Whether you’re going with a group of friends or taking the family out for a nice weekend getaway, camping can be such a great experience. But, poor sleeping conditions can turn any camping trip sour very quickly. Individual camping cots can be a great solution to sleeping on the ground as well as avoiding the hassle of setting up an air mattress and making sure it stays inflated. You can build your own camping cot out of PVC Pipes and fittings.
Materials: Adult Size Cot
1-1/2” PVC Pipe – 20 ft or 240”
1-1/2” 90 Degree Elbows - 6
1-1/2” Tee’s - 6
1-1/2” End Caps – 6
7 Yards of 10oz Duck Cloth Canvas – You’ll have plenty left over for any repairs or patching that the canvas may need.
PVC Cement & Primer
Sewing Machine
If you need to make a child-size cot a smaller diameter PVC size would work down to ¾”. You will need to just adjust your lengths as necessary.
Step 1:
Cut the PVC Pipe to desired lengths.
6 lengths at 6” long
4 lengths at 2” long
4 lengths at 36” long
2 lengths at 26” long
Step 2:
Take one 26” long pipe and connect the 90 Degree Elbows on each end. Repeat.
Step 3:
Insert the 2” lengths into the 4, 90-degree Elbows. (About 1” of the pipe should be visible on each elbow.)
Step 4:
Connect a side outlet of a Tee to the 1” length sticking out of the elbow. Repeat this step 3 more times and adjust the Tee so that the center socket is pointing down towards the ground.
Step 5:
In the Horizontal Socket of one PVC Tee, insert the 36” length. Repeat for the other 3 tees.
Step 6:
With the 2 remaining Tees, connect the 36” lengths to create a rectangle. Make sure that the center sockets on these tees are also pointing down towards the ground.
Step 7:
Take the 6” lengths of pipe and insert them into the downward-facing center socket of each Tee.
Step 8:
Take the 6 caps and cap off the end of the 6” lengths of Pipe.
You now have your PVC COT Frame.
Step 9:
Cut the fabric so that it drapes over the entire cot and wraps around to create a snug fit from each of the 4 sides.
Step 10:
Cut semi-circles at each corner and in the middle to allow for the tees to be visible. On the width side, you’ll need to sew a loop so the 26” length pipe is able to slide through. Repeat on the other end.
Step 11:
On the long sides, sew 2 loops on each side, separated by the center semi-circle.
Step 12:
Assemble with the canvas. Now you’re all set to take your cot camping.
You can cement the elbows, tees, end caps for sturdiness. The longer lengths should not be cemented so that the fabric can be removed for transportation and cleaning from time to time. If you choose to hand wash the fabric or travel with the cot assembled, you can cement all connections on the cot for maximum strength.