This Kamp Rite Original tent cot review is about the first in the series of tent cots built by this company. This is the product that made Kamp Rite world-famous and established the company as the most important builder of these tools.
Description
Kamp Rite appeared on the market in 1999 with this Original Tent Cot, which was a hit as soon as it appeared. It is easy to understand, this was something new and innovative. The tent-cot was truly multi-functional and versatile, and it offered off-the-ground sleeping comfort. The true benefits and importance of sleeping off the ground I have explained in my another text.
The structure of this tool includes:
- the cot,
- the frame,
- the tent.
It is cleverly designed and the frame is with a few details which allow it to transform the cot into a chair, see the picture and the video below.
The cot
In the specifications below you will see all numbers, here to stress that this is a proper size cot, comfortable and sturdy. It gives you 11 inches (28 cm) distance from the ground. This is good for various reasons, like dampness and cold from the ground.
The tent
The tent of this tool offers full protection, it is completely waterproof, with openings on all four sides, and with mesh protection against insects on all openings. It is low but you will notice that the accompanying frame makes the wall practically completely vertical, so you have a lot of volume inside the tent.
Setup of the tent cot
See here how easy the whole process is:
Included in the package
- Heavy-duty 600D carry bag [CB201].
- Fitted waterproof rain fly [RF202].
Optional stuff
-
Kamp-Rite Tent Cot Gear Storage Bag:
My rating, price, pros and cons
From the table above you realize what the main issues are with the Original Tent Cot. These are the height of its tent, and the overall stability. It is low so you cannot sit freely inside, it is not designed for this.
Also, the cot has two bar-legs only. This works, but the stability is not perfect. You will notice that all other models developed after the Original are with 3 sets of legs or with four (Oversized, Double, etc).
All other features are quite similar, the difference in weight is of no importance because the models are designed to be used in a camp and not to carry around (but see the Collapsible model, it has a 3-in-1 feature, so its tent can be used separately).
The daily updated Amazon-US price is given below so you can see how affordable this product is.
Note that they have two colors now. There are many reports by Amazon customers and the average rating is very high. Please see how I rate it.
My rating of the Kamp Rite Original Tent Cot:
-
Weight - 6.4/10
6.4/10
-
Size - 8.9/10
8.9/10
-
Capacity - 7.5/10
7.5/10
-
Packed size - 4.4/10
4.4/10
-
Ease of use & features - 9.2/10
9.2/10
Summary
My overall rating of this tent-cot is Very Good:
Pros
- Very easy setup.
- Sturdy.
- Comfortable.
- Versatile.
- Complete protection.
Cons
- Low tent roof.
User Review
( votes)Specifications
- Weight: 24 lbs (10.9 kg).
- Ship weight: 28 lbs (12.7 kg).
- Bed size (W x L): 28 x 84 in (71 x 213 cm).
- Tent size (W x L X H): 28 x 84 x 24 in (71 x 213 x 61 cm).
- Folded size (W x L x H): 35 x 31 x 6 in (89 x 79 x 15 cm).
- Weight recommendation: up to 300 lbs (137 kg).
- Heavy-duty 190T nylon.
- No-See-Um mesh on windows and doors.
- Converts easily to a lounge chair or cot.
- Interior storage pouches.
- Very easy setup.
- Elevated cot base.
- Heavy-duty frame.
- Corrosion-resistant zippers.
Conclusion
To conclude this Kamp Rite Original tent cot review, as the name suggests this was the first model the company built. It is as reliable as it always has been, and this tool has indeed stood the test of time.
But the latest models from the same brand have a few additional features which you might like, so please follow the links given above in the text and have a look in the site.
It will be great to hear from you, there is a comment box below. If this text has been useful, please share it with others. Thank you and have a nice day.
First of all, I’m SO pleased that you have taken so much time and effort to provide this website. You have saved me hours of research!
I have only one suggestion, if possible: when you have your list of rating standards (such as capacity, weight, size, etc.), why do you not include comfort?
To my way of thinking, all of the bells and whistles in the world aren’t going to work if it isn’t comfortable to sleep on: if it sags in the middle, or after use, or if has prominent bars that poke you.
I feel that comfort is the #1 one reason people would want a cot tent over sleeping on the ground, but I can’t really tell which one of this otherwise awesome products are going to have me either tossing and turning or waking up with a back spasm.
Just some input! But again, this is an enormously helpful site and I am very grateful to you!
Thank you Amber. I understand what you are saying, shall think about it. The reasons why in the past I did not put ‘comfort’ as a rating criterion are the following.
There are only two types of cots related to comfort, and these are padded and not padded. But there are no padded tent-cots as far as I know, so from this perspective, they are all the same.
Sagging which you mention may indeed be a valid criterion, but this is partly related to the weight of the user. A tent-cot will behave differently when it is used by somebody who has 65 kg as compared to somebody who weighs 140. Also, sagging may increase in time, it may be different with a new cot than after some use. Sagging may also be dependent on the size of the cot, the wider/longer the cot the more sagging may be taking place, this is just a physics (I am a physicist).
On the other hand, there are no tent-cots with a bar close underneath the bed deck, this would not work, it would create a pressure spot and manufacturer’s avoid this. Only double-wide cots and tent-cots have a central bar that runs longitudinally (but some are without it), this is because of the wide span from one side to the other.
This feature (comfort) is also very much subjective. Note that comfort is also related to the width and length, and these features are rated separately in the text. For example, a back sleeper and a side sleeper will have a different experience on a narrow cot, some side sleepers and stomach sleepers tend not to keep the body straight and this means kicking the side bars with knees, this is what happens to me all the time so every cot and tent-cot is too narrow for me although I am a short person.
So these are some of the reasons why I did not include comfort, I hope you realize the complexity of the issue, what is comfortable for me is not necessarily equally comfortable to you. This is why I try to rate tent-cots against criteria that can be measured, and I am trying to avoid rating that would be subjective and personal.
I’d have to say here that this is one of those “it does exactly what it says on the tin” products. Of course you can’t stand up in it!!! It’s for you to be able to have a lie down and sleep and be covered from the rain and/or insects etc. You want a stand-up tent, go and buy one. This seems to have all the necessary requirements for a cover of its size and price. Anyone who complains about this needs to go stay in a five star hotel and quit moaning….. Great, informative post – thank you 🙂
Hi Jyl, great to hear from you. You are right in your comment, it serves the purpose for which it was designed. My comment was in fact about sitting not about standing. But thank you, I appreciate your thoughts.