Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Folding camp cots

Since some of you guys must be hunting out of base camps, this seems like the place to ask.

What's a simple and good choice in folding camp cots? I haven't used one for many years. I'm just shy of 6' and 180 lbs. My wife is shorter and lighter.

I use an aluminum framed military cot! On top of the cot I place a piece of 1/4" plywood cut wider and longer than the cot. The plywood has holes that allow trying it to the cot corners. Placed on top of the plywood is a 6" thick memory foam pad cut the same size as the plywood! I use the plywood to keep from sagging in the cot! Back surgery and cots don't go well for me! The plywood goes on the bottom of the pickup bed so it's no trouble hauling it to camp. I've slept on this setup for over a month of deer and elk seasons! I'm 5'11" and scale at 170, I tried the so called big man cot and such, they didn't work for me. The foam I use is the real winner!

My truck camping cot is about 25 years old and called the Swedish Folding Cot from LL Bean. It's been used a time or twelve in the house in a pinch if we my kids had a guest plus hundreds of nights camping.

I bought an oversize one from REI that I'm very happy with. I'm 6'4" though. If you haven't used a cot, you'll love the storage underneath.

Now to go with it, go buy a cheap, really thick, huge flannel lined rectangular bag. Not kidding. Best $60 you'll spend.

We have a couple of these light weight Alps cots. With a good pad on top, they're quite comfortable. They're lower to the ground than an army type so you don't have much room underneath. 11 lb.

I agree with the big flannel sleeping bags. They're FAR more comfortable than nylon if you're truck camping. However, your flannel footed jammies will make it hard to roll over in them.

Check out Camptime roll a cot. Best cot I have slept on

If space is not a big factor the Kingdom cot from REI is truly plush. It is long and wide and adjusts to be level anywhere. Sets up w/ ease and has its own pad to which we add our big self inflating pads. The best portable bed I have ever had.


mike r

I've tried a few, the one I like best is the roll a cot...get the 30 inch wide cot,
you'll sleep like a baby.

I've had a lot of sleepless nights because of babies 'sleeping like a baby'.

3rd the roll-a-cot. They are not compact, but pretty light for what they are, easy to put together, durable, and comfortable.

The wide one is nice, although they take up space in a tent, so if you don't need it, I wouldn't get it.

Crap your pants and scream all night? This is not a ringing endorsement.

Tom

+1: Now to go with it, go buy a cheap, really thick, huge flannel lined rectangular bag. Not kidding. Best $60 you'll spend

Thanks, guys.

Funny, a couple of you recommending the flannel rectangular bags. We've got a couple of old Coleman's flannel rectangular bags that the kids used to use. I never got rid of them.

Flannel bags - last summer I took our minister on a llama pack trip. He showed up with the only sleeping bag he owns. It was a gigantic 0F flannel bag that weighed 10lb and was so big we couldn't fit it in any of the panniers. It was about 40" wide and 18" in diameter. I had to loan him a down bag just so we could fit it in.

This!

Maybe that wasn't a good analogy. How bout sleep like a hibernating bear. LOL

Another vote for the Roll-A-Cot.

Nope. Sleep for a while, wake up, gab a big titty, sleep for a while, roll over, repeat....

No need to overthink this one or get exotic. Go to SW or BP and get the folding Slumberjack, ALPS or equivalent. I've used one for years and years.

Next one I buy will be same, but the smaller unit.

Also, anyone who thinks you don't need a pad of some sort while using a cot has never been cold before. When you fight with physics, you loose. There's no insulation value in a cot, so keep the closed cell pad for winter work.

Now for backpack-able cots, that's another issue entirely.

Slumberjack