For my last 7 or 8 trips, I have used a Klymit blow up pad to sleep on in my tent. Usually works fine, but sometimes you can still feel some tree root and rock protrusions under the pad if you can't find a good tent pad location on your site. Was thinking about ditching the pad this year and trying a lightweight(ish) cot to put in my tent rather than the blow up pad. My hope is this will cure any restless nights due to not being able to get comfortable on a not so perfect tent pad. Curious on people's thoughts on using the cot. Good - Bad and Otherwise.

Appreciate any comments.
Darin

I'm sure you'll get people telling you to just switch to a hammock, but if you are like me are not a hammock fan, the lightest cot you can get (as far as I know) is one by Helinox (just over 2 lbs).

In terms of the pad, there are much better pads than a Klymit that will keep you further from the rocks and roots.

straighthairedcurly: "I'm sure you'll get people telling you to just switch to a hammock, but if you are like me are not a hammock fan, the lightest cot you can get (as far as I know) is one by Helinox (just over 2 lbs).


In terms of the pad, there are much better pads than a Klymit that will keep you further from the rocks and roots."

Yeah, my 4" thick Thermarest Topo Luxe has handled every root and rock I've come across so far and I find it more comfortable than any cot I've tried.

One potential downside of cots is that they don't fit in some tents since the walls slope in as you go higher.

A cot doesn't replace a sleeping pad. You still need some insulation below you. Maybe not as much since you aren't in contact with the ground, but the part of the sleeping bag that you are laying on offers little to no insulation due to the air being pressed out of it.

Like others, I'd try a much better/thicker pad before the cot.

Several years ago, a regular tripping buddy of mine decided to see if we could up our sleep game and bought two Thermarest Ultra-lite cots. I think they weighed about 2.2 pounds each. They were the ones with the round/oval feet. We were already using the Big Agnes 4" air pads. They were nice and did lift us off the ground nicely. Plus side was they were very light - for cots - and were rather comfortable. Those were the only positives we experienced. I suppose if you did away with the air pads and the weather was warm, you could get away with just the cot and a bag. They were a bit squeaky to sleep on. If you have a high-end backpacking tent, you could suffer loss of head room and since all of the weight is born by the very small contact patches on the feet, I can see that wearing out the bottom of a lightweight tent pretty quickly. Especially on the BW/Q hard surfaces. With a pad, the weight is pretty evenly distributed across the whole/soft pad. We decided after just one trip that for the added 4.4 pounds, there weren't any appreciable benefits to warrant bringing them again. So, my $.02 is to just get a better pad. YMMV

pd

I prefer Exped mats. They have several that have high R ratings to keep you warm and are still not as heavy as the cot would be. In a perfect world, it would be a pad on top of a cot, but that's a few lbs of extra weight.

One idea for sleep systems that I've been kicking around for a while now is cutting a thin layer of soft foam to fit over the sleeping pad and making a custom fitted sheet out of ripstop nylon and some elastic straps to run under the pad and hold the foam in place. The trick would be finding the right density of foam to be comfortable but packs down small enough. A compression sack that can squeeze the air out would be essential.

The added benefit here is that I could switch to a quilt and still have a washable surface that I'm sleeping on.

Cots add usable storage space to tents. And help reduce the incidence of interpersonal conflict, especially between Oscar and Felix types occupying the same tent. :-)

gravelroad: "Cots add usable storage space to tents. And help reduce the incidence of interpersonal conflict, especially between Oscar and Felix types occupying the same tent. :-)"

Oscar & Felix..........you need to take this over to the old guy thread

We started using the Helinox cots after the wife decided we were paddling all the way out from Iron one trip because she was tired of the ground. We also use a Klymit pad on them. I personally would never go back to just a pad. Bringing both take up less space than one of 4" pads does.

Bombinbrian,
I actually did get a lightweight cot. It's a knock off, so perhaps a little heavier and has a little less quality, but I live 9 hours away and only get up there once a year, so I don't go to crazy on high end equipment. I believe the cot weights 4.6 lbs, which is a bit heavy, so I'll just have to give up a couple of pounds somewhere else in my pack to make up the difference. After setting it up, I was actually quite pleased with how comfortable it was. Then, out of curiosity, I blew up my Klymit pad and put it on the top of the cot. I felt like I was in my own bed it was so comfortable. I think this combo is going to be a game changer for me. The weight is a little less to be desired, but the comfort and couple extra hours of good sleep/night I am going to get is definitely going to out-weigh the couple extra pounds I have to carry.

Thanks for the feedback. It was good to hear someone confirm what I was thinking about bringing both a cot and a blow-up pad.

Happy Paddling
Darin

Do yourself a favor and take some paracord to tie the mat onto the cot. Glad I could help

bombinbrian: "Do yourself a favor and take some paracord to tie the mat onto the cot. "

Another way to keep a mat from sliding on the cot is to place a piece of rug gripper mesh (the stuff that is sold to keep throw rugs in place) between the cot and pad.

Several years ago I went to a cot with a sleeping pad on it and will never go back to a pad on the ground again. I sleep very comfortably on this set-up while I have never been able to get a good night's sleep in a hammok and my old bones were starting to increase their objections to the roots and rocks that often find their way under your sleeping spot. Just getting up off of the ground a few inches made a HUGE difference. This camping cot provided the perfect marriage for me of cost, weight, size, ease of set-up and performance. It folds down to about the size of a loaf of bread, weighs just under 5 pounds and can be found for less than a hundred bucks. The "pillow" they include is kind of silly but other wise it works just fine. It even has a couple of elastic straps on it to hold your sleeping pad in place.

It's not quite the top-shelf quality or design as some available choices but given all factors, it works well enough for me.

I've had friends bring other-brand cots of similar size and function (for sometimes even less money) on BWCA trips that have worked well for them also.

bot - That cot looks really cool. I might get one of those, def intriguing, I like that it packs up small. I’m certainly not spending $400 for a cot I might use a half a dozen times a year. Thx for the suggestion. scat

Alps Mountaineering Readylite cots are excellent value, especially on sale. We use XL cots and Exped mats, very comfortable and warm.

Sweet - I have a new & untested Exped mat to try out. I’m gonna get the cot that tap mentioned & give that a go. Could be a game changer esp for more local trips, Wi etc.
Thx guys
Edit - Just ordered it yay!

scat: "bot - That cot looks really cool. I might get one of those, def intriguing, I like that it packs up small. I’m certainly not spending $400 for a cot I might use a half a dozen times a year. Thx for the suggestion. scat"

Yeah, that's where I was at with getting a camping cot for BWCA trips. I knew of some choices that would work but could not justify thier cost for a use of probably one time per year--a few times at best. I did find one at Cabella's that fit my budget and that I used for a season or so but it was just too heavy and really hard to set up. Then I found the King Kamp one for (at that time) about $70 and have been pretty happy with it.

Was $107 with tax & free shipping. Thx for the suggestion, I never thought about this before but it sounds like a great idea. Fits right in with my lawn chair I bring. Got a new tent, new Exped mat and this cool cot to check out. Moving right up to luxury accommodations this year. Yeah baby!

scat: "bot - That cot looks really cool. I might get one of those, def intriguing, I like that it packs up small. I’m certainly not spending $400 for a cot I might use a half a dozen times a year. Thx for the suggestion. scat"

I bought the Warmounts brand, here is the link if anyone is interested. It's not top end, but like previous messages had noted, it's hard to spend 300-400 on an item that's only going to get used once or twice a year. I'm very satisfied with this purchase and I got it for under $60.
Warmount Cot

On our last trip, my buddy had a Warmounts cot that he had just picked up before we left and it looked good as well.

Oh man, if I go all in and buy a Nemo pillow as has been suggested it might be sensory overload. I have always just slept on a 1” Thermarest pad with my clothes for a pillow. That mercifully sprung a leak after 20 or so years so I am looking forward to these upgrades. At $45 I’ll prob go for the pillow and be done with this little shopping spree. Looking forward to trying out the cot & Exped pad combo in my apt haha.
Thx to all on the forum for the great advice on gear upgrades. I would have never known about any of this stuff. Awesome resource.

Cheers - scat

scat: "Sweet - I have a new & untested Exped mat to try out. I’m gonna get the cot that tap mentioned & give that a go. Could be a game changer esp for more local trips, Wi etc.
Thx guys
Edit - Just ordered it yay!"

Scat, we also have 1” memory foam mats cut from an old topper to put on top of the Expeds for car camps. Better than a $150 hotel.

I agree that a good quality pad may serve you well. I too like Exped. I've had Big Agnes pads and they were nice too, as well as REI pads. Thick insulated pads are quite comfortable for me and easy to use.

Planning a trip that will take me through a burn area so planning to leave the hammock home and just bring the tent.

Debating on a cot combined with an air mattress. Should I be considering a mat instead? I think I’d be a hurtin unit after a week of just an air mattress on the ground. Hate the idea of lugging a cot and thus adding to my ever increasing gear list.

JimEb: "Planning a trip that will take me through a burn area so planning to leave the hammock home and just bring the tent.


Debating on a cot combined with an air mattress. Should I be considering a mat instead? I think I’d be a hurtin unit after a week of just an air mattress on the ground. Hate the idea of lugging a cot and thus adding to my ever increasing gear list. "

The cots that have been discussed on this thread will pack down nicely and serve you well. Rather than a blow up air mattress I would consider a self-inflating sleeping mattress for on top of the cot, though a simple foam pad may be good enough for you as well.

Checking back in on this. Thx to btap I scored the king camp cot & it’s legit. Looks like quality enuf & should hold up. Could be a tad longer I’m 6’ 2” And thx to everyone else here is the setup with a new exped pad & pillow recommended by shcurly (my idol in all things BW no shit haha) I don’t know the brand name but it’s awesome. My EP in may is Homer Lake & the cot will get it’s baptism, not so many portages till we find a home for 5 days or so. I’m psyched! I have always used just a 1” thermarest & my clothes bunched up for a pillow which I now know was ridic. Got a new tent too, so cool.

Thx a million guys scat

Well, scat, here's the problem I see with your set-up: You're gonna be so comfy you want to get up off your bed and will miss out on the all of the fishing, campfire camaraderie and other BWCA benefits. Sorry for ruining your trip!

On a serious note--glad this worked out for you. I think you will love it. THIS is what the forum's all about!

tap - not a big sleeper so I think I’m ok haha. Last thing you said was spot on - forum is great for everything BWCA and enjoying the outdoors. This is something I never thought of before, I like it!

bottomtothetap: "Well, scat, here's the problem I see with your set-up: You're gonna be so comfy you want to get up off your bed and will miss out on the all of the fishing, campfire camaraderie and other BWCA benefits. Sorry for ruining your trip!


On a serious note--glad this worked out for you. I think you will love it. THIS is what the forum's all about! "

Agree with the "This is what the forums all about". Being from SD and only making 1-ish trip per year, I have used this forum as my go to information source for all things BW. It has not disappointed. Extremely thankful for all the people who share their time and informative insights for all things BWCA on this site.

Darin

Those ultra lit Cots look amazingly comfortable,and for sure will help keep you dry during severe storms if water infiltrates your tent,I spent many a hot and steamy summer nite sleeping on an old army cot on our screened in back porch.We had no A.C. So it was the porch unless storms came thru then it was the cool basement.

But as a side note I use a trimmed down yoga mat with thermarest inflatable on top and it’s very comfortable.It also gives me some elevation incase of severe downpours and water leakage.(I have a great eureka expedition grade 2 man tent but those Northern storms can be incredible)

Pretty sweet setup. Got my bag down and snuggled in for a bit. Gonna try a night soon enough. I can def see snoozing on this after a day full of BWCA goodness. I’m 63 and done prob 25 trips, 5 or so solos, and I always used only a 1” Thermarest pad, which I bought with all my original gear in ‘91 I think and never knew there was an alternative till it died on me and I started paying attention to alternatives, like on this site. So cool, this is gonna be perfect for my Homer Lake trip in May and venturing forward. Onward towards the fog.

Thx a million all you BWCA nuts! scat