Looking for Tent-Cot pad.

[Heimz]

Hey all,

Just bought a Cabelas Tent Cot and while I was there I forgot to get a matress pad for it. Which one would you recommend? I'm looking for one that is as thick as i can get it while still be able to fold up and fit in the bag.

If you could post a link to it online, I'd be much obliged!

 

[miller_au]

Therm-a-rest are the ducks guts! they come in all differnt thicknesses and are pretty good at insulating your body from the cold ground, although in a cot you wouldnt need that feature as much.. anyway link..

http://www.thermarest.com/

 

[Tumbleweed]

I bought the generic one at Cabellas for mine. Around $30. Pretty happy with it and it does fold up inside the cot. Also has an inflatable headrest/pillow.

 

[Rexsname]

X2 on the thermarest. Very, very comfortable and rolls up to be compact.

REX

 

[proper4wd]

Insulation is actually very important in a tent cot. I have camped with mine many times in colder weather and until I started insulating myself with a wool blanket under my sleeping pad, I was colder than had I been on the ground. The reason is the same as why there are signs that say "Caution, bridge freezes before road"! You have cold air circulating under your body.

Also a warning to those tent-cotters out there... the earlier versions, at least, will get you wet in the rain. This spectacular design feature has gotten them dubbed "Wet Cots" by our group. The design flaw we found was that with the weight of a body in the cot, it sags the center of the cot down so that it is lower than the outer perimiter frame. Water would run down the sides of the tent fabric and instead of dripping directly onto the ground it would follow the bottom material (which is not waterproof) and eventually drip to the ground under the lowest point (center of the cot). The water would wick back up through the material and give you a good bottom-up soaking.

One of my friends fixed this by sewing a "skirt" around the outside of the cot, which forced the water to drip onto the ground. We submitted this design change to Kamp-Rite (who owned the design at the time) and they actually added this feature to production models.

So, be warned, if yours doesnt have the skirt, you'll get wet in the rain!

 

[mountainpete]

I personally have a Thermarest and love it. However, for a cot I agree that insulation is important.

Take a close look at the insulated sleeping pads made by Big Agnes. They are available from www.backcountry.com at good prices and consistently have strong reviews. I believe they are also available at REI.

Pete

 

[Heimz]

I hear nothing but high praises for the thermarest pads. Only thing not desirable about them is the price tag. Does anyone know where the best deals are? It would sting to buy a mattress that costs more than the tent-cot itself.

 

[mrblond]

I hear nothing but high praises for the thermarest pads. Only thing not desirable about them is the price tag. Does anyone know where the best deals are? It would sting to buy a mattress that costs more than the tent-cot itself.

this one Heimz, it has straps for rolling, not sure if it will fold inside but a 3" thick pad can't be beat for comfort.


http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t.../search-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

 

[Life_in_4Lo]

i use the folding eggcrate stuff and works great. got it at rei.com and it was cheap on sale.
i've used the tentcot in a driving thunderstorm and it was fine. I had the rainfly cover and didn't get wet at all.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I personally have a Thermarest and love it. However, for a cot I agree that insulation is important.

Take a close look at the insulated sleeping pads made by Big Agnes. They are available from www.backcountry.com at good prices and consistently have strong reviews. I believe they are also available at REI.

Pete

I love my Big Agnes. I would love it more if it were a touch wider.


I guess I could lose weight..




naaa that aint gonna happen.

 

[kb7our]

Hey all,

Just bought a Cabelas Tent Cot and while I was there I forgot to get a matress pad for it. Which one would you recommend? I'm looking for one that is as thick as i can get it while still be able to fold up and fit in the bag.

If you could post a link to it online, I'd be much obliged!

This one I consider "perfect" for the oversize tent cot presuming you have that one which is extra wide.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/320,97572_Alps-Mountaineering-Lightweight-Series-Air-Pad-2XL.html

Wade

 

[Sportsman Matt]

this one Heimz, it has straps for rolling, not sure if it will fold inside but a 3" thick pad can't be beat for comfort.


http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t.../search-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

I've got one of the double sized versions of this matress and love it. Only thing is it has a removeable wooden board which makes rolling it up easier, but I wouldn't use it with the board installed. It rolls up fairly small, mine compresses down to a roll about 4 foot long and 12 inches in diameter.

 

[luk4mud]

The REI house brand 2" works for me great on my cot.

 

[rlwjaw]

Tent Cot pad

I use a memory foam pad from big lots. It was arround $20. I use a fitted sheet over it and I stay very warm. I believe this pad is 1" thick and fits perfect in the over size tent cot. The cot folds up with the pad inside along with the plastic bows. The wet issue in the rain is solved with the rainfly. It hangs below the cot and all the water goes to the ground. I have spent as many as 100 nights straight in mine. I do get some condensation but not so bad that I feel a need to complain. I do wish the storage bag was more heavy duty, waterproof and had a better ziper. It would also be nice if the two center legs would snap or lock in place so the tent cot could be moved w/o them folding. The ends on the bows tend to come off so I used Permatex ultra black rtv silicon to keep them on. If you have the space and can handle the weight this shelter is great.