gerryl

I borrowed one from a friend, a Thermarest model.
As a side sleeper I found it to be much too firm, I don't think I had a good night sleep for the week that I used it. I happily returned to my inflatable mattress.

staehpj1

My guess is very very few. I know they have been around for quite a few years and I have never seen one. Looks like a gross overkill solution looking for a non-existent problem to solve. On the other hand maybe it is just what someone is looking for.

staehpj1

Not sure which brand/model it was but I think back when these first came out one of them allowed you to add more bows to make it stronger. Not sure if that is still the case. Obviously that adds weight. They are already heavier than I am willing to carry so I am not interested, but maybe it might make it workable for someone.

Tourist in MSN

Some of the e-bikers that I have seen in my community have very heavy looking bikes that would be almost impossible to pedal with a dead battery. But I could see that tent on a trailer as the perfect thing for them.

djb

pancake smoker, I imagine you didnt tent camp when younger, but here is another voice of another side sleeper who finds the inflatable mattresses to be a significant improvement compared to the foam inner self inflating thermorests of the past.
I have an older Neoair and as it is thicker than my old thermorests, and I can control how hard it is with how inflated it is, I sleep very well on my side.
and it weighs about a pound.

I got my wife a thicker model and she sleeps wonderfully on it.

all this said, I have a few good friends who didnt camp growing up, and tothem, sleeping in a tent on a mattress is something they just refuse to do, and are convinced it is like a water torture session.....so your mileage will vary, and who knows how you are for sleeping unless you are on a good bed....

honestly, your best bet is that once this covid thing is sort of over and stores open again, you go to a couple of big , proper, outdoor stores, and see and feel and lie down on various mattresses.
and go from there.

there is a real reason no one uses these cots for cycle touring when we have to carry our own stuff.

indyfabz

^^This^^

My first night in a tent was the first night of my first bike tour. Four months in 1999. I had a ThermaRest. It sucked compared to my current Sea to Summit mattress. And I’m a 200+ lb. side sleeper.

djb

I also wonder how the small "feet" of any of these cots would treat a relatively thin tent floor. I sure wouldnt want my nice tents getting a teeny tiny plastic foot support thing pressing in on the floor when getting into a cot, it would put a lot of pressure on a few solid supports of small sq area with your body weight on it , and if a rock, twig or whatever was positioned near the pressure point, it could easily put a hole in your tent floor, and you dont want that.

elcruxio

^ The above reason is why I haven't considered getting one. It'd be nifty to have a cot which can't deflate but you'd need double sided protection for the tent floor and even that might not suffice.

Air mattresses these days are pretty darn good and I haven't been able to puncture my Thermarest Venture. It hasn't also been an issue warmth wise even though it is not at all highly rated for insulation.
One of the reasons I wanted a cot was the hassle of air mattresses, but since I bought a mattress pump it hasn't been an issue anymore. The pump being a lightweight bag that can be used for other purposes as well. It's a useful tool as doesn't introduce moisture inside the pad unlike blowing it traditonally.

danny dea

I have used a Helinox Lite . It weighs a little under 3lbs and packs about the size of a tent. Very comfortable, but I usually use a lite pad with it. I haven't carried it on the bike, but it wouldn't be hard to do. As far as the extra weight, it depends on what you're willing to do for comfort. I always carry a light weight chair because it's worth it to me at the end of a long day. Check REI for all the specifics of the cot. Enjoy Danny

staehpj1

I guess an ebike might make hauling all that more possible. I don't think being able to do it would mean that it would make sense though. That said it may appeal to some folks.

On another note... For those looking at cots, inflatable pads, and so on, but with no experience or maybe just with no success in achieving comfort, the key with comfort with inflatable pads is the level of inflation. Don't rule out inflatable pads without giving a decent one a chance and dialing in the proper inflation. I think folks tend to over inflate. If you have just enough air to keep you from bottoming out, a pad will be much more comfortable if you dial in the inflation properly. The difference between too much and too little isn't much when it comes to maximum comfort. Sneaking up on the right inflation by adjusting in tiny increments, letting out air until you bottom out and adding back a little is worth a little effort to figure out what is the right level for you. Once you are used to your pad you can probably hit the right inflation level pretty well by counting breaths.

fishboat

Which S2S model are you using?

Tourist in MSN

On the e-bikers, there are some obese people in my community that ride e-bikes that I could see wanting a trailer setup like that. I see them even coasting up hills. I agree it is not for me.

One more note on self inflating pads that goes with your comment on inflation, the self inflating pads come in a wide variety of thicknesses. A thicker one could be aired up with less pressure for a more cushy feel. On the other hand the really thin shorty pads like I used for backpacking were quite thin. The one strapped to my backpack in the photo calipers at about 1 inch, so you would not have much ability to adjust pressure in it being that thin.

staehpj1

Yeah, I used pads like that for decades and they have a very minimal amount of ability to give a cushy feel. I still always tried to air them up just enough to not hit bottom too hard. It helps a little. It is really fussy to get the air just right though and the rewards are less than with a thicker pad. Still worth it though IMO.

indyfabz

The green one. I think it's the ComfortLite insulated.

Smokinapankake

Worknomore

Helinox makes high quality lightweight cots.
I have this, a bit pricy but excellent quality and very comfy:

https://helinox.com/products/lite-cot

Tourist in MSN

My longest bike tour before I retired was six days. Now that I am retired I can quantify that in weeks, not days.

I fully understand what you are saying. And before I was retired, each trip I had to keep to schedule so that I did not miss a day of work.

djb

I get all the things you brought up. First of all, I camped all my childhood, so that meant sleeping on 70s stuff that was pretty iffy comfort wise, but as a kid I didnt really twig to that, later when I started doing bike travelling in my 20s, self inflating thermarests were a lot better than the 70s foam stuff, and then as I got older, and still camping doing family car camping, I soon wanted more comfortable mats, so had thicker, heavier thermarests, so much better than my thin one used on bike trips when single. Moving along with the decades, and the emergence of the inflateable and light new types, I took the plunge and spent the money on a Neoair, and in my 50s, I appreciate the much better sleep due to the thickness and air inflateable means you can adjust the hardness, which like I mentioned earlier, meant I could sleep well on my side.

BUT, and a big but, is that Im a pretty easy going sleep guy, and like I said, some of my friends think sleeping on a campmat is murder....so go figure....every one is different...

re long trips, I was lucky to do longer trips premarriage and kids, and then didnt do any long ones for ages while kids were small etc. Now grownup, the family dynamic is different, so easier to be away, and work wise, Ive always been in a freelance sort of world, so different than rigid vacations, and especially rigid vacations that as a parent and partner, one needs to spend with family, thats normal.

Again, I would really not recommend doing an Amazon purchase, you need to see and hold and lay down on a bunch of diff camp mats, and there are tons of options out there.
And yes, sometimes its about compromise of both price and comfort and weight and volume...no magic cheap fantastic solution here.
Yes, some are mucho expensive, but I would warn against getting a real cheap one, if at some point you end up having to buy another one, might be better to get a good one ---but of course, you have to balance budget vs real life important budget needs, and at least nowadays there are some reasonably priced ones that are pretty good.

good luck venturing into this if you decide to.

indyfabz

Cosmo 3D=awfully heavy and does not pack down small, but if you don’t mind...