Tent Cot By Kamp-Rite:   "The Leader In Off-The-Ground Camping Gear."
Reviewed By:  ed@supercamptech.com

Even the toughest of hard-core campers will agree that comfortably sleeping up off the hard ground beats trying to keep that tree root or rock (the one that you did not see when you were setting up your tent) from burrowing itself squarely into your hip or shoulder blade driving you insane the entire night.

While planning our first winter camping trip (aka: Freezo Campo), we decide that we needed to sleep off the ground for another reason, to reduce the risk of becomming one with the frosted fields of Michigan in January.

After trying several brands of sleeping cots that fit inside of our tents on that first "experimental" outing,  we discovered this innovation and knew that it would be our new favorite not just for cold-weather camping, but all year long.

The Tent Cot is exactly what the simple name implies: a combination of both a tent and a cot.  Built in to one sturdy, easy to set up camping shelter!

This item is extremely easy to set up.  Just pull it out of the heavy nylon storage bag, unfold the tubular aluminum frame with the tent already attached to its full size and clip the two end straps to the legs underneath.  That's it.  Done.

When we bought ours, the only size available was the "Original / Standard" 7 foot long, 28 inch wide version, so this is the model that we are describing below.  Since then, several friends have bought the "Deluxe" size which is 7.5 feet long and 32 inches wide.  Kamp-Rite also sells a "Double" size that is 7 feet long and 53 inches wide.  They claim that this one will hold up to 450 pounds!

The first time you get inside one, the Tent Cot kind of has a "closed in" or dare i say "coffin-like" feel.  Definitely not recommended for claustrophobics.  You will get past this very quickly when you just lay there for a minute and realize that there is more than enough room for one six foot tall or smaller person to sleep comfortably without pushing up against the sides or ends.

The "Original / Standard" Tent Cot is described as built to support up to 300 pounds and seems to hold up well with guys in the 200-250 pound range for multiple night sleeps over the course of more than a year of use.  it has zippered doors and windows on all four sides with No-See-Um mesh for a fully open-air, screened or fully enclosed sleeping area.

The sides are made of standard nylon tent fabric and the sleeping surface is a much thicker nylon/canvas material that stretches slightly overnight, but springs back to its original tension after an hour or two.

This surface stretching made some of us notice that the cross-bar riveted to the top of the legs may press up against your shoulder or hip during the night if you sleep on your side.  This was an easy fix by just cutting off the rivets and lowering or just removing the bar if you feel the Tent Cot is sturdy enough without them.  I removed only the one that is below my shoulders and left the other down by my legs over a year ago and have noticed no wobbling or bending of the legs yet.

Kamp-Rite does not include, but does sell a fitted rainfly for the Tent Cot as well as a Hanging Gear Bag or Hanging Mesh Gear Hammock that can be clipped underneath.

The Tent Cot can also be set up to be used as a lounge chair, but it is not very comfortable in this position since you are sitting on the folded up tent portion and zippers.

These tents are very sturdy and put together very well using quality materials.  They are very comfortable to sleep in in both cold and warm weather and hold up well under heavy use.

Tent Cots can be purchased directly from the Kamp-Rite website and they offer a government employee / military discount.

Rating: ON FIRE!

Buy Now ON SALE!

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