I’m in the market for a camping cot. I may even get 2 of them one with a cot tent and one without. I’ve used a Thermarest mattress with a seat cover on it for years. That combo makes a great double duty camp/canoe seat and a mattress pad.
The last cots I tried (~40 years ago) were terrible with support bars that dug into you at night like a cheap pull out sleeper couch. Shirly, cot support technology has improved a lot since then.
My backpacking days are pretty much over so ultralight stuff isn’t that important. These would mainly be for truck camping outdoors and tent/cabin use.
Any suggestions on cots to consider or stay away from?
I have the Cabelas XL. I slept on it over 2 weeks straight. Very comfortable if you like a firm mattress. Bad news, don’t think it will fit in a shortbed. even 6.5′. I’ve thought about the cot with the tent made on it. Could sleep in the boat beached or anchored. Setting up the xl cot is a bit like setting a 330 conibear, till you get the hang of it.
Anyone ever try actually sleeping in a hammock? Are you stuck sleeping on your back? It looks uncomfortable folding up sideways like a taco to sleep on your side.
Milliard Tri Folding Memory Foam Mattress with Washable Cover Full (73 inches x 52 inches x 6 inches) Fits in the back of my Ram truck , use it with a Sportz truck tent . Works good .
Its all about the foad pad you use on top of the cot.
I use the typical military style cot from RTIC and a cabelas 2″ foam roll up mat. The mat adds usable width to cot, keeps the side bars from digging in to you and ofcourse cushion.
I’ve used this one for many many years. Slumberjack. It sleeps good without a pad but I did end up getting a pad after a couple years and its even better. Nothing to dig into your back.
It breaks down into an easily transportable bag.
Anyone ever try actually sleeping in a hammock? Are you stuck sleeping on your back? It looks uncomfortable folding up sideways like a taco to sleep on your side.
Check out Hennessy Hammocks, their design is cut such that one can lay at a diagonal to the centerline of the hammock, which makes for a “flatter” lay. Biggest draw back to a hammock is the need to have something to tie off to. Not a problem in a forest but many parks/campgounds are not suitable. I use my camping hammock for canoe trips and prefer it over a tent.
A full feature camping hammock is not to be confused with a backyard or $49.00 “camp” hammock. https://hennessyhammock.com/
I have been sleeping on the Cabela’s XL cot for over 15 years. (80”L x 36”W) I bought a 4” thick memory foam pad for my bed and it made it too soft. So I cut it in half and it was the perfect size for both cots. (cal king) This setup is almost as comfortable as my bed at home. I put the foam pad into a vacuum bag and it packs up pretty small. Nice thing about these cots is they can hold 600 lb. So you and your lady can have some fun. They sit high enough off the ground you can store totes under them for extra dry storage.
I have a pair of Helinox Cot One Convertibles and Nemo Cosmo wide/tall air mattresses with integrated foot inflation. There’s no cross bars anywhere on the cot to poke your back (they are along the floor) and it weighs just 5 pounds (other cots are steel framed and weigh upwards of 40lbs)
With the Nemo Cosmo pad, it’s like sleeping on a cloud
They are a lot of coin, but worth it for how little space they take up and how light they are. I can easily fit them under my rear truck seat. They are also great for boat/canoe camping when weight and bulk are a concern.
I also have an Original Tent Cot with the rain fly. I use it occasionally for a quick overnight. It’s easier and faster to setup than a tent, a pad and a cot separately.
It’s a bit bulky stored, and really small on the inside when set up, but serves it’s purpose when I use it. If it’s hot out, I use a Static Vee thin air mattress to stay a little cooler.
If you’re a bigger guy looking at a Tent Cot, I’d get the oversized version or even the two person one.
Here’s a pic of my 50L pack for our upcoming Isle Royale boat camping trip. There’s a Helinox Cot One, a Helinox Sunset Chair, a Nemo Cosmo pad, a camp pillow, and a Nemo Forte 20 sleeping bag all in there, with plenty of room to spare for clothes and rain gear.
Even though we’re not backpacking in, it’s so nice to have sets of gear condensed, organized and lightweight like this in the boat.
I have two REI Co-op Kingdom Cot 3, really like them. I am a big guy, 265 pounds while my son is long at 6’3″. We use these cots in hunting camp, car camping and when we have more guests than beds. Very comfortable, easy to set up and take down. Drawbacks are that they are heavy and pretty bulky to store.
Second on the disco beds if weight is no issue and you don’t need instant setup. They are indestructable, and plenty big for a 6’3″ dude.
X3 i bought them to replace a air bed that i would replace every year for deer camp, and are awesome the kids love bunk beds and jump all over them and they a about 8 years old now and look like new still.and very comfortable.but they are heavy but they do have nice carry cases for them.
WOW, what great choices. No wonder I got confused when I started looking at cots. I really like that Helinox system. I’ll certainly keep an eye out for that fall used sale.
I’ve talked myself out of a cot tent. I’d much rather have a tent with side walls that join to the floor to keep rain/snow and critters away from the cot. Besides, I already have a tent with a small footprint but tall enough to stand up in.
The cot I’m gonna try is Cabela’s Lounge Cot.
The main reason for choosing this is for the independently adjustable leveling legs. I hate sleeping on any kind of a slope. I know this thing is too heavy & bulky to take into the BWCA. But, if I ever need to use those leveling legs just one time, the expense will have been well worth the money.
I very much disliked my tent cot. I’d way rather just set up a tent and cot seperately. I sold it and never lost a wink of sleep.
I’ve got a Goretex bivey sack/tent that I feel the same way about. I used it on a one week BWCA trip and that was enough of that. It would be OK in an emergency bug out situation. But, that’s about it.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Cody Meyers wrote:</div>
I very much disliked my tent cot. I’d way rather just set up a tent and cot seperately. I sold it and never lost a wink of sleep.
I’ve got a Goretex bivey sack/tent that I feel the same way about. I used it on a one week BWCA trip and that was enough of that. It would be OK in an emergency bug out situation. But, that’s about it.
Riding out more than a short shower in a bivy is miserable. I use a bedroll for truck camping and it’s a drag when it rains. I use a bivy in addition to a tarp shelter so at least you don’t have to be inside the bivy in a rain storm. I find it hard to suggest sleeping systems to others, I’ve grown to be very particular about what I’m willing to carry around, set up, and sleep through crummy weather in.
Yeah, I kept visualizing rainwater collecting between the cot and tent. Just getting in & out of it would let rain into the inside of the cot tent. Most of them are too short to even sit up straight on the side.
I very much disliked my tent cot. I’d way rather just set up a tent and cot seperately. I sold it and never lost a wink of sleep.
I agree that they do suck (too small), but they sure are fast to set up in a pinch.
About the only time I use mine is if I’m going somewhere for one night and know I won’t be good to drive home. They’re so easy to set up and take down compared to a separate tent/cot/pad (which is what I prefer to use the majority of the time, and definitely if staying somewhere multiple nights).
You can set it up right in the truck bed, right in the boat, or anywhere in the weeds
Here’s a video of the Original Tent Cot if anyone’s interested. For an instant shelter you can set up drunk and in the dark I don’t think there’s anything better. They literally take 20 seconds to put up and tear down and are an all-in-one tent/cot/pad.
I use one of these and love it way more than those cots. The new ones seem to have better treatments on them, I got wet in mine this spring on a turkey hunt. I will say that it was several inches of rain overnight, which is a tall order for anything without a rain fly. I’m getting a truck topper and this will be my go to for truck camping.
Cabela’s shipped the cot and nightstand separately. The nightstand showed up today. I’m rather impressed with it. It’s a really heavy deneir fabric and the stitching looks pretty good. It should work well and outlast me.
Anyone ever try actually sleeping in a hammock? Are you stuck sleeping on your back? It looks uncomfortable folding up sideways like a taco to sleep on your side.
Haven’t tried, but seriously considering an Amok Draumr 5 for trips without the wife instead of dragging along a tent, air mattress, etc…
Spendy at about $450 for the hammock, tarp and integrated pad, but they look really sweet and comfortable. Holds 400# and goes up just like that if some decent trees around.
We tried a variety of cots at the cabin for years – when we had an overflow of people. I was always the one that got volunteered to sleep on them because I could pretty much sleep anywhere on anything. Until I slept on cots. I think they kind of suck – small, hard to roll over on, squeaky, etc.
Switched over to the high density foam you can get many places, Amazon, Bed Bath Beyond, etc. Can get in a double size, work awesome. I can sleep on one, if with my wife, we do two layers…she likes it extra soft but firm. Almost like sleeping on our Queen bed. No more cots for me.
The lounge cot arrived today. It was in one of the most ridiculous packing jobs I’ve ever seen. It was in this huge box swimming in styro peanuts. You’d think they were packing a Ming Dynasty vase instead of a heavy duty camp cot. I filled two 33 gallon trash bags cram packed full of peanuts so I could break down the box.
The lounge cot is an easy setup and take down. For the short time I laid on it was really comfortable even without a pad. The adjustable legs seem to be pretty good quality.
With the nightstand strapped onto the side of the cot I did have to add a bit of double sided velcro when I folded it up to hold it folded up better. But, that’s not a big deal.
