COT or Self Inflating Pad

[shogan]

Ok trying to get set up for the coming year. Which is better to sleep on, carry, etc.

Cot or one of those self inflating pads.

[Art]

I use both.;) Swiss Gear makes a REALLY nice huge cot that is lightweight and packs in a bag that you can get at sears for around $45..I throw my s.i mattress pad on it and it sleeps great.

[grouser68]

I am older so the self inflating pads don't do it for me.I have several inflatable beds and I like the raised ones the best. I don't know where to tell you to find this but I borrowed one from the Red Cross last year in Louisiana and it was a wonderful bed and idea. It's a cot with an inflatable mattress made onto it.You could probably find those on-line if you look hard enough. During the last half of February I grouse hunt and will sometimes stay a night or two, thats when I take a walmart $6. hammock, it works well also!

[KYVarminthunter]

I've used Thermarest (http://www.thermarest.com/product_selection.aspx?cID=1) self inflating mattresses for years backpacking and love them. Cots are bulky and will freeze you to death because they allow air to pass underneath them.

[qixstix]

Self Inflating Pad All The Way,The Cot Is Uncomforting And Hard And Little,But The Pad,In Most Stores,Comes In Different Sizes and comforting

[JP]

I have used both...I prefer the pad/mattress. My problem with the lightweight cots in a bag is that you have to be very careful when sitting in them (i.e. getting ready to lie down or getting up). Weight in strange places seems to break the joints easily.....and I ain't a big guy.....but I've broken two. Maybe I'm just careless, but the pad seems better and most of all....warmer.

[Grant]

Go to Walmart, get you a Coleman Air Mattress and be done with it. I bought one a month ago that was queen size, came with a hand pump, and 2 inflatable pillows for 25$.

[REDNECK RAY]

I Use Both If Use A Air Mat Be Sure To Have A Nice Pillow Or Your Neck Will Make U Pay Cot Use An Eggshell Mat U Will Be Comphy

[Foam Steak]

Last year I used a futon. No joke. Most comfortable hunting season ever! Second best is a big cot like a Slumberjack and some of that egg crate foam. Third is a full size self inflating thermarest pad on a well prepared flat spot of ground. If you are not packing very far use a self inflating thermarest and a closed cell foam pad together. Very comfortable. 4th is anything else including Big Agnes self inflating pad. I got one of those pads when they first came out and was impressed at first, but later became quite unimpressed. They are cold and pop easily. I have tried full size air matresses and they can be good in the summer, but when it is cold out you will freeze to death. Same with a cot that does not have a matress or pad on top of it.

[corndogggy]

Go to Walmart, get you a Coleman Air Mattress and be done with it. I bought one a month ago that was queen size, came with a hand pump, and 2 inflatable pillows for 25$.

Those are huge, bulky, heavy, and they really don't support your back all that well. I've got one I'd almost give somebody, but I really wouldn't recommend getting one. Sooner or later they start leaking too, then you will wake up in the middle of the night and your hip will be poking all the way through the mattress and touching the ground... they're just crap really. I say get the thick 2" Thermarest. Actually, the Guide Series at Gander Mountain really isn't bad at all, the valve actually works better than Thermarest and they cost half as much, they're just a little heavier due to the padding and outside material being thicker. They compress and fold up to the same size as a thermarest.

[P. Beyer]

Drink a few cold suds at the end of each days hunt, and after a few long days out there sleep comes easy no matter what. We actually use Ozark Trail, and Coleman air matress, and have had one to leak in the last few years, so I figure I got my $$ worth. For backpacking/hiking in the rough stuff I really wouldnt have a clue what to use though.

[AteUp]

I thought this would come in handy sometimes. Even has a rainfly.

http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Item/51/69/87/i516987sq01b.jpg

The convenience of a cot and tent in one easy-to-set-up package. Available in a single-person or a double version ideal for couples. The tent body is 70-denier, 190T nylon taffeta with a 600-denier polyester floor supported by a heavy-duty, powder-coated steel frame. Both models include a full-coverage fly made of 75-denier, 190T polyester taffeta with a 1,500mm waterproof-rated coating, meaning you stay dry regardless of conditions. A patent-pending rain-gutter system on the fly channels water off and away from zippers, and seams are fully taped for maximum protection. Zippered door on the fly converts to an awning using included poles and guy ropes. The double model has two doors that create two awnings. There's one end door, one side door and two windows on the single model, and the double has one end door, two side doors and one window. Windows and dual-track doors have No-See-Um mesh. The heavy-duty zippers have reflective pulls. A crack-resistant roof window lets you fall asleep under the stars. Inside, you'll find the convenience of cup holders, and there is an organizer panel to keep essential items close at hand. Both models fold up and include a zippered storage bag. Imported.
Available:

Single - 32"W x 84"L x 36"H. 300-lb. capacity. Carry weight: 39 lbs.

Double - 53"W x 84"L x 36"H. 450-lb. capacity. Carry weight: 56 lbs.

$149.99 - $269.99

[john4]

When I was a young soldier doing ops in central america we slept in hammocks. You can improvise a hooch with a poncho and even a mosquito net. Dry, bug free, easy to carry, and off the ground, can't get much better than that. Need to be in warm environment though.

If your not carrying it, a cot with a mattress is the best. Second, is an airmatress on the ground. Third, cot with sleeping pad/mat. Sleeping mats are better than sleeping directly on the ground, but I'd rather have a air mattress over a pad.

[GunCat]

For backpacking/hiking in the rough stuff I really wouldnt have a clue what to use though.

Therm-A-Rest self inflating pads: http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=40000000226&storeId=226&categoryId=73057&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=244


The Prolite 4 rolls up into a package not any bigger than a 1 dz egg carton. It made a believer out of me. A whole world of difference (better) from a closed cell foam pad.

[Hallal]

I've spent many many nights on military cots during my career. Just came in from a 5 day exercise where I slept on a cot every night. Cots aren't bad once you get used to not rolling off the skinny little things. If you go that route look for a wide one. I'm currently in Missippi so I don't have to worry about the cold, but the others are right. If it is chilly outside you need some sort of padding on the cot to insulate you from the air.

[hunter115]

I say go with the cot, at least you are off the ground a little.