by Phil Rowe
About three months ago I had the wild idea to create a tent which would sit atop my camp cot. I was convinced that for a solo camper, which I often am on my kayak touring expeditions, there was no need for a large tent and a genuine need for combining the cot, a tent and a seating system. I could eliminate some of the junk that I typically carried without sacrificing comfort or utility.
Several requirements came to mind as I began to conceptualize the thing which came to be known as "Cot-N-Tent". Among them were : 1) keep it simple and as easy to use as possible; 2) keep it as economical as possible, shooting for a design that might sell retail for under $100; 3) use tough, sturdy materials that would withstand abuse; 4) use commonly available materials, eschewing custom parts as much as possible; and finally 5) create a tent system which would NOT require making ANY modifications to existing, off-the-shelf camp cots.
Since I already own and use a fine camp cot sold under the name Roll-A-Cot, the design effort started with that.
I was ( and still am ) an absolute novice with a sewing machine. My wife had to give me basic lessons to get me started. And she had to bail me out with some special areas, most especially installing zippers in the tent door. But with much determination and considerable re-work, I finally completed the prototype Cot-N-Tent. Some backyard snapshots of the Cot-N-Tent set up on my back yard are included here.
The prototype is made of nylon pack cloth, a durable, tough and waterproof fabric I obtained locally. In fact, since I wasn't at all fussy about color, the store where I bought the material gave me a super deal on a remnant 11 yards by 60 inches wide. The zippers for the door are heavy duty outdoor quality types, three of 'em. A long one and two short ones are install in an inverted "T" orientation on one side of the tent. These zippers can be opened from either the exterior or interior of the tent. Two screened windows, one at each end of the tent, are fitted with Velcro closing rain flaps. These are accessible from within the tent.
There are more Velcro fasteners used as well. Each corner of the tent tucks around and under the cot ends and the flaps are Velcro joined. A flap on each side is pulled beneath the cot and joined with Velcro as well. This makes the tent and cot a unitary structure for stability and wind resistance.
There is no rain fly for two reasons. One, a fly is just something else you have to carry around and I wanted to avoid that requirement. And two, the nylon pack cloth is sturdy enough not needing the extra raindrop penetration resistance. Under a fast flowing faucet the pack cloth does not allow water to penentrate and splatter. Ordinary rip-stop nylon fabric would require the added protection of a rain fly. So I chose to eliminate the fly and opt for heavier fabric.
The final weight of the Cot-N-Tent, all fabric, support poles and the included carry pouch (30" long and 6" dia.) is under eight (8) pounds, according to my bathroom scales.
Several lessons were learned during the process. Among them was that the next version should be a tent with a floor included. The whole thing will thus sit atop my cot (or any of several on the market) to afford maximum bug protection 360 degree around. That will eliminate the flaps and Velcro used at the corners and beneath the cot. Simple bungee cords attached to grommets will provide adequate security of tent to cot. And a newly designed universal clamp device will hold the tent frame to the cot. Finally, the tent support frame will change to sturdier fiberglass poles and metal end-fittings. No, the cost could NOT be retained under $100. $150 is more likely.
Here is what the second prototype looked like.
