Lite Cot Ultra-Light, Portable Camping Cot, Compact, Collapsible, Backpacking, Foldable Camping Bed

It wasn't THAT long ago that I would have immediately dismissed something like this as an unspeakable luxury out in the backcountry. Certainly I still have a few twinges of guilt over using this. But most twinges generally melted away the first night I slept on this. The first question I had to ask myself was "is this worth the weight?" At under 3 lbs it's not *heavy*, but it is weighty enough to be noticeable. And as such, I had to kind of settle on the use case here. I had ditched my open cell sleeping pad some time ago in favor of the inflatable Klymit Inertia O Zone Lightweight Camping Air Pad, Blue/Gray , and I just banked the weight savings. It's a (relatively) comfortable pad and I like it a lot...but let's be frank: it's not a luxurious sleeping arrangement. Having a cot, on the other hand, had the potential to be a game changer. And I did try a few out in the store, from the Max to the One to the one I ultimately settled upon - the Lite. I did appreciate the beefier construction of the One, but *that* wasn't worth the weight. The Lite, well, is. I like the four-leg design of the Lite, as opposed to the three leg of the One. And while neither has the near-effortless assembly that the Helinox Ground Chair offers, it's still pretty easy to put together. Only real hiccup for me was keeping the two side poles aligned with the pockets. It's kind of awkward for one person to assemble, but it's manageable. It's also a little awkward to fit in my tent, but fit it does and I'm very happy with the results. I'm 6' and the cot fits me very well. The sleeping surface is on the firm-yet-forgiving side, and is wide enough to allow for me to switch from back sleeping to side sleeping. It's not a bed at the Ritz, but in the backcountry after quite a few miles, it sure does feel like it. It packs down to a bit smaller than my deflated rolled open cell sleeping pad, with the same overall shape. On the other hand, components can be separated to fit in various spots in your pack if you so decide. Me, I have a near-tailor-made long sleeve on the side of my CFP-90 that fits this cot perfectly. As for use, well, as a warm-weather sleeping rig this is awesome. I like the ventilation under the cot and it was, well, a good night's sleep. Fantastic. Helinox apparently makes a down-insulated attachment that velcros to the underside of the cot for cold weather use. Me, I believe the use of a regular sleeping pad will give you the same results at a fraction of the price. So in a nutshell, this cot (and the Helinox ground chair before it) has forced me to reevaluate my backcountry strategy. Advances in materials and technology now means that that I don't have to sacrifice certain comforts. I can take advantage of a chair in the back country. I can actually have a cot to sleep on. It's hard to explain what a profound shift in philosophy this represents for me, and I'm embracing it. So no reason to feel guilty, or like a wimpy man, or any of that. Like a buddy of mine said - there's no reason to be uncomfortable if you don't have to be, and now it looks like I don't have to be uncomfortable in the backcountry. A great product.

I've been backpacking for a number of years, now. Over time I've upgraded pretty much every piece of equipment that I've owned, and as a result I've got spares of pretty much everything; sleeping bag, stove, pack, water filter and what have you. The only thing I've never upgraded is my helinox cot one, which I purchased over a year ago and am still happily using. However, with all the extra stuff I've got lying around, I decided to put together a spare setup and keep it around in case of emergencies, or if I've got a first-timer wanting to tag along on a trip with me and they don't have anything of their own to use. But, as I said, I've never upgraded from my helinox one, so I didn't have a spare cot to add to the secondary pack. So what's a guy to do in this situation? Well, having already bought the cot one, and the chair one, and the helinox table, I'm familiar with the sort of quality one should expect from this brand. Considering that every piece of helinox equipment I've owned has held up really well, my first thought was to buy helinox again. So I bought the cot lite. Upon unboxing, I did notice that it felt a little flimsier than my cot one, but the lighter weight is a pretty decent tradeoff. The lack of hinges to snap the legs into place was also kind of disappointing, but once again it's much lighter, so you know... pros and cons. Despite the lighter build, it still holds my weight admirably, and I'm bordering on 240 pounds. Basically, once you get past the unfortunate price of the cot, it's very much worth what you'll spend. Although I might suggest waiting until it goes on sale, too. So ultimately, the quality of the cot lite is worth paying a little extra for. I've compared the helinox cot one to thermarest luxurylite in other reviews and I think the comparison still stands with the cot lite; helinox is just a product of better engineering and design. The lite is more comfortable, easier and faster to set up, and due to a recent price hike on thermarest's part they cost the same. All of the materials feel durable and rugged, and the product as a whole should last a long time if properly cared for. Even outside of a backpacking context, I'd probably get a fair amount of use out of this thing. If there are guests at your house and you don't have a spare bed, use the cot. Keep it in your trunk in case you get stranded somewhere. It'll fit in a drawer, so it won't take up much space. All in all, I'm happy with this purchase. Yes, I like my cot one better, but this is a good backup to have.

I love camping and backpacking. However, I live in Arizona where the ground is extremely hard and I often have trouble sleeping comfortably on my thin, closed-cell sleeping pad. I've tried inflatable pads, and those were an improvement, but they were not still particularly comfortable and I usually still ended up with mediocre sleep. Hammock camping is out of the question for me because in the desert, it's difficult to find trees close enough together to hang from. I decided to try a cot. I researched and hesitantly decided on this unit due to weight and design, but I didn't feel great about buying it because of its high price, my desire to keep my gear as lightweight as possible, and my own uncertainty about wanting to lug a cot around in the wilderness. Now that I've tried it, I have absolutely no regrets about this purchase. If you can get by with three legs, this cot weighs about 2 lbs and is extremely easy to set up and take down. This is not a negligible weight, but it's not outrageous, either. For the comfortable sleep it provides, it is well worth it to me. And it is unbelievably comfortable. I am about 5'10" and weigh 165, and I can sleep on my back or my side without any issues, and the support is outstanding. It is like sleeping on a mattress. Plus, getting off the ground for sleep has had a few added benefits that hadn't occurred to me, like being able to sleep without a shelter system or with a simple bivy in good weather without worrying about creepy crawlies. When the weather turns sour, I can sleep under a tarp shelter without needing a ground sheet. If you're thinking about a cot, I would highly recommend this one. It's not too heavy, it's simple and fast to set up, and it is extremely well-constructed.

Yes, It is the Helinox, Higher quality of material, 2lbs light weight, compared to other copy cat brands. I tried convince myself that it's expensive high quality product, but 23inch width was too narrow for me. I'm 5'7" 185lbs. My arms are pain in the morning. Returned.

This is the lightest cot I’ve found. It sets up in minutes. The cot is comfortable to sleep on , whether it’s on your back or side. Like most light weight cots, the surface is slippery with nylon sleeping bags. Not a deal breaker, there are many ways stop this. I use a thick fleece blanket between the cot and bag, makes it quieter and not so slippery.

Used this on a week-long backpacking trip. It was a little narrow for me because I sleep on my side with my knees bent. The width meant my bony knees were laying right where the bar is. That became uncomfortable and even painful rather quickly. I used a blanket instead of a sleeping bag, so there was nothing between my knees and the bar. I also struggled putting it together and pinched my hand two separate times when putting on the legs/feet. Ouch! After my backpacking trip I decided to use a couple of bungee cords to keep the legs/feet secured together. The rubber bands became way too annoying to consider them as any type of regular option for storage since we were on the go each morning. Chose it because of the weight when backpacking. A little low to the ground, but again, any higher would mean extra weight, so there's got to be a trade-off somewhere.

Quick and easy to put together. Expensive, but high quality. Stows small and easy to carry. Very comfortable too. I am 5' 11" 190 and it had the length and strength to support more. My wife had a sleeping self inflatable matt that rolls up small and light, popular among hikers. "Had". She now uses this. Simply an incredible cot. If you buy this you may as well move on to figuring out what kind of pillow and sleeping bag you want to bring because this part of the journey is solved.

The quality seems good, but it's just not user-friendly to set up or take down. You literally have to vent the bars to put them on the frame. It was extremely stiff, and I actually hurt my fingers. I'm glad I tried it before taking it to the campfield, where the ground is usually unstable. I think this is a trade-off for the lightweight design. It's not recommended for weaker people.