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More Cot Options.

15K views 37 replies 21 participants last post by  shappattack 
#1 ·
I like the Camp Time Roll-A-Cot but I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT THEY HAVE RAISED THEIR PRICE TO!!!!!!!
Especially in such a short period. Perfect example of good folks gone greedy.

Anyway I’m looking for other options. There are some light ones out there but most of the ultralight versoins are only an inch or two off of the ground. My requirements are as follow:
1 At least 10” high
2 light
3 packable.
4 simple as possible.

Are there any other thoughts or experiences out there? Thanks.
 
#3 ·
Slept a few nights on one and have them on my radar, but do not own one.

I guess I don't really see ~10lbs and packed size of 36x5x5 (camp time deluxe) as being light or packable. REI's website has several that meet your criteria, but for low price you get heavier and bulkier with an REI version noted below, Camp Time is in the middle, and the Helinox tall for the win! (but obnoxious price)

https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Helinox/highcot
 
#6 ·
Camp Time rollacots and other products are about as bulletproof as camp gear gets. I have them all and they are just great for rafting trips. Decades of trips on mine and it all looks basically good as new.

I recently got into IK's and self support out of them. Started looking at the Helinox chairs and cots from Big Agnes. I have the hi back chair and the low cot. So far they have been great. Light weight and easy to pack. Construction is really good and my take is given reasonable care they will last for many trips. A benefit of the low cot is that I can put the cot inside my back packing tent during rain times. Helinox is made down under in the land of OZ.

In a raft, the Camp Time stuff is the way to go. In my IK's the Big Agnes Helinox gear works like a charm.

Both manufacturers offer really good products.
 
#7 ·
I have a Cabelas Camp Cot. It looks like the one with the square aluminum tube frame up above. It takes about thirty seconds to set up, is extremely comfortable, and it fits in my chair dry bag. If you watch sales you can get them for less than $50, and you can get an optional "nightstand" with pockets to hold gear.

I was going to go with a Roll Cot but I could not justify the cost. After trying one I actually like the fold up style cots better.

Kyle
 
#8 ·
I like the Camp Time Roll-A-Cot but I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT THEY HAVE RAISED THEIR PRICE TO!!!!!!!
Especially in such a short period. Perfect example of good folks gone greedy.


Greedy? I don't see it:

the regular cot is currently $128. I am 6' and 200 pounds and regular works great for me. I got mine in the late 1990s I believe in the $70 range. That translates to about an average annual increase in cost of 3%/year. $128 doesn't seam excessive and the rate of change doesn't seem out of line.
If you need a bigger cot then you pay more. If you are way over 6' tall you are just gonna get screwed on all that tall person stuff. If you are a fat bastard, eat less and exercise more.

The roll-a-table has risen in cost in a similar fashion, with the current price equaling a 3% average annual increase per year since I bought mine in the late 1990s, paid around $45 or so back then and its $82 now.


current prices:
http://www.campspecialties.com/index.html#Roll-a-Cot


An equivalent average annual increase of 3% is pretty much inline with the economic growth rate of the United States over that time, which I don't think any one would characterize as high.
http://www.multpl.com/us-gdp-growth-rate/table/by-year


I can tell you that $70 for a cot in the latter 1990s seamed a lot higher to me then, than $128 does now.
 
#10 ·
As long as I have been alive, there has been another cheap option to american made products form China, so I assume so.

One thing that sets the rolly cots apart is that the bed does not absorb water, even if it gets wet, it drys very quickly. You get a cloth cot wet and it takes awhile, and for those of us that boat in the spring and winter, that is an important consideration.
 
#11 ·
. After 18 years and a couple hundred nights of camping on it the fabric on my extra large roll a cot begin to fray. Camp time sent me a new fabric top for about 15 bucks. Mine will probably last another 15 years, but if it does wear out I'm buying another roll a cot from Camp time

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#12 ·
What is Roll a Cot's warranty like? I (believe it or not) broke the female end of one of the connections on mine.

How'd you do that? Well, the water came in and I sleepily pulled the cot out of the wet sand, moved it a few feet and slumped back in with the male end not quite in the hole.
 
#13 ·
My roll a cot is about the least expensive piece of gear or equipment I own, if you can't shell out for one of those I am not sure what one does. Main advantage to the roll a cot is you can dry it super fast,the other ones get wet and they are wet forever,even in a dry bag they sweat and get moisture soaked.

I just finalized a lite weight canopy design for roll a cots and will be testing it soon turning it into a complete shelter system
 
#15 ·
Camp Time gets my vote. My cot is 17 years old and going strong. Well worth the investment for a great piece of gear that will likely last as long as I do on the rivers.
 
#18 ·
My favorite sleep rig:

Camp Time Roll-a-Cot
An old Thermarest
Sleeping bag
Tarp shelter

If there is high wind and horizontal rain, I add a bivvy sack to put my sleeping bag in.

If there are lots of bugs, or very few trees, I break out the tent, but only if I really have to. I can rig my tarp without trees, but it's just faster to put up a tent.

One of the beauties to cot camping is not needing flat level ground to sleep on. I can rig up a nice place to sleep, even on really rocky uneven ground. Hammocks work well in this regard, too.

I love the Roll-a-Cot, and I miss it when I don't have it. They're well worth the price. I occasionally see gently used ones out there for less.
 
#20 ·
I have a "Thermarest ultralite cot", although I got it before the company that made them was bought out by Thermarest.

Amazon.com: Therm-A-Rest LuxuryLite UltraLite Cot: Sports & Outdoors

It's expensive ($190), but at 2lbs it's the lightest cot I've ever seen and packs up the smallest. It's not sturdy though, and you have to be somewhat careful getting in and out so as not to bend the poles (you can double the poles if you're overweight, but then of course it's a bit heavier). I like that it's low to the ground since I can set it up, and then set up my tent on top of it so the cot is under the floor of the tent. Then you don't have to worry about the cot legs causing wear and tear on the tent.

I looked this one up for a friend that had never camped before several months ago:

Amazon.com : Texsport Deluxe Folding Camp Cot : Sports & Outdoors

I've never used it, but it seemed a good compromise between price ($55) and weight (15lbs).

That helinox cot looks sweet. I have one of their chairs I like quite a bit.
 
#22 ·
I'm not comparing roll-a-cots to my other camping gear
I'm not comparing them to the economic growth
I'm not saying that they aren't well built or good equipment.

On the contrary I think they are well built and simple. So simple that I'm disappointed at how much they now cost. I used to be in manufacturing and I have some idea of what the markup is here and it is considerable. I'm just looking at other options and trying to find out if anyone has any input on others. There were a few early on. Thanks for those.
 
#23 ·
On the contrary I think they are well built and simple. So simple that I'm disappointed at how much they now cost. I used to be in manufacturing and I have some idea of what the markup is here and it is considerable. QUOTE]

You could have avoided the bull shit factor by avoiding saying things like "greedy" in the first place and just stuck to something simple like, I can't afford a rolly cot, anyone know of any thing cheaper. You don't know the rolly cot guy, you don't know what he makes off the deal. It probably isn't nearly as much as you think.

And stuff like the above, you have no idea what the markup is or needs to be to keep the biz doors open. For a relatively low volume item like rolly cots and tables made in the USA, you need a higher markup inherently just to keep the lights on in the biz no mater what the actual manufacturing cost is or profit margin.
 
#26 ·
Actually, now that I'm looking around, I think the price that I saw four years ago may have been a sale price. Although I'm still disappointed, My shock factor may have been due to a larger price difference because of a sale price I saw before. So now that I'm feeling dumb I'm going to go stick my foot in my mouth and stop contributing to the "bullshit factor" of my own topic.
 
#27 ·
Just a question here? Why would one pay the highest price to NRS supporting the Walmart of the rafting world who essentially makes nothing and has one of the highest profit ratios in the industry importing everything instead of shopping one of the fine mom and pops river stores. The guys you can actually go in and get some good knowledge from, who stock boats for customers to come touch and have to discount them at the end of the year making no money. People will pay full price at NRS but walk into a small boat shop and try and beat them out of something. It's very weird logic .Just wondering because this question often comes up with a lot of the old schoolers on the river who support local boat shops
 
#28 ·
I completely agree, I buy from NRS but only after scouring the cottage industry. I've got some great gear from tough river stuff, bags from Jack's, k pump, Aire, Cambridge.... I really get a pleasure knowing that not only can I support a small business but also that I'm helping someone make a living off their passion. Something I dream of! Next purchase is from Spider/neffs whitewater customs. Might be looking at some of whitewaterworthy.com stuff too. I don't think NRS really wants to make gear in the US. I guess they need to do what works for them but I wish they would make an emphasis to carry more cottage industry products.

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#29 ·
Another point to keep in mind is Camp Time is not making $160. The retailer, whether is NRS or a small river gear shop has to make some mark-up to keep their doors open. Camp Time is probably selling the cots to them for $100-120.

Another big plus for the Roll-a-cot is that with just two pairs of legs, you can sleep on your boat spanning across footwells and dry boxes. This is based on the premise you have side decks on your frame. Try doing that with the other cots that have three pairs of legs without some sort of center support.
 
#31 ·
Another plus for Camp Time is that if you ever manage to break something on one of their products you can order a new part to fix it instead of buying a whole new one. They have all the parts on their website.
 
#35 ·
I carry a repair kit with parts for coolers, tents, frames, pelican boxes, etc. It's nice to take a repairable product on long trips and it's nice to make your gear last.

I was fixing up the overnight gear for my employer in WV this year and I found a great Coleman cot that just needed some replacement springs. When I looked into it I discovered they (Coleman and Wal-mart) just recommend replacing the entire cot! You can't even find replacement parts for many mass-manufactured products.

I've been using Camp Time products commercially for a long time and think they offer a good value and a durable product.
 
#32 ·
I have a Travel Chair Sleeprite cot that I use in my small tents. It is very light, folds small, low to the ground, and very comfortable to sleep on with a Paco or backpack style pad on top for insulation. That said, it is also very fussy to set up, kind of spendy, and has 6 support bars that make boat sleeping impractical. I also doubt that it is going to hold up to the rigors of river life over the long run.

I used a borrowed Roll-a-Cot in the past for a GC trip and loved it for all the reasons discussed previously, including the ability to span open space and sleep on my boat. I will be picking up or borrowing a couple for another GC trip in June. The cheapest I've seen them new is at Campmor, and every time I open the page there is a 20% off coupon at the top and free shipping offered.

https://www.campmor.com/c/camp-time-roll-a-cot-41195
 
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