Hot Tent Sleeping with a Cot or on the Ground?

[Bioguide]

GreenFrog, I have an older Snowtrekker 8 x 12 Exp Crew tent that I now use as my "solo" tent. Here is a link to a video of it showing the interior space with 1 cot. You can easily fit another cot on the opposite long wall. Maybe even a third cot, lengthwise, in the middle but I would suspect that all the cots would be touching each other. I've easily slept 3 comfortably on the ground before and below is a pic of the set up for two on the ground (2 Syn Mat 7 air mattresses) with ample room on the outside walls for gear. The bottom left corner of the photo is the stove area (pic below) and the bottom right side is the prep/chef area (pic below). This might give you more of an idea of interior size and room you might need in your tent decision. In my opinion and for what you are describing how you intend to use it I'd go for the 9 x 11.5.

https://youtu.be/KeV1I-a8mOY?t=113

 

[GreenFrog]

Thanks Bioguide, that is very helpful.
What is the reflective pad? A heat shield designed for a car window?
After having it for awhile, are you glad that you put in the vinyl velcro door?
Good luck hunting this weekend!

 

[Bioguide]

Thanks Bioguide, that is very helpful.
What is the reflective pad? A heat shield designed for a car window?
After having it for awhile, are you glad that you put in the vinyl velcro door?
Good luck hunting this weekend!

It is http://thermasleeper.com/shop and works well when sleeping to keep the cold that seeps in the back wall off your head although I don't use it much anymore. I've gone to wearing my Buff.

It's an entirely different and open experience using the vinyl door. A must have in my opinion. This was my view in the mornings, while preparing coffee/breakfast (standing room only), before the door:

This is the view with the vinyl door (sitting in a lounge position):

 

[snapper]

GreenFrog - To your original question about cots vs. sleeping on the ground. I think part of your decision will hinge on how are you planning on getting your gear into the backcountry. If all you have is a pulk, there's just not as much room for gear. Now, if you can use a 10' toboggan, you have a more options as to what you can carry. For myself, I still use a pulk most of the time but even if I move up to a toboggan, I really don't like cots (have never found one to be comfortable) so I'll stick with sleeping on the ground. With all my previous years of cold camping, including nights down into the -30 F in the Catskills, I've figured out how to stay comfortable so I'll stick with that. As for having a place to sit, my old Therma-Rest chair kit allows me to have a power recliner right there in the woods so I can sit close to the stove if need be.

That's all for now. Take care, best of luck in dialing your system and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[Seeker]

A cot's like a hammock... you need some sort of insulation under you. If I had the room to take a hot tent and cot, I'd find a way to fit two closed cell foam pads, or one and an air mattress, in there.

 

[bcelect]

Just got back from the Winter camp Out shake out at Robin's. I wanted to use the cot so I got this cargo net at home Depot to secure a sleeping bag underneath. I used one down bag from the Canadian Military Sleep System, it held the entire bag in contact with the bottom of the cot with minimal compression of the down.
It was just around freezing the first night and I was comfortable with no cold feeling underneath. Sleeping inside the other bag of the system, I was just comfortable. In the middle of the night I woke up and decided to add a second down bag to the mix, I was then really warm.
The second night was several degrees below freezing, I was inside the two bags and was very comfortably warm. I woke up to see the stars at 5am and when I went back to the tent, I decided to use the Exped Mattress on top of the cot. All I can sat is WOW, this setup is most comfortable. I cannot wait to try it in single digits this winter. Pictures of the cot to follow sometime soon. I would certainly find room for at least one cot, the storage underneath is handy and you have a nice bench for 3 or 4 to sit.

 

[GearFreak]

I decided to use the Exped Mattress on top of the cot. All I can sat is WOW, this setup is most comfortable. I cannot wait to try it in single digits this winter. Pictures of the cot to follow sometime soon. I would certainly find room for at least one cot, the storage underneath is handy and you have a nice bench for 3 or 4 to sit.

That sounds like my exact set up - and your experience is why I use it!!

When using the cot in sofa mode, I slide my exped off and roll up the sleeping bag or the insulation gets crushed. Use a Closed cell pad or reflectix for the guests!

 

[ppine]

As I have gotten older I have started to like cots. I have a big heavy one for long truck trips, and a small collapsable one that weighs under 2 pounds for canoe trips.
Air circulated underneath, so you need a really good insulating pad underneath your sleeping bag. Pay attention to R values. We have temp below freezing all year in the mountains.
Add an ensolite pad on top of your backpacking pad for cold conditions.

I have used a wall tent with a stove for about 40 years. I have lived in it for a month at a time running tree planting crews. When it snowed, it was the popular place to be.
Just remember that there is nothing warmer than a tent with the stove going, and nothing colder than a tent when the stove is cold.

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

and a small collapsable one that weighs under 2 pounds for canoe trips.
.

Where did you get it? Most of the collapsable cots I've looked at are +8#'s.

 

[Robin]

Market place on Facebook has a bunch of used cots.

 

[bark-eater]

Summer now and I'm sleeping outside every other night in a "Tent Cot" under a tarp in the back yard. In the deep dark past I've spent the whole month of Maine rifle season living in a Mountainsmith tipi with a stove. I used a low Byers cot with metal rod legs spread between the rails. Being off the ground was particularly nice when it decided to rain on top of 2 feet of snow acumilation as I had 2 inches of water flowing through the tent. I set a cot up for winter with some sort of tarp skirt to keep air from moving under the cot. A warm sleeping pad and a wool blanket on top to keep me off of the aluminum rails while I'm asleep. I like to get a wool blanket over the sleepingredients bag to catch condensation and push the vapor out of the sleeping bag before it frosts. I've been pretty comfortable at -10 f.

As an aside:
One of my glacial paced projects is perminant leantoo with a reflector fire place. I cleared the spot last year and built the fire place in the spring. Part of the design criteria is a built in stretcher bed. I can see how heat will collect under the bed when a fire is burning, but with out s thermAL mass it's going to cool off quick when the small fireplace burns down.

 

[Turtle2]

I'm a hammock camper and the info is correct-it is colder than sleeping on the ground. I use an underquilt and even the smallest air space between the top of the quilt and the bottom of the hammock/cot will cause you to be cold.I use a insulated pad on my cot,but they just don't work well in hammocks.. Another tip I learned is that you can fill a thermos with a hot drink the night before and drink it in bed when you wake up-makes getting out of that warm bag easier. Breathing into your bag is another no-no. it causes moisture build up. Also, hang you bag to dry if camping multiple nights to dry it out.

 

[scoutergriz]

Thanks Bioguide, that is very helpful.
What is the reflective pad? A heat shield designed for a car window?

car window shades are generally only trimmed out pieces of Reflectix insulation. You can make your own shields, pot cozy and underpads just by buying a roll of Reflectix and cutting it to the needed size.
I use blanket pins to attach a piece to the canvas behind the stove, have another piece attached to the plywood I use under the stove, and a third gets used as an underpad on my cot (some dots of silicone on it stops it from sliding)
it's fairly cheap and has an R-4 rating, and is completely waterproof.

 

[ppine]

Where did you get it? Most of the collapsable cots I've looked at are +8#'s.

Luxury LIte was the original name, but they have been bought out by Thermarest. I have a prototype I bought from the inventor.
Now they cost about $200. You can find one in the Boundary Waters Catalogue. Light and comfortable, they take a few minutes to set up.
They can be used even in most small tents.

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

Luxury LIte was the original name, but they have been bought out by Thermarest. I have a prototype I bought from the inventor.
Now they cost about $200. You can find one in the Boundary Waters Catalogue. Light and comfortable, they take a few minutes to set up.
They can be used even in most small tents.

Thanks!

 

[lowangle al]

I was going to go shopping for a cot today so I'm glad this thread popped up. Do you guys use a 24" or 30" wide cot. The narrow ones don't seem to work for me for sleeping on my side, but maybe the blanket idea mentioned above might work.

 

[ppine]

30 inches is much better. For truck supported trips I like a really big cot. Oversized. Then I sleep better than at home.
This cot discussion reminds me of a river trip in NE Oregon that will remain nameless. We were camped in a beautiful stand of ponderosa pine trees, ppines, It is a wild and scenic river so the site was pristine. We took a layover day and I took a nap on the 2 pound cot in the shade outside the tent. When I woke up I was staring at a mule deer fawn not more 15 feet away. He had probably never seen a human before. The next morning drinking coffee, a whole herd of elk swam across the river. Later otter and mink swam under the boat. Good times.

 

[ppine]

I have done it both ways for over 40 years. The wall tent is set up in backyard all winter with a tin wood stove.
At 71 I like a cot better, but good insulation is important.