CuteCamper
Camping is fun. But for many beginners it will not be a pleasant experience. The bumpy ground may make you uncomfortable and trouble sleeping. Furthermore, if you do not insulate yourself well enough from the ground, it will be cold and damp, which is terrible for people that are accommodated with modern facilities.
Fortunately, a cot tent that will get rid of all those problems for you with one single solution. It is a camping tent that is elevated from the ground, you don’t have to worry about the uneven,rocky,wet ground, it has better ventilation and always makes you feel comfortable.
We have spent the whole last week researching and comparing existing cot tents on the market, and carefully picked up a few tents that we think are worth a try. Hope it will help you somewhat.
If you are in a hurry, the overall best tent cot we recommend is Tangkula 1-person tent cot, other tents cots can be good for different scenarios, you can pick the proper one according to your own requirements.
Best Overall: Tangkula 1-person tent cot
Best Folding: Kamp-Rite Oversize Folding Tent Cot
Best 2 person: Kamp-Rite 2 Person Folding Double Tent Cot
Best Sun-Proof: GYMAX Camping Tent Cot
Let’s get started
What is a cot tent and is it worth to buy
What is the difference between a tent cot and a regular tent?
Tent cots are elevated from the ground, which has many advantages than a traditional tent. It avoids the bumpy rocky ground, which makes you feel much more comfortable while sleeping.
The ground is much colder if you contact it directly with your body, and often, it is wet and damp, you will feel much better if there is an open gap between the ground and the tent, it offers better ventilation so it brings the water vapors quickly that makes you feel more cozy.
It also gives you more protection from bugs and insects since it is off the ground, avoiding animal interferences, and snakes.
Because it has no direct contact with the ground, the inner space may be much cleaner than a traditional tent, with less dirt and mud involved.
Is tent cots much more expensive than a regular tent?
Yes, due to the structure of the tent cots, it requires more material to suspend away from ground, thus making it costs more than a normal tent.
But just imagine, if you buy a traditional tent, that is not the only cost you need, you should also buy a mattress that insulates yourself from the ground to get better sleeping, put all those things together it will be a little more expensive than a single tent cot itself.
Setup process
Many cot tents are foldable, which makes them easy to set up. If you have been camping out with a traditional tent, you will alway find out that this is a tedious job.
The cot tent simplifies those processes and saves you a lot of precious time to enjoy the beauty of the wilderness.
Disadvantages
Nothing in the world is perfect, there are disadvantages for tent cots too. Because they are elevated from the ground, the size of a tent cot is not as large as many traditional camping tents. You will find out that many products on the market are 1p or 2p tents.
If you want camping tents for a large family, we recommend you to take a look at a traditional one. But if you are camping or hiking with one or two person, the camping tent cots is an ideal choice
Things you should take into consideration when choosing a cot tent
Portability
Tents cots have legs that can sustain at least the weights of an adult, which will put a toll on its portability, you should not expect too much and better to take it for car camping.
Weather performance
As a traditional tent, it depends on the material and minor treatment, with the same conditions, the cot tent often provides better performance on rainy days because you don’t worry about leaking from the ground.
But there are other disadvantages too, it is much more vulnerable to winds than a regular tent since it is higher and isn’t as easy to stake out than a traditional one.
Best cot tents compared
Best Overall: Tangkula 1-person tent cot
The TangKula 1p tent cot is designed as an all-in-1 caming combo, it comes with a sleeping bag, 1 air-mattress and 1 inflatable pillow, you don’t need to buy anything additional to get a comfortable sleeping environment in the wilderness.
The air mattress and pillow both come with covers included, and a foot bump that you don’t need to worry about how to inflate it.
The price is a little more expensive than the traditional tent, but if you count up the mattress and sleeping bags, this tent cot should be an economical option.
They claim the metal frame is stable enough to hold up to 300lbs(136kg) weight, which is enough for an ordinary adult. However, statistics show that about 1.5% of US adults weigh more than 300lbs, please keep the max capacity in mind if you fall into this category. We suggest a safe threshold below 250lbs(113kg) because when you are moving the impact of the weight will be a little more than when you lay down still.
There are four mesh windows located on each side of the tent wall, thus offering excellent ventilations. However, since there is no rainfly, the mesh windows are vulnerable to rains, you can zip off the mesh window, but the water may still seep in through the edges on harsh days. This is not a problem if the rain is moderate, the high density polyester fabric should provide enough waterproof protection.
Pros:
- Off the ground, comfortable
- Air mattress, sleeping bag, inflatable pillow all-in-one combo
- Not expensive
- Good ventilation
Cons:
- No rainfly included
Best Folding: Kamp-Rite Oversize Folding Tent Cot
The Kamp-Rite Oversize Tent cot is much more of a sleeping cot than a tent,as you can see from the image, it is a cot with an outer shelter that protects you from the elements.
The flexible off the ground design gives you the ability to use the tent as a chair during the day and as a sleeping cot at night.
It is easy to set up, you can do it in a few minutes. The tent is made of heavy duty 190T nylon, which is durable and waterproof. With a rainfly included, it performs well on rainy days. As we said before, the top of the tent is well protected by the rainfly, and you should not worry about water seeping through the ground. It also provides more ventilation on rainy days because it is off the ground and the air can flow freely below the cot.
The frames are made of aluminum steel, which is light and strong. This is a symbol of quality because cheap tents always use fiberglass instead of steel.
Two doors located on both sides of the tent, and two windows on the front and rear, you should never worry about the air circulation.
Pros:
- Off the ground, comfortable
- Comes with rainfly, good weather performance
- The off the ground cot can be used as a chair during the day
- Good ventilation
Cons:
- No sleeping pads included, you have to buy separately
Also good: Outsunny All-in-One folding camping cots
As you can see from the name, the Outsunny all-in-one folding camping cots also come with all things you need to sleep in the wilderness. It includes a mattress(with cover), pillow, and sleeping bags, with the air pump. It is the same configuration as the TangKula tents.
The mattress and sleeping bags are detachable, you can go camping with another large tent and use each part separately. This is flexible and useful, the cot itself can be used inside a bigger tent when the top parts are torn down.
It is a dome shaped tent, with much inner space than the Kamp-Rite tent.
The cot tent is foldable and the setup process is easy and straightforward. The legs are made of aluminum alloy, which is lightweight and strong, the tent is made of polyester, it is waterproof.
Unlike the TangKula cot tent, it only has a weight capacity of 225 lbs(102kg), considering the extra weight for safety, you have about less than 200lbs of weight. Some people can exceed this limit easily, please pay more attention if you are hefty.
The price of the tent cot is very competitive, it is a valuable choice if you count all the components included.
Pros:
- Cot tent that are off the ground, comfortable
- mattress, pillow, sleep bag, All-In-One combo, with air pump included
- Reasonable price
- Dome style
Cons:
- Weight capacity only 225 lbs(102kg)
- No rain fly included
Best 2 person: Kamp-Rite 2 Person Folding Double Tent Cot
This is the same cot tent as the Kamp-Rite Oversize folding tent we discussed before, with a capacity of 2 people, it has more room and space, with a dome shaped roof.
Pros:
- Off the ground, comfortable
- Comes with rainfly, good weather performance
- The off the ground cot can be used as a chair during the day
- Good ventilation
Cons:
- No sleeping pads included, you have to buy separately
Best Sun-Proof: GYMAX Camping Tent Cot
This is also a 4-in-1 Camping Combo, with air mattresses and bedding set included, as we have discussed many times before, it has the same features as other similar tent cots.
The most distinguished feature of the tent cot is material, it is sun proof, which means it has a better rate to block out the sunlight and makes the inner space darker, you can see this technology from big brands of traditional tent vendors, they call it blockout tent or darkroom tent. The idea behind this technology is using a special coating layer that blocks out the sunlight and UVs. It is useful if you want to sleep late in the morning or take a nap in the middle of the day. You can pick this one if those are your concerns.
There is also a 2p model available.
Pros:
- Sun proof
- 4-in-1 combo, with mattress and bedding set included
- Off the ground, comfortable
- Traditional Dome shape
- Good value
Cons:
- No rain fly included
Final Thoughts
As you can see, cot tents have their advantages and disadvantages, it is small and only for 1p or 2p, which is not a good choice for family camping. But if you are camping out yourself, or a couple of two, this should be an ideal solution as an outdoor shelter.
Furthermore, some of the tent cots come with additional air mattresses and sleeping beds, you just get everything you need to get a comfortable sleep in the wilderness, and the total price is often much cheaper than if you buy all the parts alone with a traditional tent.
Best Overall: Tangkula 1-person tent cot
Best Folding: Kamp-Rite Oversize Folding Tent Cot
Best 2 person: Kamp-Rite 2 Person Folding Double Tent Cot
Best Sun-Proof: GYMAX Camping Tent Cot
