People who are heavier than average often find special challenges when shopping for just about everything. Often the search will leave you empty handed and searching for a specialty shop of some kind. When you go camping, or even hosting an over night guest who is heavier than average size, and sleeping at night is always a problem. Cots are portable easy to use and require minimum storage space.

Air mattresses are an alternative but they are bulky and a hassle to setup and take down. A middle of the road option is a heavy duty camping cot which cost between $40 and $125. A camping cot will at least raise you off the ground level and reduce the chances of ground moisture being an issue in the morning. Camping cots are easy to erect and break down quite easily for compact storage.

What should you look for when buying a camping cot?

Weight

Check the weight rating of the cot. You will find most cots carried in the box store at rated for under 250 pond capacity.

Size

Next, make sure the cot is long enough to support your entire body. Another feature that is often overlooked is stability and solid construction.

Construction

Camping type cots comes in two different types: End bar design and No-End Bar
construction.

End Bar Construction Cots - The poles of the cots form an 'X' shape at each
end. They're very firm and provide full support for your entire body.

No-End Bar Design Cots - No-End Bar Design cots have four rectangular bars
spaced across the cot. These cots will also provide complete support to your
body much like the end bar constructed cots.

The material should be durable and the stitching around the seams should be well done to avoid potential unraveling and tearing.

Portability

Many cots come with storage bags that fit nicely on backpacks if you are going into the woods for a few days, or store away nicely in a closet.

Other Considerations

The last thing that you want is to have your cot fall over in the middle of the night and wind up on the ground. Make sure the bottom of the framing on the legs is straight and level.

If you can get a little padding on the sleeping surface you are doing well since most cots are pretty basic. I know several people that use a camping cot and then put a sleeping pad on top of it to get that extra foamy comfort.

Where Do I Find My Cot?

So where can you find out more about Heavy Duty Cots and where to get the very deal for your money?  There is a site with pages of cots sorted by weight capacity, as well as other sleeping options, such as folding beds and convertible ottomans.  

Find your cot at Heavy Duty Sleeping Cots.