Cot or Air Bed??

[xajoles]

Solo car-camping, my favorite setup is an army cot with a self-inflating mat on top. If it's hot out, I skip the mat. I have to sleep on my back on a cot alone usually, but I've always thought they were very comfortable. I'm kind of small framed though and sleep just fine on a 20" mat, so maybe that has something to do with it. Depending on the mat and pillow I use, I'm usually able to sleep comfortably on my side.

Camping with a girlfriend, I have a double-sized Coleman cot thing that folds out like an accordion, and a typical air mattress zips inside a sheet sewn to the top of it. I've started slipping a pair of self-inflating foam mats under the sheet, above the air mattress recently. I think I sleep better on that than I have on any real mattress.

Either way, something about being up off the ground makes me more comfortable. If your shelter has enough head room, it really increases the amount of usable space you have inside too. My dogs usually sleep under the cot, and it lets me store gear bags and boots and stuff underneath where I won't trip on them. It's also really nice to have a place to sit down.

In winter when the ground is cold, I think a mat on a cot is warmer than a mat on the ground alone. Thick blankets or a foam mat on an air mattress or a cot have always been a pretty warm combo for me. I personally would choose one vs the other based on what's easier to carry or work with or what fits in your shelter better, as I don't think there's a huge difference in warmth between the two. Solo hunts for me sometimes end up sleeping in my camper shell a lot, where I'd prefer the head room that a mattress offers, but camping out of my rock crawler (k5 with no roof), I prefer a cot because I don't need an inflator and there's nothing that can pop. Cots pack nicer in to my crawler also due to the solid geometric shape.

I tend to prefer a cot in the summer around here in Northern Nevada because I sweat no matter what at night, and the cot breathes some. For me, if I were only going to own one thing for sleeping on as a single person, it would be a cot due to versatility.
Doppel-Luftmatratze
If you're a side sleeper, air mattresses are usually more comfortable for me.

I've been tent camping a few times this year and have been using an air mattress each time. It never fails that it's cold, takes up all of my floor space in the tent, and kills my back when it goes slightly flat...

Is a cot any better?
How comfortable are they really?
What cots are worth spending the money on?

I'll likely still use the air mattress when my 5-year-old son goes with me so that he can sleep next to me. But for solo trips, it seems like a cot may be worth looking at. I've got a trip coming up in early Feb that I'm looking at one for.

 

[Mdanks]

Im gonna be truck camping on a hunt for the first time this September. I want to be Comfortable and get a good nights sleep because I will be hunting 10 days. I am trying to decide if I should go with a Twin size air bed or a cot?

Can I put blankets under the air bed, between the ground and the mattress as well as between the bed and my sleeping bag to help keep me warm?

Or should I go with big cot??

Cot. More portable, easier to move & takes up less space. Can also store gear under it.

 

[rayporter]

you need insulation on a cot in cool weather. i can sleep on a full size cot with a closed cell pad and a self inflating pad fine. or a neo air with a closed cell on top.

the short helinox pads are a pita for me. too small and too low.

an air mattress will need a layer of insulation between you and the air bed in most weather.

 

[hh76]

I've been tent camping a few times this year and have been using an air mattress each time. It never fails that it's cold, takes up all of my floor space in the tent, and kills my back when it goes slightly flat...

Is a cot any better?
How comfortable are they really?
What cots are worth spending the money on?

I'll likely still use the air mattress when my 5-year-old son goes with me so that he can sleep next to me. But for solo trips, it seems like a cot may be worth looking at. I've got a trip coming up in early Feb that I'm looking at one for.

You'll still need some sort of insulation on the cot, just like you should have with an air mattress.

In my opinion, a cot is far more comfortable than an air mattress. I use mine with a foam mattress pad, and sleep better than at home (I'm also more tired?). It's nice to be up off the ground, especially to help keep things organized. I've just got cheap Coleman cots and a Disco Bed. Both are very comfortable. I do think about picking up a Roll a Cot to save weight?

No reason the kids can't sleep next to you, just move two cots together.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Another vote for the roll-a-cot. I bought the green one, regular size and it has a sleeve for a pad. Currently just using a closed cell foam thermarest in there and a 0 degree EE revelation. Slept great down into the high twenties. The regular fits in a cimarron if you set it close to the pole and perpendicular to the doors.

Thinking about getting memory foam to go in the pad sleeve to make it even more comfy but haven’t looked into it yet. But the cot has wing nuts that allow you to adjust the tension of the fabric, which is really nice.

 

[benjohnson311]

It’s a little pricey, but i tried out the Hest sleep system last time I went camping. Slept better than I do at home.

HEST Sleep System Sleeping Pad - Wide | REI Co-op

Rivaling the comfort of your home mattress, the wide Hest Sleep System sleeping pad offers deluxe comfort and 30 in. of width in a portable form you can take along for a night out under the stars.

www.rei.com

 

[Fridaythe13th]

Takes a lot of room is the down fall but I use a cot and bought a queen 8" memory foam bed ($99) off of Amazon. Cut the foam in half sold the other half to a fellow camper ($50). Works like a dream. I gave up on air mattresses they don't last and it sucks when they get a hole in which well happen after a couple of year. Imo... cot, memory foam, sheet and sleeping bag. Totes that slide under My cot and I'm set.
This is my 6th year on the foam and well get 10 plus for $50.