New camping cot!

[hwc1954]

Ya'll are killin' me looking at the photos of the great camp setups and stuff.

I was so tempted, I ordered one of these, a Cabelas Alaskan Guide Cot:



And, before everyone starts worrying about finding me frozen into a block of ice from a cold cot, I'll be using a Thermarest Dream Time pad on top of the cot. XL size: 30 x 77.



It's the old-style with a 2.5 inch self inflating pad. R-Value of 9, which should keep me toasty enough.

[tplife]

Re: New camping cot!

Check it out, the R-value is for when the pad is on the ground, which convects heat at a much slower rate than the air does. Better pack an extra blanket!

[jhat]

Re: New camping cot!

I too also really like sleeping in a cot verses being on the ground. With a thick Thermarest pad, I have been fine down into the twenty degree range - enjoy your new purchase.

[tplife]

Re: New camping cot!

My USGI cot is a dead ringer for that Alaskan Guide cot, although it's olive drab with an aluminum frame. I love it around the house in summer but wouldn't be caught dead on it, freezing my a** off in the mountains during the fall! Some things you only need to experience once to learn why not. Now add a Buddy heater and look at all the storage room underneath - pure heaven.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: New camping cot!

When I'm car camping, a cot is one of the luxuries I really enjoy.

[hwc1954]

Re: New camping cot!

I don't think the insulating qualities of the pad change whether it's on a cot or the ground for floating in a swimming pool. The question is whether those insulating qualities are enough for the surface I am sleeping on and the temperature.

A 3.5 inch thick Therm-a-rest Dreamtime combo is a heck of lot of insulation, regardless of what you are sleeping on!

[Old Time Camper]

Re: New camping cot!

That setup should be nice and comfortable and will last for years. If you think it might get too cold at night bring an extra blanket.

[actad]

Re: New camping cot!

I like a cot as well. Enjoy!

[ppine]

Re: New camping cot!

The longer the trip the more sense it makes to have a cot. It is easier on the back and the storage under is handy in a tight space.

[hwc1954]

Re: New camping cot!

I like the idea of not having to sit on the ground every second that I'm in the tent. It makes it so much harder to even do simple stuff like change clothes or rummage around in a duffle bag.

[GlitterHiker]

Re: New camping cot!

I love my Therm-a-rest Dreamtime mattress!!! Tho deflating and inflating it is a bear, so I usually leave it inflated and store it in a spare room at home. I feel dorky loading an inflated mattress into my car for camping trips, but I love that mattress so much I don't care.

[MacGyver]

Re: New camping cot!

It looks like LL Bean is still selling the Dreamtime.

[hwc1954]

Re: New camping cot!

Therm-a-rest has replaced the Dreamtime with the NeoAir Dream.

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-...-dream/product

Same thing, but with a Neo air mattress instead of a self-inflating mattress. Kind of stupid, IMO. The only advantage of the Neo is that it's lighter and more packable. Who buys a Dreamtime if they want light and packable? It's never going to be light or packable. It's a car camping mattress.

LLBean still sells the self-inflatable version. I found this one at the outlet store -- a customer return. It's the XL 30 inch model. That's why I went with the Cabelas cot. That is sized to fit a 30 inch pad.

You can always buy a self-inflating mattress and the Dreamtime cover sepaately.

[hwc1954]

Re: New camping cot!

The big advantage to the DreamTime (in addition to the comfort) is the fact that the mattress is enclosed and protected.

[tplife]

Re: New camping cot!

I love my Therm-a-rest Dreamtime mattress!!! Tho deflating and inflating it is a bear, so I usually leave it inflated and store it in a spare room at home. I feel dorky loading an inflated mattress into my car for camping trips, but I love that mattress so much I don't care.

Don't feel dorky, you store it inflated because storing it deflated and rolled up will damage the open-cell construction inside of it. A ThermaRest that has been stored deflated and damaged can be quickly spotted by the waffle-pattern of the mattress surface. Check ebay now and then for used ThermaRest and you can see what I mean...
I know folks who have camped and hunted along with us into their 70s and need to sleep on a cot because of the difficulty of getting up off the ground - they bundle up well and are always first up making us all coffee and breakfast...Amazing!