 For the record, I had no involvement in the naming of this product, its mere coincidence. Besides, it's Kampe, not Kamp.
The tent cot is a cross between a stretcher and tent with an in-built mattress. It folds into a neat package for transport and can be set up literally in seconds. The user sleeps off the ground, naturally, and there's ample ventilation for hot nights, plus ease of closing up for those colder nights which I am here to say are not that far off at all this year.
Kamp-Rite offer 3 sizes in the Tent Cot range. First is The Original which is 213 cm long, 71 cm wide, 61 cm high and weighs 8.5 kilograms. Folded size is 900 x 900 x 250, easy for stacking in the car. The next model is The Oversize which is 228 cm long, 81 cm wide, 101 cm high with the largest, The Double coming in at 213 cm long, 132 cm wide, 101 high. This big fellow will sleep two and carry up to 230 kgs weight.
Rugged construction
I was impressed with the Tent Cot's construction. It features welded aluminium frames for utmost rigidity in use and assured over all durability. Each unit has two accessory pouches for storage of smaller items such as a water bottle and the like and when it comes to ease of use, colour coded zips identify both those on the fly screens and the main tent so that if a user wishes to close off either a screen set up on a door opening or perhaps the tent proper it's an easy mater to work out which zip is required. This is handy. I have a lovely big tent that has heavy duty fly screens and door openings but the zippers are identical and on many times I've wanted to close a screen and pulled down the outer door zipper by mistake, or vice versa.
A word on the Tent Cot's insect screens. These are heavy duty and very fine indeed. Tiny bush biteys (I call them Buzzenstingers) that are on the prowl after a rainy late summer and autumn won't get through this fine mesh at all. Full marks there.
Easy set up
As much as we might admire the design of a camping item if it won't set up and take down quickly I'm afraid it's not going to see much use. I've focused this review on The Oversized and I can happily report that set up was mere second’s worth of effort. I followed the directions that came with the Tent Cot and found them to be both concise and spot on.
After taking the unit from it's carry bag the idea is to lay it on it's side with the legs facing out. Adjustment straps are easily identified and a strap is set up to brace each support leg at the ends of the cot, the straps being pulled up tightly to lock the supports outwards.
At this point the Tent-Cot can be swung upright and used as a stretcher if required as the mattress is there ready for use, the legs in place to keep the frame quite taut and the tent section sits folded down onto the mattress.
Most campers will like the concept of the tent at this time of year so to set it up all that's required is to locate the end bars at the extremity of the bed and connect them to the hooks set into the tent, at each end of it.
Last item on the list is to put the small shaping bows into their pockets in the tent and it will stretch out very neatly.
Other features
A rain cover comes with each Tent Cot and can be put on if necessary. There are zippered doors at each end plus in the middle on each side: as the middle doors are the largest I'd see them as most suitable for entry and exit of the unit. There's ample ventilation. All door ways have roll up facility with neat clips to hold the door up out of the way once rolled. The Tent Cot can also be used as a lounge chair if required; all that's required is to remove the spreader bows, drop the tent down onto the mattress identify the end (from instructions) designed to clip upright thus elevating the mattress to make a handy back rest. The instructions covered this aspect quite well.
The Tent Cot folds down as easy as it goes up and I gave full marks to the storage bag which sees the unit go back in as easy as it came out which I must admit is not always the case with camping items.
The Kamp-Rite Tent Cot is an Aussie made product, from Victoria.
View the Tent Cot Information Page |
