Stop the Helinox insanity: Introducing the $570 cot

[PlacidWaters]

We knew it would happen one day soon. The $570 Helinox Cot Max Convertible with 15" legs is here: http://www.backcountrygear.com/cot-max-convertible.html

Here are the presumed specs. Note that this cot has SIXTEEN legs.

Size: 30 x 83

Weight of the cot: 5 lbs 15 oz
Weight of 16 legs: 25 oz
Total weight: 7.5 lbs

The Camptime-Roll-a-Cot wide (32 x 74, $140) weighs 10 lbs, so with the Helinox you're saving 2.5 lbs. Is it worth $430 to save 2.5 lbs? For me no way. And as much as I dislike the Roll-a-Cot leg setup, I wouldn't look forward to 16 legs on this Helinox cot either. The Roll-a-Cot has just 4 legs.

I'm vowing to never buy another Helinox product again. They've now gone overboard and lost credibility with ordinary folks. Shame on Helinox and shame on Big Agnes for not putting pressure on Helinox to have reasonable prices. Business genius is not only in great designs, but in great designs that ordinary people can afford.

Come on, you camping engineers! Sharpen your pencils and start designing a light, simple, reasonably priced, easy to assemble 15" cot. It has to be possible.

Things you can buy for $570:

1999 Nissan Sentra http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/5917341471.html
A great bicycle
4 decent 3P tents
3 down sleeping bags
Kayak
Complete backpacking setup (tent, sleeping bag, mattress, backpack)
Food for 3 months
270 gallons of gas to drive 8,670 miles
Excellent laptop that you will use daily for the next 5 years
???

 

[dwh]

I only count 12 legs. But I lost count a few times and had to start over so don't quote me.

 

[Coachgeo]

Well if you count the three cross braces as legs that makes 15? Or you just miss read it as "15 legs" instead of as "15-inch legs"? But who cares..... think I'll buy two and have 30 legs with 24 of them being 15". Maybe buy a bunch of them and call it ART of Lazy a Centipede. Then sell that for a million as a master piece of art work. With that I'll buy a real Exp rig and use a 40 dollar cot out by the fire like everyone else who is not a rich sucker. :victory:

 

[dwh]

Note that this cot has SIXTEEN legs...

...I wouldn't look forward to 16 legs on this Helinox cot either.

Misread it? Ya think so do ya?



(Well, I guess that's what I get for trying to be funny.

Actually, it's a trick. The 12 leg is not the "Max" cot. I presume it's the regular cot and the webmaster posted the wrong pic on the site. The other pic without the legs shows the max cot.)


((And yea, looks like a crap design to me too. I can see dropping my fatass down as a point load on one those tactical bipods and watching it split like an Olympic gymnast.))

 

[robgendreau]

This is the place to sell 'em. I think there are some who buy it BECAUSE it cost that much.

 

[kmlacroix]

Make it a Filson edition and twice as much.

 

[tgreening]

Come on. You guys know if it said "Expedition" somewhere in the name you'd be on it like white on rice.

 

[PlacidWaters]

I only count 12 legs. But I lost count a few times and had to start over so don't quote me.

The Cot max has an extra set of legs, total of 16.

 

[Happykamper]

******** ....some people buy Sentras , which get you from point A to point B . Some folks stay at motel 6 which you can spend the night at . Some folks eat burgers which is protein rich red meat.......But there is a Market for Mercedes , Four Seasons , aged Prime rib....and expensive Cots. I'm not going to buy the cot, probably because I don't need one. But if it was more durable and was more comfortable I sure would. And this is just me , but shame on no one ! A product is what it's worth and just because someone does not see the value it's not a crime. There looking for there niche in a very crowded market ....and by the looks of it they found it.

I sometimes find myself looking at something, then looking at the price, and thinking IT JUST DOESNT MAKE SENSE!!
Then I see a few that have said product enjoying the heck out it. And just laugh while I stroll to my overpriced toys. By the way overpriced is only in the eye of the beholder.

Merry Christmas all

 

[NIVEK_TURK]

Free.99 for the excess Army cots for the win for me.

 

[dwh]

The Cot max has an extra set of legs, total of 16.

Yea, extra cross brace as well.

Hmm...I was joking when I said "tactical bipod" earlier. But now I'm thinking they might have been better off using actual tactical bipods on that cot...

At least they'd fold up instead of having to be removed every time the cot is packed up.

 

[Happykamper]

Thank you for your service Turk!!! Be safe .

Prayers for you tonight

 

[dms1]

@0210, Sometimes space is an issue, try taking four of those cots and mattresses and all of the other stuff a family of 4 needs in a Jeep or SUV.

 

[Nanabijou]

Placidwaters - have you seen this version of the Roll-A-Cot? It looks like they are using a different design for tensioning than the original Roll-A-Cot's wingnuts. Might be simpler and easier to use than the wingnuts.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M61RXH6

P.S. In one of the reviews for the cot, a fellow uses bed risers to get the cot even higher in the bed of his pickup truck. These might be the kind of risers you were looking for to elevate your Helinox.

Mike

 

[goodtimes]

Helinox will probably never be the low cost option.

But if you're sensitive to [packed] size and weight (IE: backpacking, traveling on a motorcycle, etc), their products become much more attractive.

One additional advantage that their cots have over most is that there are no spreaders at the ends - so the taller folks out there can comfortably hang their feet over the end.