Hey Gang--
I'm tryin' to change up my routine. Been hunting with a bunch of guys out of a cabin in central VA. Primarily a gun club in a county that runs deer with dogs during parts of the season, but a few of the guys hunt wheelies and crossbows during archery season. I switched to trad this year and want to expand my "primitive" experience by trying some tent camp hunting. (you know . . .ditch the comfy cabin, showers, sat. TV, etc...) I think I'd like to get a decent tent and head to the mountains for a change of pace.
Currently, I am comparing the canvas wall tents, the blend wall tents, and the dome tents. I have some experience with dome tents, but only in fair weather Spring/Summer camping. Anybody with wall tent experience care to share your impressions? Are they worht the money, weight, etc?
Thanks!
Kingsnake
Not a wall tent, but I'd also look at tipis from Seek Outside.
In my opinion the Alaskan guide from cabelas is one of the best out there. I have had my 8 man in high winds and tons of rain, very cold weather and exteme heat. It is the best I have ever had. I can put up the 8 man by myself in about 10 minutes. If my wife is helping in about 5.
I just use a 10 X 10 tarp, many ways of pitching it, but I've got to admit a good wall tent with a stove is nice in bad conditions if you can handle the weight.
If you go with a canvas wall tent, Davis tent is excellent quality and a great company to deal with.
If your budget will take it, either a Hilleberg or a Montana if you want the extra room and can stand the weight of a wall tent. Here's the links:
http://www.hilleberg.com/usa.htm
http://www.montanacanvas.com/collections/wall-tents
Thanks, Gang! And ChrisM.....I'm already envisioning my twist on your comment:
ChrisM: "I can put up the 8 man by myself in about 10 minutes. If my wife is helping in about 5."
Me: "I can put up the 8 man by myself in about 10 minutes. If my wife is helping in about 45."
:bigsmyl:
Kingsnake
For packing in, Kifaru gear, never have to look back !
Good luck.
Alaskan Guide X2.
Got few questions:
1. Are you backpacking in?
2. If so, how far?
3. What is VA weather like at the altitudes/time of year?
If you are car camping, there is a huge difference in gear. If you are backpacking, and snow is a possibility, things change again.
Afriend bought the Kifaru,and they are impressive!Take a good look at them.They are so light,and with a tiny stove they have are the total wilderness hunters dream.The cabelas are a great bang for the buck too.Canvas is good too,but your going to need a pickup or horse to transport it.I have an old well used canvas confederate "A" frame that is great for 2 people w/woodstove and custom stove jack made by Davis tent,for when I am camped were I can drive to.Then I have the NorthFace 1 man bivy for when I go into the wilderness spike camping.Nice unit.Made for mountaineers.Also check REI coop. as they carry all the latest ones that mountain climbers use.Pricey,but good stuff.
All good questions, Daz! Simple answer is that I'm still trying to figure it out. Still new to trad. So far, outside of my hunting cabin experience, most of my "mountain hunting" has been in the form of day trips to the relatively short hills just an hour and a half outside of DC. The few times that I have camped out there have been warm weather trips for put-n-take trout. So . . .essentially car camping. Park the truck, pitch the tent, fish.
BUT . . I am looking to step things up a notch. longer trips...more seclusion. Possibly some packing in. but even simply just staying in the woods for a week would be a big step for a cabin-bound hunter like myself. But I'm up for it!
Kingsnake
The Alaskan Guide no longer has closeable roof vents, or I would be buying another. My eight-man's fly gave up the ghost this year. I hate to buy a whole new tent, but where could I get a replacement fly? Customer service says that the flies for the new model AGs won't fit the old tents.
I have no yard, so if I pull down a wet tent I need to spread it out in a small storage unit to dry. A wall tent, wet, is not something that I want to deal with. I will likely buy another dome tent. I am playing with the idea of incorporating a wood stove into the mix, but it would have to be used in a vestibule or cookshack with the pipe downwind of the structure.
I have the AG gazebo, which is fairly large and has three doors. This might work with a stove. It is only three years old and unpacked with a couple of rips this year. I am wondering about its durability.
I am currently heating with propane, Mr Buddy in the tent, and The Pregnant Lady in the cookshack. It is a comfortable camp.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Killdeer/93F2ECC3-EB47-4F14-81CF-8474057E9082-14622-000018821522CEC7.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Killdeer/Hunting%20and%20Camp/2011%20Highland%20Hunt/Freshcamp037.jpg)
Killdeer :campfire:
In the Marines I slept in canvas GP tents in Wisconsin,Bridgeport Cali, and Norway. Canvas tents and a small heater are like home or cabin. I have a coleman waterproof tent (dark green) that is awesome, the floor comes up a full 12" all around he side and the height is over 6'inside.
There are a lot of tents and materials to choose from, just keep weight and space availability(if you back pack in) as a consideration when choosing.
for extened stays you can not beat a wall tent. roomy. you can stand upright in them. easy to heat. stand up in any weather. they are pricey. mine is a davis tent 12x14. great quality and tough
I run a Kifaru sawtooth and I couldn't be happier for 1-2 men in the backcountry.
There are so many variables and options. I have used a couple with my elk hunting buddies. We have used a home made designed canvas wall tent and a Cabela's Alakanak with 5 or 6 hunters. That is when we set a base camp. I have spiked out of that camp with both a one or two man tent for just myself. Lots of people switch every so often looking for that perfect mouse trap. Good luck in your search as a personal preference usually means trial and error.
The Cabela's tent goes up fast and relatively easy and is what we use now. We have used a couple of different types of propane stoves and both worked well.
The further from the truck, the tougher you need to be. The lighter you have to pack. The weather plays a big role in how hard you can hunt. The more people that go with you determins what added camp luxeries you can enjoy. I always envied hunters with guides. Not the ones that do your hunting for you, but the ones that set up camp,cook,do dishes,gut,drag snd clean game.
That was a great and honest answer Kingsnake!
My thought would be to look at a good three season, two person tent. Not too much weight, and yet versatile size wise. Look for two vestibules, and don't worry about freestanding or not, and nothing more than 5 pounds.
Use it. Learn to camp and backpack as adventures on their own. Learn what you like and don't like about certain seasons, and what works and doesn't gear wise.
I'm a hardcore gear junky, and have found that if you are serious about backcountry hunting, there is no "one perfect" pack, stove, or tent. This becomes expensive. There are several versatile pieces of kit, but nothing is without drawbacks, least of which is the $100 rule.
That means past a certain point, for every pound saved on gear weight, it costs approximately an extra hundred bucks.It gets expensive after a while. Don't be afraid of end of season close outs, or gently used new gear.
Backpacking forums and magazines are great sources of info.
Winter camping is a whole different game, and needs to approached with a different set of rules and gear.
Wall tents are great, but big investments, and not very versatile.
Why spend big $$ until you are sure of what you really are into?
I have a golite shangrila 3 for packing on my back into the mountains; great two man tent and even better single man tent, very versital and light. Pitch it with then floor and bug net, just the teepee rainfly, or just the bug screen with floor, one pole and easy.
For base camp the cabelas outback lodge 10x10 has served me very well the past few years, easy to setup alone, even the wife can do it solo in about 10 minutes. Has been a great replacement for my old cabelas alaskan guide model that passed on a few seasons ago.
I like the DAVIS wall tents if you're going to be out for 4+ days. But if you don't have a horse or some method of getting in the back country not worth the weight. The super nice thing is that you can stand up ,have a cot, a nice stove. Etc. the cot alone is in my opinion makes all the difference. if you don't have a horse. Go with a bigger 2 man or 3 man tent that you can backpack in. Will be a lot less cramped than a 1 man plus gear.
Kifaru, Snowtrekker,Panther Primatives, Davis, Beckel Tents some to look at if you want a stove inside.....what kind of use are you looking at???pack in on your back??? pack in with animals to carry the heavy stuff??? base camp with car truck 4X4?? lots of options but yea got to know what you want it for....
I use a Kodiak canvas tent. We bought the big one. In the summer it fits our family of four and a mastiff with room to spare. My buddy and I used it for elk this year. Plenty comfy. Sets up in about five minutes.
I have visions of my self on back-country, pack-in elk hunts without another human in sight(despite the fact that I haven't touched a horse since grade school pony rides more than 40 years ago).
I think I will try to extend my seasonal camping adventures with my wife . . .canoe/fishing trips...then see if I can get one of my hut buddies to join me in getting our collective fat a$$es off the cabin sofa and out into the REAL woods for a week. If it turns out that I just end up doin' a solo gig, then I guess I really don't want all the extra expense/headache of the wall tent.
Thanks, again!
Kingsnake
I would stay away from canvas anything if there is any chance you'll have to pack it. Also domes or variations on then provide the most space for the weight. One man tents are light, but really small, should be called one-pygmy tents. Make sure the rain fly for whatever you get extends all the way to the ground. I agree that 2 vestibules is best if possible.
Once the "holidays" are over, we should brainstorm over some foam targets. I am Imelda Marcos when it comes to shopping for hunting/camping gear.
Killdeer
X2 or the cabelas Alaskan tent, I don't think u will find a bad review on it.
Kodak canvass tents are nice too, simple to setup
My 10x10 Outback lodge has served me well for the last few years as a base camp tent, simple set up and very durable with plenty of room for 2 people and gear. For backpack/spike hunting you can't go wrong with a Go-Lite Shangri-La 3,It's a single pole set up similar to the Outback. I have used mine on a few backcountry elk hunts and love it!
Steve
Kodiak x 3, price is right all season tents, plenty of ventilation for those warm days. But not going to pack in w/o horses.
I would go with what Daz said. Get a lightweight 2-3 person backpacking tent, it works for car camping and backpacking, great for summer camping with the wife.
I think the best brand of backpacking tents are big agnes. My wife and I have a big agnes seedhouse SL3, we love it. I think it is around 3-5 pounds.
Seekoutside 8 man tipi. 8# by itself, add another 3# 8oz for the titanium wood stove.
(http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab28/miklvines/Tradgang/IMG_0022-3.jpg)
Cabella's Alakanak series are really well made tents. I have the 12x12 and really like it. They are on the heavy side, especially the poles. If you're packing in by mule or horse it will really make your trip more enjoyable. Comfort requirements increase with age. I wouldn't go too spartan, good rest is something you'll need on a back country adventure.
It just depends on the situation. If I am horse packing, I prefer a little more room. Canvas tents in the backcounty are really nice. If I am hiking in 5-8miles, I had a 4man kifaru with small stove. If your chasing elk and setting up camp each night, I really like the hilleberg.
i switched from a tent to a hammock with a light weight backpacking tarp over it. super light set up. during our bow season it's pretty mild to hot out and with the elevation here in wnc i don't like to have a lot of weight in the pack.
I have the Cabela's XWT (extreme weather tent) and it has been great! Wind, rain, hail it takes it.