I spent over twenty years of my life in the Army, so I know from cots. Back in the day, in the glorious 8th Infantry Division in the former Federal Republic of Germany, we were "mech-heavy," and we didn't walk anywhere. It was tents and heaters, and above all it was cots. I spent the first five years of my Army career on cots, so finding this grand improvement on the bare-bones GI cot was a real treat.

This is a first-rate field sleeping system. This is one seriously heavy-duty rack, made for ease and comfort. It is long and wide, way sturdy, quiet, soft and warm. I recommend it heartily.

This thing is so freeking manly, when it arrived it had destroyed the box trying to get out. Actually, the carton's destruction was a function of the weak packaging; the box is meant for in-store display and not shipping, and the cot's 35 pounds put it to the lightweight cardboard.

Right out of the box this product is impressive, with a very nice two-tone carrying case, in the same kind of synthetic canvas material you'll find on your outdoor folding chairs. The case has large white embroidered "Slumberjack" cursive lettering, a nice touch.

The case has a single long carrying strap, either for hand- or shoulder-carry. The strap is not adjustable, and it does not detach; it is sewn onto the case. The end of the case has a hemmed and reinforced opening with a lightweight single lace and a barrel lock to close and secure it. A nice touch on the case's design is that the opening is slit (and reinforced) about 6" down to ease the start of getting your cot back into the case. Believe me, this comes in handy.

The cot comes in at 32" wide by 82" long and 19" high. In its case it's 8" x 8" by 41". This sucker is more than full-size, no doubt about that. I go 6'4" and 280 pounds, and this thing fit great. No arms falling off the sides, and no problems with length. I didn't feel crowded in the least.


The fact that this thing doesn't groan, creak or squeak simply amazes me. It really doesn't make a sound at all. There's part of me that misses that cot-unique squawk, but I know fellow campers will be happy that anti-cot-squeaking technology is at work.

Interestingly, there are no instructions or any other literature in the box, no warranty or registration card, nothing. There are no setup or care instructions on the outside of the box, either, so you'd better know how to set up a cot. Also, if you want to know how to reach Slumberjack World Headquarters in St. Louis, you'd better cut out and keep a portion of the box. This is a shortcoming Slumberjack needs to fix.

The self-inflating air mattress slides under the cover, which is part of the top of the cot, with openings along the way to get it in place and aligned, and an opening for the air mattress valve. The cover sports a black embroidered "Slumberjack" to match the one on the case. Of course, you can use the cot without the air mattress, or slide your own pad in. The initial inflating of the mattress took about two hours, and it puffed up pretty well. Be careful with the air mattress valve, as it's all plastic, and if you tighten it too much you'll strip the plastic threads and the entire thing is shot. The mattress itself is not substantial, and the padding it affords is minimal, maybe an inch at the most. There is more than enough, though, to provide adequate insulation on the bottom, negating the need for any additional padding. If you really need some additional padding, you'll need to spring for your own.

There is a gear loft under one half of the cot. It is large, about 40" by 32", and is elastic to keep the gear in. This is a nice touch.

The six feet have hard plastic pads, black and about 2" in diameter, which are angled to lie flat when the cot is open. This is another nice touch.

The end bars are steel, and open-notched to make it easier to slide onto the cot ends. They take a bit of effort to get on, but it can be done by one person.

This thing is heavy, coming in at 34 lbs in the case. So be careful opening it up and setting it up, as the parts are hinged and can strike you, someone else, or things near you.

Pay close attention to how it's packaged when you pull it out of the case and set it up for the first time, because you'd better be following it to put it away or you'll never get it back into the case. The air mattress takes some serious wrestling to get back down to travel size. Folding the cot's canvas down and into the legs also takes attention. The mattress secures with two loose black Velcro straps. The cot has two integrated black Velcro straps, both of which are riveted to the cot legs. These are invaluable to get the cot cinched back down to size so it will go into the case.

Bottom line: This is not lightweight gear for hike-in/out camping. This thing is heavy-duty and just plain heavy. This is best for houseguests, or for an outdoor/camping situation in which you're going to be setting up for a long time before you take it down. It's a mobile cot, sure, but its size and the work needed to get it back into the case does not make it very move-friendly.

My husband, who's in the Navy, spent six months sleeping on this cot while in Iraq without suffering from chronic back pain. So when we needed a cot in a pinch this is the one we chose without hesitation. Our seven year old duughter used it while spending the summer with Gramma and loved it. Excellant bed but needs stong hands to set up.

Very difficult to get the wide bars on their pegs each time and the odor does not go away. After a year it broke. Nebo sports outfitter XXL cot is much better.

The cover (the thing you sleep on - not the bag) is like a rubber membrane and not a canvas or woven cloth. It doesn't have any strength and won't take any abuse without ripping. It might be OK for a spare bed in the house, but don't even think of taking it camping because it can't stand up to real wear. Even hauling it around in the car will probably damage it beyond use. I called the company to complain, they said I could get a new cover if they had one, but they don't have them and haven't had them for a year. So don't expect any customer support from Slumberjack. My recommendation is get a cot that advertises a cover with ripstop nylon or canvas. Don't buy this cot if you plan on using it.

When I first used this cot it seemed excellent. The frame is very sturdy and the cot was comfortable. If I had written a review at that point I would have given it 5 stars. But the second trip I took the cover burst like a balloon. Really, I could feel it give a little, and by the time I could get off it there was a 4 foot long rip. It was then I started looking closely at the material of the cover - it is some rubberized material with a few threads in it - not a real canvas. And it has zero rip-stop capability. I tried to sew it but it was like trying to sew a balloon - it just doesn't work. The Slumberjack people say they will give me a new cover, but they never seem to have one in stock to send (for 4 months?). Only get this cot if you plan on using it once! My previous cot lasted 8 years.