HuntingBC Champ
I really liked my 12 x 14 tent...but wished I had gotten the 2nd door and the porch. it fit two people and their gear perfectly...3 people got tight and we had a couple nights of 4 people, which was packed so tight that one person kept getting burned by the wood stove, LoL!
Originally Posted by Gatehouse
eeeewwwww!! Factory ammo...
HuntingBC Champ
I think the Igloo will be my next tent to replace the cabelas outback guide tent. Looks awesome.Originally Posted by Brew
Hunt Smarter
I'll bring my cot lol
thanks for the info so far, will give me something to research. No rush on this as I won't need it until next fall
"If you ever go into the bush, there are grizzly bears lurking behind just about every bush, waiting to pounce, so you need a powerful gun, with huge bullets" - Gatehouse ~ 2004
HuntingBC Champ
Not knowing anything about big tents, interested to understand why choose a tipi design over a wall design?
What are the advantages of one over the other? Set up? Weather proofness? Comfort?
Senior Member
A tipi is generally a fair bit easier and much faster to set up than wall tents and they handle the wind really well. The steep pitch sheds water well and snow load is not an issue. The main reason I went with a tipi from Seek Outside was the weight. The six man (3 guys and gear) and the wood stove weigh in at around 11 lbs! This means I can pack a comfortable base camp in my little plane. It would not be unrealistic for two guys to use the tent and stove on a pack hunt in the right situation.
There are trade offs with the tipi though. The space is not nearly as efficient as a wall tent given that the floor layout is round and the slope means you need to be near the centre of the tent to stand. Full size cots are usable but there is a lot of space between the cot and the walls given the wall's curve. Sleeping on the ground or using a low cot makes the best use of the space. It takes a bit of experimenting and trial and error to figure out how to use the space in a tipi effectively.
All that said though...a good wall tent is awfully tough to beat for comfort.
Given the weight and small pack size, the compromise if the tipi is worth it for me.
HuntingBC Champ
Thanks for the insight. Makes sense. My old (grandfather's) Jones Tent & Awning canvas tent was great for space but was a project to set up given its thick poles and hemp guy lines. Useful if you were planning to invade another country and needed a semi-permanent structure for HQ but less fun to put up/take down over a weekend, especially when wet.
HuntingBC Champ
I haven't got a chance to try it yet, even (but I am seam sealing it tomorrow, if all goes well) - but I got a Seek Outside 12 man tipi (with the XL stove) when I joined BHA as a lifetime member. Thinking a smaller size will be nice to have for different situations, maybe a Cimarron or a Redcliff (or even the Courthouse, for the tipi reasons noted above), but the concept seems ideal. I think the problem with the 12 is the overall amount of space that you need to set it up (something like 19' diameter).
Misogynist?!?
A guy I met in Alberta, said he loves his arctic oven tent.
Not sure about the model.
He was pretty adamant, it was the best tent he's ever owned.
HuntingBC Champ
Ha ha, ya that’s the best way to find out what tent set up you like, just show up where people are and bunk in
Senior Member
We use the 12 man SO tipi for our family camping and are really happy with it. I have also owned a 14×16 wall tent which I really liked. The wall tent has much more room inside and can fit more cots/chairs etc. The reason we switched to the tipi is because we wanted something that was lighter and smaller for packing in planes, boats and atvs. I would have kept the wall tent if we were always camping beside the truck. I find the tipi warms up faster due to the reduced airspace and sheds wind better. the tipi also warms up quickly with a small amount of sun where the wall tent seemed to be a shaded cooler. the flip side of that is that the tipi can be really warm inside on a sunny day. We are actually able to use the solar charger inside the tipi for charging batteries. The screen doors help. The zipper on the wall tent is much easier to use so I would factor that if anyone in the group is older or has back issues as I do. We tied some cord to the zippers to make them easier to pull open but I still need to devise a walking stick clip to help with zipping the tent closed. Condensation can be more of an issue in the tipi but the liner and stove really helps. I liked the awning on the wall tent so you can get out and have a covered area to hang out under. I think both are great options depending on where you plan to camp and what you are using for transport. If I was always by the truck I would choose the wall tent but if you want to be more flexible a tipi is a great option. Small backpacking tents are great but they also have their place and time. I'm sure there are other good options out there like the Arctic Oven but I don't have experience with them
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