wall tent vs pyramid

[Two Dogs]

this is after shoveling 2&1/2 feet of snow from around the tent on take down day. I'd think all that snow would lay on the sides of the pyrimid,JMO.Also consider weight,mine's canvas & it's mighty heavy from sitting in the adirondacks all season.

[Whip]

I haven't been in 2 1/2' of snow (thankfully!)  but I have had mine up in smaller snowstorms.  Accumulation on the sides has not been an issue because the sides are so steep it slides right off for the most part, and is easy to knock off from the inside.  The dining fly does accumulate snow pretty good, and I have to knock it off there from time to time during a storm.  

Last February in Texas (Of all places!  :eek:  )

 

[Two Dogs]

Snow in Texas?...nice!
 great pic.

[gudspelr]

I don't have a large fly like Whip's got, just a small "dormer" type of thing that I can either zip or leave open.  Also have a screen door and window on the opposite side for good air movement.  Hopefully going camping this coming weekend and plan on trying a modified version of what Whip showed.  Gonna tie some parachute cord to the apex of my poles (they go on the outside of my tent) and stretch it out to a tree.  Toss my tarp over it and tie the edges out for some cover to sit under and some nice shade.  Since mine has the dormer sewed on, rain won't go into the tent, even with the door open.

Jeremy

[Hopewell Tom]

Whip, that first pic of your home away from is my idea of a cosy camp. Gotta have the fly/canopy, many uses, great "mud room".
Not you Mudd, the dirty footwear place....

[OkKeith]

Our Cabela's Outfitter Tent has served us very well for a lot of years in every weather possible. It is a pyramid style tent with a single pole in the center and small rods in the corners. A bit "stake intensive" but that lends a lot of stability and wind resistance.

 
This is what fell AFTER we crawled out. If I had been willing to crawl under the cedar trees to stake the the tent out properly, little or no snow would have accumulated on the sides.

 
This was a "quick camp" during turkey season.

Hot, cold, wet, dry; we have used this tent in it. Packs up small enough that the tent, poles, stakes and the tarp we use as a cook fly all go in a medium size locking tub. Works great for us.

OkKeith

[JAG]

I've got a "herder tent" from Davis awing and tent.  Kinda like a one poler, but has 4 corner poles.  5' walls and a 10' center height.  Double doors and windows.  Hate they didn't offer a fly for it, but working on a free standing fly.
The tent sets up easily by one person.  Looks good, and is very functional.
I opted for this style, for the extra head room.
Packing it in is not a problem, mostly by truck and boat.
JAG

[Pete Arthur]

OK. Now I'm interested!
Do the Pyramid tents have floors? Also, what about insect protection? Being from the Mosquito/Nasty biting fly capitol, I am most concerned about the bugs!

[VTer]

I know its not canvas but the Cabelas Alaknak is the best of both worlds. Good wall height and a single pole in the middle creating the pyramid from the top of the walls.

[maxwell]

Good thread,  are the pyramid type tents easy to set up?

[OkKeith]

Our Cabela's tent is not canvas. The tent is waterproof nylon and the floor is waterproof oxford cloth. I can set it up alone in about ten min. or so without hurrying.

I would love to have a canvas tent but they are a little too expensive for me and if packed up wet will be ruined fast (at least that is what I have learned from my reading). They are also heavier than what I have now. I have also learned that they are more "breathable" than nylon and somewhat warmer in cold weather.

Everything is a trade off. We traded some breathability and warmth for less weight and easier handeling.

OkKeith

[Whip]

maxwell, they are very easy to set up.  I often set mine up alone, and it is a fairly large one.  The one part that is helpful to have another set of hands is in setting up the dining fly.

Pete, they don't normally come with floors, although I do think some suppliers offer that as an option.  I use the cheapest indoor/outdoor carpet I can find as a floor for mine.  A painters tarp also works well.  If you use a stove you will need to leave bare ground underneath and in front of it anyway, so a seperate floor works fine.

As far as bugs, we have plenty of those bloodsucking things flying around Wisconsin too.  I don't know why, but it really hasn't been a big problem for us.  No more than any other tent I have stayed in.  I spent a week in a wall tent in Canada one spring when the bugs were fierce and they used the mosquito coils inside the tent and it worked fine.

[gudspelr]

I agree with Whip-very easy to set up.  Mine takes 4 stakes, one on each corner, then my exterior poles I cut into 3 pieces.  There's a snap hook that goes on the apex loop and up it goes.  It really takes just a few minutes to set up and is very sturdy.

From the outside (in my backyard...)

 


And the inside

 


Mine also came with the attached floor (waterproof).  It collects whatever I bring in with it, which can get frustrating, but a little hand broom and some care on where I put my boots goes a long ways.  I like it better than no waterproof floor...  Whip's advice on having a stove inside along with a floor is a good one.  I don't have a stove for mine, but if I did, I'd be finding some kind of barrier or other material to keep any of the burning stuff from hitting my sewn in floor.  I think the stove would lend to more debris on the floor, too because of bringing in wood.


Jeremy