Cabela's Heavy Duty Army Cot

So first let's look at what Cabela's says:

• Built to exacting specifications demanded by the military
• Heavy-duty polyester oxford
• Heavy-duty aluminum frame with steel tube inserts
• Will support up to 500 lbs.
• Easy to set up and take down
• Folds into a compact package

We built this cot to exacting quality standards demanded by military specifications. The sleeping area is 77''L x 28''W and constructed of heavy-duty polyester oxford for years of use. The frame is heavy-duty aluminum with added strength supplied by steel tube inserts that will support up to 500 lbs. The cot is easy to set up and take down, and it folds into a compact package secured by attached webbing straps with ladder locks. Imported.
Dimensions: 77''L x 28''W x 18''H.
Carry weight: 18 lbs.
Weight capacity: 500 lbs.

Now for my review... I actually purchased two of these cots so my experience isn't limited to a single defective unit.  (See I'm already being negative again.)  I suppose it's because I demand quality from my camping gear and I am sorely disappointed when it doesn't deliver.  As I review more items, I'll disclose some that truely are stellar products that I strongly endorse, but the cot today won't make that cut.

Well, the cot certainly handles weight well enough.  I didn't try to verify the 500lb limit, but it handled my 6'1" frame @ 270lb frame with relative ease.  It was stable in most directions and did not wobble or otherwise unduly sag.  I never felt like my heft was concerning to the cot.  However, the term "heavy duty" should be constrained to the weight bearing capacity of the cot and not the build quality.  I had problems with one of the straps that actually came off the rivet the first time I tried to use it.  Also, most of the plastic plugs did not want to stay in the holes.  I even lost 2 of them transporting the cots back and forth and campouts and never did find the plugs again.

That said, it was VERY squeaky from the polyester oxford against the aluminum.  I never did find a way to quiet it down, so any time I rolled over or repositioned myself, it was VERY creaky. 

I take significant issue with the claim of easy setup and take down.  The practice is much easier to describe than to perform- much in the same way as rock climbing.  "Just pull yourself up using the natural cracks and ledges and don't fall down."  Reality shows the physical strength to do this is much greater than the simple directions might suggest.  So it is with the Cabela's Heavy Duty cot.  While it is probably true of all Army style cots), the fact remains it was VERY difficult to stretch the material tight.  There was *NO WAY* that my 10-year old son could do it... nor even my wife.  In fact, with a small amount of embarrassment I admit that it was difficult for me to set it up and pull it tight enough to get the end pieces over the pins. 

One day after unsuccessfully trying for almost 10 minutes, I developed a technique that made it MUCH easier!  I discovered I could put the end pieces on rotated 90 degrees from where the holes needed to be.  Then by using a tent stake, dowel rod or large screwdriver I was able to excert a fair amount or torque and twist the bar into place.  This still proved too difficult for my wife and son, but was a technique I used repeatedly with pretty good reliability and minimal strain (that's compared to what it was previously).

I discovered I could also remove the plastic plugs that so easily fell out and it was MUCH easier to slip the end pieces in place as well.  This works as a solution as long as you're not planning to use the uprights to hold a mosquito bar in place, but the plastic pieces are necessary to keep the bar from needlessly rotating when the mosquito bar is up.

Finally, even after getting the cot up, it was still uncomfortable.  :-(  Ok, let me be fair, it's an Army cot, not a serta.  I used my thermarest base camp pad and achieved a decent level of comfort, but that is a credit to the Thermarest pad, not the cot.  I get near similar comfort with the Thermarest pad on the ground.  Consequently, I decided to sell the cots.

All-in-all, they just weren't worth keeping.  I wouldn't discourage you from buying them if you want an Army cot but it's not going to make the grade for Anthony's encorsement.