My ideal sheep-goat shelter

[Devilbear]

As is probably obvious hereon, I have a fair amount of mountain gear and have had since the '60s; this has allowed me to test items and thus determine just what works best for me.

I am an Integral Designs fan and have used their awesome gear since 1993, it is among the finest made and very useful in BC alpine hunting conditions. I have wanted another of their tents for some time, but, with five highend tents now and a diminished income for the past year, I was unwilling to buy another one.

Recently, a sheep-goat hunter in the US, who has often sought my advice on gear for the past several years, decided to sell some of his gear and among this was the OD coloured ID-MKI Lite tent I have wanted! Yahoo and all that, it just arrived and I am freakin' pumped!!!

This rig weighs 3.75 lbs and can accomodate me in comfort, this is the lightest tent I know of that I will trust on solo mountain treks and it is a full pound lighter than my Hilleberg Soulo, it is perfect for a geezer like me!

Them dang sheep better watch out now, 'cause I am goin' to live in their mountains and smoke one so big that I will need Gatehouse x 2 to pack it out!

These are available, in limited supply in the States, still and, for the totally gone alpine hunter, it don't get no better, they are worth the high cost.

[Kody94]

Congrats Devilbear! Excellent acquisition! :) They do look like a great solo tent. The only thing that concerned me was some reviews that they are a tight squeeze for folks over 6ft tall. Should be a gooder though!

http://www.moontrail.com/details/integraldesigns/mk1lite/mk-1-lite-olive-main.jpg

[Devilbear]

Yup, the chap who had it is about your height, but, not as muscular, he found it too short for his comfort and went to the MKI-XL and the MKIII as well. I have a MKI-XL and it is just "perfect" for one unless you are 7' tall, but, it also weighs a full pound more and, at too dam close to 65, I am cutting weight anywhere I can.

I have found some screaming deals on the MKI-XL tents in the US, ideal for you, but, they are all yellow as mine is and too bright, IMO, for hunting above timberline. These are not as palatial as many of the Hilles, but, they are perfect for short stay alpine hunts. If, you ever want one and can convince "she who must be obeyed", I can and will help. I once lived in the lower Flathead in April-May for four weeks in a GT tent and it worked just fine, better than most doublewalls I have used. Food for thought, anyway.

[BiG Boar]

Hey DB the tent looks great. Just wondering if you can post up some pics of your dead mountain animals? I read a whole lot about the gear you have but want to see what it's produced! I think there are a few others who would "here, here!" this also!

[Weatherby Fan]

Hey Big Boar that tent Devilbear has looks like it's going to be a little cramped for the 2 of you while sheep hunting this year :mrgreen:

[Gateholio]

Single wall? Iv'e got a North Face single wall solo tent. It's pretty good, very light. Doesn't leak, but condensation is an issue, although to be honest I find condensation an issue with double walled tents, too....I relaly liek that I can climb in the sides instead of the end. Also that it takes about 3 minutes to assemble. But it is indeed snug for a man of my proportions.

[Devilbear]

Big Boar, I don't really have much in terms of pix, I have never been much of a trophy hunter and seldom have bothered with a camera. I do have maybe two dozen mountain pix taken over the years and perhaps three or four of those are of animals. I grew up and went into wilderness work in a time and place where most guys left antlers in the bush and meat for one's family was the object of hunting and fishing.

So, I will see if I can find anything and then get one of my buddie's to see if this printer will post the pix, but, there may not be the sort of grip and grin photos that many find necessary to post. One minor point, it is not the gear that produces anything, it is merely a tool to assist in attaining a given goal or series thereof, what is important, to me, anyway, is enjoying the mountains and the solitude, which is why I did the kind of work that I did for so many years.

If, you are the same young fellow with the city job-stockbroker?- that was at my home to buy a gun last year (?), I seem to recall that there were a few antlers kicking around my gunroom and that is about all I have left as I usually gave spikes, etc, away to older guys to make "crib" boards from. I am sure that you have far more trophies than I do and can post photos galore, it is a computer thing that younger people are more skilled at.

[sheephunterab]

Single wall? Iv'e got a North Face single wall solo tent. It's pretty good, very light. Doesn't leak, but condensation is an issue, although to be honest I find condensation an issue with double walled tents, too....I relaly liek that I can climb in the sides instead of the end. Also that it takes about 3 minutes to assemble. But it is indeed snug for a man of my proportions.

I picked up an MSR Carbon Reflex 2 last season and it seems to have addressed the issue of condensation as well as any tent I've used. There's no way it's a two man tent but it sure is a roomy one-man and at just over three pounds, it is super light to pack. It's one draw back is that it's not freestanding but that hasn't been a big issue so far.

[Devilbear]

Single wall? Iv'e got a North Face single wall solo tent. It's pretty good, very light. Doesn't leak, but condensation is an issue, although to be honest I find condensation an issue with double walled tents, too....I relaly liek that I can climb in the sides instead of the end. Also that it takes about 3 minutes to assemble. But it is indeed snug for a man of my proportions.

Yes, all ID tents are single wall, "Tegraltex", except for a few MKI-Lites Evan made some years ago, from, "eVent", that were and are THE alpine tent to have in respect of performance in really harsh weather. However, the owners of the rights to the material chose to ban the sale of it for tents and shelters over a certain size and thus he stopped making them. They are almost impossible to find and that dealer in WA state, "Pro Mountain Sports (?)" has one and raves about it as he is a serious climber and appreciates the qualities of this rig.

ID tents are very solid, well-made and simple in design, I have more time in the old GT "Early Winters" tent I had and in the Bibler I bought and used in the Rockies some twenty years ago, but, ID tents are far superior and just plain work. You would fit nicely into a MKI-XL and it weighs under five lbs. One way to afford this type of gear, if you hunt in the mountains, is just to drive a plain vehicle, rather than the huge costly 4x4 rigs so many city boys seem to find indispensable to their "image" as "outdoorsmen".

But, I guess times are changing and so are the attitudes toward hunting, gear, guns and various other aspects of our sport, who knows, perhaps only big "rigs", "black guns" and "photoshopped" trophies shot on fenced ranches are the future, eh.........

[Weatherby Fan]

Hey DevilBear,That looks like a nice tent for sure,very light.
I bought a MH Skyledge 3 with a footprint,looking forward to trying it out as I have never used a tent b4 for alpine hunting,you can use just the fly and footprint also so that makes fo a nice option,seems roomy enough for 2 and can get in on either side and covered room for the packs under the fly on either side also.
WF

[BiG Boar]

Yep that was me buying the ruger. I guess you just hear a lot of stories and talk on here and wonder what the hunts of old were like. I looked through the posts you have started and couldn't see any pics or stories of your hunts. I wish more people would put the effort in to share their stories as that is why guys come on here. To read about old "Ledgends" like yourself and wonder what you have been holding out on telling us! What was your favorite animal you've ever harvested? I'm sure a few of us would love to hear about it!

[Shade Tree]

So...is it a two man tent or one man tent? Or the one and half man....

[Gateholio]

So...is it a two man tent or one man tent? Or the one and half man....

Some men are longer and thicker than others......

[Devilbear]

My first Whitetail Deer, taken in early December, 1964, on the ridges above "Gold Hill", a mining ghost town in the Lardeau region of the West Kootenays, some 100 miles from my hometown. I had my regular school jacket, paper route longjohns, carpet slippers-galoshes-wool wrk socks ( still among the best cold weather footwear one can use), hunting cap bought with paper route money and my dad's old work gloves.

I had a cheap folding knife the neighbour who took his boys and I hunting gave me, a 1917 Lee-Enfield with a whole box of Imperial 180 SabreTips, at $3.29 per box and I shot the buck in the neck and NEVER liked "tipped" bullets after! Among the greatest thrills of my life and super meat. I cleaned it myself, dragged it out to the 1946 Jeep and brought it home, had it cut and kept in the "locker plant" as my folks could not afford a freezer. We ate from that and the trout we caught and this helped feed we six kids and our parents....things were a LOT different in the mid-'60s.

I don't know if this makes any sense, but, I don't hunt to kill animals and very seldom shoot anything anymore as we cannot use much meat. I hunt to be alone in the most remote mountains and to be as close to nature as I can so that I can live as I used to and still would prefer to, in the mountains.

Most of the hunting I really enjoy is trying to get a legal Elk in the Kootenays using backpack methods and this is both very difficult and very exciting. I have seen some huge mutherf***ers and have yet to shoot a really big one. My youngest brother, tho, got a hawg on his first try and I am going to get a bigger one yet, if it kills me! :)

[BromBones]

Some men are longer and thicker than others......

I guess the woman's been on here tellin stories about me...

[Weatherby Fan]

My first Whitetail Deer, taken in early December, 1964, on the ridges above "Gold Hill", a mining ghost town in the Lardeau region of the West Kootenays, some 100 miles from my hometown. I had my regular school jacket, paper route longjohns, carpet slippers-galoshes-wool wrk socks ( still among the best cold weather footwear one can use), hunting cap bought with paper route money and my dad's old work gloves.

I had a cheap folding knife the neighbour who took his boys and I hunting gave me, a 1917 Lee-Enfield with a whole box of Imperial 180 SabreTips, at $3.29 per box and I shot the buck in the neck and NEVER liked "tipped" bullets after! Among the greatest thrills of my life and super meat. I cleaned it myself, dragged it out to the 1946 Jeep and brought it home, had it cut and kept in the "locker plant" as my folks could not afford a freezer. We ate from that and the trout we caught and this helped feed we six kids and our parents....things were a LOT different in the mid-'60s.

I don't know if this makes any sense, but, I don't hunt to kill animals and very seldom shoot anything anymore as we cannot use much meat. I hunt to be alone in the most remote mountains and to be as close to nature as I can so that I can live as I used to and still would prefer to, in the mountains.

Most of the hunting I really enjoy is trying to get a legal Elk in the Kootenays using backpack methods and this is both very difficult and very exciting. I have seen some huge mutherf***ers and have yet to shoot a really big one. My youngest brother, tho, got a hawg on his first try and I am going to get a bigger one yet, if it kills me! :)

Now thats the stuff a guy likes to read,Thanks DB and goodluck on that Elk hunt as I plan on shootin a whopper this year myself !

[Whonnock Boy]

Just wondering if you can post up some pics I think there are a few others who would "here, here!" this also!




If, you are the same young fellow with the city job-stockbroker?- that was at my home to buy a gun last year (?)


Yep that was me buying the ruger.

Yes, I too would like to see some pictures. Not that I need proof of your prowess Devilbear, but I often think what do some of the people on the site look like imagining their stature through the words they have typed. Do they have a deep voice or a nasally whine that mimics their post? Are they overweight or chiselled? Are they educated or did they fall off the turnip truck about an hour ago?

Now for you Devilbear I imagine a man that stands no less than 6 foot 4 weighing well over 200 pounds, chiselled. Your voice must be deeper than the Mariana Trench, a guttural roar when angry. Your educational background is lengthy, and have retained every fact that has crossed the neurons of you brain.

I have my reservations as to whether or not Devilbear will respond. So tell me Big Boar, seeing how you have met the Devil himself, is he everything that I imagine? :-D:-D

Oh yeah, nice tent!

[Weatherby Fan]

Yes, I too would like to see some pictures. Not that I need proof of your prowess Devilbear, but I often think what do some of the people on the site look like imagining their stature through the words they have typed. Do they have a deep voice or a nasally whine that mimics their post? Are they overweight or chiselled? Are they educated or did they fall off the turnip truck about an hour ago?

Now for you Devilbear I imagine a man that stands no less than 6 foot 4 weighing well over 200 pounds, chiselled. Your voice must be deeper than the Mariana Trench, a guttural roar when angry. Your educational background is lengthy, and have retained every fact that has crossed the neurons of you brain.

I have my reservations as to whether or not Devilbear will respond. So tell me Big Boar, seeing how you have met the Devil himself, is he everything that I imagine? :-D:-D

Oh yeah, nice tent!

LMAO Whonnock Boy you crack me up, I'm thinking Devilbear is 5ft10inches tall,and lean and sinewy tough,anyone his age that has backpacked as much as he says he has ins't going to be chubby.and to his credit it sounds like he's still going strong as I can only hope I will be able to keep up to him when I'm his age.
WF

[Gateholio]

This isn't a dating site....

[Devilbear]

5'8", 200 lbs., stocky, slowmoving and I just go at a pace that works for me. I USED to hustle right up the mountains, but, anyone past 50 knows only too well that ALL hills become steeper as you get older!

The whole "secret" is to do what YOU enjoy and since this is not a competition, do not fret about what others do, say or prefer, just enjoy yourself and hunt-hike as it suits you when you feel like it.

As to my ...gutteral roar..., well, my wife HAS mentioned a resemblnce to a Badger and a Wolverine, when I am pissed off, hence, the moniker, the old trapper's name for the Wolverine. We all know that is total female exaggeration as I am certainly among the most mild, laidback and easy-going members of HBC!

I knew a lot of guys a lot older than I now am that were still climbing, skiing and trekking around the Kootenay mountains when I still lived there; some were school teachers, some former foresters and others retired from many occupations. Certainly, beats sitting around swilling cheap beer and smoking all the time as many retired guys do and then pop off from strokes, etc. One guy I knew was 67 when an avalanche got him on Kokanee Glacier and he had been skiing there since he was a kid in the Depression......he went doing what he loved most and since we all come to it, that is about the best one can expect, eh.

[Whonnock Boy]

We all know that is total female exaggeration as I am certainly among the most mild, laidback and easy-going members of HBC!



I guess my interpretation of your musings is totally off base. Maybe I can add sarcastic or funny to the description. :-D

[blackbart]

Nice tent DB.

I would suggest that there has been some poor commentary from others looking to see the "glory shots".

Others may know things such as the SCI records and current market trends, but the true meaning of hunting has escaped you; at least for now.

[.270]

I don't know if this makes any sense, but, I don't hunt to kill animals and very seldom shoot anything anymore as we cannot use much meat. I hunt to be alone in the most remote mountains and to be as close to nature as I can so that I can live as I used to and still would prefer to, in the mountains.


It makes a lot of sense, thanks for the sharing.

[Weatherby Fan]

It called hunting for a reason and you don't have to kill something when hunting,not much I'd rather be doing than glassing an alpine bowl all to myself while the sun comes up early in September or chasing mule deer around in 6 inches of fresh powder snow up at our cabin.................................
It makes perfect sense.

[mark]

DB....other than quality and lightweight, is there anything about that tent that makes it better than other tents?????

Ive got a $50 tent that looks identical to the one in Kodys post, ive been using for 10 years, not sure about its weight though??

[pitbell]

Pls explain to us why you think this tent is superior to other tents? Without some kind of vestibule whats stopping rain from pouring into the tent when the door is open. And being a single wall tent you will have the door open tons to air out the massive amounts of condensation that you will get on an August sheep hunt. I'm just not seeing why this tent is sooo great.

[grizzlydueck]

I have the skyledge 2.1 and its the bomb! But I cannot figure the logic behind using a footprint and fly ! Sounds like a tarp would do the same job ..for a lot cheaper!

[Devilbear]

Mark, the benefits to this tent are, as I posted, for ME and may/may not meet the criteria of other hunters/climbers/ through-trekkers or alpine anglers, all of which I have been at some point in my life, being the old phart that I am.

The combination of extreme strength for overall weight, relative ease of quick setup, enough living space for short term stints where you are rained.snowed and fogged in plus the room to sit up and not have to hunch over like a dog dicking a donut all the time, make this the best alpine hunting tent I know of---for SHORTER guys. I am a bare 5'8", stocky, have a huge head, neck and shoulders ( my squarehead Neaderthal origins, I surmise...) and I can JUST fit into this comfortably.

ID states that it will work up to guys of 6' and, IMO, this is not really the case. Many gear makers overstate the comfortable sizes of their gear and ID and Western Mountaineering are among these, although their products are just superb. For anyone over 5'10" MAX, who wants an ID tent and nobody makes better tents in terms of quality, go with the MKI-XL, no question. It is their most useful model in many respects and the best in really bad winds due to a slightly different profile. It weighs a pound more and I love mine, but, am trying to cut weight as you will when you hit your 60s, I guarantee this! :)

PB, the door opening gives all the ventilation one needs in such a small tent, a vestibule would be just extra weight and I am not keen on ID vestibules for these tents, anyway. I have one for my MKI-XL, but, have seldom bothered with it. If, you erect this tent in an appropriate spot and then use your Siltarp, an essential to somewhat shelter the opening or as an awning, you have no issues with rain entering. The tent vents nicely without this and the door closed to prevent influx of rain.

August is the driest month and I have never had problems with condensation in any of my singlewall WPB tents and that is from 1978 and use in all months of the year. In fact, while ALL tents will have condensation to some extent, in any season, I have experienced less of it in my GT tents than in any other style and it is easy to deal with, as it is not in doublewall tents. The worst tents for this are the pyramid-tipi styles and I will no longer use these without a heat source inside, a bit difficult in alpine situations.

You may well not see the inherent qualities of this tent, but, I do and can only say, "different strokes for different folks" and hope that you are happy with your choice in gear, as I am with mine. :)

[Kootenay Nordic Sports]

Good score DevilBear! You have good taste in gear. I have found many good products from reading your posts over the years.
I got a Mega Sola last summer and i'm liking it so far.One thing that I found out is that I can't sleep in a Bivy. Shame as I really like the idea of the ID Exp Unishelter.
But like you are saying, find what works for you.
I will test a new sleeping system this weekend and see how that goes....never done the tarp thing before.
Dave

[troutseeker]

It looks like I am jumping on the ID bandwagon as well... My daughter is going on a week long school trek in the mountains this fall and I have been looking for a 4 season tent she and her buddy can use. I tumbled upon a used ID MK3 with vestibule, in like new shape for a great price. As an added bonus it has the second door installed, so better ventilation to get rid of condensation and a place to kneel and pee when the vestibule is full of packs/boots! It will be in my hands next week sometime... |

It is shocking yellow, lol, anyone has a recipe for dying that fancy ID material?

[vigilguy]

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/6361/img0961s.jpg

Here is another shelter (bivy) that is lightweight and stable above treeline. Integral Designs Wedge Bivy. NO problems with condensation when I have used it.

FYI I am 6'1" and fit just fine.

[vigilguy]

http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/5690/img0962mx.jpg

Another view of the Integral Designs eVent Wedge Bivy.

[bridger]

Have you ever experienced three or four days of rain and fog that has you kept bivvy bound? If so how did you like it compared to a tent?

[Buck]

Have you ever experienced three or four days of rain and fog that has you kept bivvy bound? If so how did you like it compared to a tent?

I'll be using the same bivy this year.Used with a Siltarp as an awning- canopy should be good for bad stretches of weather.There is a fairly large vestibule http://www.integraldesigns.com/product_detail.cfm?id=859that goes with it that i have but i think the siltarp might be as good or better.