Nov. 1 to the E. Sierra

[Eric]

Ariel two cots in a 8x7 tent is pretty tight. you might bring it back and get yourself a bigger tent.
Good luck on your trip
ERic

[John Harper]

You lost me at Coleman.

They make good (not great) stoves and lanterns, but everything else from them is junk.

Return it and get a good tall tent. Also get a good down bag to about 15*. There's no need for anything colder than 15* because, anything colder and it's generally past the lower limit of fishing weather.

I've been using a Coleman 8 x 10 for about four years, still in great shape. Last summer had a wee bit of trouble with the door zippers, but I think I just need to clean them good. I find it pretty easy to set up (two persons unfortunately), a 6' height (nice), and tarp like floor that seems rugged. No complaints here. We took a big windstorm while camping at Walker Lake, and she came through fine. Having stand up height is nice. I just need a smaller tent I can set up myself.

Think I'll buy a cot this coming year and put my Thermarest pad on top of it.

John

[fflutterffly]

I have already placed the cots in the tent after a trial set up in the park. Perfect. REI Comfort Cot just fits in length with room to spare for a small table between. I like the idea of thermorest on the cot, but that might have to wait for more $$$. The whole adventure might have to wait since I see the temps are really dropping.

[mk4]

REI Comfort Cot's come padded so you should be fine. It looks like about 1/2"-1" of open cell foam in a water-resistant cover. I've found that 3/8" foam is good down to freezing, so you should be pretty good. But it really depends on the firmness of the foam.

One more thing to consider, but with a tent that is barely bigger than the two cots, your bag may rub against the walls of the tent.This is even worse in shorter tents. If you have condensation in your tent, it will eventually get your bag wet. That's one of the reasons why a larger tent has been suggested.