Cots are听not a new technology. George Washington used when he traveled during the Revolutionary War. If you grew up watching听M.A.S.H., you鈥檒l remember听the cot as a key set piece in Hawkeye鈥檚 鈥淪wamp.鈥 The military still uses them on a regular basis, but recently they鈥檝e been听given new life for the outdoor set. You can find plush versions, with padding and accessories like听,听补苍诲 .
I鈥檝e been using sleeping pads for decades, and they鈥檝e come a long way in that time. They鈥檙e lighter, better insulated, and more comfortable than ever before. I have a few favorites that I alternate between on backpacking excursions. But on car-camping trips, my family and I typically use . (Imagine a massive six-person tent with the听floor covered in听five-inch-thick rafts.) You鈥檇 think we鈥檇 have the sleeping part of camping dialed by now, but those mattresses come with their own set of headaches:听they鈥檙e bulky, take up most of the floor space, and slowly lose air throughout the night. In the spirit of trying new things, I ordered the 听($110). After weeks of testing, I can confidently say that George Washington was on to something. Getting off the ground and onto a cot has elevated my car-camping experience into the realm of glamping,听even though I鈥檓听in the same old family tent.
Let鈥檚 talk about some obvious advantages of not sleeping on the ground. I don鈥檛 care how thick your听pad is鈥攊f there鈥檚 a rock under you, you鈥檙e going to feel it. A cot gives you a perfectly flat, even, and raised surface. You鈥檙e not made uncomfortable听by听bumps or听spots where your hips compress the pad to the ground. The Eureka Camp cot cradles you just enough to keep you in place while you doze off, which I found limits my听tossing and turning through the night. That means you鈥檙e probably not going to like this cot if you鈥檙e a side sleeper.
The Eureka Camp cot is made from 600-denier polyester, with a leather panel where your head rests.听The brand says it can support听up to 300 pounds, though I haven鈥檛 tried maxing it out. I鈥檓 pushing 200 pounds, and it feels plenty supportive. At 14.9 pounds,听it鈥檚 not light,听补苍诲 it takes up some space in the back of the car鈥攊t鈥檚 37.5听inches long听and 5.5 inches wide when folded and stored in its bag. But setting it up takes no time at all. Place it on the ground, unfold it, lock the legs, and you鈥檙e sleeping like like a baby.听It stands tall鈥17.5 inches off the ground鈥攕o forget about it if you鈥檙e in a听low-clearance听tent. Getting off the ground makes you feel like you鈥檙e lying听in an actual bed, which is a surprisingly civilized touch at听a campsite, where听everything else is dirty and smells like sweaty socks. The raised platform also gives you a bench to sit on when you鈥檙e changing, unpacking, or taking off shoes.
I鈥檓 determined to buy three more of these cots so every member of the family can have one. Maybe one for the dog, too. The tent will look like a military barrack, but I could always dress it听up by adding听some faux-fur throws to the foot of the cots, retro lanterns, and Instagram-friendly wide-brim hats for the ladies. There鈥檚 nothing more luxurious than a good night鈥檚 sleep in the woods.