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I typically use an 8 mam tipi for base camp. This year, we may have a wall tent.
What do folks think about cots? Do they give you more space by allowing you to store stuff under the cot?
Are they comfortable? I typically use a synmat 7 on the ground. It is very comfortable. Do i just put the mat on top of the cot?
I just used one last month for the first time. It was probably the best night of sleep I have ever had in the backcountry. I just slept in my sleeping bag with no pad.
We all use the zero gravity cots from gander mountain they are awesome and fold up into chairs also.
The only one I ever used was on a mule deer hunt in Co. Overnight my fat ass made it into a canoe ! Couldn't hardly get out of it !
I have used a luxurylite cot with my 8 man tipi and it makes backcountry living a sleeping luxury IMO. They pack down very small and are lightweight and as comfortable as a big cot. I think Thermarest bought them out.
My buddy and I use the roll a cots. Some what light at 10 pounds, mostly aluminum construction and comfortable. I put an excercise mat from target on top. Sleep just as good as home and can store gear underneath.
Read the reviews on the roll a cot.
I always use a cot in my tent and use a pad on it or it is like sleeping on a board.
I have a Cabelas Alaskan Guide cot with nightstand. It's comfortable with a pad on top. It's also nice with all of the side pockets and the vertical nightstand to hand clothes and packs. Much more efficient use of space also. Very heavy at about 35lbs though.
We used cots for a while but I got tired of banging my elbows on the rails when I tossed and turned - something I do a lot because of sore shoulders. I built my own cot out of 3/4-inch plywood. I put six threaded cast 3/4-inch pipe flanges on it; one in each corner and one on each side midway between the corners. I put a 5-inch foam mattress on it and slept like a baby. My buddies liked it so well they built themselves cots too. I made mine 6 1/2 feet long by 32 inches wide but you could vary the size to whatever you want.
We put the plywood cots on the bottom of our trailer or bottom of the pickup bed and packed above them. The foam was a little bit of a pain but we either rolled them up tight or put them on top of everything else. I debated about getting an air mattress to save space but never did. A foam pad would work also but we went with comfort. :)
We made the legs long enough to store our luggage and packing boxes underneath. The photo is one a buddy built.
I use a full size, double high (22") air bed with a thermarest on top. Sleeps fantastic. Two of us share a 12 X 12 tent so space is not a big issue. I sold my Cabelas Outfitter big cot because the way it sagged made my back hurt. The air bed is almost as comfortable as my memory foam bed at home.
Slumberjack Big Cot and a Cabelas 3" cot pad and I sleep almost as good as home.
I have used air beds, military cots, etc.... I've slept on a pad. Now I sleep on a Coleman spring cot. i love it. God Bless
We always use cots with a thermarest air matress... Sleep great. It does give extra room under the cot.
Forget the name, but I have light weight cots that over night river trips use. Light and pack up small. Comfortable.
Slumberjack Big Cot and therma rest self inflating mattress and I sleep better than at home...almost...8^)
Room under the cot, pulling boots on in the morning is easier...lots of pluses and can't think of any minuses.
Dwayne: Too much face paint.
Cant store much under a foldup cot. Legs in middle. Y
Cots have several advantages. As several others have mentioned you can store stuff underneath. They also make it less important to find a perfectly level sleeping spot. I have a Roll a Cot and a Helinox. One of the big advantages of a cot is the ease of getting dressed and undressed. It's much easier than groveling on the ground. I think this may be the biggest benefit to the aging camper. The Helinox is a little lower to the ground, and therefore not as convenient for storage or dressing, but it is extremely comfortable and really aids in getting a good nights sleep. It is also very light and strong. Either one is a good option as I'm sure are some of the others mentioned.
Katahdin, interesting that you say that. Actually I always gave him crap about not using face paint. When I couldn't spot him on a ridge I just looked for the glowing red moon face and I could find him!
Luxurylite coupled with qcore pad
I use a military cot with a Big Agnes IAC pad. Sleep great on it.
I use a cot but also put a backpacking pad on top, works great
Military style cots for me when using my walls tents. The only issue I have with them is they get bango string tight when you put the ends rails on so I leave the foot rail off, a little less tension on the sleeping surface
A pack cot for the lighter trips
Big Agnes IAC for me too
Costco has some cots that are super. Great for base camp, the only bad part is they fold up and don't break down.
Cabela's Guide cot with a 1" foam pad. Use it at home when I have back problems. Best I have ever tried.
I began my elk hunting career 33 years ago by sleeping on the ground.... The next year I was in an army cot and mummy sleeping bag. Now I use a Cabelas Outfitter XL cot that is 40" wide and 85" long, on a Pad from Cabelas that fits it and is 3" thick. I also use a sleeping bag of the same size. My wife has the same cot and bag, but with a 3" memory foam single bed topper....
Never again will I sleep on the ground since my packing in days are gone and I'm always in a base camp...
I've been using my Cabelas Alaskan Guide cot and Alaskan Guide pad which works great for me. Large enough to keep elbows from frame and super comfortable. On one elk hunt I slept 21 nights straight in it and had fantastic sleep each night. Love the rack and nightstand pocket accessories too. Only complaint is the weight. Cot plus rack is over 38lbs. Regardless, I don't camp without it now.
I just ordered this to add to my cot. Been using a folded over piece of Walmart egg crate foam pad which leaves a lot to be desired.
The reviews sounded great.
Cabela's cot in the wall tent ... Thermarest ultralight in the tipi ... both give a great night's rest but then also allow you to store stuff under them ... a great bonus area, really increasing the floor space of your shelter and keeping things tidy.
Coleman makes a great little cot
My alternative solution after owning two cots and being disappointed in their comfort and durability, was to cut a 3/4" plywood sheet down to about and inch shorter than my height and 23 inches wide. I place this across either two or three plastic totes depending on needed storage capacity for gear taken on that trip. Three will fit, leaving room for boots under there as well, but two are sufficient to support my weight very well. I normally use the 40+ gallon size, but have some of the shorter sized ones as well and could switch to those if the gear would fit and our room was at a premium in the vehicle.
I got the plywood that was finished on one side, just to be easier on the air mattress, and have had no issues with splinters or air leaks. Ran the router around the sides to eliminate the sharp corners.
The totes require very little space dedicated to themselves when packing for the trip, as I only take enough of them to carry the stuff inside them, and they are light and stackable when empty. They kept the kangaroo rats out of the food supply in NE, and those little guys were eating their way through the tent floor and my coat pockets to get my trail snack bars.
This setup is also quite versatile for rearranging to provide a table for playing cards or indoor cooking and eating on a day when you're weathered in, by simply re-stacking the totes two-high and sitting on another for a chair.
Went to this arrangement about ten or twelve western trips ago, and have never regretted it.
I'll second the roll-a-cot suggestions. They are fairly light weight, easy to set up and extremely durable. I just set one up, roll out my bed roll which is all stored in a Canvas Cutter bed roll, and I'm good to go. They are small enough and light enough I can roll the cot up in my Canvas Cutter bed roll and just strap it on a four wheeler or throw it in the back of a truck and I'm ready to go at any time.
Here is a picture of my bedroll on a Cabelas cot, nice but big, heavy and bulky. I slept under the stars and when my wife's family came out in the morning they thought there was a dead body in a body bag. I have since bought another Canvas Cutter and put it on the roll-a-cot that is the wider version of the roll-a-cot. I sleep great and love sleeping under the stars. Definitely recommend a cot when it's an option.
I use cots a lot. I have them stashed in many places and use them in a few cabin locations. If weight is not an issue, by far the best out there is the Roll-A-Cot. If weight is an issue, I go with the Go-Cot. Still more weight than you'd want to pack up a mountain, but pretty comfortable.
Love cots. Make sure you use a pad or something to insulate you. Spent a couple nights freezing in a cot as the air got under me and I had nothing to insulate me.
