i need some suggestion and ideas from u professional elk hunters. I plan on hunting wyoming rifle in late oct this year and i know the weather can get bad and cold so I\'m trying to figure out the best tent setup for two guys maybe three. I was looking at some wall tents for a base camp but also looking at a light weight tipi with a stove to backpack in aways if needed and this is what i was looking <!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"athttp://store.kifaru.net/6-man-tipi-p77.aspx\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">athttp://store.kifaru.net/6-man-tipi-p77.aspx</a><!-- m --> and then a light weight stove <!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://store.kifaru.net/box-stoves-stainless-steel-p87.aspx\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://store.kifaru.net/box-stoves-stai ... l-p87.aspx</a><!-- m --> For a later season hunt maybe it not necessary to pack in and get away maybe there is a lot less pressure during this time? If i was going to do a base camp i was looking at a couple different options for canvas tent and would be with two people each have a cot and one stove and gear. This first tent is a range tent and looking at the 12x12, easy set up but was concerned about the cots since they would probably have to be pushed towards the center more away from the wall cause of the slope of the tent.<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://cowboycamp.net/range_tents.php\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://cowboycamp.net/range_tents.php</a><!-- m --> The other tent i was looking at was a 12x12 selkirk spike tent.<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.walltentshop.com/spiketents.html\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://www.walltentshop.com/spiketents.html</a><!-- m --> This one look not to tough to set up either. The tent i plan on getting will have a stove jack for a stove to keep warm. I don\'t need a ton of space just enough room to have a stove and two cots and able to move a little to get dressed. What are your thoughts on this whole thing.
Elk camp
- Thread starter Retterath
- Start date
cohunter14
Administrator
- Jul 10, 2017
- 5,327
Brady, I don\'t know a bunch about backpacking in because I have never done it, but the couple of things to think about:
1) The weather can be very unpredictable that time of year. You will want to make sure you know what the forecast is before setting off from base camp for a few days.
2) I have never hunted Wyoming before, but if late October is anything like Colorado, there will be a lot of hunters. That doesn\'t mean that spike camps are necessary by any means, but you will have to find ways to escape the crowds.
As for a wall tent, I would highly recommend Davis Tent: http://www.davistent.com/index.cfm?id=D6AD921E-9897-3BFE-B304D96A477EA97F
We have owned two 14x16 tents from them, one which has lasted well over 20 years. Get one that is water and mildew treated (and maybe even fire - it would help). This is a great size tent. There will be plenty of room for 2-3 of you and you can even sleep 4 with cots and still have room for the wood burning stove, an eating table, and a cooking table.
Good luck!
1) The weather can be very unpredictable that time of year. You will want to make sure you know what the forecast is before setting off from base camp for a few days.
2) I have never hunted Wyoming before, but if late October is anything like Colorado, there will be a lot of hunters. That doesn\'t mean that spike camps are necessary by any means, but you will have to find ways to escape the crowds.
As for a wall tent, I would highly recommend Davis Tent: http://www.davistent.com/index.cfm?id=D6AD921E-9897-3BFE-B304D96A477EA97F
We have owned two 14x16 tents from them, one which has lasted well over 20 years. Get one that is water and mildew treated (and maybe even fire - it would help). This is a great size tent. There will be plenty of room for 2-3 of you and you can even sleep 4 with cots and still have room for the wood burning stove, an eating table, and a cooking table.
Good luck!
Well, I have a tipi/stove (6-man) and I really like it -- but you\'ve got to know there are some limitations.
First, if you\'re camping only near a vehicle, get a Davis wall tent. I spoke with them last week at the sportsman show and they really have a fine product and decent prices.
Why a wall tent? Because of the stove. A Kifaru stove is not an all-night heat source. It\'s good for that hour or so before bed and in the morning. It\'s good as long as you feed it about every 20-30 minutes. It\'s an excellent safety feature, too ... if you end up cold and wet, you can dry out and warm up quickly in a 100-degree tipi!
But I didn\'t want to always camp near the road. I like to backpack or horse-pack in, and for that, the Kifaru was great. A wall tent, even a modest-sized one, is a lot to carry, and with the stove about maxes out one horse. A tipi, on the other hand, with a stove, comes in at about 12 pounds. The horse doesn\'t notice it and can also carry my other stuff.
A six-man tipi is not capable of sleeping six men. Two or three, and three would be cramped. The cots, if used, will have to be about 4-6\" high, not the usual cots.
I\'m thinking about a Kifaru or Seek-Outside 12-man tipi because of the size issue. A bigger stove will burn longer, and the larger size means I can get a liner to take care of condensation without giving up too much living space. It\'ll still be easy to pack, and large enough to walk into standing up.
Kifaru does make some bomb-proof stuff, but if I were going late season, when dark hours of sitting in a tent can be longer, I\'d vote for a wall tent if I could get it where I want it. You\'d save money that way, too.
First, if you\'re camping only near a vehicle, get a Davis wall tent. I spoke with them last week at the sportsman show and they really have a fine product and decent prices.
Why a wall tent? Because of the stove. A Kifaru stove is not an all-night heat source. It\'s good for that hour or so before bed and in the morning. It\'s good as long as you feed it about every 20-30 minutes. It\'s an excellent safety feature, too ... if you end up cold and wet, you can dry out and warm up quickly in a 100-degree tipi!
But I didn\'t want to always camp near the road. I like to backpack or horse-pack in, and for that, the Kifaru was great. A wall tent, even a modest-sized one, is a lot to carry, and with the stove about maxes out one horse. A tipi, on the other hand, with a stove, comes in at about 12 pounds. The horse doesn\'t notice it and can also carry my other stuff.
A six-man tipi is not capable of sleeping six men. Two or three, and three would be cramped. The cots, if used, will have to be about 4-6\" high, not the usual cots.
I\'m thinking about a Kifaru or Seek-Outside 12-man tipi because of the size issue. A bigger stove will burn longer, and the larger size means I can get a liner to take care of condensation without giving up too much living space. It\'ll still be easy to pack, and large enough to walk into standing up.
Kifaru does make some bomb-proof stuff, but if I were going late season, when dark hours of sitting in a tent can be longer, I\'d vote for a wall tent if I could get it where I want it. You\'d save money that way, too.
i would like to have a wall tent setup but also like to be mobile and won\'t have wall tent and tipi with stove. i would like to stay away from all the people and get back in aways but that might not be the best option either. I guess it really depends on weather and what i want to spend my money on for a camp. After spending a week in alaska this year I\'m fine with a small camp and don\'t need all the amenities.
I have hunted 40F rainy weather, and have been miserable I have also hunted zero F degree weather and been fine. You will not last long if you are miserable most of the day. The key is to be warm, dry and have good food. Sometimes the weather causes you to compromise on where you go and what you do. Just remember if you are going to stay in the game, you need to be reasonably comfortable or, you will not last long.
cohunter14
Administrator
- Jul 10, 2017
- 5,327
I recommend Davis simply because one of our tents is over 20 years old and is still in perfect shape. The other is going on 10 or more years now and is the exact same. They are very solidly made.
Setup time? I would say 10-15 minutes if you are by yourself and less if you have help. They go up pretty quick. One thing I would recommend if you go with one of their tents is to get the pole setup that is a frame on the outside. It has more poles and is therefore heavier to transport, but it is easier to setup and you also don\'t have to deal with a pole in the middle of the tent. I think it is sturdier in bad conditions as well.
Setup time? I would say 10-15 minutes if you are by yourself and less if you have help. They go up pretty quick. One thing I would recommend if you go with one of their tents is to get the pole setup that is a frame on the outside. It has more poles and is therefore heavier to transport, but it is easier to setup and you also don\'t have to deal with a pole in the middle of the tent. I think it is sturdier in bad conditions as well.
I actually have 3 wall tents. One is more of a backup
One has a floor, two don\'t
I don\'t use wood, I use propane
The green tent below is the one with a sewn in floor. It\'s heavy, but very warm.
I\'ve had it a long, long time. 25 years or so.
It been a lot of places
One has a floor, two don\'t
I don\'t use wood, I use propane
The green tent below is the one with a sewn in floor. It\'s heavy, but very warm.
I\'ve had it a long, long time. 25 years or so.
It been a lot of places
Brady, I use both wall tents and lightweight backpacking tents and shelters.
As Brad indicated, I used a Moutnainsmith Mountain Shelter with a Titanium Goat backpacking wood stove for this past October elk hunt in Colorado, where we backpacked in a couple of miles. This is a floorless shelter and it will fit two people and a stove, but not both guys backpacks. But, for one person it is great, as I had enough room for my backpack, rifle on one side and my sleeping bag on the other. The jury is still out for me on if I like floorless sleep systems. I had a SOL emergency bivy that I put my sleeping bag in, but it didn\'t fit my sleeping pad, so my pad got a little dirty from the dust/dirt. This is a cheaper option, as I wanted to check out a floorless shelter and the Mountainsmith was under $100 with sales and promotions from Sierra Trading Post.
The Titanium Goat stove worked great at drying out our boots at night from walking through snow, and it was nice to be able to warm up in the mornings and evenings. The small stove needs to be stoked and will not keep a fire all night, but it sure was great having warmth from a stove. I liked the way the Titanium Goat WiFi stove assembled and how sturdy it was. Another I was looking at besides the Kifaru you posted was the Seek Outside stove. So, a couple more options for you to check out, but I am very happy with the Titanium goat.
When we do a base camp we have two outfitter wall tents from Cabelas. One is the 12\'x12\' Alaknak and the other is a discontinued ISQ. Both of these have an integral floor, so we always take our boots off outside the tent to keep it clean inside. We run a tarp underneath to help keep gound moisture out (primarily when setting it up, as the ground will dry out when the wood stove is running). Just be sure to make sure the tarp footprint is smaller than the tent footprint, so that if it rains or snows the moisture doesn\'t collect on the tarp and then run on top of the tarp resulting in a wet floor. The tarp also helps protect punctures to the floor from ground rocks, twigs, etc.
In this photo you can see the tarp underneath the stove area that is zipped open. If not using a stove you can keep the floor zipped up.
A big help and item I would recommend if you go with the Cabelas tents are the vestibules. You can put a couple of chairs in here, a small table and have a place to sit down to take off and put on your boots entering and exiting the tent. Here is a link to the Cabela\'s Alaknak tents. We have had ours for almost 15 years and they are doing great. When you click on the link, the main photo is of their largest tent, but you can see the vestibule attached to the front. The vents have been re-designed since my tent, and they look to be a nice improvement from mine (they were a hard molded clamshell type vent.
<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Tents-Shelters/Outfitter-Tents%7C/pc/104795280/c/104779080/sc/104481180/Cabelas-Ultimate-Alaknak8482-Tent-150-12-x-12/732548.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Foutfitter-tents%2F_%2FN-1100672%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104481180%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104795280%253Bcat104779080&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104795280%3Bcat104779080%3Bcat104481180\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/ ... t104481180</a><!-- m -->
Here is a photo of my Alaknak tent.
This is both Cabelas tents with the ISQ with exterior pods in the foreground:
I have heard the Davis tents are very good as well. The Cabelas tents are their X-Treme tent cloth, which is not canvas, but has been holding up great for us. I haven\'t used a canvas tent and most of them I have seen are floorless, and you can add a floor, but it is not integral like the Cabelas Alaknaks, so your personal preference will come into play. Not sure how much dust/dirt wind drafts get into the canvas tents where they meet the ground, but something to think about.
Now, to your question of which one to choose. If you are on a budget like the rest of us, and can\'t buy both a tipi and a wall tent, I would probably suggest the 8 man Kifaru and backpacking stove - if you are planning on using it for backpack hunting. That way you can use it as both a main base tent and as a backpacking tent for 3 guys and gear. If you buy a wall tent, then there is no way you are going to pack that sucker in on your back! You would be hamstrung to utilize the wall tent as a base camp. Then there is the Mountainsmith option of a 1 person shelter with gear, but each person would have to buy their own stove if they all wanted heat in their shelter.
As Brad indicated, I used a Moutnainsmith Mountain Shelter with a Titanium Goat backpacking wood stove for this past October elk hunt in Colorado, where we backpacked in a couple of miles. This is a floorless shelter and it will fit two people and a stove, but not both guys backpacks. But, for one person it is great, as I had enough room for my backpack, rifle on one side and my sleeping bag on the other. The jury is still out for me on if I like floorless sleep systems. I had a SOL emergency bivy that I put my sleeping bag in, but it didn\'t fit my sleeping pad, so my pad got a little dirty from the dust/dirt. This is a cheaper option, as I wanted to check out a floorless shelter and the Mountainsmith was under $100 with sales and promotions from Sierra Trading Post.
The Titanium Goat stove worked great at drying out our boots at night from walking through snow, and it was nice to be able to warm up in the mornings and evenings. The small stove needs to be stoked and will not keep a fire all night, but it sure was great having warmth from a stove. I liked the way the Titanium Goat WiFi stove assembled and how sturdy it was. Another I was looking at besides the Kifaru you posted was the Seek Outside stove. So, a couple more options for you to check out, but I am very happy with the Titanium goat.
When we do a base camp we have two outfitter wall tents from Cabelas. One is the 12\'x12\' Alaknak and the other is a discontinued ISQ. Both of these have an integral floor, so we always take our boots off outside the tent to keep it clean inside. We run a tarp underneath to help keep gound moisture out (primarily when setting it up, as the ground will dry out when the wood stove is running). Just be sure to make sure the tarp footprint is smaller than the tent footprint, so that if it rains or snows the moisture doesn\'t collect on the tarp and then run on top of the tarp resulting in a wet floor. The tarp also helps protect punctures to the floor from ground rocks, twigs, etc.
In this photo you can see the tarp underneath the stove area that is zipped open. If not using a stove you can keep the floor zipped up.
A big help and item I would recommend if you go with the Cabelas tents are the vestibules. You can put a couple of chairs in here, a small table and have a place to sit down to take off and put on your boots entering and exiting the tent. Here is a link to the Cabela\'s Alaknak tents. We have had ours for almost 15 years and they are doing great. When you click on the link, the main photo is of their largest tent, but you can see the vestibule attached to the front. The vents have been re-designed since my tent, and they look to be a nice improvement from mine (they were a hard molded clamshell type vent.
<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Tents-Shelters/Outfitter-Tents%7C/pc/104795280/c/104779080/sc/104481180/Cabelas-Ultimate-Alaknak8482-Tent-150-12-x-12/732548.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Foutfitter-tents%2F_%2FN-1100672%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104481180%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104795280%253Bcat104779080&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104795280%3Bcat104779080%3Bcat104481180\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/ ... t104481180</a><!-- m -->
Here is a photo of my Alaknak tent.
This is both Cabelas tents with the ISQ with exterior pods in the foreground:
I have heard the Davis tents are very good as well. The Cabelas tents are their X-Treme tent cloth, which is not canvas, but has been holding up great for us. I haven\'t used a canvas tent and most of them I have seen are floorless, and you can add a floor, but it is not integral like the Cabelas Alaknaks, so your personal preference will come into play. Not sure how much dust/dirt wind drafts get into the canvas tents where they meet the ground, but something to think about.
Now, to your question of which one to choose. If you are on a budget like the rest of us, and can\'t buy both a tipi and a wall tent, I would probably suggest the 8 man Kifaru and backpacking stove - if you are planning on using it for backpack hunting. That way you can use it as both a main base tent and as a backpacking tent for 3 guys and gear. If you buy a wall tent, then there is no way you are going to pack that sucker in on your back! You would be hamstrung to utilize the wall tent as a base camp. Then there is the Mountainsmith option of a 1 person shelter with gear, but each person would have to buy their own stove if they all wanted heat in their shelter.
thats some good info huey, thanks for posting the info. I think im going to get a wall tent this year with stove and then get a sawtooth or one like u had. Did that backpacking tent u had in that pic come with a stove jack in it or did u have to cut one in yourself and sew it in. I like that goat stove u have, i wonder if there are much different between the kifaru, seek outside and the goat stove.
Brady, I had a stove jack sewn in by Bear Paw Wilderness Designs in Fort Collins Colorado. I live in Denver, so I just drove up there to drop it off and pick it up when done. The owner John was great to work with.
The Ti Goat body is titanium foil, so the body is rounded while the top and bottoms of the stove are rectangular. I think the Kifaru and Seek outside are true box designs. One difference I think just looking at the other two, is the air dampers appear to seal better since they are on a flat surface, rather than the curved damper on the Ti Goat. All 3 appear to be proven designs and I think there are youtube videos on all of them to help you decide what suits you better. Kifaru also has an oval stove with the body similar to the Ti Goat, I just had a better feel for the assembly connections of the Ti Goat, as the Kifaru oval stove used Ti wires to secure the parts together. The Ti Goat has threaded legs that screw into the top plate of the stove, which I liked better.
Seems like you will havea great set up with the information everyone has posted - good luck!
The Ti Goat body is titanium foil, so the body is rounded while the top and bottoms of the stove are rectangular. I think the Kifaru and Seek outside are true box designs. One difference I think just looking at the other two, is the air dampers appear to seal better since they are on a flat surface, rather than the curved damper on the Ti Goat. All 3 appear to be proven designs and I think there are youtube videos on all of them to help you decide what suits you better. Kifaru also has an oval stove with the body similar to the Ti Goat, I just had a better feel for the assembly connections of the Ti Goat, as the Kifaru oval stove used Ti wires to secure the parts together. The Ti Goat has threaded legs that screw into the top plate of the stove, which I liked better.
Seems like you will havea great set up with the information everyone has posted - good luck!
Here is a link that may be useful to you - maybe others too
They rent equipment
<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.outdoorsgeek.com/\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://www.outdoorsgeek.com/</a><!-- m -->
check out the 8x10 wall tent and stove package for $200
Looks like a deal to me!
They rent equipment
<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.outdoorsgeek.com/\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://www.outdoorsgeek.com/</a><!-- m -->
check out the 8x10 wall tent and stove package for $200
Looks like a deal to me!
What stove would u guys recommend. 4 dog stove? I was looking at at a wilderness stove also. This one.
<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.walltentshop.com/woodcampstoves.html\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://www.walltentshop.com/woodcampstoves.html</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.walltentshop.com/woodcampstoves.html\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://www.walltentshop.com/woodcampstoves.html</a><!-- m -->
