Good sleep while camping... what's comfortable, a cot?

[Greg]

I'll give a "here here" for the MegaMat. I bought it after reading through some posts on ExPo last spring and love it. I sleep on my side/back/stomach and there is plenty of support. It took me a few nights to determine how much air is enough but not too much, when I did though it was amazing. I sleep just as good on that pad as I do at home in my bed. I've used it on the ground as well as on a cot I bought from Moody last year it and it is equally comfortable. Having it on the cot masks the lumps in the ground which is nice. I did melt a pin sized hole in it while shooting sparks in my garage working on my trailer build but it patched up easy with the included kit. I like it enough that I bought a second one for the few times a year I'll be able to get my wife out camping so I wouldn't have to sleep on the hard ground (gotta give the princess the good gear when shes out.) The second one is a little thinner (7.5 mm vs 10mm) but seems to be just as comfortable, it was on a good sale last Thanksgiving.

Take a look at the Turbo Tent. Its made out of ripstop canvas and has integrated poles. I've taken the 6 man on a few different trips and other than being real big to pack I've really liked it. I can fit two cots inside with room for an aisle. On the Freeze Your Tail Off this last year it rained all and blew all night long. I expected to get wet when I found a big pool of water at the front door but didn't. (There seems to be some type of rubberized coating on the floor to help out with this.) I bought my tent from the warehouse which is in SLC and paid something like $250 since it was a store return. They discount the returns and sell them on KSL and ebay and have seconds on Overstock.com. As someone mentioned about the Oz Tent this one is also pretty big. When packed up its 4.5', which is what the poles fold up to. I picked this one over the Springbar because I didn't want to rely on getting stakes in the ground. I've been many of them with my parents springbar and while the turbo tent needs some support to get the tent sprung it doesn't necessarily need to be staked to the ground.

Lots of good info, good to hear from another side sleeper and 'big guy'. I'm now down to 210 pounds, but was getting close to 235. I read another review of the Exped MegaMat where they compared it to their mattress at home, so it sounds like a great deal! Good to know about the cot versus the ground... it makes sense. Sounds like even a cheaper, low-profile (and easy to pack) cot will do well with that mat on top of it.

I was checking out the Turbo Tent... looks like another good option!

I'm also a side sleeper, you can assist the foam with air. I just bought it and only have one night on it so I cant say to much. I'm 6'3" 230 on a good day and I did not push through to the ground. It packs down fairly well for as thick as it is, rolled up its about the size of my 2 man tent.

Awesome, really good to hear it packs down well. Space is pretty precious in a JKU.

I'm 6'3" and 300 and if I first lay on it and hit the ground it only means I've not pumped enough air into it.

Kurt uses a pad from ExPed as well, I can't remember which one it is but its not the megamat.

 

[Spork]

The turbo tent reminds me of one my sister has. it's a coleman --> http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-20000...&sr=8-2&keywords=coleman+14+x+10+instant+tent

Goes up fast, I think she picked hers up somewhere like Walmart or Smiths marketplace.

Looks like the big item I see is the poles, the Coleman are telescope style with plastic pieces up at the top instead of metal like the Turbo. My sisters broke at the plastic piece when we had a big wind storm in Moab. Turbo is definitely built tougher.

 

[Greg]

I'm digging the Turbo Tent... found a camo one on Amazon for $388, I'd rather have camo than some gaudy, loud colors! - http://www.amazon.com/Kings-Camo-Fr...TF8&qid=1432439442&sr=8-1&keywords=turbo+tent

 

[nnnnnate]

Look at the specs on that camo tent, it's poly and not canvas.

If you're serious about picking one of the Turbo tents up it might be worth calling the warehouse and asking about return tents. When I bought mine the guy said that they do road shows at Costcos all over the county and people would "rent" the tents. Since they had been used the company couldn't sell them as new and had to close them out however they could. Its the beginning of the season so they might not have a bunch around right now but it would be worth checking. The guy said he was willing to ship them too so if you weren't planning on getting in to town soon thats another option.

 

[DAA]

The turbo tent reminds me of one my sister has. it's a coleman --> http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-20000...&sr=8-2&keywords=coleman+14+x+10+instant+tent

My buddy Steve has one of those. Overall, it's been a pretty good tent for him. He got it, he says, so he could try and get his tent setup as fast as I do (Springbar). It does go up as fast as my Springbar, but it takes a little longer to take it down and put it away.

The only drawback to it for him so far, is when we had a pretty intense storm last weekend, he said the wind blown rain was coming right through the sides and soaked all their sleeping gear. Oh, and it collapsed, too. But, honestly, that's just one time and if he had guyed it out I don't think it would have collapsed. But the sides, where the rain fly is "vented", apparently don't do much to stop hard wind driven rain. That's not a condition you actually face very often though.

- DAA

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Kurt uses a pad from ExPed as well, I can't remember which one it is but its not the megamat.

Tis true. I'm rocking the ExPed Synmat 7 which has the integrated pump. I've spent 100+ nights on it, on the ground, on the roof rack or in my 100 Series berth. It packs very small, maybe 7" diameter and 10" long.

If the Mrs. Is coming or set up/breakdown time isn't a rush... I too rock the Spingbar. We have two wide cots (Recreation Outlet) variety that just fit inside leaving a 3' gap down the middle which is perfect. Our gear goes under our cots and the dog sleeps in the middle. It is very comfortable and the wife loves it. The setup time isn't bad, 15 minutes or so. For me the killer part is the size of the tent and cots but with a roof rack it's entirely workable.

The OzTents are neat. Justin (hailing from Aus) is here in Utah and runs their U.S. distribution. He's a great guy and would be happy to answer any of your questions. I'm a sucker for the longevity and classic look and feel of a true Utah made Springbar but I'd certainly entertain an OzTent if I were starting from scratch.

 

[CobraNutt]

The OzTent looks a pretty nice setup! I might need to check em out...

Edit: Man...they don't give em away, do they?!

 

[Gravy]

cheap open cell 4" foam pads from Smith's Marketplace and a Coleman tent.
When my wife was prego it was more comfortable than a mattress. Between that and camping every other weekend for race season: I've got a couple hundred nights on those now and they probably need replacing but at $26 each I don't get much heart burn from that.

 

[Greg]

Well, I'm headed out for a week of motorcycle riding and camping along the way, decided now was a good time to find a cot that was small and light enough to be packed on a motorcycle, yet sturdy and comfortable to be used along with the camping gear in our 4x4. I decided to pick up a Thermarest Luxurylite Mesh (in a XL, being that I'm 210#'s and 6' 4"). Laying on it, the cot feels very supportive and comfortable and the way it's designed, it should give more support in the places that see more weight. We got a discount since it was the last one they had in stock and was the display model. It looked new but saving a little money was nice. Once packed away the dimensions are 18" long, 6" round and it weighs 5 pounds... it's not much bigger than my Thermarest sleeping pad, but will be nice to get off the ground for a good nights sleep.

Set up and breakdown is pretty tedious, only for the simple fact that it's built to break down into a very small package. There are a lot of poles and pieces, putting the poles and support 'rings' in place takes quite a bit of muscle. Setup takes about 5 minutes, breakdown is half that time... may get faster after a using it for a week.

I'll keep you guys posted with my impressions after using it and try to get some pics of my motorcycle camping setup.

 

[Gravy]

it's like a robot cot! I love technology.

 

[Tonkaman]

Wow that's cool! I never even knew there was a cot that could fit in a luggage rack.

 

[gijohn40]

http://www.tentsile.com/

 

[Greg]

Wow that's cool! I never even knew there was a cot that could fit in a luggage rack.

It breaks down to a very small package, I think it'll be perfect for comfort while camping on a motorcycle and out of the 4x4. They're build with backpacking in mind, but being that mine is the XL it's pretty good sized and probably not ideal for that stuff?

http://www.tentsile.com/

There aren't always trees! Plus, I tried sleeping in a hammock once, many years ago. It was the most uncomfortable night I've ever had, the positioning sucked with the way the hammock was pulled and I ended up rolling out and sleeping in the ground at 2 AM, no pad or ground cover.

 

[Kevin B.]

Because I'm on a crusade to get everybody hanging: http://www.treklightgear.com/treklife/hammock-angle/. Hammocks aren't for everyone obviously, but I think lots of guys didn't enjoy the hammock because they weren't doin' it right.

But there's definitely not always trees, that's for sure. I wanna hear more about how this backpackers cot works out. My cot is comfy but huge.

 

[Greg]

One of my problems is that I toss and turn a LOT while sleeping and I'm a light sleeper. I'd be swinging like nuts on a monkey! I just don't think a hammock is for me.

This hiking cot will get a lot of use over the next week, and with big mile days on the motorcycle getting a good nights rest will be very important. Sometimes while camping I simply have a hard time getting a good nights sleep, just because I'm not comfortable in my own bed. We will see how it works for me, I'll be honest. Perhaps I should take a flask of whiskey for a night cap to help me sleep better! :greg:

 

[Kevin B.]

I don't camp without benadryl to knock me out.

 

[Greg]

I don't camp without benadryl to knock me out.

That's not a bad idea, I was thinking about it when I posted last time.

 

[Houndoc]

I sleep best using a cot and nice pad (got mine from Wiggy's). Great combination including in very cold weather.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I was glad to see when thermarest bought out the company that built those cots, as I'm betting the original designer was having a tough time getting the word out about them.

 

[deepthinker]

This looks comfy: Saw it at the Walmart Online store


Intex Twin Super-Tough Airbed Outdoor Camping Mattress w/ Built in Pump