Just an FYI. I noticed Sportsmansguide had a Belgian Military Collapsable cot that looked intriguing. They are "used" which always scares me a little but I thought for $30 it was worth a shot. Sorry, no pics but I'm mildly pleased. The one I recieved was definately new and is actually fairly sturdy. Packs down nice, probably 5-6" diameter by 2' long. It's not a real wide cot but should pack nicely on a bike and keep you off the ground. I'm not looking to get into a sportsmansguide bashing here, just thought someone might be interested. I haven't seen these before.
Here ya go brother: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/used-belgian-military-foldable-cot-olive-drab.aspx?a=1145796
Sweet. It's like the Byer Trilite folding cot: http://www.byerofmaine.com/products/camp-furniture/trilite-cot.html Except that the side poles slip together rather than staying in the cover and folding. I know the Byer is excellent to sleep on - and this belgian unit is 1/2 the price.
Does that cot use a bunch of 2" long steel poles that stack on the ends of one another and then slip into the sides of the fabric? If so I have the same cot, mine was made by texsport, same price. Packs small, but heavy and is a pain to assemble. I'd only use it if I was staying in the same spot for a few days. A couple of straps to keep the pad in place and it's actually very comfy.
There's (3) sections of tube on each side. Sure looks eerily similar to the trilite cot posted above but, as mentioned, the sides tubes dissassemble rather than fold. It probably took me 3-4 minutes to assemble and that included figuring out how to put it together as there were no instructions.
The Ultralite cots use a system like that - the side rails are shock-corded pole sections (6 per side?) that you have to feed into the sleeve of the fabric. A bit of a pain because they try to come out every opening where a cross support comes in, but nice because you get a shorter minimum length when apart. I thought about modding a TriLite to fold shorter, but realized that 1/3 the length was the width - or the length of a cross support. The ultralite cross supports break into 2 sections, so instead of 26" they are about 13".
I bought a couple of these from my local surplus store, works great. I have hip and back problems, so I put an REI 3.5" pad on top and sleep like a baby.
Sounds like the LuxuryLite or something similar; http://www.luxurylite.com/ I used mine for about 3 months of actual usage and it works fine and packs small. Weights about 3 - 4 pounds, though.
This one is like the luxury lite but it's 2" wider at 26" and that can make a big difference in comfort if you are a Clydesdale. http://www.rei.com/product/846491/therm-a-rest-luxurylite-mesh-cot
REI mesh cot linked above and Luxurylite mesh cot are the same. Cascade Designs(Thermarest)bought Luxurylite and Luxurylite is now a dealer for their former product.This is explained on their home page. Look at specs on both sites,they are the same. JR356
Yes, I was trying to point out that the mesh version is 2" wider. More comfort. +$10. Only a few ounces more.
Unless you are backpacking and a gram counter, for 2-3 pounds and 2" I'd gladly save $200+ and get the military surplus one...just sayin'...
Looks similar to this cot that I picked up for cheap on CL. Put a 2.5" pad on it and sleep like a baby. Easy setup/takedown.
So - the only take-down cot that hasn't been mentioned yet is the Go Kot: http://www.campingcot.com/?section=original Very similar to the TriLite - except with 2 extra legs. They are lighter steel than the TriLite, but it is higher weight rated (350 lb vs 250 lb). They also have a "large" which is the same 26" width, but longer (7'1") Also comes in colors:
