Anybody own a Kifaru Tipi and Stove?

[Steve O]

Ron, you are truly a bull of a mountain man.  These tipis we are talking about are coming in at 8-12#   WITH the stove!    I love my Hunter Cylinder Stove for the wall tent, but there isn't one model they make that is going in a backpack.

We need titanium...

[Steve O]

 

It took me about 20 minutes to type that because of interruptions.  Sorry for the crisscross!

[Ron LaClair]

 Ron, you are truly a bull of a mountain man. These tipis we are talking about are coming in at 8-12# WITH the stove! I love my Hunter Cylinder Stove for the wall tent, but there isn't one model they make that is going in a backpack.  

That's what God made pack mules for Steve...  

[JJB2]

I'm backpack only at this point fellas.  Once I move out to CO I see a horse or two in my future.  Thanks all for the info.

[JJB2]

Anybody else have experience with the seekoutside tipis?  Price is right and what I'm seeing online in the way of reviews is very positive.  That might be the way to go...

[Steve B.]

I've had an 8man kifaru for many years.  I would not go smaller unless you do alot of two guys or less stuff, and/or are ounce-conscious.

As noted, the kifaru stoves are drafty.  I switched to a one-piece, airtight, and love it.

My thoughts on seekoutside, FWIW, are that:
A, I would not hesitate to use one.
B, they are a new company and not "established".  
C.  The Kifaru design is such that
the many "panels" that make up the tipi have reinforced seams every few feet and so might be stronger and/or 'guys' could be sewn in at those points.
D.  When seekoutside does get established, and if they start making bigger tipis, I'll probably get one.

[beyondmyken]

Jarrett, I have a 6 man and stove.  I took it to Alaska a few years ago on a moose float hunt and it worked well for 2 people. Did not use a liner.  Stove needs to be fed often, actually caught the grass on fire below the stove!  With all the gear inside the tent, it would have been very crowded with 3 people.  I live in Columbus, IN.  If you make the drive down this way for some reason,  I could show you the tent and stove.  Unfortunately, I have not had reason to use it for a while but am keeping it for "that next hunt".

[Kevin Dill]

Unless you enjoy close company, an 8-man Kifaru is right for 2 guys and gear on an extended trip. I bought one several years ago and it's what we use every September in Alaska. I would feel a bit squeezed in a 6-man for sure. We run a medium stove, which is very adequate for temps down to 20F. The liner is a (non)option. I simply wouldn't have a tipi without one. The absence of a floor worried me at first. Now I see it as 100% advantage for the hunter. I'd actually hate to go back to a conventional tent, partly due to housekeeping duties inside.

The tipi has been well accepted, and now competition is heating up. I think you might find a half-dozen or more companies building tipis now. These include Titanium Goat, Kifaru, Go-Lite, Seek Outside and others. They all have their proponents and users who love them. The hardest thing is actually seeing one in action before buying. I was able to see one that belonged to Angelo Christiano and that convinced me. I admit to liking Kifaru. That's mainly because they build military-ready and battle-tested outdoor gear. I know they are tough, and I know Patrick and company stand behind (and under) their products.

Be open minded and continue to do research. Look for basics and try to ignore the "fluff". If you're going to use it hard, and need it to protect you in severe conditions, buy one that is built that way.

[Kanuck]

I have a Kifaru 4 man and medium stove which I have used a bit. It is definitely on the small side but I bought it to be the lightest stove heated tent I could barely stand up in ( at 5'8" on a good day).  I am an experienced ultralight backpacker so this combo is considered heavy for me, but I do know that with a bit of experience and "know how" these small tents can work. First, as a backpacker I can tell you that you can sleep 4 people in this tepee with stove and a bit of firewood - each person gets 24"x78" on the ground for them and nooks and cranny around the edges for their gear. Sleeping on even low cots makes this impossible for 4 people.  Everything not needed goes outside in plastic bags including extra firewood.  To get extra height and reduce condensation pitch it so there is a space between the bottom and the ground - as much as 6" works - the gap can be filled with evergreen boughs if rain or snow blows in to an objectionable degree. Last point regarding the stove - I personally find it of limited value for cooking - it is great for melting snow and will eventually make hot water and will allow slow simmering but it's tough to get a
boil.  It does a good job of drying clothes but be careful.  No small stove I'd want to carry will have enough mass to hold enough heat to make sleeping much warmer - carry a couple pounds extra in sleeping bags and especially in pads and let the fire go out.  I have experimented with the stove by adding locally gathered thermal mass in the form of rocks piled all around it and it helps but isn't really worth the trouble unless you are going to insulate the tent with an outer airspace formed with poles, evergreen branches and snow - something I'd do for an all winter camp in a survival situation but not otherwise.

Bottom line - only get the four man if you are used to sleeping in small backpacking tents at their rated occupancy and are willing to live with minimum headroom - forget it if you are over 5'8".

[njloco]

Sounds like some of you guys need the new Kifaru Sawtooth, you could jump up and down in it, it accommodates 2 nicely and 3 in a pinch it all weighs 4.8 lbs. without the liner. I have no stove as yet but it is a great tipi. My Kifaru Sawtooth, + a Ti stove I plan on getting, + Kifaru KU3700 backpack weigh around 10 lbs. That is really light, Patrick really knows what he's doing.

He does most of his testing out in the woods, that's his office, I heard that the KU packs were in the works for 10 years before he came out with them, he wants his stuff bomb proof!

[Mike Vines]

Originally posted by njloco:
Sounds like some of you guys need the new Kifaru Sawtooth, you could jump up and down in it, it accommodates 2 nicely and 3 in a pinch it all weighs 4.8 lbs. without the liner. I have no stove as yet but it is a great tipi. My Kifaru Sawtooth, + a Ti stove I plan on getting, + Kifaru KU3700 backpack weigh around 10 lbs. That is really light, Patrick really knows what he's doing.

He does most of his testing out in the woods, that's his office, I heard that the KU packs were in the works for 10 years before he came out with them, he wants his stuff bomb proof!

I missed out on your Spike Camp Ken, but I was able to find another, and it shipped out UPS this morning.  From what I gather, they are the cream of the crop when it comes to packs.

[njloco]

Mike, you will love that Spike, it is the perfect size for a good day, or two hunt. I miss mine and will probably try to get another before the spring. We have the East coast Kifaru rendezvous coming up, and I am hoping to make it. It will be my first time using the Sawtooth in the winter and first time ever using the KU3700.

I am hoping to do a bivy elk hunt this coming season, that is when I'll really get a chance to use the Kif gear.

Good luck with your Spike camp.

[Mike Vines]

Originally posted by njloco:
Mike, you will love that Spike, it is the perfect size for a good day, or two hunt. I miss mine and will probably try to get another before the spring. We have the East coast Kifaru rendezvous coming up, and I am hoping to make it. It will be my first time using the Sawtooth in the winter and first time ever using the KU3700.

I am hoping to do a bivy elk hunt this coming season, that is when I'll really get a chance to use the Kif gear.

Good luck with your Spike camp.

Trying to get all my gear ready for a trip to Hog Heaven in March, and then a hunting trip to Hawaii later this year.

If I didn't have to work all weekend, I would have camped out in the tipi.   Hard to pass up  this nice weather we are having.

[Steve O]

Ahhhh, a G2 Spike Camp or even better a Late Season or Timberline 2!  So many great options.  I have a KU5200 coming in a couple weeks.  Can't wait.

8 man is great for two guys to hunt out of in comfort.  With my 4 man, we built a lean to to keep our extra stuff under.  Even so, it was cozy for two.

[njloco]

The Timberlines are real nice, and they  already have the pockets but also weigh much more than the KU line as you already know. I am getting older now and appreciate light weight. I am considering one of those titanium stoves the one I am looking at for my Sawtooth weighs only 2-3lbs, or I might make my own.

Steve, an 8 man for two guys seems like it would be a mansion to me, but a Sawtooth definitely will handle two people with room to spare. My only problem is getting time to use it.

[Steve O]

Originally posted by njloco:
Steve, an 8 man for two guys seems like it would be a mansion to me, but a Sawtooth definitely will handle two people with room to spare. My only problem is getting time to use it.

Amen on the time off!  I looked at the Sawtooth.  The trouble with that along with the 4 and 6 man is their height is max right where the stove is.  I am 6-1.  I don't mind not being able to stand up in my 1# Super Tarp, but if I am going to carry the weight, I am going to be able to stand up STRAIGHT whenever I want during the two weeks I call the tipi home. And yes, it is very luxurious for two guys in the 8 man, the best part is getting to split up the weight on the pack trip.

[JJB2]

I'm sold on the 8 man as far as size. I have some time before I have to pull the trigger so I can try and find a few to look at up close before making my decision.  Thanks all.  Appreciate the help.

[Dan Adair]

http://www.edtsbackcountry.com/   Great spot to pick up a cylinder stove for your tipi.  Ed used to make the box stoves for kifaru (now his buddy Levi does)

He also runs a damn good class geared towards backpack hunting.

I've spent some time in Kifaru tipis, Golite SL3 and SL4, and I've played with a Seek Outside tipi some (I wanna say it was his 3 man)  I hunt solo a lot, and really like the Supertarp with Annex and Para stove for that.  I may pick up Seek Outsides new EdT Backcountry shelter to replace the Supertarp (Its 2 Lbs 10 oz for almost double the room)

Now when I hunt with my buddy Ed, we take his Sawtooth and my medium stove.  Thats a friggin palace for two guys that can be backpacked.  Tent is 4 Lbs 10 Oz, and the stove is another 4ish.  I really like Patrick and his company, and spending a couple days around him was a friggin eye opener.  But his stuff is EXPENSIVE.  I think that Kevin (seekoutside) makes just as good of tipis and tarp tents.  Wyoming Lost and Found is a loser with a drinking problem, and I would not do business with him.

Supertarp in front, Golite SL3 in the back
 
and my SL4 on a 9 day Elk trip in the Bob Marshall 2 seasons back
 

[njloco]

Hey, good luck JJB2, whatever decision you make on a Kifaru tipi, it won't be a wrong one. If you go on the Kifaru web site, into the forums area, look under Trading post, you can probably find a used one cheap from someone who is going up or down in size.

Good luck.

Steve, I guess I luck out in the height department when it comes to tipis as I am only 5'9" and have no trouble standing up in it, I guess it's good to be shorter sometimes. I know on my Sawtooth I can lengthen the front poll a lot for taller people, just have to do it when initially setting up as the pegs have to be moved in a little, don't know if your aware of this or not.

[Steve O]

Ken, I did not think of that.  I was only going off of the dimensions on the website and the videos Patrick has with his buddy Sawtooth.  They are both about your size if I remember right.  But it has been about 10 years since I have talked to Patrick in person.