The Best Tent Cots For Camping – 5 Top Rated Brand Reviews

The best tent cots for camping comes down to 5 well known brands in the industry in my opinion. Kamp Rite, Winterial, OutSunny, Therm A Rest and Teton Sports. With a mention of OutSunny we complete our 4 best camping cots with a tent combo.

While there are other competitors for these brands, we have found the one’s we mentioned to be of high quality and great value for money.

When it comes to buying a tent cot, you don’t really want to skim on the quality. With the amount of gear you take camping, your bed and shelter should not be compromised because of a few extra bucks difference in price. So I urge you to consider opting for a higher grade, well know brand of camping supplies for the case of sleeping outdoors in a camping cot tent.

Why Buy A Camping Cot & Tent Combo?

Camping is one of the best almost free adventures a Family can embark on. It’s a great time to bond with kids, experience exciting new surroundings and escape the crazy hectic ‘normal’ lifestyle we all live. But sometimes we simply want to go camping solo or with 1 other person, so a car packed to the brim with camping supplies is not always necessary.

With a cot that also has a tent attached, you can pretty much take a bike ride and go camping. Permitted the camp site is within reasonable distance. That’s the great flexibility of having a portable camping cot.

Another great reason for taking a tent cot camping is if you are planning to canoe/kayak the rivers. Pack one of these beats and you minimize space and weight on-board. Perfect for Kayak Camping in remote streams.

The invention of a outdoors sleeping platform combined with shelter is indeed a genius idea (Why didn’t I think of that) and one that is growing in popularity all across the USA. With popularity, comes increased demand in high quality. With high quality in mind, we have gone out and researched, read reviews and took in as much information as possible to find 5 of the best tent cots for camping in 2017 – 2018.

The Best Camping Cot With A Tent Combo

Oversized Kamp Rite Double Tent Cot Review

Kamp-Rite clearly have the tent cot industry covered from our research. They produce many sizes of this cot including additional rain fly’s which acts like a rain coat for your tent. So it’s an easy victory here and one that Kamp Rite can stand tall about as it’s one awesome camping tent cot.

What attracted me to this particular cot is it’s unique ability to transform from a tent into a camping lounge. The cot simply folds up at the top and one of the support bars lowers down the end of the cot. The tent folds in on itself to make a sorta padded folding cot lounge. Perfect for chilling out down at the beach or for a afternoon nap after a long hike.

I’ve been camping for many years, and I must say the design of the Kamp Rite is simply incredible. The frames is strong and sturdy with heavy duty clips connecting the tent to the over hear beams, you just know this thing screams quality. The built in awning on the rain fly acts as a ventilation system.

Allowing clean fresh air to circulate throughout the tent without the risk of bugs and critters getting in bed with you. To achieve this ventilating awning you will have to roll up the ends before you put the rain fly over the top. This creates the air flow which will also reduce condensation building up inside the tent.

The Cordure Nylon sleeping surface is firm which is positioned perfectly to avoid any middle support bar interrupting your sleep. However, if you bring your own sleeping pad, you will find it even more comfortable. For colder weather camping, it’s also advisable to bring extra padding to achieve a warmer enclosed tent.

The sleeping surface itself is about 11 inches off the ground. So it’s raised rather high which I especially like because it keeps you further away from a potential bug filled or wet ground. Plus because it is 11 inches off the ground, when you go to get out of either side of the tent, it’s a lot easier being raised.

The Kamp Rite series comes in various sizes to cater to more of the population. However, I recommend the oversize edition. This is because you get an impressive 12 inches extra head space and a more elbow space to roll around in. If you anticipate rain, be sure to get the model with the Rain Fly included and use the built in awning feature for ventilation. Probably the only con is that that there is no cup holder or side table. That would certainly be the icing on the cake.

Perfect Tent Cot For The Big And Tall People

The Winterial 500 lbs Capacity 85″ Long 2 Person Tent Cot

The Winterial is a very similar tent cot to that of the ever popular Kamp Rite oversized edition. The main differences between the Winterial and the Kamp Rite cot are the dimensions. Both are long in length, but the Kamp Rite is 5 inches longer.

But what makes the Winterial a superb choice over the Kamp Rite is it’s width. The Winterial has the widest sleeping surface we found measuring in at over 40 inches wide compared to the 32″ of the Kamp Rite. In fact it wider than our top rated XL camping cots (The Teton on that can also be converted to a tent cot). The 500 lbs weight capacity also makes this cot ideal for larger people or a great tent cot for 2 thinner people.

Setting Up The Winterial Video Demonstration

More About The Winterial Vs Kamp Rite Tent Cots

Like the Kamp Rite, the Winterial can also be used as a lounge chair or as a stand alone cot with a few adjustments to the legs and tent. While it also comes with a waterproof rain fly to protect you from light showers, I would suggest to bring an extra tarp if you are expecting heavy rain. Nothing worse then getting all your gear wet after a shower.

As for which tent cot is better, well that pretty much comes down to the size you need and how much you’re willing to pay. From our research we found the Kamp Rite to be cheaper overall. But we also found that the materials used on the Winterial to be more stronger and more resistant to tears.

The Winterial is wider but a lot and has the same features as the Kamp Rite but with better quality materials used in our opinion. So if you are needing just a one person tent cot, then the Kamp Rite should be suffice, but for couples or plus size campers. Give yourself the extra breathing room the Winterial offers.

See The Teton Camping Cot Review Here

Lightweight Tent Cot For Hiking, Backpacking and Even Pick Up Truck Beds

OUTAD Off Ground Camping Tent & Lightweight Cot Review

When it comes to backpacking or hiking, gear weight is of huge importance. For the added luxury of a lightweight cot with a attached tent you can really cut down on the amount of weight you take with. The Outad tent cot is pretty much the only one we could find suitable for backpacking.

The Outad meats the requirements of being lightweight, the whole package weighs just 5.84 pounds. Which is pretty impressive for a bed and tent combo.

The quality of this cot is rather impressive also, which I guess reflects the price tag. The fly screen is double sided in a high quality silicon nylon and when combined with it’s 600D Oxford cloth you get a very light, waterproof and windproof tent.

The cot is rather long which is good news for the tall outdoors people. Measuring in at 78″ which is almost as long as the longest air mattress. The cot looks extremely well made and the premium quality aluminum alloy frame looks very sturdy. Initial set up of the cot is probably this cots biggest drawback, so make sure to allow at least 30 minutes to set it up.

Don’t leave it till dark to do it. The tent cannot be used without the cot unfortunately as it needs the cot to act as it’s frame work. If you want a lightweight tent cot, the Outad is one of the only choices available.This tent cot can also be a good choice as a pick up truck bed due to the cot being closer to the ground so you are not so high up in the air on the back of your truck. (Less chance of rolling the cot sideways over the edge.

Alternatively you can create your own custom tent cot using the Therm A Rest range as seen below.

Great Value For Money Tent Cot All In One Combo

The Outsunny Pop Up Tent Review

This package is perfect for the casual camper that doesn’t camp every weekend. It’s the all in one solution by OutSunny. For an extremely affordable price you get everything you need to sleep out under the stars. Better yet, you can be up and going in under 30 minutes. Not bad for the complete kit.

So what you get in this package is a camping cot, tent, air mattress, sleeping bag and pillows. You could literally just buy this from the shops and head straight out to your camp site knowing you have your sleeping duties taken care of.

A little about this tent cot combo.

While I don’t believe the OutSunny to be the most heavy duty and strongest cot on the market, it does have a decent weight capacity of 300 pounds. The quality of the materials used are on par with the price, not the best while not the cheapest. So good bang for your buck if you ask me.

While the tent is made from water resistant materials, I would still recommend you use a spray on waterproofing substance ideal for tents or throw a tarp over the top for extra protection from the weather. The tent has only one entry/exit flap which is a slight negative for me, but only a small inconvenience as we are use to entering tents from the front anyway.

The included air mattress is so so. Obviously it’s not going to be a high quality air mattress that costs $200 quality considering the price for this entire cot package is well under $200. But, for what it is. I don’t think many people can complain as it’s much more comfortable than sleeping on the cot alone with the potential of support bars sticking into your back.

The air bed itself is operated by a small foot pump. Which is a very nice touch as it really does offer the complete pop up tent and bed combo.

The sleeping bag will be hit and miss for some folks. I know myself I need my own roomy sleeping bag to feel comfortable. While this sleeping bag is OK, it is just a little tight for my liking. The pillows are air inflated, so not a huge issue but I would suggest some pillow cases so you don’t have that plastic rubbing noise in your ear every time you move your head.

Overall, the OutSunny camping tent cot is one of the best for the money and a real treat for casual campers. A higher than normal weight capacity and the all in one inclusions make this cot a hard one to pass up.

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