Ground, Cot or Air Mattress: Make and model please.

[Brandon Harvey]

For you tent campers out there I am curious as to what you use to get you and your companions off the ground. I have been using a Thermarest back packing mattress am am thinking of moving to a cot but before I do I would like to get some other opinions.

 

[000]

I have an rtt, but I have 3 different friends who all swear by the Coleman cots. They've tried other ones but decided they like the cheap Coleman best. That being said, I did notice that cabelas had their outfitter cot on sale the other day, looked like a pretty good deal?


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[Mike W]

I have tried tons of the backpacking style air pads and I think they all suck. I wanted to side sleep without feeling the ground at all, have enough insulation that I can cold camp.. and just generally not feel like im falling off the sides or be to short (im 6'2").

They are a bit large, but I have Alps Mountaineering Comfort Series Self inflating air pads. I have the XL 3" thick and XXL 4" thick. I think the 3" is probably plenty, but they are very comfy. I'm not sure a cot would be more comfy because these have some give, but you don't feel like you are on an air matress as much (they aren't mostly air, they feel MORE foamy than most). They give just the right amount.

Hugely subjective and hard to say how different people will feel about them... but ya. Only downside is they are a little large packed which is a bit of an issue.. space is tight.

 

[brianb2]

We have three of these cots and the family loves them. I normally sleep in a hammock but have slept in these as well. I drive a 2000 Wrangler and space is limited. These pack small, are comfortable, and are only $30 each. The only downside is they take a few minutes to assemble. You can use your thermarest mat on the cot, works great.

Kamprite economy cot

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/14395980?wid=520&hei=520&fmt=pjpeg&imgrefurl=https://www.target.com/p/kamp-rite-economy-cot-green/-/A-14395980&docid=J9mbbfTfVf0clM&tbnid=rkxS8Ap93GorqM:&vet=10ahUKEwih_5e82qjWAhXG4SYKHfGJB74QMwhkKAQwBA..i&w=520&h=520&hl=en-us&client=safari&bih=559&biw=375&q=kamp rite economy cot&ved=0ahUKEwih_5e82qjWAhXG4SYKHfGJB74QMwhkKAQwBA&iact=mrc&uact=8

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[Zerobird]

This summer I switched from an air mattress on the ground to a thermarest pad on a cot. Did three trips of 4 nights each on it. The cot setup was so much better than the air mattress. Will be getting rid of the air mattress. I highly recommend the cot.

 

[AZ WANDERING BEAR]

We do two different cot setups.

The first is a pair of OZTENT's Jet Tent Bunkers. These are a little heavy but very very comfortable when paired with a self-inflating pad. We use a couple of Thermorest knocks off the wife found at Costco a couple years back. These things are tough. I've had them in 5 days of rain and down to 17 degrees (with a good sleeping bag) and been dry and comfy the whole time.

The second is a pair of Camp Time Roll-A-Cots inside a Big Agnes 4-person tent. The cots can be a little frustrating to set up until you get the hang of it. They do come in various sizes if width and length. We use the same pads as above. This set up is less weight and volume that the Jet Tent Bunkers. We first used the Roll-A-Cots on a 2-week white water rafting trip on the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. They were provided by our outfitters. After two weeks of some excellent sleeping under the stars at the Bottom of THE Canyon, I had to get some for my own use.

 

[AG Sheep]

I've been using a Coleman Airmatress for years. Use it camping as well as a temp bed when we move. It has done great but I am looking to upgrade to. Idk if we can add to this thread but what are some 2 people options people are utilizing also?

 

[Louie559]

i use a coleman double high queen size and i can say its the best to slee on because sometimes you lose some air from sleeping on it (on some ) at least you dont hit the ground

 

[Gary Stevens]

I became a big fan of camping cots, ended up with a KingCamp Cot from Amazon. I tried the Coleman and did not care for the qauility of the build. One of the Overlanding outfitters has one that folds up really nicely and quickly. I tried looking but could not find it. I now have an RTT so the cot goes when I have friend go out with me.

 

[Irving Zisman]

i use a coleman double high queen size and i can say its the best to slee on because sometimes you lose some air from sleeping on it (on some ) at least you dont hit the ground

Same here. Love the double high air mattress. So much better than sleeping on the ground. I havent tried the cot thing yet.

 

[Louie559]

Same here. Love the double high air mattress. So much better than sleeping on the ground. I havent tried the cot thing yet.

ive noticed though that a hand pump works slower but you can get a more firm air mattress out of it, unless my electric one is just terrible haha

 

[rzims]

I have an Alps mountaineering pad XL that i like and use if I'm short of space. If I'm car camping and space isn't an issue, I LOVE my Cabelas outfitter cot. It's an XL and I've had it for at least 10 years. It's heavy and takes up quite a bit of space, but it's so comfy. Even better with my Alps pad on it.
My gf and I just spent a week camping and I bought a double thickness air bed and it was awfully nice to sleep on too, but lower and harder to get out of than a cot.

 

[MA_Trooper]

I can't stand air mattresses. I end up more sore than just sleeping on the ground. If I'm backpacking I'm on the ground, I have a small sleeping pad I use. When car camping and overlanding I use a cot with my sleeping pad on it. Feels just like my mattress at home, that way. I have the Mountain Trails cot from amazon. A little more effort (still not much) to set up but it packs way smaller, has no bars across to feel through the canvas and takes up less space in my tent.

 

[Randy P]

Coming from backpacking, I always just used a ground pad. As I've aged, my ground pad got thicker. The latest car camping trip, I had TWO pads stacked on top of each other.

Sooooo, I graduated to a camp cot. I'm not a small guy, so I went with the TETON UNIVERSAL LE :

I also use the sleeping pad made for this cot:

My first experience was a week long trip, and I have to say that I am a convert to camp cot sleeping now!

 

[MOAK]

Over the years we made a couple of mistakes with cots.
#1, the traditional inexpensive folding cot. Around $50. 8 0r 9 lbs. Very difficult to pack in. Not very comfortable. Not long enough for my 6' frame. Thankfully the seams began ripping apart after only 2 seasons.
View attachment 35099
#2 We decided to spend the big bucks on the Rol-A-Cot from REI. $150. 12 lbs. They were not all that comfortable. It took longer to set our pair up than it did to pitch the tent. It blackened your hands while twisting the aluminum tubing together. It can get pretty cold lying on synthetic mesh when temps dip into the low teens. We gave the pair to our kids last year after only one 5 week tour. This cot is no longer available and REI should be embarrassed for ever marketing it.
View attachment 35100
Finally a great cot and it doesn't bust your piggy bank. $85 Amazon Prime. 23 lbs. The Byer of Maine Easy Cot is quick and easy to set up, the fabric is comfortable to the touch. The fabric holds heat and keeps cold air at bay. It is very comfortable with my therma-rest pad and comfortable enough without it. The only drawback, because of the steel construction it is a bit heavy, but it is easy for us to sacrifice light weight for comfort. This will be our final cot purchase.
View attachment 35101
when they wear out then we'll be looking for one of these.
View attachment 35102

 

[The other Sean]

My Wife and I have a pair of the Coleman cots. Sturdy and mostly comfortable. The one downside is the weight. 20lbs each.

 

[JoshD]

My youngest daughter uses a Tent-Cot XL and seems to love it. I also have 2 of the Cabelas cots and they are real sturdy but a little stiff. I prefer my hammock though. I'm old and fat so I need the comfort. :)

 

[kashoggio]

Exped megamat duo... you will thank me

 

[vegasjeepguy]

When I decided to get off the ground, I picked up a pair of these. So much more comfortable...

View attachment 35210

https://www.byerofmaine.com/products/camp-furniture/maine-military-cot.html

 

[rlhydn]

I am currently using the Thermarest Basecamp mat, after a few attempts at other brands and thickness this one seems a good compromise between function and storage size. Might also be happier as we are storing them open and unrolled at home which means their inflation performance has been great. Couple of puffs to speed it up occasionally if inpatient or super cold. Have thrown a wool blanket on top for added comfort and warmth.