wall tent alternative

[Billy Goat]

My uncle has a 10x20 portable carport.

something like this:

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It has steel tube framing, and no floor. It does have 4 pretty good sides.

Has any of you ever tried using one for a base camp wall tent?

I\'d need to cut in a flue jack and add fire blanket matls around it, but it seems like that ought to work.

I\'d rather have a \"real\" wall tent, but already have free access to this thing.

Any wisdom/insight/experience?

shane

 

[bowhunter]

It should work as a shelter from the weather. You will probably experience some condensation inside as it will not breathe like canvas. You might be able to find a used wall tent resonable on Craigslist. I picked up a 12x14 fire retardend wall tent with a heavy duty rain fly for $200. I built my own internal frame for it with materials I had already.

 

[cnelk]

Google \'Shed in a Box\'. A couple years ago my buddies brought out one.
It worked pretty good for them. They slept in it, and cooked in it.
If you have another use for something like that, it could be the way to go

 

[cohunter14]

My only concern would be the stability of it in a storm. The wall tents that we have secure down on the sides and also have tie down ropes. This one looks like it just secures the posts into the ground. I would assume it has to be somewhat sturdy to be a car port, but that would be my main question. The other question I would have is does it have some venting on the inside? If you have a stove going or even a lantern, you will need some air flow going through. Otherwise, it should work fine I would think.

 

[Deertick]

Those things are surprisingly sturdy in the wind ... we put on an event every year and have one of those up for 5 days in the Wyoming wind ... I\'ve always been skeptical, but it\'s really rode out some pretty tough wind ... wind that literally crushed some other shelters nearby. Seems every year we get at least one night of some pretty strong winds.

As cnelk said, if you have another use for it, it might be the way to go. If you are planning a large, road-based hunt, it might be nice for a cook tent, but you could probably sleep in it. Ventilation isn\'t bad. You could have indoor parking for your ATV -- that would class the place up.

They are not fun to put up, or tear down, or store. They\'re big, bulky, and awkward. They\'re noisy in the wind. But they would work OK.

 

[TetonStorm]

My brother and I used one years ago before I bought a wall tent. We trailered it in behind my quad and put it up.
Pros- we had a 10x20 shelter that was bomber in bad weather. ( we created guy lines to lock it down)

Cons- it is a super pain to setup for many reasons.
-they are really tall inside(I should\'ve brought a ladder for setup)
-very bulky and big
-did I say they were huge! :train:
-they are very loud when it\'s honking.

Either way if it\'s something you can use it will serve you well for a bomber shelter. It\'s just not as slick as a wall tent. An investment in a wall tent is worth the money. I use mine all year for car camping and quad or horse camping. I also use it for yard parties at my house with hay bales inside for kids to hang out in around the bonfire. It\'s one of the best purchases I\'ve made for outdoor living!!

 

[elky McElkerson]

yup.

deer hunting. we were even more archaic. we had an EZ-up. one of those shelters you see at soccer mom tables and swap meets.

we had the sides, and we kinda made a huge \"vestibule\" for our crappy six man tent. we guyed it down hard! it was more comfy in that thing, than the tent.

we got a foot of snow and nothing moved. i was kinda nice. funny, shanty town looking, but nice.

 

[cnelk]

The EZ up can be a good item to use in camp.
A buddy of mine sets his up, takes a roll of shrink wrap and wraps the entire canopy poles all the way up.
Then just cut a flap for an opening.
It lets light in and wind proof

 

[timberland]

We use the carport every year. We take the end walls and just attach the tops and drape them over a regular sleeping tent and tie them down with the door under the canopy. Completely dry and having a floor where you sleep is nice. Easy way to set it up is to build the frame but don\'t attach the legs. Drape the canopy over it and attach it in a couple spots so it stays on. One guy can lift it on one end and another guy sticks the legs in. No ladder needed.

 

[Billy Goat]

excellent feedback guys. thanks much.

 

[bowhunter]

Easy way to set it up is to build the frame but don\'t attach the legs. Drape the canopy over it and attach it in a couple spots so it stays on. One guy can lift it on one end and another guy sticks the legs in. No ladder needed.

This is how I put my 12x14 wall tent up by myself. I put the top frame together, throw the tent over that, then lift on end at a time and insert the legs.

 

[Billy Goat]

Jacob/Tetonstorm,

if yall had assembled your carport/topper on the ground as mentioned above, do you think you\'d have liked it better overall?

I expect the noise will be frustrating, but I figure on wearing earplugs anyhow. One unnamed member of our group (my dad) is the 300 WM of snorers..... :wtf:

shane

 

[TetonStorm]

I think it will work out great for you. Just to clarify we did set it up with the cover over it before we lifted and slipped the legs in. The problem was we didn\'t think about tying our guy lines, lantern hangers, clothes lines and such before we lifted and put the legs on which left us using a four wheeler as a step stool for those items. It\'ll be a great shelter.

 

[Billy Goat]

thanks for the feedback. great insight on pre-hanging items too.