Tent Cot

[gahill2]

Currently I do not have a roof rack on my Discovery so a roof top tent isn't an option at the moment.

I have been thinking of getting a double tent cot....Does anyone have any experience with these? How do they hold up to traveling and the elements?

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[erin]

While I don't have experience with the double, my single has worked out very nicely. Extremely quick setup, less than a minute, very comfortable w/ a back packing mattress, and just enough room, with the exception of headroom while sitting, only drawback. As far as condensation on the inside, you will experiance some, possibly more with two people, but if you keep the side doors open for ventilation, it isn't too bad. Only on one pretty damp and chilly morning did I experience any significant moisture on the ceiling at last years rally, but nothin else was wet. The covering case they come with seems kinda cheesy, but so far it has held up well, better then iI expected. The only drawback is it does not include a rain fly as standard gear, such as does the unit that Cabelas offers, but they are also more money, so it is probably even in the end. Overall, I have never slept well in tents for one reason or another, and I slept like a baby for 5 days at the rally last year, so that really sold me on these. The real drawback I see is the closed footprint and weight as compared to a regular tent, but I think the drawbacks out weigh some aspects of conventional tents.

Hope this helps you out, Erin

 

[Bergger]

I've got a double tentcot that I have used quite a bit, both on the ground and mounted on the back of my Tacoma. I like it. Definitely not in the same ballpark as a high end roof top tent but it suits my needs very well. I like the fact that I can use in on the ground or on my truck. It is light weight, about 45lbs or so, and has a good amount of room in it. I also like the domed roof on it vs the cabelas model. I've used it in one absolutely nasty storm and with the rain fly not a drop of rain got in. With out the rain fly it has also done well in the weather. So far it has held up well. No issues with things breaking or coming apart. I actually think the bag it comes in is of decent quality and has not torn at all. On my last trip to the Sand Dunes I actually mounted it on my platform and drove the whole trip with it there and nothing came loose on it during the 4wheel portion or the 75 mph highway portion. Since it is not breathable fabric you will get condensation build up. This is decreased with the ends or sides open, weather permitting. I also keep a small hand towel in the tent so I can wipe the ceiling down when I get up. When I bought mine the cheapest place to get the tent and fly were Amazon. Also I got free shipping. The link I have below will show some pics of my set up and use of the double tent cot.

http://community.webshots.com/user/bergger1

 

[atavuss]

I have two singles and one double. have not used the double yet but the only two things I did not like about the single was the condensation build up in cold weather and the lack of head room in the flat topped unit. very comfortable with a self inflating mattress and quick and easy to set up. it is nice to be up off the ground and you don't have to worry about debris on the ground or rocky ground like you do with a regular tent.

 

[gahill2]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

 

[mk4]

Forget about the double cot. Double cots just don't work out very well. Buy two singles and when you need to bump uglies, do it in the truck or on the floor or in the woods.

Personally I'm a bit wider than most in the shoulder area. I'm small at 5'8" but even with my frame I could not stand the standard 24-25" width cots.

I did the math and I figured that I needed at least 32" in width. The first two are 32" wide and the last is 30".

http://www.rei.com/product/736884

http://www.rei.com/product/675386

http://www.rei.com/product/736119

I like these (I have the first one) because they pack down small and are light. Not too much of a problem now, but my previous expedition vehicle was a small 4-door sedan. They pack down to about 6"x24". They are easy to set up and are comfortable. I use mine with a 3/8" closed cell foam pad (the same one I use when I go backpacking) and during the winter I add my Thermarest Prolite-4 3/4 self inflating pad below it. Very comfy, warm and compact.

Anything wider and you have to go to Slumberjack cots which are available to 40" in width.

http://www.slumberjack.com/product_list.asp?category_id=RRPBR27ZCTAZBEQWP6FWZTPSZE

 

[mhiscox]

I had some issues with the double tent cot in that, IIRC, there was a support that ran under the mattress that was pretty noticable. I also thought it kind of small for two normal-sized adults, unless maybe you really like each other. Anyway, I got rid of mine. Your mileage may vary.

Mike Hiscox

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Post resurrection!!! :yikes:

So I went to bass pro today and purchased a Kamp-Rite double tent cot. After much debate, we just couldn't bring ourselves to spend over $1k on a RTT that is going to add so much weight to an already bogged down truck. We figured for the price we would try out the tent cot route.

My thoughts so far, after setting it up at home:

It's a little bigger than I thought it would be folded down, however its still much smaller and lighter than an RTT coming in at around 35lbs, so thats nice.

The set-up instructions were a little confusing, but I'm confused easily so it could have just been me. There were no pics (I'm a visual learner!) so I had to read and re-read the steps a few times which took extra time setting up. Hopefully the next time I can figure it out a little faster.

It's a pretty good size on the inside, but the foam padding is pretty worthless...I did throw my thermarest in there and it was cozy so I'm satisfied. It also has enough head room to sit up, which will help when changing clothes (we are both 6ft).

I am not too happy about the dome roof pole set-up, instead of having clips you have to slide them through sleeves which is a pain. I haven't attempted the rainfly yet.

Took a few minutes to figure out how to get it in the bag, but I'm pretty happy with the bag quality and I think it will hold up ok on the roof.

I'd like to be able to at least store our thermarests in there, if not our sleeping bags too...does anyone else do this, or is it impossible? Also any tips to assist in setting it up faster? I'm sure because it's bigger it's a little more cumbersome than the single units.

I'll be taking it solo on it's maiden voyage this Friday so we will see how it does in action.

 

[granitex1]

I do not have the double but do have the single, so that I can use it on top of the truck or on the ground. It is the only one that I take when I go solo

 

[Maximus Ram]

Hmmm, don't know where I've been, but this is the first i have seen of these. i like the idea. Lokk like they would work good for solo trips in the XJ. Guess I need to look closer at the gear catalogs and see what is out there.

 

[snipecatcher]

hey

I had to haul my buddies' double wide tent cot to Big Bend this year. I would say the weight is closer to 50 or 60 pounds, and it folds up to a huge 4x4 feet. Took up a whole lot of bed space. On the other hand, he slept comfortably the first night we were there. After that, he didn't want to mess with setting up, so he just slept in the front seat of the truck. If space is a concern, the tent cot is not for you. Personally I just took a normal fold up cot, which takes up little room, and draped a heavy canvas tarp over some poles. It took a little while longer to set up, but it kept the wind and dust off of me.

 

[1leg]

I just bought the extra-large single from Bass pro shops. Only slept in it once, At home in the living room the night i got it. I slept really good, which for me is rare. They do take up space mine is around 36x36X9 and about 30lbs. I should be testing it out this weekend Hopefully. easy to set-up.

 

[1leg]

Post resurrection!!! :yikes:


I am not too happy about the dome roof pole set-up, instead of having clips you have to slide them through sleeves which is a pain.

Ditto

 

[AndrewP]

The Tent Cot's weakness is it's folded size and weight. It is a monster. 35 pounds or so, and awkward and bulky.

It is extremely comfortable, and except of a bit of condensation it is far more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. It takes up a huge amount of space inside, and so it's a roof rack or pickup truck item only.

I really like the idea, and I'd like to see one made with more thought to folded size, and have the supports be aluminum instead of steel. Then it would go on every trip. Get it to 20 pounds and half the current size and it would be a winner.

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Well I don't know if anybody cares about my review but here it is anyway! Jerry I look forward to yours after your trip with it out to Joshua Tree. Hopefully these thoughts will help someone who is considering this route in the future.

So this last Friday I loaded up the tent cot and took it out to Table Mesa for a solo sleeping trip...well I wasn't there by myself but I was in the tent cot by myself! My thoughts so far:

Here it is loaded on the roof. It's about the same weight as my massage table (35lbs) so I was used to having to maneuver that kind of weight around and it wasn't hard at all to get it up or down off the roof by myself. It did make quite a bit of noise having it loaded long-ways like this so on my way back I turned it and this cut down on the noise dramatically.

Here it is set up at camp, no rainfly:

What I like:
It's light
Easy load/unload
I can store the thermasrests and sleeping bags inside (one less thing to carry in the car!)
Comfortable sleep
Quick tear-down
Opens on all 4 sides
Enough room inside to sit up and change clothes
Pockets on the inside at each end for your small gear storage

What I don't like:
Still hate the dome roof poles
Had problems with two of the plastic feet stoppers falling off
No place to put your shoes!
Too large and awkward for a single person to set up
Clipping mechanism to hold down sides could be improved somehow
Hate the end that locks into 2 positions for chair option...who wants to use this as a chair?
The bar in the middle sucks!

I think if I was spending more time going on solo trips I would definitely pick up one of the single tent cots...easy to handle for one person. This one was a bit much, I struggled setting it up by myself but I'm sure this was because of the fact that it was dark, I was trying to remember the directions having only set it up one other time, and there was just me. I did however mess around with it tonight in the garage and came up with a much more efficient way to set it up than what the directions want you to do. I think things will be a lot easier with two of us the next time around...more reviews after trip two with it up to Sedonafest!