Hi Folks
Apologies for resurrecting a very old thread but Pete suggested I do a report on the Thermarest Luxurylite cot I took with me to Rawnsley Park so I thought I'd just check the subject hadn't been raised before - and here it is (meaning I don't have to post any pictures and trying to describe the assembly as it is done for me per the video).
OK - they are not cheap. When I bought mine the Aussie dollar was around $1.04 and not in the $0.70's. Currently you can get them for around $240 - no idea what the postage would be but it shouldn't be much given the compactness of the cot.
My thoughts on the camp stretcher (better than cot) - I wouldn't go camping without it. At 60 I've decided I'm too old to to sleep on the ground (just as I've decided I'm too old to get dressed wriggling on my back in some short-arse tent). The camp stretcher weighs next to nothing, it packs into a side pannier very easily, it is dead easy to put together, I use a Katmandu inflatable mattress (thin but comfy & on special) so there is no problem with cold coming up, it is long and wide enough for a comfortable sleep, no wriggling around because of some pebble (or in the case of our ladies -a pea) disrupting my sleep. I cannot praise it enough. I've done a bit of looking around and there is a place in South Africa which makes a very good copy (it could be the real thing under a different name) for 2,000 rand which is about $186 - however, I've not had any luck purchasing anything out of South Africa, which doesn't mean others won't be more successful.
So, that's my report - would I buy one again - in the blink of an eye - nothing more important with touring than getting a good night's sleep and the Thermarest will give you that.
Cheers ... Mark
