hot tents and cots?

[*zap*]

Do you think a cot/cots are worth it in a hot tent or tipi smaller than an 8 man? They sure seem to take up a bunch of room...even if they are the low to the ground type.

What is your personal experience with this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

Watching this. Looking at a low profile cot for a hunt in a hot tent next weekend.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

When I use my Slumberjack Outpost, I throw in a cheap Chinese nest, Thermarest pad, and Helinox cot. Leaves about half of the space for a chair, small table, etc.

I know my Helinox cot does not take that much more space than my bag from a square foot perspective; but yes, there is more space used from a cubic foot perspective.

I would not use my Cabela's Alaskan Guide cot and oversize Teton pad in it.

 

[Schism]

A friend and I each used Helinox cots inside a Sawtooth with stove for 14 nights while on a hunt in Alaska. There wasn't a ton of extra floor space inside with two cots but it was manageable and I would do it again if I was in a similar situation.

Solo, I use my Helinox cot in the Sawtooth 100% of the time, whether using the stove or not. For me, the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

I have no experience using a cot in a shelter smaller than a Sawtooth.

ETA: tagging @JaySalt as he may have used his cot inside a smaller shelter.

 

[Jfish]

50 yrs ago pads were great, could sleep on a rocky river bank as long as the fish were biting. Now days a Cot is a must. The better I rest the harder I hunt. When in the full size Davis Tent we use full size cots. When in the smaller tents I use a packable cot similar to the one I the link. Can’t recall the exact model or brand but pretty close in design and cost as this one. If you are considering something like this research the different brands. If your a big guy you may want to spend a little more for something a bit more durable. Mine was around $60 and works great but I’m 170# . I wouldn’t jump up and down on it for sure. Light weight aluminum poles and plastic clips. Overall it perfect for my needs.

https://www.amazon.com/MARCHWAY-Ultralight-Mountaineering-Lightweight-Backpacking/dp/B06Y5JXYYG/ref=sr_1_16?keywords=small+folding+cot&qid=1672530663&sr=8-16

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I regularly use a helinox and a cheaper Walmart cot in a redcliff. There isn’t a ton of extra room for standing but it’s worth it. Sit/lay on cots, standing room for changing and plenty of storage under and on other sides of cots.

 

[rayporter]

i tried a helinox and could not sleep on it. i can sleep on a full size cot. however, packing a full size aint hapening.

edit
the helinox fit fine in a 12 man, but i never tried it in a six man.

 

[mahonsr]

Used 2 full sized cots and a med stove in my 6 man SO for 3rd season deer in Colorado- it was nice. Nice to have a place to sit. Wasn’t too crowded with the stove. Yah close to the tent wall but doable. Stored stuff under the cot so saved a little room that way. Kept gear in the truck too. Snow on the ground and definitely nice to be off it. I actually somehow got 3 full size and no stove for 2nd season rifle with my 2 teenage kids. Not sure how I got it all to fit but it worked. But I’m not really hanging out in the teepee either - usually walking back to camp at night and out while still dark in the AM. I think the win though was being able to sit normal on the cot. Put boots on. That sort of stuff.

 

[JaySalt]

A friend and I each used Helinox cots inside a Sawtooth with stove for 14 nights while on a hunt in Alaska. There wasn't a ton of extra floor space inside with two cots but it was manageable and I would do it again if I was in a similar situation.

Solo, I use my Helinox cot in the Sawtooth 100% of the time, whether using the stove or not. For me, the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

I have no experience using a cot in a shelter smaller than a Sawtooth.

ETA: tagging @JaySalt as he may have used his cot inside a smaller shelter.

I have used that same Helinox cot inside a Supertarp in the past, but never while running the stove… I think there would still be plenty of room to comfortably run that particular cot + a stove for 1 person.

 

[Jfish]

You guys mention having a place to sit, helps Tremendously

 

[tmattywaggs]

Do you think a cot/cots are worth it in a hot tent or tipi smaller than an 8 man? They sure seem to take up a bunch of room...even if they are the low to the ground type.

What is your personal experience with this?

Thanks in advance.

If you are camping near the wheelers or truck take everything to be comfortable.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[*zap*]

So far I am pretty comfortable on a 30" wide thermarest Basecamp pad on the ground compared to a 25" wide cot.
A chair is nice to have but sitting on a foam pad on the ground with my legs out is good for my body.
First world problems.

 

[Time2fish]

I use a cheap marchaway brand lightweight cot in my cimarron with a stove all the time on river float trips or car camping. Never really found it to be a space issue but I’m always solo.

 

[SwiftShot]

You guys are badass, because I cannot pack a cot in. What size pack you guys running?

 

[6.5Express]

We can fit about 4 marchway / helinox cots in my SO 8 man with the big momma stove. Makes for a very comfortable camp. But, we pack it in with a string of mules

 

[cnelk]

We took my SO 6man tipi to Alaska on our fly-in moose hunt.
2 cots, stove & gear fit just fine.

Ya just gotta know how to pack

 

[justinspicher]

I’ve used a BearPaw Wilderness Designs Luna 6 with a stove and a couple of Helinox cots for years. During the day when the cots aren’t used, we simple ”flipped“ them up and they were out of the way. This would allow us to use Helinox chairs and a table for more room. I also started putting rocks around my stove. This did two things for me:
1-it made sort of a safety zone for us at night so we didn’t accidentally run into the stove or push something into the stove.
2-the heated rocks held the heat for a good bit of time, keeping our shelter warm.

 

[rayporter]

my biggest complaint with the helinox was not whether it fit but getting my old bones up off of it.

night time trips were a pain.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

my biggest complaint with the helinox was not whether it fit but getting my old bones up off of it.

night time trips were a pain.

That's what your hunting partner's water bottle is for ;-)

 

[SwiftShot]

I’ve used a BearPaw Wilderness Designs Luna 6 with a stove and a couple of Helinox cots for years. During the day when the cots aren’t used, we simple ”flipped“ them up and they were out of the way. This would allow us to use Helinox chairs and a table for more room. I also started putting rocks around my stove. This did two things for me:
1-it made sort of a safety zone for us at night so we didn’t accidentally run into the stove or push something into the stove.
2-the heated rocks held the heat for a good bit of time, keeping our shelter warm.

The stones trick is huge. If they are laying around it is just smart. They hold heat as a massive thermal sink for you. You would be surprised how many people do not think of it.