TETON Sports Camping Cot With Patented Pivot Arm

This is a great , well built cot and I would suggest anyone looking for a cot to seriously look at this one. I love its size and easily assembled design. The cot weights a bit and even more comfortable with a comfort lite or pad to act as a cushion. Even on its own its a very comfortable cot. This is a lot nicer then the air mattress I had before.

So, first of all: The cot is sturdy, it holds my weight very well, and it’s comfortable. It also packs down ridiculously small – we’re talking smaller than a rolled up sleeping bag – which makes it very easy to take on trips. My roommate’s dogs also like to sleep on it whenever we have it laying out. I think they think it is their bed.

However, two drawbacks. First is the weight – it’s a metal cot, so naturally it’s gonna weigh too much for backpacking. The other drawback is a little stranger, and it’s only really a drawback the first time you use it. Simply put – The set-up instructions could be better. I had to watch a youtube video to figure it out. HOWEVER, once you have it figured out, setup and take down is a breeze, so it’s only that first time that you’ll struggle with. I recommend practicing at home before you take it on its first trip.

I prefer to primitive camp and I typically camp wherever I am when it starts getting dark. For 16 years I lived in Utah and camped in the back of my pickup, an average of two nights a week for all those years, on an air mattress and a tarp over a PVC frame over the bed of my truck. I’ve camped comfortably in all kinds of weather with that setup. The air mattresses seem to start leaking air after about two or three uses and that was always a problem. I’m in Florida now and since it is winter, the perfect time to camp in Florida, I have been camping out again. Instead of an air mattress, I tried using two layers of 2″ memory foam but I still feel the steel bed of my pickup and It is very uncomfortable. I decided to look for a cot and I found Teton Sports Outfitter XXL camping cot. I’m a big guy and this looked perfect. The price looked a little bit high but not out of reason. I ordered the cot and when I set it up, I was amazed at just how big it is! I’m 6’3″ tall and 300+ pounds. The cot is 40″ wide and sits 19″ above the ground. It is long enough that my head and my feet don’t hang off either end. It fits in the bed of my Ford F-150 with the tailgate down with about 6 or 8 inches to spare. It fills up most of the bed of my truck but does give me some room on the side to get in and out of the cot. I am always armed when I camp which I think, and hope, most people are. Some people were running their dogs about midnight, probably hunting deer and I heard some gunshots in the Ocala National Forest after I had gone to bed so I laid my AR-15 on one side of the cot and still had plenty of room to get a good night’s sleep. I’ve had back problems for almost 40 years and I don’t sleep well anywhere but I got a pretty good night’s sleep on the cot and I think it would be very comfortable for most big people. I bought a 3″ memory foam topper with a zippered cover for a twin XXL bed and it fit the cot perfectly. What did I not like about the Teton Sports Outfitter XXL Camping Cot? This morning when I got ready to fold the cot up, the top and bottom rails have plastic end caps. Two of those caps had come out. I found one and popped it back in but was unable to locate the second end cap, even in the white sand that surrounded my pickup at my camping spot. I contacted Teton Sports by email and I left a phone message. We’ll see how they respond but if their response is anything like the quality of this cot, I’m sure they’ll get a new plastic end cap to me in the mail soon. The only other thing that I had difficulty with was putting the cot into the bag that it comes equipped with. The bag is a great idea since I carry the cot in the back of my pickup over the highway and very rough four wheel drive roads to get my camping spots. If the bag was one inch longer, it would sure make inserting the cot much easier. The small red lever that helps get the top rail in place is a nifty little addition. Overall, this is a GREAT cot and worth every penny I spent on it and I highly recommend it. I will be spending lots of time camping on it and I’m sure this cot will outlive me. I will purchase the rifle sleeve and accessories sleeve that fit on each side of the cot. We will also be using the cot for our three year old grandson when he is sleeping over. GREAT JOB TETON SPORTS!!!

I purchased this cot after seeing numerous others with the same cot. I previously used what I considered a large cot, a Texsport KING KOT with the dimensions of 83 x 35 x 20. While this one is not much larger, the construction is much better. The Texsport cot was plagued by creaking whenever I turned over, moved, or shifted a little. This isn’t a major issue except it tends to bother others in the area that are trying to get some sleep while camping. The Teton Sports Outfitter XXL Camping Cot, on the other hand, is rock solid. I used it recently and slept out under the stars surrounded by a large group of younger Boy Scouts. While I still turned over frequently, the only sound you could hear was the rustle of the bedding and the sound of the wind through the tress. Not a single creak or noise from the cot.

The extra space didn’t seem like a lot in comparison, but in practice it made a notable difference in maneuverability while sleeping. I never once bumped into the rails. The surface was exceedingly comfortable and allowed for a night’s sleep equitable to my bed at my house. I recently had surgery which made sleeping difficult, in general, and almost impossible while camping. However, the space afforded by the cot allowed me to position myself in ways that maximized comfort and significantly decreased any pain or soreness.

The cot is exceedingly easy to set up. Anyone with prior experience with a cot should be able to set it up in less than a minute. The inclusion of a red pivot arm allows for that always difficult last connection of the end rail to be as easy as the very first connection. The bag that came with mine opened along the long edge and allows for easy removal and replacement for storage.

The unit is heavy, but it is expected with the construction and sturdiness that you receive. If there is any negative that can be found with the cot is that it would be nice if the cot came with a couple straps to wrap around the collapsed unit when putting it away. As it currently stands, you have to ensure you have a good grip around the entire unit when putting it away. With a couple straps that wrap around the folded up cot, it would be a simple proposition to pick up and place in the bag. The legs could easily accommodate the addition of a Velcro strap (or preferably 2) riveted to them or they could include two straps with the product. I will likely purchase some cheap lashing straps with adjustable clips to secure the cot when taking it down. It is a small issue and not worthy of reducing the rating. But, it is a suggestion for improvement for an exceptional product that would require minimal cost to the manufacturer and would enhance the experience for the end consumer.

It is a very good product and I highly recommend it for those interested in having a premier sleeping experience when camping in close proximity to parking. It is unlikely useful for locations requiring hiking for more than 1/2 mile as the weight would be problematic for some. I also highly recommend the addition of the TETON Sports Outfitter XXL Camping Pad and Quick Tent for use with this product. They combine to make a very pleasant camping experience with fast and easy set-up and tear down allowing you to enjoy the outdoors without spending a large amount of time getting things set up or putting everything away.