Cot vs. Air Mattress

[jrnottarts]

Hello All,

I'm planning a two week trip across the U.S. for next fall. Right now it is just the girlfriend and Me, and we plan on a routine of primitive camping for two or three consecutive nights, then refreshing in a hotel. I want to make the camping portion as comfortable as possible so my main squeeze joins me on more adventures.

My question to you all, should I go with cots or an air mattress?

We plan on ordering a queen size sleeping bag. We could either put two cots side-by-side and share the bag, or just place it on the mattress like normal people. My only gripe with the mattress is that it is nearly impossible to sleep on one of those without disturbing the other person.

Are cots worth the expense? If so what brands?

*For reference, she is tiny (100lbs) and I'm normal sized (5'11" - 180lbs)

Thank you!

 

[eviioiive]

I've never had a good night on air however I've had plenty on mats and cots

 

[zelatore]

No on the air mattress. Go with a decent cot. I use one of the Oztent co5s but I'm sure there are plenty of others just as good. I would steer clear of the bargain basement cots though. They all sort of look the same but after a night or three you'll feel a difference.

 

[TripLeader]

Will you be sleeping in a tent? What size is it?
-----
It's not always easy to get two cots in a tent without it being overcrowded, unless it's a 6-man or bigger. (In my opinion.)

 

[jrnottarts]

Will you be sleeping in a tent? What size is it?
-----
It's not always easy to get two cots in a tent without it being overcrowded, unless it's a 6-man or bigger. (In my opinion.)

Yeah, we were thinking a Coleman 6-man. The footprint on that thing is 10x10. It's not the best tent in the world, and I'm all for buying once, but if this is an isolated event, then I still have my Kelty 2-man for future solo trips.

 

[zelatore]

Size is the only downside to cots. They take up a lot of tent space and a lot of storage space in the rig, and they're heavy. On the other hand, if you have the room it's much nicer to sit on the cot while getting dressed/undressed compared to sitting on the ground. Plus you can slide stuff under them for extra storage room in the tent.

If I weren't using a cot I'd be looking at one of the mega-mats or whatever it's called. It's about 4" thick and reported to be excellent but I haven't tried one myself. I leave the air mats for backpacking when space and weight top the priority list, but they're a non-starter when traveling by truck.

 

[Happy Joe]

Slept on many types of air mattresses the 7 to 8" thick ones are most comfortable, but all air mattresses leak eventually, and they need insulation in cold weather.
Tried many many cots the military ones without a good (thick) pad are typically too hard.
Those that fold out accordion style (from Wal-Mart with an contained air mattress) are relatively fragile and don't supply a flat enough sleeping surface for me... and the air mattress will leak eventually.
... so far the best has been a Coleman cot, the one with springs around the edge, with both the 2.5 or 3" Coleman foam pad and a (cut to fit) thick foam egg crate hospital bed pad (without the hospital pad it is better than a military cot but still too firm for me). ... its very comfortable, doesn't loose air, and warm; although it is very bulky to pack into the vehicle. It fits in the pickup, not sure if I can pack it into the Jeep without looking like the Beverly hillbillies during a move...
Enjoy!

 

[brentbba]

Fall trip, if you hit any cold weather an air mattress would be my last choice. Cold air will suck the life out of both of you on an air mattress. I'd recommend a cot. Slumberjack is a nice good sized one. Don't know how putting two together and sharing a sleeping bag would work tho. For either solution I'd recommend putting a simple thermarest pad on either to give you a more comfortable sleeping platform. They'll work to provide some insulation if you go air mattress and the same with a cot.

 

[DaveNay]

It's not very romantic, but I'd go with separate cots and separate bags. I can't even imagine how uncomfortable a queen sleeping bag across two cots would be. Even the "double wide" cots have a bar dividing the halves.

 

[Maxcustody]

I would say cot as well........also depends on how much room you have for packing, some cots are huge. I went with 2 of the Helinox cots, yes they are expensive, but lightweight and very comfortable. I slept on mine 2 weeks straight this past fall.......

 

[thefishhawk]

I was going to chime in to say what Dave did, there's no way you're going to sleep well with a queen sleeping bag across two cots with the bars in the middle.

I'm not a huge cot sleeper but if that was the route I was going to go I would probably get two Roll-A-Cots and separate bags with thermarests. My personal choice for sleeping with the wife would be to go with two Exped mega-mats as was mentioned, which are super comfortable, and then what you do is get a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, and a down comforter. I normally use that setup with two Paco Pads for long rafting trips. Takes up the same or less space than a couple fat sleeping bags. Plus then you sleep like you are sleeping at home without the constriction of a sleeping bag.

It would also depend on your fall route, if you are getting up high you'll be warmer and happier if you need single sleeping bags.

 

[mowerman]

I started using air mattresses but good quality ones seem very hard to find and they kept getting punctures, so before getting the RTT I used a self inflating mattress - just unroll it and open the valve and it sorts itself out while you're getting the dinner on
Couldn't use cots in my tent cos there wasn't the room.

 

[BulldoginaJeepwithaColt]

Cot with a Mattress - Just Not an Air Mattress

My combination was expensive, but I also have a wife that was not particulary thrilled about tent camping, so I was determined to make it as comfortable as possible as we are new to the camping scene. Reason being, I wanted to do it more than once and was aiming for multiple trips a year, each year thereafter.

My tent is the Kodiak, so space is plentiful and I have room to stand!

With that being said, I prefer a cot, but need an insulated mat on top to make it comfortable. My sleep set-up is a Cam-O-Bunk Disc-O-Bed XL plus Thermarest Dream XL mattress (air and memory foam combo) with a Slumberjack Country Squire sleeping bag (large enough for two.)

Supper comfortable combo that both the wife and I can fit and move around just enough in my bag on just a single cot! She has an identical set-up to mine when she wants to only sleep.

For what its worth and before I sank the dough into the mats, we did a few nights on just the cots, very firm and simply not as comfortable as we would have liked, however the kids could have cared less.

For comparison sake; I'm 6'1 and 260 lbs, she is 5'7 and unfortunately I am prohibited and bound by oath from disclosing any information to others regarding her weight. But you and your girl should have no problems, it would just be narrow but doable.

The cots are ROBUST, they can support 400 plus pounds, positioned as a separate pair, snap together as a bunk or can be positioned as sofa. We use them in the house and take them to the vacation home for extra sleeping as well.

The mats are also robust and would be comfortable by themselves on the ground, you can attach two together and just put your sleeping bag on the top. I prefer cots as I prefer to be up off the ground.

I recommend searching youtube for videos to give you some insight and a trip to Cabelas etc., if possible before you buy, as all this equipment, regardless of brand, can quickly deplete the checking account!

When I did my checking, (and I certainly did not check everywhere) I could not find any consistently positive comments about ANY air mattresses in regards to camping comfortably and reliably.

So far the wife likes tent camping, its the shower/bathroom facilities that are my next challenge!

 

[WeLikeCamping]

I agree with dumping the air mattress, not only does it create a cold layer beneath you that sucks your warmth away, they will fill up your tent, are easily punctured and leak. If you get up frequently like I do, the wife will be unhappy that you wake her up all night long. Our solution is multiple therma-rest mattresses beneath layers of bags. We have a slumberjack double-wide that serves as the base over the thermarests, then we just pile on bags like blankets. Never have problems this way. I have a Cabela's large cot that I use when I sleep under the stars, I just put a thermarest on it, and the slumberjack double-wide. If it is cold, like in the lower digits, I will add another bag over this and use a liner. The only time I've ever been really cold was when using the air mattress. For the tent, I have a variety, but with the wife it's always the Eureka Manan 6 person. For bathroom facilities, I have a porta-jon inside one of those privy shelters (the throne room). Wife loves it.

 

[TwinStick]

I know this is not practical for 90% of us but i have this, the complete set up. Cot, air mattress & foam pad. It is more comfortable than my bed. No lie. I sleep longer & more sound & feel way more rested when i get up.

Cabela's Outfitter XL cot
Deluxe cot pad
Outfitter XL sleeping

I put the pad on top of the air mattress. Works great by adjusting air, you get the firmness---or lack there of, that you want. Definitely not for you if you don't have the space though.