders, and when you need to take a break, you can simply fold and put them back into their bag. They are that kind of portable. But if, you are looking for a book stand that is portable enough to easily move around in your home then they are perfectly portable.
Common Pros
- Multiple angle adjustment for perfect orientation of books.
- Relieves stress on your neck, back and joints.
- Heavy duty and sturdy stands that works well with paperback, hardcover, kindle and iPad.
- Built in page holder to keep book open.
- Portable – Folds flat when not in use.
- Cleaning is easy. Just wipe them out with a wet cloth.
- Read easily for hours, by placing these book stands on your lap
Common Cons
- They are not height adjustable.
1. KAIU Bamboo Book Rest Sleek Design with Adjustable Angle
I find this to be the best among the portable wooden book stands due to the following reasons.
Its base and the front is made of wood, and not the particle board, or plastic. This makes them more durable.
Front wooden panel has a really nice and smooth finish.
The bottom ledger sits perfectly flush with the panel, so even if you’re reading single paper, it will not fall down.
It has 6 adjustment angles to choose from.
The springed pegs that help keep the book open, really works well and make turning pages easy. The tip of the pegs is protected with rubber so that it does not damage the pages of the book or the screen of your kindle or iPad.
There is a similar but smaller BamBoo Book Stand by HENGSHENG which measures 11”x8.1”x0.39”. You can check that out as well.
2. Reodoeer Bamboo Reading Rest Document Stand Holder Book Rest
It is made of high quality bamboo wood which makes it sturdy to hold even the large textbooks of law and medical schools.
It comes in two different varieties: simple and with hollow pattern.
There are 6 predefined groves to adjust the angle of the book stand. Now your will not look down to to read. This will make reading for long hours really comfortable.
Just place the book and keep it open using it springed pegs. These pegs also makes turning pages easy.
Cleaning is super simple. Just wipe out the dust or the splashes in the kitchen and it will be like new. Thanks to its bamboo wood.
It weights 2.35 pounds and measures 13.4″ x 9.5″ x 0.44″ (L x W x T). The base is made of plastic and has the grooves to adjust the front surface.
To stop it from slipping on a smooth surface there are rubber stoppers at the base of Readaeer Bamboo Reading Rest
A few users do not like the quality of the product because for them, the wood had a crack due to screws. and the plastic back also broke.
3. A+ Book Stand BS1500 Book Holder w/Adjustable Foldable Tray and Page Paper Clips
It is made of a particle board with a wooden finish. But it is very sturdy to hold books. Your can adjust the angle of the book at five different positions. It is smaller and lighter as compared to the Reodoeer book stand. It measures 11.8 x 8.7 x 1.4 inches and weighs 1.85 pounds. This make it easy to carry wherever your want to read.
4. Bestbookstand Nice Production Inp-102-o Book Stand
It provides the same study support as the other two mentioned above.
But the unique this is that it comes in three different sizes: small, medium, and large. Your can choose the smaller option for portability and the large option for heavy and large text books.
Some people find that the product they get has flimsy screws. And the bottom ledge is not flush with the front surface. It means, when your place individual papers, it will fall down.
More book holders
To get a better understanding of all the book and e-reader holders available for reading in bed, check my posts on 12 book holders of 5 Types, for reading in bed. If you love to read digital books then check Kindle stands for reading in bed.