Cot or Air Bed??

[Jtelarkin08]

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??

 

[gumbl3]

I can sleep on either pretty well using the system of blankets for insulating me from the cold air in the mattress.

Depending on how tight your tent is, the cot makes a place to sit on the edge and pull your boots on, storage underneath. I have an XL model I got from Academy that is great to sleep on, sometimes I throw on an inflatable sleeping pad for good measure, just takes a pretty big tent to make it work.

To me the air mattress definitely feels more like a bed so gets the comfort win, but I doubt it's going to hold that air for 10 days, just one more thing to keep up and fix along the way.

 

[Brendan]

For base camp I do a cot, with a big/thick thermarest partially inflated, with a sheet or blanket over that, and a real pillow. I sleep like a rock that way...

 

[ChrisS]

a cot and a self-inflating pad (I use an ALPs comfort air pad which is insulated and you can find them for less than $70). I've never slept well on an inflatable air bed.

 

[Johnboy]

A guy in my elk camp a few years ago brought this combo to sleep on:

Cabela's Online Store - Quality Hunting, Fishing, Camping and Outdoor Gear

Cabela's Online Store - Quality Hunting, Fishing, Camping and Outdoor Gear

I secretly despised him for it. That thing was more comfortable than my own bed at home, and that's no exaggeration. It's heavy and bulky, but if neither of those is a limitation, this is what I'd be using.

 

[elkduds]

If you have cot, good pad, warm bag or quilt, then you also need an alarm to wake you. I know I do.

 

[paleraider]

For base camp I do a cot, with a big/thick thermarest partially inflated, with a sheet or blanket over that, and a real pillow. I sleep like a rock that way...

This is is what I have done previously as well. I took a nice big wool blanket and wrapped my air pad in it like a taco. I love pillows so I would bring a bunch, I sleep incredibly well when I do this.

 

[robby denning]

Cot for me with a thin thermarest to block cold air from below and a little more padding, but only because I haven't found a good air matress. Working to change that this summer after reading William's review Review: Exped SynMat UL 9

 

[mpgavin1987]

Have you thought about a camping hammock with under quilt?


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[mk_v]

I'm using a roll-a-cot with a thermarest, very comfortable. You should check out the roll-a-cot. It's easy to set up and no end bars.


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[luke moffat]

For heavy vehicle based camping my wife and I have gone to a double cot with a lightspeed air bed and a big heavy comfy flannel lined double bag.....it's dang comfy.

That said if I could pick between just a cot and a air mattress the lightspeed double air mattress is 50" and 6" thick and not much more weight than two large exped or big Agnes pads coupled together.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Car camping I use a cot and a foam pad. I sleep well. Not as well as when I'm in my hammock though

 

[timekiller13]

I use an air bed when car camping. I used it last year in Colorado in September. Temps dropped to low 30s most nights, one night got down to 24. I put my army issue woobie on top of my mattress and then slept in my 20 degree bag with base layers on. I never got cold. My dad slept on his cot and got real cold until we piled some blankets under him. I have used the air bed in temps down to low teens here in NC and never had any issues. Dont like a cot. Mostly from years of sleeping on crappy army ones.

 

[Owenst7]

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.

If you're a side sleeper, air mattresses are usually more comfortable for me.

 

[Daniel_M]

When I camp floorless (non-swamp exploration weekends) I always use an UL cot. Later in the season I'll add a Thermarest z-foam pad or a wool blanket underneath the inflatable for a little extra insulation from the circulating cooler air.

Both work well, just have to decide what works for you.

 

[nphunter]

A large cot with a big canvas bag and a soft foam pad under is super comfy for me. I normally take an extra bag and roll it out for additional padding too and always take a blanket, if you are going to be in a tent it can get really warm inside on a sunny day, you can also drag a blanket inside your bag for extra warmth in cold nights. If solo I just use the pads and bags and make the back of my vehicle into a bed that way if I want to move camp I don't have anything to tear down and put away. If im hunting hard I sleep sleep well no matter what, on late season hunts I take some unisom or Advil pm to help me sleep through the long nights.

 

[Dobermann]

And if you're contemplating a 'back-packable' cot, check out the Big Agnes / Helinox Cot-Lite rather than the Cascade Designs / Thermarest option ... there's been a couple of recommendations here on Rokslide for that choice, as the Helinox seems to have less issues and is less fiddly to set up.

 

[Daniel_M]

And if you're contemplating a 'back-packable' cot, check out the Big Agnes / Helinox Cot-Lite rather than the Cascade Designs / Thermarest option ... there's been a couple of recommendations here on Rokslide for that choice, as the Helinox seems to have less issues and is less fiddly to set up.

Yup. I grab the Helinox over the Thermarest UL routinely.


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[xziang]

much like everyone else I use a cot too for car camping. I picked up the cheap low sitting cabelas one and love it. I have used it in my small 3 person tent before (alone) and used two of them in a 4 person Alaskan tent. Since you are car camping take a small mr buddy heater with you too for getting dressed in the early AM.

The cot is nice for you can sit up to some degree on it when getting dressed and you can stuff some gear under it.

First time to CO many years ago I used an air mattress (big one) in a tent and I was cold as F that air mattress sucked the heat from me. I've learned a lot since then to say the least plus my sleeping bags have improved too.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Spent a week on these recently after my youngest daughter's surgery...amazingly comfortable thanks to the springs. Much like a bed rather than a cot. Highly recommend!!! Works for many occasions. Coleman(R) ComfortSmart™ Deluxe Cot in Black - Bed Bath & Beyond