I’ve slept in hammocks. I’ve slept on self-inflating air mattresses. I’ve slept on ultralight air mattresses. I’ve slept on the ground. But, in all my years of moto-camping, I have never used a camping cot. My only experience with cots was a Cabela’s-branded unit that I briefly tried, and abandoned after two hours due to its extreme discomfort.

So, when a Helinox Cot One Convertible showed up in the mail, I was somewhat confused, especially since nobody had told me it was coming, and I hadn’t asked for it. Eventually I figured out that Helinox’s ad agency had sent it (I think they meant to send a camping chair, and this showed up by accident). Whatever the case, when I unpacked it, I was just the littlest bit impressed. Once assembled, it actually seemed fairly solid. But it was winter-time. Sigh. No moto-camping for months, so I threw the cot into the office and forgot about it … at least, for a few weeks.

The hardware for the cot packs up nice and neat. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Turns out that when you have little kids that wake up late in the night, and a woodstove that needs stoking, you sometimes end up tossing and turning when you can’t get back to sleep for hours. This, in turn, raises a dangerous scenario. Every married man knows what I mean: The danger of also Keeping Your Wife Awake. Especially when she has to work the next day.

So, I’ve actually ended up using the cot on a few nights this winter, when I was tossing and turning. Guess what? Unlike my lumpy, rickety old Cabela’s cot, this Helinox cot is super-comfortable. Maybe it’s because I threw my Big Agnes Hog Park 20 sleeping bag on top, with a second sleeping pad built-in. Whatever the reason, I had some excellent snoozes on this cot over the winter, especially when I parked it right next to the woodstove for a dose of infrared heat (Pro-level Canadian lifestyle tip).

Now that it’s springtime again, I’m making my camping plans for the summer, and I’m wondering: Should I bring the Helinox cot along this year? It’s the only outdoors sleeping solution I’ve ever found that seems to be more comfortable than my Hennessy hammock.

The Helinox cot weighs 4 pounds, 14 ounces (2.22 kilos) and it isn’t small. Not a problem on a full-sized adventure bike, for the rider who wants comfort, but it’s a bit much for my WR. If only I owned an R1200 GS … Photo: Zac Kurylyk

But, I don’t think I’ll bring it, at least not this year. As of mid-March, the only bike I have running is my old Yamaha WR250R (anybody want to sell me a DR650 engine?), and the Yammie just doesn’t have the space to haul a lot of camping gear. If I was bringing the Helinox, I’d have to bring a tent, and my Big Agnes sleeping bag, and my big Thermarest, if I wanted that guaranteed comfort. And I’d have to always stay in a place that offered level ground for the cot, and frankly—it’s a lot easier to just bring the Hennessy.

If I was on a big GS, and staying in civilized campgrounds, instead of camping in abandoned fishing plantations on the coast? I’d consider it. The Cot One Convertible is pretty pricey, at $349 US ($399 for the Long version), but it does have some usefulness around the house, too. If your teenaged nephew is over for the weekend, throw him on the cot in the basement. With a 320-lb capacity and five-year warranty, you should be able to get your money’s worth out of it. Frankly—if you’re the kind of ADVer who lives on ramen between moto-trips, saving for the next ride, this cot would be a lot cheaper than a bed in your apartment …

For more details on the Helinox Cot One Convertible, click here.