It’s really no accident that camping is called “roughing it.”  Camping may be a time to enjoy the outdoors, breathe some fresh air, and enjoy some quiet time yet it’s rare that anyone calls sleeping under the stars or in a tent “comfortable”.  “Tolerable” is often the best one can hope for when sleeping while camping.  While many campers have long accepted plopping a sleeping bag over an air mattress on the ground as the best thing to do while camping, a better alternative is using a travel cot mattress.  With a travel cot mattress, you might actually achieve a level of true comfort while sleeping.

There are a couple of factors that differentiate a travel cot mattress from a sleeping bag over a mattress.  A travel cot mattress is placed over a folding bed frame, or rollaway bed, which is compactable and easy to transport.  Unlike slipping into a sleeping bag, a travel cot mattress allows you to sleep in a manner close to what you have a home.  Of course, this isn’t quite the bed that you have at home but you’re at least able to sleep above the ground, you’re lying on a sturdy cushion below you, and can cover yourself with blankets or a duvet that allow to move normally in bed.  A sleeping bag on the other hand can be very comfining and get tangled all over you.    Also, you may have to adjust your body to sleep in a single-sized or twin sized-bed, when you’re already used to sleeping on a full or Queen-sized bed at home.

When you’re taking comfort into consideration, what’s probably even more important than the size of the bed or mattress you’re using is trying to keep yourself warm throughout the night.  There are many types of bedding you can use on a travel cot mattress much like what you use at home.  You can roll out a goose down duvet on the mattress if you choose to and sleep pretty well.  But why not use a twin comforter or duvet for better movement in bed?  Since many of these mattresses are about the size of a twin bed, you only need to buy a single sized duvet or comforter which is just as easy to fold and store as you would a sleeping bag.  A travel cot mattress may seem to take more space in your vehicle when planning a camping trip but what you make up in comfort might be well worth it.