You know how some products that were designed for the campsite end up becoming a feature of everyday life? Perfect examples are a Rumpl Puffy Blanket that you buy for use in your tent or by the campfire but that ends up on your couch, a Snow Peak mug you got for coffee while climbing but that’s now a regular fixture of your desk, or that headlamp procured for adventure but usually used so you can read without waking up your partner.

This collapsible compact camping cot comes close to being in that everyday use category.

OK, so you may not use an Insulated Cot One from Helinox everyday of your life because your actual bed is probably more comfortable, but for a 6.7-pound cot that can pack down into a bag about the size of two rolled beach towels, this thing is amazing. And that’s a collapsible cot that can accommodate a sleeper weighing up to 320 pounds on a surface measuring 75” by 27”, so in other words, pretty much anyone. 

The first time we set this cot up, the process took all of five minutes. The second time, it took less than four. The entire process consists of constructing a couple of lightweight aluminum poles and sliding them into slots on the side of the mat, inflating the air mattress itself, then affixing three frame pieces to the bottom of the cot. It’s a remarkably simple setup for such a capable piece of hardware.

In case we haven’t been clear yet, this hardware is a cot wherein the mat is an inflated air mattress. It’s like laying a great camping mat down atop a comfortable cot, so you get both soft comfort and support in one. And what’s equally as important is the fact that you get insulation. The cold ground (or even the ice and snow) on which you set up camp is often the chief cause of a cold night’s sleep; even as the bodies in a tent warm up the interior, that warmth drifts upward, leaving your body, close to the ground as you slumber, in the coldest part of the tent.

By elevating a sleeper a few inches above the ground and thanks to an R5-rated insulation layer around the air mat itself, this Helinox cot helps keep you warm and cozy even on frosty nights. It will replace your current camping cot and/or air mat, and while it may not replace your own bed at home, the Insulated Cot One is a perfect option for a guest or for when you feel like camping out in the living room.