Switched from a sleeping pad to a camp cot last summer and it changed everything

Honestly, I used to just deal with a foam pad under my tent floor for years. I figured it was fine, you know, part of the experience. But after a trip to Shenandoah last July, I woke up with my hip digging into the ground and a sore back for two days. A buddy let me try his foldable camp cot that night and I couldn't believe how much better I slept. I grabbed one for $60 at a local surplus store the next week. Now I actually look forward to sleeping at camp instead of dreading the ground. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference in how rested you feel the next day?

2 comments

2 Comments

wood.noah5d ago

That $60 score is solid. I'm curious though, did you have any trouble with the cot being too cold underneath compared to a pad that traps some heat? I've heard mixed things about air flow under cots and how it affects warmth, especially on cooler nights in the shoulder seasons.

seth_martinez214d ago

Cold air under the cot is a real thing if you're not on something insulated, but the breeze beats sweating on a pad that turns into a heat sink by 3 AM. Throw a cheap closed-cell foam mat on top of the cot and you're warmer than most pad setups without the ground seepage.