Camping Cot 

Glad it was helpful! You may also like the new one I uploaded this week with the Cabela's Lounge Cot with the same setup on our fishing trip to SW Colorado. Here's the link to the video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YlABz-gMNV4.html Rick

It is extremely comfortable, but if you're in extremely cold weather, the memory foam pad will start to stiffen up, but it will soften up shortly after you get into bed. My buddy Mike now sleeps with the same setup. It is the most comfortable we have ever slept while camping. Rick

Thanks for sharing! Now, if you would only tell my wife that I am correct. Rick

Two things concerning your thoughts. 1. In the warmer months, I use less blankets or none at all. 2. In the winter, I use canvas tents now with a camp stove or a Big Buddy heater, so these better tents plus the heater helps me adjust what I use for bedding. I'm heading out this weekend for another camping trip but I'll be using my Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow tent and I may not use many blankets, but I will have my heater ready to go if needed. I'm going fishing with Mike in late October to early November and at that trip here in Colorado, I'll be ready with better bedding material and heat sources. Thanks for leaving the comment and let me know if you have any questions. I'm always curious to hear how other people sleep when camping. Rick

@@mikenrickoutdoors based on your video, I did my own modification, just used sleeping bags and my latest very comfortable setup! I was going to show a photo but I guess I can't put pictures on my replies.

I would like to see the photo. Will you send it to: MikenRickOutdoors@gmail.com I am interested in finding improvements and maybe I'll make a video of it and give you credit. Rick

Totally agree! Thanks for letting us know. The next thing I'm working on is a better tent with a stove so I can camp out more here in Colorado when the temperature starts dropping. Rick

LOL. That's funny. It's pretty easy to get out of breath at 9,000 feet in elevation, or whatever it was there. I just finished shooting a video today of the Cabela's Lounge Cot. That will be coming out within the next two weeks, but it will show up on Hiking with MikenRickOutdoors. I'm moving all of our new camping videos over there. Rick

LOL. It's a great way to sleep. I only hope I don't end up in jail like she did because I broke some camping man rule. Rick

I tried this a few times and then talked Mike into getting the same setup. Now Mike and his daughter have the same setup and we all love it. It's the best way to sleep in a tent, anytime of the year. Rick

This tent is about 12 feet long and 7 feet wide. It works well for one person in a cot like this. I'm going to upgrade to a larger tent that is at least 12 feet by 12 feet so I can get an additional cot and a chair in the tent.

Buy a tent for 3-4 people, you have enough room to move around

It all depends, if you’re camping by yourself get a tent not too big and tall with a huge rainfly that’s going to make it difficult to pitch. If you’re camping with others then bigger and taller doesn’t matter much as far as pitching. I have several tents and I find that Alps Mountaineering tents are not too expensive and hold well in wind and rain the Alps Meramac is big but very easy to pitch, I’ve done it by myself, the Alps Lynx is not as tall or big but a great tent too, I have both. The Gazelle is the easiest to pitch and got me through 2 days on downpour without a drop of water inside although much more expensive and look at dimensions when folded because is bulky due to their pitching mechanism. Stay away from other fast pitch ones like Coleman and others, their top mechanism will sag with only a bit of rain and you’ll be wet, they’re notorious for this and extreme condensation. Hope this helps.

The inflatable mattresses are great but I like the ruggedness of the cot and it can't lose air or need to be patched.

I don't even need a heater in the tent on a 35 degree night, as the combination of the padded cot, 3 inch memory foam and several large sleeping bags keeps me extremely warm. Last Year, Mike and I were out on a fishing trip in Southwest Colorado and the temps dropped to 12 degrees at night. I still stayed warm with this setup, other then my face froze off, but thankfully I had a Big Buddy Propane Heater with several 20 pound tanks so I was able to get the temperature inside my canvas tent up around 60 to 65 degrees. Someone said I probably get cold sleeping on the cot but that is absolutely not true. The padded cot and the 3 inch memory foam makes it more insulated. I have three REI Kingdom 3 Cots and now a Cabela's Lounge Cot, that I will sleeping on in the next fishing trip here in Colorado at the end of October. Let me know if you have any other questions. Rick

Awesome, thank you!

Dont know if anyone gives a damn but if you guys are bored like me atm you can watch all the new series on InstaFlixxer. I've been streaming with my gf for the last couple of months =)

@Ivan Finnley yup, I've been watching on InstaFlixxer for since november myself =)

My wife doesn't like to chop fire wood or listen to me about how to make a bed. Oh well, can't win them all.

Thank you for the confirmation. You cannot buy the Kingdom Cot on Amazon, but I will leave the link here to REI. www.rei.com/product/892837/rei-co-op-kingdom-cot-3 Thanks for stopping by and leaving the comment. Rick

@@mikenrickoutdoors Thank you.

Excellent question. I have used two of them a lot, over the past three years and both of them are still holding up like new. Rick

Awesome, and thank you for the thumbs up. Rick

There are several to choose from. Here is one I have used from Walmart and Amazon. amzn.to/3QB2Ael I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions. Rick

@@mikenrickoutdoors Thank you for your fast reply ! I hope you and your family have a great camping season !

It's an older large hunting type sleeping bag, but I only use it to act as a comforter. What make this so comfortable is the REI Kingdom Cot and the 3 inch memory foam pad with sheets and blankets. It really is the best way I have ever slept when camping. Let me know if you have any other questions. Rick

@@mikenrickoutdoors Thank you, Rick. I purchased the Rei Kingdom cot after watching your video:) What would you suggest for camping for just 1 or 2 days? Will the memory foam be worth it? I live in San Diego, CA (for weather reference)

I have camped for a few days to a week and each time I take my cot and memory foam with sheets. Depending on the weather, I'll decide how many blankets to take to keep warm or try and stay cool. I normally always take the cot these days as Mike and I remote camp but have large tents and can take whatever we want to make camping more comfortable, then we go out fishing for the day and return to a comfortable tent and bed each night. I hope that helps. Rick

Thanks for the information on that. One thing I was looking for when I picked this and then later the Cabela's Lounge Cot was not only a good length, but a nice wide width. Size and space is not an issues since we're primarily remote camping these days and I can throw this in the back of my truck. Mike has recently upgraded to a large RV trailer, so he's not roughing it anymore. Rick

I have not cut the mattress down to match the cot. The mattress overhangs the cot on the sides by about 3 inches but is a little shorter than the cot from head to toe. Sleeping with this mattress pad works perfectly if you use a fitted sheet to hold it in place as it wraps around under the cot. Sometimes I will sleep on the cot with just a sleeping bag but I will still use the fitted sheet to keep the mattress in place plus it helps to protect the mattress so it will last longer. The foam mattress will tear slightly if you're not careful with it.

Ill use a yoga mat on top of the cot , a pillow bed and a cover .Of course my pillow its a must ! 😊

Glad you liked it! Thanks.

On this particular camping trip the low temps were abound 35 to 50 degrees F at night. That trip was back in the Fall of 2020. I have been on many other camping trips since then with temperatures down to 12 degrees F at night and it still worked great. This last trip to SW Colorado about a week ago had temperatures down to 25 degrees F and this time, I placed a sleeping bag on top of the memory foam and then placed the sheet on top of that with a large sleeping bag over me, plus a nice blanket. I was in a Kodiak Canvas 10'x10' cabin style tent with a wood stove, and I tested the Big Buddy propane heater and slept really warm. The problem on this trip was my Camp Chef Alpine Cylinder stove was running to hot so I had to revert to my Big Buddy heater to keep the temperature lower and more consistent. I will be uploading many videos soon on this. I know I just gave you more information than you asked for but this is the only way I like to sleep now when camping any time of the year here in Colorado. Let me know if you have any other questions. Rick

I have used this setup in both warm and cold weather and I sleep great in both conditions, so yes, it works great in the warmer months, based on my experience.

Thanks for the comment and it's great to see others testing out better ways to sleep.

Awesome! Glad to hear I'm on to something. It took a lot of years of horrible sleeping before I figured out what worked for me.

I apologize if this has caused problems with you but they are basically the same cot or extremely close to it. I don't have an REI affiliate account so I could only tell people about how great it is but then give them something similar on Amazon. Let me know how you like the cot. Rick

Nice!! You'll love it especially if you add a memory foam pad with sheets, pretty side up, and why your at it, you could add some fairy lights to go around the tent for some nice ambiance. Just kidding. Let me know how you like the cot. Rick

One Toyota Tundra for me, or your choice of a vehicle. I can't get extremely remote with this setup but it is great for some of our Hunting and Fishing trips.

Yep, light weight cot for me (only because I’m 65 and I need some height) Big Agnes pad and a good sleeping bag or a Snugpack blanket depending where I go.

Interesting question. I just tested it and yes, you can leave the middle legs up. It may offer a little more flexibility when sleeping, as it may give (or bounce) a little more. I would probably recommend only smaller people try it as I think us larger folks need to have that additional support, or the cot needs the extra strength.

74" x 38" x 3". I have been using these many times here in Colorado over the last three years and they are still holding up well. Let me know if you have additional questions. Rick

That's exactly what my nephew does. Thanks for sharing what you do. Rick

Glad it helped. Rick

Glad you liked it! Rick

You probably need to define cold. I have been out sleeping in temperatures down to 35 degrees and it was still soft as ever. One time it felt a little more firm but after putting my cot together and putting my sheets and blankets on, it felt just fine. I'll have to test this in cold temperatures below 32 degrees, but then that won't last long as I will be buying a larger tent with a stove that will quickly bring the temperatures up. Thanks for the question though. That's not something I had considered or experienced.

@@mikenrickoutdoors cool. I will try to invest the way how urs set up.

Thanks. I'm glad you liked the video. Rick

I've never slept better in the mountains, plus I use it as an extra bed at home for company and everyone sleeps really well in it.

I believe it is exactly the same, but with some different colors and packaged under REI's brand. Rick

It's an Ozark Trail 6 Person Dome Tent. Let me know if you have any other questions. Rick

It's an Ozark Trail, 6 Person Dome Tent, 3-season tent. One thing I like about it is that it has close to a 6' height in middle so it's easy to stand in. It also only cost me around $70 and has been fine for this last year. I will be upgrading to a 4-season tent soon with a wood burning stove. I'll post a review and video when I purchase it.

Excellent question John. You don't need sheets if you're going to sleep inside of your sleeping bag, but I choose to sleep inside my sheets and use the sleeping bag as a comforter with one or two additional blankets, depending on how cold it is. In the summer, I might only use the sheets or add a light blanket. Rick

Thank you! Cheers! Rick

Good idea. Thanks.

The cot is available at REI. You can find it at www.rei.com/product/892837/rei-co-op-kingdom-cot-3. It's called the Kingdom Cot.

Thanks

Glad you liked the video. Rick

A buddy heater would be a great choice. I have been planning on buying a 4-season tent with a wood burning stove. I'll have to look at other options as the Buddy Heater seems like a good option.

Buddy Heater you better have a carbon monoxide detector and the condensation becomes a problem.

Mike uses quilts but I use a large sleeping bag and one or two blankets, depending on the weather. It's all a personal choice. Try different things to find what you like best.

It's a 3" memory foam mattress I found at Walmart.

You are correct that the cot and mattress takes up room and it's better to have a larger vehicle.

Hey Andy. All of my camping in the past several years has been in Colorado, with most of those trips being in the fall when the temps drop down into the 30's and below. I don't add as many layers during the warmer months. The real issue here is how comfortable the cot is with the 3-inch memory foam, whether someone uses sheets or a sleeping bag. Rick

That works, but I find it more comfortable to use sheets, open up the sleeping bag like a comforter, and a few blankets and it's almost like sleeping at home. There are a lot of ways to sleep, and just getting inside a sleeping bag is one way but not the one I have found I like best. Do you have any more suggestions about making camping more comfortable? The older I get, the more comfortable I like being. Rick

@@mikenrickoutdoors I hear you, I’m 65 and still camping, mostly by myself. Carrying all that heavy gear even if is just from the car to the tent would just make me ache more. What works for me is a cot but a light weight one, Big Agnes pad, a sleeping bag or in your case a Snugpack jungle blanket might work, it’ll be easier and lighter, I sleep like a baby this way and I normally go for 2-3 consecutive weeks several times a year since I’m retired. Keep on having fun in the woods, never too old to enjoy, we just make adjustments lol.

Great advice! I'll keep on adjusting. Thanks, Rick

Funny thing is, she still thinks I'm wrong and doesn't believe me. Oh well, I'm over it. Glad you liked the video. Rick

It all depends on the temperature. Most of my camping is here in Colorado and I only use the amount of blankets that keep me comfortable. Rick

I’m way up in Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 & think my daughter in laws down blankets to hot🤣. I’ve just ordered the Flamrose Oversized Camping Cot with Padded Cushion so I’m hoping it’s comfy and that I will be able to get out of it in the middle of the night (@76).

Let me know how you end up liking it. Mike and I, from mikenrickoutdoors.com/, have never slept better than this way. I use a 3" memory foam topper with sheets and mike uses 4" or 5" foam topper and both of us have never slept better in all of our years of camping. We've camped here in Colorado in warm weather and in temperatures down to 12 degrees at night. It works great in any weather we have camped in. Rick

I have to disagree with you. REI carries a lot of great gear and their Kingdom Cot is one of them. I recently tested out the Cabela's Lounge cot and I like it a little better as it has a set of legs at the end of the cot so you won't sit on it and cause it to fly up in the air, plus it comes with a great carrying case. Check out my video review below if you think it would be better. Cabela's Lounge Cot: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dKEUg5rRLlg.html Let me know if you have any questions. Rick

You are correct. If I was, that would say a lot about how strong I am. We do both packing and and camping along rivers, in more comfort. We pack in lighter tents and sleeping pads when backpacking. Rick

You may have a point. Rick

I paid around $150 for the cot and the mattress isn't cheap either. The winning combination for me is that the cot itself is comfortable and large but then adding the 3" memory foam mattress makes it feel nearly like sleeping at home. It's not exactly the same but I do sleep better than any other method I have tried.

Good sleep is priceless though. Especially when you’re out for several nights.