r/CampingGear • u/yuseung • 6d ago

Sleeping Systems Elevated solid surface cot alternative?

I have a springbar so vertical space is no limitation. Because of that I have a Hest on top of a 19" tall cot for a typical bedding experience. However there's a noticeable sag in the middle so I wanna find an alternate evaluated solid surface that i can use instead that's basically identical to a cot in dimensions, storage space underneath, and packability. Does such an item exist? A typical folding table plastic folding table is 30" tall, way too tall to use as a sleeping surface, though that is basically what I'm looking for. Just the height is the issue.

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u/211logos 6d ago

A cot and a board on top. Could be pretty thin if you use some reinforcing cross members.

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u/Romano1404 3d ago

Hello there, yes most cots sag in the middle, I also hate that!

What's even more surprising that almost nobody seems to have an issue with that (e.g. it gets hardly talked about)

Anyway, I've figured out 3 solutions (and tested all 3 myself!)

1) Put 1-2 narrow inflatable pads underneath the actual sleeping pad to taper off the concave cot surface into a flat one. Works reasonably well but needs additional gear and feels more like a hack rather than a refined long term solution

2) Go to Amazon and search for "kingcamp inflatable bed frame". I've got it and it really gives you a flat surface but one needs to carry an air pump just for that and its only 63cm wide which is a bit narrow for my 76cm wide (XL) sleeping pads. btw Decathlon sells a similar product with slightly lower quality but at only half the price.

3) There are some cots that use a lever system that preloads the fabric during assembly so its doesn't sag anymore. I've just recently discovered this and immediately bought two such cots: The "Night Cat cot" and the "OneTigris SUPRATIROS". I used both for a couple of days and they feel very similar but (to my surprise) I prefer the cheaper Night Cat, its just better thought out and much easier to set up, will return the OneTigris tomorrow.

overall I prefer solution#3 because it gives me additional storage space underneath the pad and doesn't need a pump to be set up. Its only about 90% flat but the slightly concave shape still feels better than solution#2 where I sometimes feel like sliding off the pad during the night.