Overweight guy looking for cot

[Brandon]

Hi Guys! I am a pretty big guy. I weigh about 365lbs. I am looking for a cot that will hold me. I originally bought the "Big Outdoorsman" cot from Bass Pro that is supposed to hold 600lbs and the first time using it one of the legs bent and snapped off. I thought maybe it was just defective so I exchanged it for the exact same cot and the next one did the same thing and was quickly returned, as well. So, I am looking for a cot that I know will hold my weight. Any other big guys out there that are my size? What cots do you recommend? Thanks!

[tplife]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

Buy a MegaMat or other thick sleeping pad. The cold, empty air space underneath a cot or hammock will suck the heat right out of your body, so these things are for conditions where you're experiencing temps over 50-degrees at night. Cots and hammocks have no place camping unless you're running a heater inside, then snooze away! The military and boy scouts abandoned them long, long ago for good reasons relating to safety and comfort. If you walk into a store and a guy is offering you cots or air mattresses or some such gear for 3-season camping, run, don't walk, to another store...I've seen the wacky videos on YouTube of so-called winter hammocks and all that, but we did some crazy things in our younger days too, just without the videocam...

[Bigdog57]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

The Sportsman's Guide offers a GI-style cot rated at 1,000 pounds - been looking at that one myself, as I too am "bigger than the average bear".

[Mike]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

I agree with TPLife that your best bet is probably a very good quality mattress instead of a cot.

The old saying "the bigger they are, the harder they fall" truly does apply. You don't want to fall even two feet from a collapsing cot.

[Brandon]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

WOW! Thanks for all of the recommendations guys! I will definitely check all of these out. I have been hesitant to buy a sleeping pad or mat because I do have some back problems and so I am just not able to sleep on the ground like I used to; that is why I was looking at a cot. But, I can definitely see how you would lose a lot of heat in the fall and winter, and I definitely do plan on doing some fall and possibly winter camping. I also thought about an air mattress but with me being as big as I am, I usually sink down to the ground on those things, so it is like I am sleeping on the ground anyway. lol Thanks again guys!

[Brandon]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

Okay, stupid question here. Can you use a hammock in a tent? Trying to figure out how that would work.

[coolmom42]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

Check out Cabelas Alaskan Guide cot. They are very good about returns if it doesn't work, and the quality of their Alaskan Guide line is excellent.

You could also consider designing and building your own platform with appropriate bracing. It might be heavy, but you could make it so it would fold up.

[GlitterHiker]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

Here's a video where a guy took an MSR Twin Brothers tent and modified it to accept a hammock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIKfgJFU0xI

That was a good video! What beautiful scenery, too.

[Nickadeamus]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

I have the Cabela’s Outfitters XL Cot and I love it. I also have a XL cot from Gander Mountain and it sets to high off the ground which makes it hard to get out of for my feet do not touch the ground when setting on it. And it is really heavy, plus not as stable as the Cabela’s Outfitters XL Cot.

[Brandon]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

Thanks Nickadeamus. I guess you haven't had an problems with the legs bending? The reason I ask is I wa checking the reviews for the Outfitters XL cot on Cabela's website, and there were multiple negative reviews on there saying the legs had bent and broke on them.

[tplife]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

If a cot is your only option, go with a genuine USGI cot made of aluminum and nylon. I have one I got off Ebay (like new from Iraq) for $20 and you can jump up and down on the thing, it's way overbuilt. We like it for an extra bed around the house - of course we're not crazy enough to take the thing camping out here in the cold, we value our zzzzs too much!

[Nickadeamus]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

If you are looking for a cot for a big person then the Cabela’s Outfitters XL Cot can handle the weight. When I first got my cot and started to use it I was over 300 lbs. I lost a lot of weight since but it is still going strong and never had any problems with it.

And if you are a heavy person don’t get a canvas army cot. It is not made for much over 175 lbs. and defiantly not anyone 250 lbs plus. They are made for skinny people no taller than 5 foot 11 inches. Most XL cots are made for 300 lbs plus and over 6 feet.

[Bigdog57]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

With a good foam pad on the cot and a good sleeping bag, inside a tent, the 'heat loss' problem is largely way overblown and simply doesn't occur in real life situations. Been there, done that and proven it. You won't 'die from hypothermia' and can in fact be quite cozy, comfy and warm. Proven fact, not conjecture or scientific wild-arsed guesswork.
I too am heavy and have back problems, and getting up from the ground can be a chore. So, a good heavy duty cot would be quite nice, then I'd need a bigger tent too. :-)

[Brandon]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

Tplife, I can't say at this point a cot is my only option. I am definitely want to try (or at least research) the other great possibilities you guys mentioned on here. But wow, a cot for $20 doesn't sound bad, even for like you said, to have an extra bed around the house. Thanks for the recommendation!

Nickadeamus, first of all, congratulations on the weight loss! That is definitely what I want to do, and am hoping that maybe getting outside and doing a little hiking and maybe backpacking, too, will help me to lose some of the weight. I will definitely check into the Outfitters XL cot since you have had good experience with it. And, thanks for the warning about canvas army cots!

BigDog57, can I ask what you sleep on when you go camping since you don't sleep on a cot and are heavy too, and have back problems yourself? I definitely understand about needing a bigger tent for a cot. I think (for me), that is one of the downsides of a cot (or, at least an XL cot anyway). A cot does seem to take up so much more room in a tent. Not to mention, having to lug the thing to and from your campsite. As I said in my original post, I had the Big Outdoorsman Cot from Bass Pro. That thing weighed 42 pounds! I can't even imagine having to carry that to and from a campsite along with your other camping gear! Would love to find something that weighs a lot less! lol My hopes, too, are that if and when I do start losing weight, that some of my back problems will go away and maybe I can comfortably sleep on the ground in a tent. :-)

[Bigdog57]

Re: Overweight guy looking for cot

Brandon, in my three-man dome and in the van, I use a Twin-size inflatable, about six inches thick when inflated. VERY comfy - better than my bed at home! I can tailor it to what I want by how much air to put in. Firmer or softer, depending on my mood. It's never let me down in camping since I began motorcycle camping in 2006. Tried two different 'self-deflator pads', wasted money on both.
When conditions are tighter, like my one-man bivy tent, I use a single standard inflatable. I put a closed cell pad under it for additional insulation from the ground.
For me, getting up out of the one-man tent is a bit of a chore - but once I am in, I am snug. It's a good system for motorcycling, though I have taken the three-man dome, the twin matress and electric (battery) inflator and even a folding camp chair on my bike. I can't stand for too long, so a chair of some kind is a MUST.
With the van, I am much better equipped.

Twin-size air matress:


Single size airmatress: