Lets talk COTS...

[nutlub]

Hey Y'all,

I just came back from a weekend of Car-Camping with a buddy of mine. Since I was lugging my big tent (car camping tent), I thought I would bring my cot along....Well I have to say it was by far the most comfortable sleeping arrangement I have had while camping. Much better then CCF pads, inflatables, and yes...even hammocks.

My question is this....Are there any light weight and compact cots out there? I swear, if there was such a thing my sleeping setup would be a cot and a tarp.

Here is what I have found on the web:

http://www.campingcot.com/

40 lbs cot!!!

Compact Voyager

[Roland]

Luxury Lite

I know nothing about it, except what I read on the website. Good luck in your search.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I tried out the LuxuryLite at TD 2005. It was quiet comfy and stable. I seriously considered getting one. The only thing that stopped me was severe weakness in one leg that made it nearly impossible for me to get up from the very low cot.

[berninbush]

Can somebody combine the "LuxuryLite" idea with the "tent cot" idea (the 40lb thing above) to make a tent-cot combination that would actually be practical for backpacking?

[Jimmers]

I'd imagine the luxurylite cot in combination with a tarp and bug netting would be very practical. It's certainly an ingenious piece of gear.

[jrwiesz]

Can somebody combine the "LuxuryLite" idea with the "tent cot" idea (the 40lb thing above) to make a tent-cot combination that would actually be practical for backpacking?

That Luxury Lite look inviting; the price is too steep.

[Frosty]

Luxury Lite

I know nothing about it, except what I read on the website. Good luck in your search.

They are a tad math challenged. From ddifferent sections of the web page:

Length = 74"

You can be 7 ft tall and still sleep great

[Nest]

They are a tad math challenged. From ddifferent sections of the web page:

Length = 74"

You can be 7 ft tall and still sleep great

Reading a little further they say it can be fine at 7 ft tall because there aren't any metal braces as the top or bottom. So your head can be at the very top, and you feet can hang off the edge. Since there isn't any metal at the ends it won't dig in. That's what I understood from reading it, but it still doesn't sound comfortable if you are taller than the cot.

[timhines]

if you already have a hammock like a Henn. maybe you could use that as your "tent." You would still neeed trees to secure your rainfly on top.

[berninbush]

I'm not an engineer or gear manufacturer, but let me see if I can describe what I've got in mind in case someone else would like to try to build it.

You've got something like the LuxuryLite cot attached by one end to the bottom of your pack. It rolls up into a little sleeve at the bottom of the pack. When you've got it set up, the pack stands up at the head of the cot at a 90-degree angle. A tarp (also integrated into the pack) rolls out from the top, and creates a sort of bivy over the cot (staked to the ground at the sides and foot). Thus, when you're in the cot, you're sheltered from rain and you have the back of your pack inside the "tent" with you, right at your head, so everything is in easy reach.

Advantages would be easy set up, easy pack access, and you don't need a separate pole to hold up your tarp, as the pack frame functions for this.

[oldbear]

I've been accused of having an edifice complex - I have to build stuff. I started playing with this idea of making the LLcot a stuctural part of a tent. The tent would be a hoop tent. There would be 4 struts w/ ball joints on each end extending from the LLcot to the poles. Once it was all locked in ,the result would be a light but very stable structure. Since the sleeping area is above the floor , the floor could be eliminated or a foot print used if so desired.

[Frosty]

Reading a little further they say it can be fine at 7 ft tall because there aren't any metal braces as the top or bottom. So your head can be at the very top, and you feet can hang off the edge. Since there isn't any metal at the ends it won't dig in. That's what I understood from reading it, but it still doesn't sound comfortable if you are taller than the cot.

Yeah, if you are seven feet tall, you are 84 inches tall, which means a significant part of you are going is going to overhang one end or the other. Looks good for normal-sized people, though.

[Marta]

...but it still doesn't sound comfortable if you are taller than the cot.

Not necessarily. If you're a side sleeper, you can get away with a pad or bed that is considerably shorter than you are. To cut packweight, I bought a Therm-A-Rest five of six inches shorter than my height.

I'm tall, and my sons are even taller. We all agree that the important attribute of a bed or sleeping place is the lack of a footboard. But even in places like train sleeping compartments, we can sleep. Our legs have these convenient hinges called knees...

Marta/Five-Leaf