Light weight back packing cots

[Skyvalhunter]

Any one had any luck with the light weight backpacking cots?

[kselkhunter]

I use the Thermarest ultralite cot for backcountry hunts if I'm going in for a week or more.  I don't always pack it for shorter 2-4 day trips.   There are some knockoff competitors on Amazon for a fraction of the cost that look exactly the same, but weigh a little more, that my buddy bought.....I slept on his one night to try it out.....hard to tell the difference honestly.   


The cot is a luxury item that adds weight to my pack, but is worth it for me for sustaining a week long duration.  As I've gotten older I've appreciated the added comfort more on helping get through the longer backcountry hunts.  My wife uses it on our summer backpacking trips and she loves it.  It definitely provides a better night sleep. 


I also have the bug screen add-on from Thermarest, that basically turns the cot into a tent.   And cover with a light tarp if expecting rain.   

[Skyvalhunter]

Thanks Kselkhunter, I have looked at those a few times and the reviews were good. I do a ton of back packing a nd after a few days even the thicker sleeping pads cause aches and hot spots. Cots have treated me well in the past and being a back sleeper a cot seems to help. Thanks a gain will give it a whirl.

[kselkhunter]

I still use a Thermarest NeoAir inflatable pad on top the cot sometimes, FYI. Although for my November snow hunts I add a foam pad for extra warmth (which also adds more comfort).  Thermarest has a thermal sleeve accessory to increase the R-value of the cot as well (I'm in the snow every year).   The pillow holder accessory is also handy, as it keeps your pillow from flopping off the cot all the time (that used to frustrate me, so bought the pillow holder after the first few uses without it).  The cot gets used the most inside my Seek Outside tipi.  Although sometimes I take it with the Big Agnes 3man tent as well, it's a tighter fit in that but it fits lengthwise.



I never tried to attach my bug net and frame to my buddies knock-off cot, so no idea of that Thermarest bug net would fit one of the lower cost knock off cots (the pillow accessory fits, though).   I would think it would based on how it attaches, just never tried it.

   

Taking the cot and bug net/frame as a "tent" setup is handy in warmer weather if you have a lightweight tarp.   Probably the same weight as a one or two man tent when all added up, but far more comfy.   If I'm out solo, I take that setup more often than my Big Agnes in summer or early fall.

[Skyvalhunter]

Thanks good info. I like that bug net idea for early spring trips. Have to check out the pillow holder. My Big Agnes bag is nice since it has the pad sleeve. But went to a thicker pad and had to get a wedge for my bag to not feel like I was in mummy bag. Thanks again

[kselkhunter]

This is the bug shelter attachment:
https://www.amazon.com/Therm-Rest-Shelter-Large-X-Large/dp/B00PZKRY9K/ref=asc_df_B00PZKRY9K/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198072135009&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9623812234184150958&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033270&hvtargid=pla-317875289187&psc=1

It adds more weight, but is less than a tent weighs.  I have a very light tarp I string up over the top for in case it rains or to keep the dew off my sleeping bag.  Again mostly for summer/early fall use.  I go tipi for Oct/Nov/Dec times in the backcountry.


This is the pillow keeper
https://www.amazon.com/Therm-a-Rest-040818061978-Cot-Pillow-Keeper/dp/B00RDOV04Q/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=thermarest+pillow+holder&qid=1579551812&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-2

[Skyvalhunter]

Excellent info but not all older hunters realize the benefits!!! But then a lot of them are hunting out of a hotel or from their home not out in the hunting area.

[Magnum_Willys]

I used an exped downmat 7 pad which gets me 3” off the ground and provides warmth and 3” of give to adjust to body shape.   If I had a thin pad I would definitely want a cot.   But I would try a exped 3” pad first to see if that works saving 3# plus. 

The exped pad and cot would be nice if you don’t mind the extra 3#.  But cutting ounces that cot is first to go???

[Skyvalhunter]

True, did the 3 " big Agnes pad for a while and even then after 3 days it's tough to get a good night's sleep. When your doing 7 day backpacking trips that's alot of time on the ground. Different in the summer when your hiking and don't go to bed until 9 pm then get up at 5am because it's dark later. But when it's hunting season and it's dark at 6:30 pm and doesn't get light until 6:30ish am that's a long time to be on the ground. I typically don't car camp or hunt from my house during the regular season I am in my tent. So it's nice to have more comfort and better hunting if your sleep is restful.

[luvmystang67]

I just tried the Desert Walked 3lb cot on Amazon for two nights in my bedroom.  It wasn't very good.  If you literally move none, and stay on your back all night, it may be okay... but it caused me some lower back pain and you really can't side sleep on it because your legs hit the side bars.  I'm returning it.

It was lightweight, and if you didn't move and weren't too tall it may not be bad, but for me it was not better than a sleeping pad.  The idea of packing a pad to use with it really puts you up closer to 5lbs, which is too much for backpacking in my opinion.  3lbs was pushing it.

https://www.amazon.com/DESERT-WALKER-Lightweight-Portable-Included/dp/B07F6Y67FN/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=desert+walker+cot&qid=1579804227&sr=8-1

[WapitiTalk1]

Ha, I was just gonna post up something about the Desert Walker; great minds think alike I guess.  I picked up one a few years ago with the intent of "packing it in" on backcountry hunts.  I never have strapped it on my pack but have used it at a type of "base camp #2" in the spud state.  We had our main base camp (wall tent, etc.) and set up a second mini base camp (tipi, stove, etc.) about 15 miles from the main.  That was used a few times if we decided to hunt way over thataway for a few days.  I thought the Desert Walker cot worked fine in concert with a good pad at base camp #2.  Honestly, I entertained the idea of strapping the 2.6 lb cot to my Exo Mtn Gear pack but each time I decided I did not want to pack the extra weight and really, the Nemo Tensor pad worked well enough I didn't miss the cot a bit.   

[luvmystang67]

Ha, I was just gonna post up something about the Desert Walker; great minds think alike I guess.  I picked up one a few years ago with the intent of "packing it in" on backcountry hunts.  I never have strapped it on my pack but have used it at a type of "base camp #2" in the spud state.  We had our main base camp (wall tent, etc.) and set up a second mini base camp (tipi, stove, etc.) about 15 miles from the main.  That was used a few times if we decided to hunt way over thataway for a few days.  I thought the Desert Walker cot worked fine in concert with a good pad at base camp #2.  Honestly, I entertained the idea of strapping the 2.6 lb cot to my Exo Mtn Gear pack but each time I decided I did not want to pack the extra weight and really, the Nemo Tensor pad worked well enough I didn't miss the cot a bit.

Yeah, I mean I give the bad review not because it didn't do what it was supposed to, it did that, it just wasn't a comfortable as I had in my head.  When I'm in a mummy bag I need to be able to roll from on my back to my side when my legs get stoved up in the night.  I wouldn't mind packing the 3 lbs if it was the best sleep I've ever gotten, but not being able to side sleep is a problem.  I think for me the solution is an oversized mat (mostly over wide).  I don't mind packing up to 2-3 lbs to sleep well.  I'm over packing 9 oz for my neo air mattress that only covers my butt to my head.  Its not worth the poor nights sleep and narrow sides that cause my arms to fall lower than my body.

I'm returning the Desert Walker this week and looking for a nice oversized matteress that I can spread on a little and will keep me dry in a leaky tent.  I'd go for a wider cot if the weight could stay similar, I just haven't found one on the market.

[Skyvalhunter]

Maybe you should look at the thermarest ultra light. I am a taller fella and ordered the longer and wider one. Or wait until I post a review. Maybe its just that I am getting older and a pansy.

[kselkhunter]

I think we're all just different and have to try different options to see what works.  The Desert Walker is a different design than the Thermarest, so not sure if that makes a difference.  I can side sleep on my Thermarest cot, although if I'm exhausted I can back sleep on it as well.  I've been using it for 7 years now.


Really depends on the setup.   An exped downmat 7 is 2lb 9.3ounces for the large.  A typical ultralight tent is around 3lbs.  So that is 5lb 9.3ounces.  The Thermarest cot is 3lbs, NeoAir UL is 12 ounces, bug shelter is 22 ounces, tarps that I use range from 8 to 16 ounces (depending on how big I want) so total of 5lbs 10 ounces to 6lbs 4 ounces.  And for me the cot is more comfy than the 3" air pads, but again we're all different.   



If I know there is snow, ie my November backcountry trips, I use the tipi.  As I'm not counting ounces on those trips (considering how much weight I'm packing in clothes and food for 10 days in snow).  In the colder climate the air mattresses tend to deflate a little overnight when at altitude, at least in my experience. So I switch my pad to a closed cell foam on top the cot on those trips.   

[luvmystang67]

I think you're right, basically everyone just sleeps different.

I think I'm going to try this wider cot (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GWBYJV7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for more of a base camp scenario or would consider hiking it in for a multi day spike camp.  Even in my Tipi, it'll be nice to have a lower cot to take advantage of the larger footprint down lower when I am "car camping".

For real backpacking I think I'm going to get a 25"x72" pad so my arms will sit up on it instead of hanging down to the ground.  I don't mind packing 1.5lb if I sleep well here and I don't think I'll be able to find a workable cot for me for weight under double that (the Desert Walker was my only real hope).

Not that I'm old old, but at 33 I'm starting to REALLY value decent sleep, even if it means hiking more around when I'm awake.