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Byer of Maine’s Allagash Plus Cot Review

• Made of sturdy, durable materials; aluminum frame and heavy-duty polyester fabric.
• Has a massive sleeping surface.
• Rolls up into an easy-to-carry bundle.
• No comfort-fettering end bars.

• The assembly process requires some considerable effort.
• Has a low profile ‐ it barely elevates you off the ground.
• The additional material in the middle of the cot create some discomfort.
• No carrying pouch.

Byer of Maine, a company worthy of its reputation, prides itself in a lineup of highly-rated outdoor gear and the Allagash Plus cot is just a peek into some of their outstanding products.

A result of the function-meets-form design, the Allagash Plus cot is heavily inspired by Byer of Maine’s successful Trilite Cot.

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Which Type of Cot is This?

Despite its large dimensions, the Allagash Plus cot can be folded into a tiny bundle thus falling under the lightweight, collapsible types of camping cots. To be clear, only the frame of this cot is collapsible ‐ the legs are detachable.

With the detachable legs, you will require some assembly to get the cot into a usable form. However, the assembly is fairly manageable given that the sidebars and the sleeping deck are already pre-attached

Design and Build of the Cot

With a low-profile design, this cot will suffice in getting you barely off the ground. Still, the 8-inches height is enough to keep the critters away and to offer the much needed breathability especially in summer nights.

Its bold 250-pound load capacity rating is affirmed by the use of sturdy, high-quality and durable materials. The frame is made of lightweight, durable aluminum while the four W-shaped legs are made of strong, heat-treated spring steel.

The tension formed by the legs keeps the top fabric taut and comfy while the W-shaped design is friendly and gentle to your tent flooring.

This low-profile camping bed measures 75 inches long by 30 inches wide, which is more than enough space for most adults. The cot top is made of heavy-duty polyester fabric with a notable 600 denier rating. Plus, the fabric has mildew/mold-resistant and non-slip qualities.

When the cot top does get dirty, you can wash the cover with soap and water without much worry of damaging the fabric. Getting the cover over and out of the side poles is easy as the poles slip out without much hassle.

A middle bar in a camping cot can make it very uncomfortable and usually necessitates the use of a sleeping pad for cushioning. Even though the Allagash Plus Cot doesn’t have the middle bar, the extra material added at this particular point can create a similar and unnecessary discomfort.

The discomfort is only made bearable by the thought of the fact that this material is added here for extra support and to enhance durability. You will recall that this is the point that experiences most stresses when folding and unfolding the cot every other time.

Portability of the Cot

When done using the cot, simply tuck the legs into their sleeves and roll up the frame into an easy-to-carry package using the attached straps. The legs will also double up as handles to facilitate carrying the cot from the campsite to the car.

The Allagash weighs a mere 8.5 pounds which makes it very lightweight and an easy-carry. But you might be disappointed by its folded length which isn’t so small. The cot folds into a 40” x 6” x 4” structure.

Setups and Teardowns

Alike most lightweight camping cots, the tradeoffs made in favor of lightweight, portable products compromise on the ease of assembly and disassembly.

Setting up the Allagash cot requires jamming the four steel legs into the given holes in the frame.

Typically, inserting the last leg always proves to be a headache regardless of the brand of the collapsible cot. Luckily, the Allagash Plus camping bed includes a removable “soft grip” to help you gain a firm grip when getting the legs in.

The process might seem a bit tedious for first timers but after having many nights with this cot, it will all get much easier.

Best Applicable Use

A good option for sleepovers, camping, and other outdoor activities, the Allagash Plus is a conveniently lightweight and affordable spare bed with a lot to offer. The assembly of the cot is nevertheless not as friendly for most people as some force is needed to get the legs in place.

In fact, this difficulty of assembly is the one biggest flaw of the Allagash Plus Cot and which hampers its favor as your go-to cot for any use.

Still, owing to its not-so-little weight, the Allagash Plus is not your typical backapacking kind of cot. Add this to the rather too much length of its folded version and it suddenly becomes apparent that this point is inarguable. Therefore, you may need a car, a motorcycle or a bike to better transport and store this cot.

In our review of the best camping cots, we rated the Alps Mountaineering Ready Lite Cot as the lightest in the lightweight cots category. Coming in at only 4.8 pounds in weight, this cot is only slightly over half the weight of the Allagash Plus Cot (8.5 lbs). You may therefore want to check it out if you are more into backpacking and hiking as opposed to other forms of camping that require a mode of transport.

Recreational spaces such as campgrounds, summer camps, fishing spots and open-air festivals will go hand in hand with the Allagash Plus cot.

It is especially safe to use the Allagash Plus cot in a tent as the W-shaped legs won’t dig into or damage your tent’s footprint. You will especially be pleased by the low-profile design which makes the cot highly usable in solo tents and other low-profile tents.

Compare With Other Lightweight Camping Cots

Conclusion

The Allagash Plus cot performed quite well on a number of scales we use to evaluate different camping cots.

It is made of sturdy and durable material that include aluminum frame, heat-treated steel legs and heavy-duty polyester fabric. Its W-shaped legs are especially gentle on tent flooring.

However, this cot is not as user-friendly as other lightweight cots we’ve reviewed before! It is fairly difficult to setup, packs some extra pounds of weight and is a bit bulky when folded down. As such, you may want to make it your perfect bet for bike camping and other forms of camping that offer motorized means of transportation. If you’re the daring type however, you may still rough it up and backpack with it.