Camping cot & pad recommendations

[cjac]

I'm looking for a solid camping cot & pad for a week trip to LoTWs in a big wall tent this summer.

Looking at a couple at the big "C" but they're not cheap. I'm willing to pay since I'm a three back operation guy, but are there other places I should be looking where there are good products? Or does anyone have a good recommendation?

Any advice would be appreciated! Chris

[TruthWalleyes]

How much do you weigh, how tall are you?

[cjac]

Oops, should've mentioned that. I'm about average cookie cutter mold size...5'11" & around 190lbs.

[TruthWalleyes]

Oh Man, easy shopping for you.

gander has a nice selection of cots. i picked up a 4" self inflatable air mattress, it isnt quite 3" thick, but quite comfortable. i actually brought it back because i thought they put the 2or3" version in the 4" bag...but after looking at the 2&3" pads, this was definitely a 4" - they just dont actually measure close to 4" fyi. still like it enough i decided not to return it.

i also got the extreme cot but returned it after using it one weekend. its huge, which is great for me, but it assembled really tight so i didnt think it would last. there are a bunch of other cots at gander that i would like to buy, but at 6'6" and 300# my options are significantly less than yours.

i got that cot for sleeping in the hub house ice fishing, ended up returning my hub house and decided i didnt need that size of a cot either, so ill be shopping for a cot again next fall when i purchase a new hub.

i should add that i bought a gander tent cot, oversized 2 years ago. thats all i use for camping anymore. i love it. sets up in less than 5min, durable, comfortable, and have been in it in 20 degrees and windy as well as 90 and stagnant, and stayed dry through some nasty downpours.

its heavy and doesnt pack small, but i can throw it in the boat, pull up to a sandy beach set it up in a jiffy and your ready for some quality zzzzs...but most the time i just sleep under the stars on the deck of the boat unless the weather stinks and i need sleep

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Not to steal the thread, but I always thought it would be awesome to have tent cot. Instant house boat

What's it like sleeping in it on your boat? I would think the waves would make me sea sick.

[TruthWalleyes]

ive only slept on it once in the boat, and ill only do that when beached. otherwise ill set it up within a few feet of the boat on the beach. do most my long trips on the st croix...id hate to have a big cruiser blow by my - throw a huge wake and toss me overboard when in the tent cot. like i said b4, i usually just rough it on the deck, but now i have a nice sleeping pad.

when super cold and carpy ill start a campfire and setup out of the wind as much as possible for some relax campfire time.

[amateurfishing]

we picked up self inflating pads @ co stco for $20 or 30/ea, when others were selling for 60-80

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I love my 2.5 REI self inflating pad

[rupprider]

If you have back problems shell out the $$ and buy an Exped. They are basically the sleep number bed of camping. I use a synmat 9dlx for bwca trips and I sleep better on that then my actual bed.

[nofishfisherman]

The Exped's are probably one of the best pads out there. Never heard a bad review of them.

Another option is a Big Agnes pad. They are probably one step below Exped but also a little cheaper. I don't believe they have a self inflating option (at least the 2 I have don't) but they are still good pads and are durable. My only complaint is that they are a little slippery when you put a sleeping bag on them. I put my pads in liners to add more insulation and more durability so the slippery issue has been solved for me.