Quickie Camping At Its Finest: Review of the Tent Cot by Kamp Rite

Sometimes camping isn’t really about the camping, but simply a way to stay close and live temporarily near the real purpose your outdoor adventure.  This is often the case with kayak fishing.

I like to hang out with family and friends around the campfire as much as the next camper, but when I go fishing, I want to spend more time on the water than I do setting up to sleep for the night.

Sometimes you want to spend more time kayak fishing than you do setting up camp. The Tent Cot by Kamp Rite is simple and quick to set up and very comfortable to sleep in.

Every once in awhile, a product come along that is worth writing and telling others about. The Oversize Tent Cot by Kamp-Rite – Tent Cot by Kamp-Rite – is just such a product. I had been eyeing this innovative tent for a couple of years and when my son and I decided to go camping in the Adirondacks a couple of years ago, I decided to go ahead and make the purchase. We camped for two rainy nights and I was very impressed with the quality of construction, ease of set-up, use, and comfort. So much so that I decided to tell my fellow FJers about this fantastic way to camp. Here’s my review…

Transporting the Tent Cot

I purchased the Oversize Tent Cot by Kamp-Rite for $169 from Bass Pro Shop in Auburn, NY, but they are also carried by Gander Mountain, Cabela’s, and most major outdoor sports/camping outlet.  The Tent Cot by Kamp Rite comes in a compact ready-to-go carrying case and I have no problem carrying it in the back of my 2007 FJ Cruiser with the back passenger seats still in an upright position.

The Tent Cot by Kamp Rite is easy to carry by the shoulder straps on its case.

The Tent Cot fits great in the cargo compartment of my 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser

The Oversize Tent Cot weighs only 24 lbs and is easy to carry with the tote. I on the other hand, weigh a bit more as you can tell. I was a nervous about how such a light piece of equipment would hold up, but the manufacturer lists the weight capacity as 350 lbs, so I was somewhat assured that it could more then handle the job.

Setting up the Tent Cot

The Tent Cot has few pieces to deal with which makes for a simple setup.

In addition to the tote, there are only four pieces to deal with – The main body of the tent, two folding flexible tent rods, and the rain fly (not shown here). The tote has an extra large opening and it is easy to pull the tent out as well as put it back in.

Step One - Very similar in design to a sturdy tri-fold reclining lawn chair, the Tent Cot is easy to unfold.

The tent portion of the Tent Cot pops up as you unfold it.

Set-up is fairly easy and similar to setting up a tri-fold reclining lawn chair. You just unfold the tent and flip out the supporting legs to pop the tent up. A practiced person could easily unpack and have this tent ready to sleep in under 30 seconds.  My record thus far under adverse conditions was in 20-degree F weather and pitch black conditions in under one minute when camping at Rausch Creek Offroad Park in Pennsylvania.

Step Two - Clip the straps at each end of the cot to the bottom supports.

At each end of the tent are two straps that clip to the supports to hold the accordian-like tent up and keep the supports from collapsing. You simply turn the tent over on its side a bit to snap the clips on.

Here's a close-up of a strap and how it clips onto the support

Bottom view of the Tent Cot. You can see the include and installed thermal sleeping pad that helps for warm and comfortable sleeping.

Next, flip the tent right-side-up and slide the two crossing tent rods through the sleeves on the top. The ends of the rods fit into sturdy holes in the upper tent supports.

Step Three - Slide the standard crossing tent support rods through the sleeves and secure them in place.

Close-up of how you secure the tent support rods.

In all but torrential down-pour conditions or very cold weather, the tent is now ready for sleeping!

In all but the coldest and rainiest weather, that's it. You're ready to go!

Comfort and use

Look at all that room!

This tent is roomy! The interior dimensions are 90″L X 32″W X 40″H. I’m average height, and had nearly 2′ of extra length. There are also two handy storage pouches for eyewear, keys, valuables, etc., hanging from the ceiling at end. As you can see, there are nice openings on all sides making getting into and out of the tent very easy as well as enabling flexibility for “climate control”. Note the lack of uncomfortable bars underneath the cot, which makes for a comfortable sleeping surface!

There are zippered flaps and mosquito netting at all four openings - one at each end and on both sides.

All openings have two zippered flaps – an inner mosquito netting and a rain door (each with small openings sealed with velcro for passing smaller items in and out of the tent without unzipping the larger openings. I like being able to control the privacy/views to the outside.

Due to the angle of the ends, on nice bug-free nights, you can even lie on your back and stare at the stars

Lots of room in here, even for a big guy like myself.

I’ve found the Oversize Tent Cot to be very roomy and comfortable which is saying something for a person of my size. It was very easy to get into and out of. One early morning, my dog, a 70-lb German Shorthair Pointer crawled into the tent with me and surprisingly, he was able to curl up at the foot-end without cramping my leg room. Those who camp with dogs and allow them in their beds might find this to be noteworthy. My dog loved the tent – he crawled into it several times on his own when I wasnt’ looking!

The Tent Cot also comes with a heavy duty rain fly that is also easy to install.

The tent also came with a heavy duty rain fly which is easily pulled over to cover the entire tent and gives added protection from the elements.

Door and ventilation at both ends of the heavy duty rain fly.

The rain fly only has a zippered door on one side, but does have covered ventilation at the two ends. In my opinion, with the built in foam sleeping pad and the rain fly, this tent is suitable for four-season camping.

The Tent Cot is collapsible to function as a sturdy tri-fold lawn chair for sitting or sleeping under the stars.

Another feature worth noting is that one of the folds locks in an upright position in order to use the tent as a lounge chair if desired.

Overall, I’ve been extremely impressed with this tent and it exceeds my expectations for quality and design. The fabric of both the tent and the rain fly is very thick and the zippers are incredibly high quality.After using it for dozens of camping trips, not once have I felt like I was overly straining the tent. The interior is spacious – I am able to sit up with no problem to dress or arrange items. I have a very bulky oversized sleeping bag and I wanted to see if I could keep it in the tent while it was folded up and stored in the tote. Although it did increase the thickness, it was doable and if desired, you could keep it that way indefinitely.

I’ve also spent nights in the Tent Cot with moderate bouts of rain without the rain fly and have had no major problems.  I once had a drip at a seam in the very end, but  it did not soak me – I did have to re-center my position to keep from being uncomfortably damp. I’ve since spent similar rainy nights and have stayed very dry with the rain fly installed.  I am confident that the Tent Cot could withstand the heaviest rain with no leaks.

I recommend the Oversize Tent Cot by Kamp-Rite for anybody who wishes to have a quick and comfortable camping solution for stop-n-go excursions or overnight fishing or hunting trips in all weather. It fits nicely in the back of the FJ and you can’t beat the ease of set-up. To me, it is perfect for kayak fishing when I want to spend more time fishing than I do setting up camp.