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Roll a cot sizing

12K views 29 replies 13 participants last post by  tmacc 
#1 ·
OK all you cot-heads, what do you think about sizing for roll a cots? Here's what we have:

husband, 72" long (plus pillow).
4" paco, 27" wide, 78" long

roll a cot, 28" wide, 74" long
wide roll a cot, 32" wide, 74" long
wide/long RAC, 32" wide, 84" long.

I am wondering if the extra width will be good, regardless of paco width, even if just for a bit of platform for extended/bent arm support.

I am also wondering if the regular length RAC will be just annoying short, or not really matter. Of course longer gets to be more of a space problem in the tent. Tent is plenty tall for cots.
 
#2 ·
#4 ·
I use the regular. But then I'm 5 ft. 6 in. tall. A 2 inch REI camp rest pad fits perfect width wise. I've not seen a wide or a long, so I can't comment on those firsthand. I suppose the biggest limiting factor will be your tent size. I'd say that cot width is more important than length, but it looks like you're pretty close to perfect on the regular? Get one that will fit comfortably in your tent without being a PITA to get into the tent. Large tent doors are a helpful feature.
Once you go cot.....you'll never go ground again.
KJ - the "cot head"
 
#5 ·
One other thing to consider for length. How sloped are your tent walls? Sloped walls cut down a bit on useable real estate.
 
#6 ·
Our tent is spacious. Full stand up and lots of space to spread out. This cot will be used 90% of the time in that big tent. On the rare occasion we take our smaller 3 person tent, we may be back on the ground.
 
#7 ·
No question, get the wide version. 74 long. I am 6ft 190 lbs. Perfect for me.

I have the 4 in Paco Pad Silverback as well and it is a perfect fit because there is plenty of room for my arms to hang on the side of the pad but on the cot. Since there is not a bar across the foot your feet can hang off a little bit if you slide down a bit.

When space is limited I use a thermarest pad it is pretty thick but rolls up smaller than the paco.

Paco on a wide roll a cot with a real pillow and a good wide sleeping bag is about as good a camp bed as I have found.

The wide is the way to go and the length fits into a much smaller tent. I made some pads out of furniture sliders from Lowe's glued on a little end cap for my roll a cot legs to fit in to protect the tent floor. no problems so far.
 
#8 ·
Sweet Okie, that's just what I wanted to hear. And Dave from the company mentioned that the wide would hold the paco right between the rails, instead of the edges of it sitting on the rails. The thick paco sticking over the edges wouldn't matter since it is so thick. Sweet anniversary present to him/us!
 
#10 ·
Dave from the company was correct. The Silverback fits between the cot rails and leaves a spot for your arms to fit down the side.

Been using this setup for at least ten plus years with many a comfortable night normally under the stars unless it is raining. With all my injuries, getting on and off the cot is easy compared to crawling in and out of a tent. Also, after using my special flashlight to see all the creepie crawlies running over the sand in the grand canyon, I like to be up off the ground. Roll A Cot's are about as durable as you can get. Mine has been kicked around in trucks, trailers, other people's boats what ever and it still looks good.
 
#13 ·
+1 on all the okieboater said. Pad between the siderails is optimal. I'm at about ten years with my cot as well. I'll never go back to crawling around on the ground. Okie is also right about the durability of the roll-a-cots. Simple & easy to set up & take down. I love that you can level the 4 legs with rocks to get your sleep system flat. I use small carpet squares under the legs. Roll-a-cots are the cat's pajamas :D
 
#15 ·
I use small carpet squares under the legs.
Thanks, I like this better than the furniture coasters someone mentioned in a thread a while back. We'll be packing some, for sure.

I will probably be hating life when I go to use my tiny tent on cataraft trips. Smaller cat, want to minimize volume and weight. I use a neoair and 2 person tent. This is in comparison to the massive thing (and pacos) we use for river-car camping (which is nearly every weekend in mid April - July) and river trips we take together (with the raft). Oh well, I don't do poorly on the ground, but I'm sure eventually my next small tent will include height as a factor to fit the cot!
 
#14 ·
We have two of the R-A-Cs that we bought used. One wide and the other standard. I'm 73'' and the wide works for me w/ a 30'' Aire Paco knockoff. My GF is 5'8'' and the std. width works fine for her w/ a 24'' Aire pad. We have used them on the cat and the leg spacing is fine, but then we have only about 38'' between the inside rails. They are too tall for our 3 man tent.
 
#18 ·
Crushed beer cans work to level cot also. And they are always available!
I don't carry a tent so it is very easy to level up in sand with cans.
Have been able to comfortably camp on some steep sand banks.

Wish someone made a good tarp with poles that attached to the cot frame.
Something that could be pulled over you when it starts raining in the middle of the night.

I like to sleep under the stars, but have a tarp available just in case.

For those that sleep inside, the floorless tents work well with cots.
 
#21 ·
You might call roll a cot and see if they can design a one up Kazak special. Their design looks like it would work if the parts are hand fed into the machine. Worth a shot maybe there is a market. I would buy one
 
#20 ·
We have a huge airbed that is on an integral cot. But it is one of those big fat beds that you have to blow up, and it has many legs so leveling can be an issue. We don't bother to use it. We got it at cabelas, and they don't have it anymore, but they do have a few options.
 
#23 ·
width of Paco Pads

I would like everyone in this discussion to know why the pads are the size that they are.

Silver back is 26 in wide and 4 in thick soft foam
Paco grande is 27 in wide and 3 in thick soft foam

The silver back does not roll up as easily as a paco grande, and I personally think the extra 1 inch of foam is not worth that hassle. Opps there I go again telling people not to buy the more expensive product. However, I have plenty of customers that call BS on that statement.

The guide and super paco pads are 28 inch wide and 2 in thick with firm foam.

the Paco grande will roll up to the same size as a super paco pad that is 2 in thick. However that extra inch of foam on a silver back is just hard to get it to roll down very small. (Relative to a 2 inch thick)

A little known secret to that we will let all Mt buzz people know about. We offer a pad called the Super Paco Grande that is 78 in long just like the Silver Back. they are not a standard size, but if enough people complain they will be.

Now why are they the size that they are? The different thicknesses make the different pads this width, without cutting the cover material. It is simply a math problem. This is so there is no wasted cover fabric.

Years ago we recognized a trend to bigger and fatter pads. This is just how it has turned out.

One more thing. There was a thread about a paco pad that did not inflate. We got it back and it did not inflate. The foam was defective. We get this sometimes, and we try to have our foam supplier work on those issues. He knows that there is competition coming in from China and we need to compete.

Thanks for reading this.

Jack
 
#26 ·
I was bummed I missed that sale last year. But the mfgr now has some green ones that are heavily discounted, while supplies last. He's getting them to UPS today, for delivery Thursday, and happy anniversary unveiling at Wilderness Gateway Friday!
 
#27 ·
I don't want to discuss paco pads issues with Jack as he is the expert. I will kinda disagree with him on the differences in comfort between the 4 inch silverback and the 3 inch grande. I have both. If I am camping out of the truck or lots of raft support hands down the 4 inch silverback is my choice. I double roll mine and it is OK, but real heavy. Double roll to me means doing a decent roll to get most of the air out of the pad, then closing the little air nozzle dealies. Then rerolling the pad slowly using my knees to keep the pad tightly rolled (as shown to me by the gentleman who does the factory rolls for shipping in Jack's shop in NM). If space is at a premium I take the 3 inch Grande and it does work well. I like the fact the Grande when tightly rolled fits perfectly in the bow of my Winonah Rendezvous Solo canoe for overnights on the Buffalo River etc. I am a pretty well beat up creeky old boater and when sleeping on the floor, the 4 inch silverback is measurably more comfy to me than the 3 inch Grande. But that is just me. JPW pads beat the competition for comfort and long life for my use and I have purchased other look alikes and found them not working for me after a year's use. I am a long time user and fan of Jack's paco pads and other gear and believe for river rafting and car camping they are the most comfortable for the longest time of anything I have found. And, the fact they are made in New Mexico USA by locals using foam made in the USA, makes it even better. Plus JPW products seem to last way longer than anything else I have found.

I also think it is a super bonus to call up JPW and talk direct to Jack who is in the shop working and talks to his customers direct. No absentee ownership, telephone computer systems to work thru and when you call with a problem, you get it solved.
 
#29 ·
I also think it is a super bonus to call up JPW and talk direct to Jack who is in the shop working and talks to his customers direct. No absentee ownership, telephone computer systems to work thru and when you call with a problem, you get it solved.
No discussion, Thank you so much for that testimonial. We do try to help. Of course you always take the chance of getting our opinion on things, so always take it with a grain of salt. Disinformation runs rampant on the internet. For instance my Brother in law swears by the silver back, and will not go anywhere camping without his 4 inch pad.

Jack
 
#28 ·
Rich, here you go. Dave.

EBNS Enhanced BedNet System - Catoma Outdoor

I have the bed net and the rain cover.

As mentioned before I like to sleep under the stars and if the bugs are out, this system allows that to happen. I also have the rain cover and have put it up in the back yard but have not used it. But, it should work.

I got the USMC version (there are rip offs out there) and figure if it works for Marines, it has to work for me.

The entire system folds up into a round disk shape and fits inside the top of my JPW gear bag.
 
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