One of the great luxuries of car camping, cabin camping, or setting up a wall tent for deer season is that you don’t have to sleep on the ground. A good cot is essential equipment for these trips. A big cot is even better. Here are three things to look for when buying yours.

Cots take up a lot of room in a tent, or even in a cabin, especially big cots designed for big people. Look for cots that stand high enough off the ground to store your gear underneath. Your tent mates will appreciate your neatness when they don't trip over your duffel bag on the way to the outhouse in the middle of the night.

Looking for more beds to store at deer camp? If saving weight and space are not much of an issue, buy a cot with plenty of cushion and a strong frame.

If you're a big person, buy a bigger cot. There's nothing worse that trying to sleep with your feet hanging over the edge of your bed, unless it's trying to sleep with your feet resting on the metal crossbar at the end of your cot. Look for a large frame cot that breaks down into a small package, that way you'll have plenty of room for all your other gear in the back of your truck.

All that room below your cot is great for storage, but not so great for insulation. When the nights turns cold, even a sleeping bag won't be enough to keep you warm. You can look for a cot with a built in mattress to solve this problem, but these are harder to store than simple fabric cots and may not be rated for very cold weather. An easy solution is to bring a camping air mattress or (if you can afford the room) a foam mattress designed to insulate you from the cold.