Now the term ‘camping bed’ has been applied to a new style of bedroom furniture. That is not what this article is describing. The focus of this article is how to make your outing in the woods more enjoyable through a means of sleeping off the ground.

The definition of a camping bed or cot according to the vernacular is a lightweight wooden or metal frame that suspends a mesh of material to elevate the camper from the floor of his tent or ground. It is often used in conjunction with some sort of light, thin mattress material upon which the sleeper may use either traditional bed linens or an insulated sleeping bag.

One of the best, yet basic, forms of the camp bed is the metal frame and foam mattress. World War I surplus brought the canvas and wooden frame cot into the fledgling camping world. Those items have been surpassed today with a powder coated steel frame and metal spring sub frame. A 1.5-inch to 2-inch thick mattress pad provides a decent platform to elevate the sleeper approximately fifteen inches from the floor of his tent.

A slight improvement to the all-familiar camp cot mentioned above is the space-frame design of what is known as the Ozark Trail framed inflatable cot. The criss-cross expanding metal frame is attached to an inflatable sleeping pad that creates a sleeping platform approximately twenty inches above the tent floor.

For those still young enough to sleep closer to the ground, the self-inflating pad offers a better sleep than outright sleeping on the ground. The pad inflates and deflates quickly through high-volume airflow valves. The bottom of the pad is covered with a 150-denier polyester material to provide durability and wear resistance. The pad also has a foam core to add just a little bit more comfort along with substantial insulation against the cold of hard ground. Once inflated this type of camping bed provides three-and-a-half inches of soft, warm comfort for your sleeping enjoyment.

There are many purveyors of different types of what one would call a camping bed. It is wise to do your shopping online or at your local big box retail store before actually investing in your next piece of furniture for your tent boudoir.

For Hikers and Climbers

The best camping bed for this type of camping has to fall into something that is light and yet capable of getting the sleeper off the ground. When it is disassembled it must be able to fit within his backpack or tied to the backpack frame. It needs to be of such a nature as to be rot resistant and moisture proof.

There are several high quality camping beds that fit all those characteristics. One of the best that stands out among them all is the UltraLite Cot made by Luxury Lite. Its total weight is three pounds, yet when it is disassembled and ready for hiking or climbing it makes up into a tidy package of 16-inches x 5-inches and stores in its carrying bag made of ripstop nylon. The bed frame assembled measures 24-inches x 74-inches. It is capable of supporting a three hundred twenty-five pound camper.

The UltraLite Cot elevates the sleeper off the ground by means of six metal tube bows that create a springy frame that clips to the underside of the nylon platform. This camping bed sells for $219.95 and is sold through several mountain climbing gear distributors or online from the manufacturer’s website that is located luxurylite.com.

For Campgrounds and Permanent Site

The best camping bed for those who like to rough it at organized campgrounds or have their own permanent camping site can look to the airbed formats. The parameters for this type of camping bed are to provide the most luxury and convenience in the simplest package.

The Intex® Model 66961E Supreme Airflow Raised Queen inflatable camping bed heads the list that fulfills the characteristics described above. The bed is constructed of 20.8-gauge waterproof flocked vinyl top and sides. The beams are made of 15-gauge vinyl and the bottom is built with 16-gauge vinyl. The mattress top sits twenty-inches from the floor of the tent. The general construction of the air mattress consists of ‘I-beams’ in the bottom half and a series of ‘coil beams’ in the top portion. There are air cells interconnected all around these two types of beams that allow for a gradual shift in air as someone reclines upon the bed. A built-in electric pump inflates and deflates the bed. Inflation takes approximately 3 ½ minutes. The Intex Supreme Airflow Queen sells for a variety of prices depending upon where one shops The lowest price of $84.48 listed online was at Gazzos Outdoors. The highest listed price online was $136.12 at the One-net-enterprises-Inc.

Depending on your style of camping, these two fine products represent the best camping bed that money can buy. But there are many more that are a good choice for you to consider. Do your shopping carefully and wisely.

An inflatable camping bed is generally in three types: a luxurious pillowtop twin airbed mattress; a typical inflatable air mattress of various sizes; and a self-inflating pad. All three do an exceptional job to give you a better sleep experience than sleeping on the ground. However, each one is an improvement on the other in offering more comfort.

The self-inflating pad comes in several sizes depending upon the height and build of the camper. It is lightweight and should suit the hiking crowd in a big way coming in at only five pounds average weight. Once it inflates it gives the sleeper almost four inches of comfort to ward off those pesky stones that always try to poke you where you can’t reach. The self-inflating pad also has foam insulation for more comfort and to increase the insulation of the unit to an R-value of 7.0. As a camping bed it just barely meets the definition, but it is far better than stretching out on the ground.

The typical inflatable air mattress is usually made of a PVC vinyl plastic with inner air chambers. Air mattresses take on the general shape of a regular mattress for the bedroom. They are inflated either through an external air pump or a good set of lungs and some even have built-in air pumps that are battery powered or are powered via an AC adapter. The lift provided by the typical air mattress is generally eight to ten inches. Depending upon the number of inner air chambers the mattress can be firm or soft. For an inflatable camping bed firmer is much more desirable.

In the past few years a company by the name of Intex Recreation Corp. of Long Beach, California, has introduced several innovative new luxury types of airbed mattress. They offer twelve different models and sizes to give the consumer the finest inflatable mattress money can buy. Their basic ‘Classic Downy’ comes in twin, full, or queen sizes and features a 20.8-denier waterproof-flocked top with a heavy 15-gauge vinyl bottom. The mattress when inflated is 8.75-inches thick.

The top of the line model for Intex® is the ‘Deluxe Frame Bed’. The inflatable camping bed features an inflated frame wherein the inflated mattress suspends. There is also an inflated backrest. A special bonus of this bed is that the mattress comes out of the frame, which then can be one bed while the mattress becomes a separate bed to be used in another area of the tent. This bed only comes in a queen size and raises the sleepers to sixteen-inches above the floor of the tent in complete luxury. The weight capacity for the bed is six hundred pounds.

So whether you like to hike the mountain ridges or like to stay at the old reliable campground, you can find a better night sleeping in an inflatable camping bed.

Let’s face it. Probably the two camping items that take up the most room in your vehicle is a table and your bed. Any way that you can conveniently carry either of them would ease a lot of hassle in getting to the campground.

One of the largest choices of styles of a folding camping bed can be seen online at the Cabelas website. They have heavy-duty army cots, lightweight hiker cots, aluminum framed folding camping beds, double bunk cots, and even combination cots and tents.

Another good website to do your camping shopping, especially in the search for the right folding bed is at Bass Pro. Many people think this is just a another sporting goods store that caters strictly to fishermen. That is not so. They specialize in everything that has to do with outdoor recreation regardless of your interest. There have been some recently developed newer ideas in the folding camping bed that are worth checking out.

The ultimate folding camping bed for hikers and mountain climbers can be purchased on the Internet at the Mountain Gear. The item is called the UltraLite Cot made by the LuxuryLite Company. The cot only weighs three pounds and folds up to a mere 16-inches x 5-inches pack that stows in its own ripstop nylon bag. The secret to its design are six bows that, when inserted into their sleeve ends, create a comfortable cot that will hold a six-feet plus man who weighs up to three hundred twenty-five pounds. The assembled cot measures 24-inches wide x 74-inches long. It is made of a three-layer laminated ripstop fabric that resists rot and does not stretch or sag.

L.L. Bean offers a hefty folding camping bed that carries the name Maine Military Camp Cot. It is constructed from 1¼-inch heavy gauge square aluminum tubing to allow a three hundred seventy-five pound camper the luxury of sleeping like a baby. The sleeping surface is made of a polyester fabric that features a ripstop weave. It comes with its own travel bag that is large enough to have extra pockets to stuff more camping essentials. The overall dimensions of the bed is 30-inches wide x 84-inches long x 18-inches high. It weighs twenty-one pounds and requires the three hundred pounds plus individual to carry it to the campsite.

Get prepared for the ultimate in camping convenience and comfort with a new folding camping bed for this year’s outdoor vacation. You won’t be sorry you did.

If age or debilitating injury requires you to have an elevated bed, a camping bed frame will allow you to continue your outdoor vacations with comfort. The new frame assemblies for camping beds are constructed of powder-coated light steel alloys or aluminum for lightweight and durability. They also are better equipped at handling the ravages of moisture by being corrosion resistant.

Converta Cot is a lightweight frame that is adjustable into four positions. Not only does it make for a comfortable frame to use under your air mattress, but it also can become a chaise for relaxing by the fire or out in the sun during the day. The steel frame folds up into a convenient flattened assembly for easy storage at home or in your vehicle. It is capable of holding a six foot two inch person who weighs up to two hundred twenty-five pounds.

Another source for locating a bed frame is military surplus. There are several good models of bed frames that can fit most single bed needs. There are cots from more recent war campaigns that elevate the bed approximately two feet above the tent floor. There are others from the armies of other nations such as the Swedish bed frame. Like most military surplus bed frames it is made of steel and has a steel spring suspension platform. The Swedish model features a foldable incline for the upper body with ten selections from which to choose. It measures a standard 77-inches x 30-inches and folds flat for transporting.

If you are into the do-it-yourself mode and want to develop your own portable camping bed frame you can do it rather easily. Obtain six to nine square plastic milk crates from online stores like stacksandstacks.com or locally from Walmart or most good office supply stores. These pieces will become the legs or support pieces. Plywood pieces cut to the dimensions of the length and width of your air mattress make up the platform for your mattress to rest upon. Voila! You now have a portable and sturdy camping bed frame that will be useful for carrying a lot of gear in your van or truck as well as supporting your bed.