Years ago on a trip to Death Valley, I slept in a tiny one-man tent. The host had provided a cot inside to elevate the sleeping bag. Although the space was coffin-like, sleeping on the cot was far more comfortable than on the cold ground.
Jake Lah, a veteran South Korean tent designer credited with revolutionizing the industry, has taken this a step further. If one is going to sleep on a cot inside a tent, his thinking goes, why should the tent contact the ground at all? Thus he designed a tent that attaches to, and encloses, a line of cots.
“Shock-corded poles lock the frame into place. Pole clips attach tent to frame for a quick and easy installation. Reinforced corners add additional security by preventing poles from coming out. Ties and corner sleeves secure tent to cot frame. Four J-stakes anchor tent to the ground.”
There are completely removable zipper doors on both sides. Inside are four mesh pockets for storage, two on the ceiling, two on the sides. There are also four interior loops for hanging gear.
These are in production by Lah’s company, Helinox. The $280 tents—billed in the U.S. as “Tactical Cot Tents,” so they’ve clearly researched the market here—are available in both fabric and mesh. A $175 rain fly is also available.
The tents are compatible with a number of Helinox’s cots, which are in the $400-plus range.