Tent Recommendations?

[Kingsnake]

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

[Dan Adair]

Not a wall tent, but I'd also look at tipis from Seek Outside.

[ChrisM]

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.

[Ceb]

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.

[Ringneck]

If you go with a canvas wall tent, Davis tent is excellent quality and a great company to deal with.

[Kevin L.]

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

[Kingsnake]

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."  

   

Kingsnake

[njloco]

For packing in, Kifaru gear, never have to look back !

Good luck.

[azhunter]

Alaskan Guide X2.

[Daz]

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.

[chanumpa]

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.

[Kingsnake]

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

[Killdeer]

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.

 

 

Killdeer  

[lpcjon2]

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.

[karrow]

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

[Biathlonman]

I run a Kifaru sawtooth and I couldn't be happier for 1-2 men in the backcountry.

[Ranger44]

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.

[kill shot]

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.

[Daz]

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?

[don_h]

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.