Pad, Cot, or Air mattress?

[Fastflight]

Guys,
First archery elk hunt this fall and I am hoping to pull off tent camping with my regular summer camping gear which is far from hi end. We are going early Sept.
Anyway, I have a couple sleeping bags but I cant decide if I should use an air mattress like I do during the summer or buy a cot or pad to sleep on. What are the pros and cons of all three? Thankyou

 

[Born2bhunting]

Personally I'd invest in a good pad itll make all the difference. I don't think I'd ever run a cot without my pad on top of it ever again. Saw first hand last season how pinching Penny's on a pad can ruin a hunt

 

[Lowke01]

For front country camping I think a cot with a cheap pad on top is the best. It's plenty warm and no risk of getting a hole. Plus you can out gear under the cot and save a little space.

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[Raghornkiller]

I agree with the cot,I've tried an air mattress and it seemed to get damp and would not stay fully inflated when the temps dropped overnight which made it very uncomfortable.When I used to truck camp a lot I'd buy a Walmart cot and just lay a thick blanket over it to sleep on and it was super comfortable

 

[jmez]

Not a cot fan. I don't like them without an air mattress and don't find any benefit over just the air mattress.

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[nroscoe13]

Personally I'd invest in a good pad itll make all the difference. I don't think I'd ever run a cot without my pad on top of it ever again. Saw first hand last season how pinching Penny's on a pad can ruin a hunt

Agreed, I would invest in a good pad.

 

[FlyGuy]

Are you truck camping or packing in?

If you can park next to your tent then you have a lot of options, and a big ass inflatable mattress could be perfect. You can stack enough blankets under/over so you don’t need high end. I use a ultralight cot in my basecamp (tut), but it’s not necessary or more comfortable than an air mattress.

If you are considering packing in, then get a really good pad and a good bag or quilt.





You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[superA]

Exped

 

[HonkeyMcGee88]

I'm gonna reply assuming you dont know much about the choices as I was in the same boat before doing some research hearing up for my first hunt.

If you use a cot you would still need a pad for R value to stay nice and warm.

An air mattress is going to be quite heavy if you are packing in.

Like others have said, if truck camping an air mattress is probably fine. If packing in you'll most likely want a good pad. I personally went with an Xlite.

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[JeffRaines]

Firstly, like its been mentioned - cot is only going to work with a pad. If you're not in the backcountry, then anything goes really. Hell, bring your mattress from home!

However, if you're packing in with camp on your back, I'd go with an inflatable pad ala Thermarest Neoair xlite, some of the lighter exped offerings, etc.

It would behoove you to take a couple of summer backpacking trips with your mattress to make sure it works for you. Sure, you can 'sleep' on a roll up pad and clothes stuffed in a sack for a pillow... but thats far from comfortable and your sleep quality will suffer... I don't know about you, but I hunt a lot better on a good nights sleep.

 

[Fastflight]

Thanks guys, cant believe I forgot to say this is a truck based camp so all options are open. I have plenty of walmart air mattresses I use for summer camping. To save money I have considered using these. But , I like the idea of a cot and pad to get off the ground. Trying to do this hunt on a budget so high end cots and pads aren't in the budget. Wondering what would be a good combo of cot and pad for lets say $200.

 

[maverick]

Ive been using an alps escalade cot and an alps 4" comfort series self inflating pad for probably 6 years. Vey comfy. You can store totes under the cot and save some space.

 

[Odell]

A cot and a big foam pad are the way to go for truck camping. Being off the ground is so nice. Totes under for storage, we do that all the time. I have used a queen size inflatable from costco but if you don't put foam on top of those big air mattresses you get pretty cold. When I am truck camping I bring the kitchen sink.

 

[huntsman22]

it's always nice to have somewhere for the little woman to do the dishes.....

 

[Odell]

it's always nice to have somewhere for the little woman to do the dishes.....

Lol


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[Michiganhunter]

I use a cot with some foam and a fleece blanket when truck camping. I feel that keeping a tote or 2 under the cot helps insulate from underneath but I have not used my cot without totes under it so that is just my theory.

 

[Nate_Beres]

For front country camping I think a cot with a cheap pad on top is the best. It's plenty warm and no risk of getting a hole. Plus you can out gear under the cot and save a little space.

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This is the #1 reason I finally bought my own cot. Being able to keep gear under me while hunting and dog down there while camping.

I wish there was something to attach my pad to cot and bag to pad. This may have to be a diy fix

If you want this set up to be used in a variety of conditions, consider getting a 2'x6' piece of reflectix (foil looking bubble wrap) someone you know probably has some laying around. Or use a car windshield sun reflector. Put this between your pad/matress and bag or in your sleeping bag. This will keep you a bit warmer so you can use a warmer weather bag or pad.

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[justinspicher]

Cot user here, I am willing to accept the weight penalty over an air mattress. I’ve had every air mattress fail me, but not a cot. I put a thin pad on it and sleep on top of that in a quilt in a bivy. As it gets colder I’ll add a woobie.

 

[Life_Feeds_On_Life]

When car camping i like to use an air mattress with a thin foam pad or blanket over the top of it for insulation. Otherwise you're likely to get cold.

 

[camping1601]

If your gonna use an air mattress you need something on top of it to insulate. Those things can suck the heat out of you.