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Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite Mesh Cot

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I know OM has one of these, and my wife must have picked up on my desire to try one of these. It showed up Christmas Eve, and because we had so much company, I got to try it out. She got me the big one, which was fortunate, as Christmas is rolling around in me like a large hog.

Anyway, set-up was fairly confusing, the directions included were pretty useless, so I youtubed it and found a good video that helped me along. Yo have to be somewhat of a strong arm weight lifter to do the initial fit. I did find it comfortable, and I was even able to lay on my side, which surprised me.

Has anyone used these for an extended trip yet? I'm wondering how they will do with uneven ground, stuff like that.
 
Hey Memaquay, WOW does that gal take care of you!! I agree that considering the cost, the instructions are really poor. I outlined my method of assembly over on the REI site evaluations part.
Probably the most important thing is to capture the disassembled metal rod parts in two white cotton socks. If you put the open end of the sock down first into the provided stuff sack those slippery rods can't escape out the puckered opening of the stuff sack. The way the cot comes packed in the stuff sack is just asking for the loss of a rod or two. I checked and the replacements cost quite a bit.

About how does it work on the uneven ground: The cot holds you "cupped" from side to side, to the point it would need to be really on an incline to get you dumped out to the side. As far as length wise, just put your feet down hill.
If your talking about the ground not being under one or some of the "feet"; kind of a bridging effect? Man, I wouldn't do it! I'd dig out or shim up to the point where the every one of the feet is carrying it's share of the weight.
The way I see it, that cot is designed to carry a grown man and still be so light weight because every part is working to carry the load, I don't think there's any extra "beefed up" strength built into the thing.
But, I could be wrong: you know me, I've got lots of practice at it!

Best Wishes,

Rob


P.S. When I first posted this I had made an evaluation over on the REI site, good bit of hard work talking about how to set it up. Turns out some smooth coated weasel decided to pull it, probably decided he didn't like the criticism of the instructions and the bit about the socks. Well, OK, goodby REI and hello Campmor!!
(9/8/2014)
 
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Memaquay, somewhere in another thread you mentioned you were going to lose about 40 lbs this winter. If you do you may want to develop some sort of strap system for the cot to keep you from floating off during the night. I can picture you floating right out the tent flaps and into the woods. Rob is very handy with leather and things and has the same model of cot so maybe he can help you with this. Me, I'm in no danger of floating away anytime soon. Dave
 
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I have one and although I've probably only spent about eight nights on it I love it. I was fortunate enough to have good level (for the most part) ground under me the three times I've set it up.

I think you will enjoy it.
 
Instructions

I agree that considering the cost, the instructions are really poor.

Santa brought me a Snap-on pneumatic shop stool, which looked to be perfect for working at various heights on and inside boats. The assembly and set-up instructions consist of three simple diagrams. No prose, no parts list, just 3 diagrams.

Step 2 clearly shows a flange inserted atop the pneumatic stem. I have the legged base, the stem and the seat, no flange. The only written instructions I have read “Carefully unpack stool and components. If any parts are missing call 1-866…….

Me: “Hi, I received a Snap-on pneumatic shop stool for Christmas and I seem to be missing a part”

Donna the extremely patient Snap-on customer service rep: “Step two. It’s already preassembled”

Me: “No, I’m missing the flange shown atop the pneumatic stem”

Donna: “That stem actually goes on the bottom and it is already there. The instructions are retarded”

There followed some jocular discussion of piss poor assembly instructions, and Donna’s life of endlessly repeating “Step two. It’s already there”.

I have to wonder how many thousands of stools went out with those misleading assembly instructions.
 
Hi Rippy, I think maybe you've got me mixed up with somebody else, no weight loss in the cards for me! Now granted, I could loose 40 pounds of crapola gear and it would be all to the good! But I'm afraid even that's not going to happen; I love all my fiddly bits and bells and whistles too much.

Now, I can tell you that sleeping on one of these cots might make it seem you've floated off on a cloud! Say, by the way, there's a bunch of guys who been using those.......dang it, what's the name of those things......they look something like a sling shot.......in use they are strung between two trees.......they have all these strings........well fiddle, I'll think of the word later.... Anyways, now that's the words out about how great these cots are all those boys who've been using those things that I can't remember the name of, will be selling them off cheap. A regular plague on the market! A person ought to pick up several cheap and cut them up and make something useful out of them!

Best Wishes,

Rob

P.S. I remembered the name!! hummocks! Just to be sure I looked it up in Wickipedia dictionary: hummock is a rounded knoll of ice rising above an ice-field. I guess the name comes from winter camping 'cause so many guys freeze to death in them. Their poor bodies forming a bump in the winter landscape. No need to thank me, always glad to oblige.
R
 
Hi Mike, My wife and I were here at home looking at the Christmas stuff, lights, ornaments and tree. Just the two of us remembering when the girls were young and still with us, many dear memories. Then the wife clapped her hands and laughing said "And I remember you assembling all those toys on Christmas eve, it was so funny!"

Somehow I don't remember it as all that funny. Instructions that were written by someone who had the most tenuous grasp of English. And those horrible little fasteners that once in place, there was no way they would ever release to allow you to position the washers you forgot. Ah well, that's life, take the good with the bad. At least the gal on the phone spoke English.

Best Wishes,

Rob
 
Hi Rippy, I think maybe you've got me mixed up with somebody else, no weight loss in the cards for me! Now granted, I could loose 40 pounds of crapola gear and it would be all to the good! But I'm afraid even that's not going to happen; I love all my fiddly bits and bells and whistles too much.

R

Ya Memaquay Is a Rob also. I realize now that it is confusing. I'll go fix it now.
 
Rob (OM) I slept in my sling shot thing tied between two trees the other night in a snow storm. I stayed plenty warm, except for the 3 am pee call. It was a experiment to see if I might enjoy winter camping in my hammock. I decided that it wouldn't be too fun after all. I stayed warm and comfortable but there's not much to do in a hammock for 14 hours of darkness. If and when I take up winter camping it will be with a heated tent and one of those fancy cots you guys are talking about. Dave
 
Geeze you guys are funny, hammocks, hummocks, slingshots, just the thing for a winter day. I found a real nice little lake, close to town, cut a good snowshoe trail into it. Rumour has it is loaded with big walleye, no-one around here will walk through the bush to get to it. So I set a long term goal to save up my pennies for the next year and park my new snow trekker tent there next christmas for a few days. For now, I'll just keep snowshoeing and trying to lose that 40 (ok, 50 pounds after the last two days) so that i don't break my new cot.
 
Oh my goodness! I'm so glad you're alive and well! That was desperate close! It just goes to confirm what I've always read about death by freezing! All the reports indicate that in the last final extremis the victim actually feels warm! You didn't realize how close you were. All night long!
Good thing your wife was there to pour you full of good old coffee in the morning.
To complete your recuperation I'd suggest a heaping plate of leftovers and a long nap on the couch.

Your relieved friend,

Rob

P.S. those hummock things ought to come with a warning label!
 
I haven't used a hummock but a friend does. The only time I coveted his sleeping arrangement was when we landed for the night and found the campsite was situated on a hillside. The only close to flat spot was right at the water's edge. He strung his hummock up the hill and I pitched my tent on the water so close that I was afraid to roll over for fear of getting wet. In the night my buddy woke up and dismounted from his level hammock for a call of nature and almost broke his neck! The uphill side of his rig was about 3.5 feet off the ground but the downhill side was closer to 5 feet off the ground. The two trees he chose were on the steepest part of the hillside. Warning label indeed!
Dave
 
I googled your cot Mem. Its pretty close to the ground and all those darn ring looking feet scare me. I think I'll stick to my hummock, it gives me that warm cozy snug feeling that I get when I'm wearing my Strait jacket.
 
" I think I'll stick to my hummock, it gives me that warm cozy snug feeling that I get when I'm wearing my Strait jacket.

Rippy, now that is the funniest line I have heard maybe all year!
 
Probably the most important thing is to capture the disassembled metal rod parts in two white cotton socks. If you put the open end of the sock down first into the provided stuff sack those slippery rods can't escape out the puckered opening of the stuff sack. The way the cot comes packed in the stuff sack is just asking for the loss of a rod or two. I checked and the replacements cost quite a bit.

If your talking about the ground not being under one or some of the "feet"; kind of a bridging effect? Man, I wouldn't do it! I'd dig out or shim up to the point where the every one of the feet is carrying it's share of the weight.

I saw my first mesh cot in action at a shared campsite recently. The gentleman using it said that he had back problems and that the cot was the only way he could manage a comfortable night’s sleep.

From watching him set it up (and he seemed adept at doing so) I think Rob’s suggestion of using something to contain the various parts and pieces would be a wise idea. Likewise using something to assure that all of the “feet” are in contact with the ground.

The later seems like a lot of work. There are a dozen of those little circular “feet” and on uneven ground that could be a time consuming challenge.

The biggest obstacles to me would be the necessity of assembling the cot outside of the tent (unless you use a really big tent), and actually getting the assembled cot inside the tent once put together.

I doubt that an assembled ThermaRest cot would fit through the door of the small tent I typically use. When I inflate my pad outside the tent I have to roll back both sides of the vestibule door and fold the sleeping pad in half in order to get it inside the tent.

He was using a huge tent and simply stuck the mesh cot in through the door fully assembled. Can the assembled cot be folded in half to fit through a small tent door?

If not it might be a good idea to test whether the cot fits through the tent door at home, before discovering that it doesn’t fit in the field.
 
It would be tricky to fold the cot in half to get it through a door. The shock corder poles are already inside a hem on the mesh and it would be difficult to separate the pole sections while inside the hem.

I do have to stretch the door opening on my MSR Hubba Hubba to get the cot inside.

I also noticed that for this year - Thermarest is making more cot sizes and insulating underliners for the cots they make. I only spent one night that dipped down into the thirties (F) on the cot and it was a bit cold....So, I ordered a liner.

I take the time to pack my cot as I received it from the factory. It's complete and compact that way and isn't too time consuming. The first thing I do when setting up a camp is to hang the tarp first. That way I can count on a dry place to set up the cot & tent if needed.

Hope this helps some.
 
It would be tricky to fold the cot in half to get it through a door. The shock corder poles are already inside a hem on the mesh and it would be difficult to separate the pole sections while inside the hem.

I do have to stretch the door opening on my MSR Hubba Hubba to get the cot inside.

I also noticed that for this year - Thermarest is making more cot sizes

I looked at the Thermarest site and saw that there are two sizes of cot. I’d guess the one I saw in action was the XL; I don’t see how it would have fit through the door of my tent (also a Hubba Hubba). It would be a lot easier with a bigger tent/door, or an end-entry tent where you could feed the assembled cot in lengthwise.

The zippers on my HH are about done, even with care, cleaning and maintenance. Stretching the door might be the final injury.
 
The first thing I do when setting up a camp is to hang the tarp first. That way I can count on a dry place to set up the cot & tent if needed.

Time was I set up the tarp first and foremost on nearly every trip, but that frequency has diminished. That may be because I’ve become much more efficient at putting up the tarp or wing, even when solo, and figure I can do so in minutes if need appears.

And also because I’ve become more confident in my weather predictions (um, especially if I’ve seen a recent forecast). Or maybe I’ve just gotten lazier; although I can set up tarp or wing in short order I’ve been caught short a time or two.

When solo I’m less likely to everyday the tarp, especially in windy paddling places where having an extra set of hands helps immensely. Same if I’m moving camp along every day; in clear, dry and stable conditions I’ll take the chance rather than set up and take down repeatedly.

If I’m staying put for a few days or it portends rain (or no-shade blazing sun) I’ll up the tarp.

That might make an interesting poll – Do you set up a tarp?

Always.
Almost always.
Hurriedly, after I hear thunder.
After I am soaked and wishing I’d unpacked my raingear
 
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