The wall tent thread.

[LB_hntr]

Davis tent is where I got mine. 12x14 internal frame and small summit stove.

[R.V.T.B.]

I also got mine from Davis tent... 12 X 14 with external frame.

[Homey88]

Awesome Izzy! Great tent!

[Pheonixarcher]

Thanks for tips Gang! I'll check them out.

[Izzy]

This thread is getting better by the post with the sharing of wall tent info. I'm finding out that they're an important aspect is a lot of hunters lives.

  I'm gonna change the post title to make this more of an info sharing thread and would like anyone to add tips and pointers that make hunting from a wall tent more efficient and comfortable.

[stabow]

Great tent Izzy. I spent one season in one set up at deer camp in Georgia didn't have a stove and the AC unit was a little tricky setting up LOL.

[Ray Lyon]

I've spent time in elk country of Colorado and Montana for weeks in wall tents with wood stoves.  Several times I've  woke up to six to ten inches of snow on the ground. With dry wood stoked  on the inside of the tent on those mornings it's at that moment you appreciate the beauty of the wall tent.  Enjoy your investment.

[DarkTimber]

I have a 14x16 Davis with internal frame and a 4 dog stove.  I sold my pop up camper and bought it about 3 years ago and would never go back.  A wall tent just makes an elk camp!

A couple tips:

1.  I store my tent inside the canvas tent bag it came in then put that inside a 120 qt cooler.   This keeps any rodents from being able to chew holes in it.  If I kill an elk, I use the ice chest for the meat and store the tent in the bag for the trip home.  The floor, fly, stakes, frame angles, and ropes all go in a Rubermade Action Packer which I use to store dry groceries in camp after the tent is set up.

2.  Not as much a tip as a gear recommendation;  If your tent has an internal frame a hanging organizer is great for keeping your gear handy and your tent organized.  I bought mine from Outfitters Supply but several tent makers offer them as well.  I also bought several of the clips that hook to the frame and allow you to hang various things. Here is a pic of both the hanging organizer and the clips in use.
 

3.  I always use a rain fly with my tent, not only to help it shed water but also to protect against uv.  To get ventilation between the fly and the tent I use 1/2" metal conduit cut about 3" longer than the height of the side walls.  Most (not all) tents that are advertised with 5' sidewalks are actually about 4'-9" as 5' is the fabric cut length before sewing.  This makes a 5' pole perfect and allows you to get 2 poles from a 10' stick of conduit.  I then take a metal eye bolt with about a 3" threaded section and run it through the grommet on the fly and put a nut on it to hold in place.  When fly is in place I just slide the threaded section of the eye bolt into the end of the conduit then tie a rope through the eyebolt and stake it out. Here's a picture of mine in use.
 


Enjoy the tent Izzy!

[R.V.T.B.]

I looked for various ways to store mine and ended up buying one of the heavy duty Rubbermaid trash cans with a snap on lid.  The folded tent slips down into it easily and then I have two canvas bags that I put on top. One has the stakes and the other all of the ropes. Makes a nice package with two handles to carry it.

I have a four dog stove in mine and one of the best ideas we ever came up with was to place a griddle on top of the stove. I leave it there the whole time the tent is set up and we cook meals on it during bad weather.  It is great for making a quick grilled cheese sandwich or to warm up a pop tart in the morning.

  [/url] [/IMG]

[MnFn]

How long does it take to set up one of these on average?  And, how long do you leave it set up?

I currently have an old thirty foot trailer I use.  But it is really too long, and hard to heat.  Plus I worry about a fire in it.

I had it fixed up pretty well complete with electricity, but somebody had to break into it and steal stuff.  So I don't keep anything of value there when I am gone.

[Frank V]

Montana Canvas makes some nice looking ones. I drive by there on the way to Bozeman & one day am going to stop in & look.

Has anyone had experience with the single pole tent? I think you can skip the pole & hang them from a tree limb overhead?

I'm staying tuned, some good info & neat pictures of camps here.
Thanks.

[DarkTimber]

Originally posted by MnFn:
How long does it take to set up one of these on average?  And, how long do you leave it set up?

I currently have an old thirty foot trailer I use.  But it is really too long, and hard to heat.  Plus I worry about a fire in it.

I had it fixed up pretty well complete with electricity, but somebody had to break into it and steal stuff.  So I don't keep anything of value there when I am gone.

I've never timed it but would say I can have mine set up in 30-40 minutes.  I don't typically use mine unless I'm going to be there for at least 4 or 5 nights....most of the time it's more like 10-14 days.   I can set my 14x16 up by myself but a parter makes it much easier and faster.  If I planned on setting it up solo a lot 12x14 would be about as big as I'd go.  I'd also probably go to the external frame in lieu of internal.

[Homebru]

Originally posted by Frank V:
Has anyone had experience with the single pole tent? I think you can skip the pole & hang them from a tree limb overhead?

Frank,
There are a couple of options in this regard.  I can only speak to my own experience.  

After doing a bunch of research, I ended up with a 5m Bell Tent.  While some may say that the higher walls of a rectangular wall tent give you more usable space, the Bell Tent is a single pole system that can easily be set up in about 20 minutes and meets my and my familys needs quite well.

The only thing I don't have in my bell tent is a stove jack / stove.  That can be addressed fairly easily.  Some folks use propane heaters with low O2 shut-off.  

Take a look at the bell tents.  Bjorn has also posted pictures of his here on Tradgang.

Hope the helps.
homebru

   

[Izzy]

I've been getting mine set up in about 20 minutes on my own. The stove will probably take me another 10 minutes when I start using it. I have my frame poles color coded which avoids a jigsaw puzzle of pieces in a pile.

[R.V.T.B.]

I can set mine up by myself in about 30 minutes. That is one of the reasons that I went with external poles, it is easier to set up alone. It doesn't really go a lot faster with someone helping me other than laying the poles and ropes out. I actually timed us a couple of months back.  Myself and one other guy set everything up in high winds and 25 degree temperatures in 55 minutes.  That is having the tent up, stove put together and installed, cots, tables, sleeping bags.... everything set up for camp in less than an hour.

I have a friend that has a single pole tent with stove jack. It does set up quick and easy but you really loose a lot of head room and wall space in his. With eight foot ridge line and five foot side walls, there isn't much area that you have to stoop to walk around in a wall tent.

[Sixgun]

Question for the Davis tent owners that have an internal frame: They say 1" conduit, is that thin wall (EMT) or is it rigid conduit?

Also, I'm looking at stoves for a 12' x 14'. I'm really digging the Four Dog brand. His construction makes a lot of sense to me (I work in the HVAC industry). Would you go for the Three Dog or the Four Dog size for that tent?

Thank you.

DarkTimber,

Love the idea of the 1/2" conduit for the fly. Did you buy the Davis fly or fabricate you own from a tarp? If fabricated, how did you deal with the stove jack hole?

Thanks.

Ray

[Frank V]

That is a nice set up homebru, thanks for sharing.
My tenting days might be over now though.

[DarkTimber]

Originally posted by Sixgun:
Question for the Davis tent owners that have an internal frame: They say 1" conduit, is that thin wall (EMT) or is it rigid conduit?

Also, I'm looking at stoves for a 12' x 14'. I'm really digging the Four Dog brand. His construction makes a lot of sense to me (I work in the HVAC industry). Would you go for the Three Dog or the Four Dog size for that tent?

Thank you.

DarkTimber,

Love the idea of the 1/2" conduit for the fly. Did you buy the Davis fly or fabricate you own from a tarp? If fabricated, how did you deal with the stove jack hole?

Thanks.

Ray

I use 1" EMT for the frame.  

The 4 dog is a lot of stove even for my 14x16.  Unless you plan on using it quite a bit in really cold temps I think the 3 dog is plenty.  

I bought my fly with my tent from Davis. It has canvas reinforcing at all the high wear areas is much higher quality than a standard tarp. If I were going to make one I'd simply layout the location of the jack, mark a 12" square then cut an "x" from corner to corner in the square.  Then fold each flap over a piece of 1" webbing and sew around it.

[R.V.T.B.]

My tent is a three dog stove from the Four Dog company.  When I called to order he said that the Three Dog stove would keep the tent warm down to 20 below, depending on the wood used.  He said you didn't need to go to the Four Dog stove until you went to a 16 foot tent.

The air tight door and baffles make the Three Dog stoves worth the money.  My other stove didn't have them and a fire would last 3-4 hours.  With oak and cutting the air flow down I can get a good fire to last for 6 plus hours.

[Sixgun]

DarkTimber,

Thank you. I was wondering if the 4 Dog model was overkill. I'll mostly use the tent for summer camping with my son, and also for deer camp. I don't foresee myself camping in minus degree weather.

I was thinking roughly the same thing for a rainfly made from a regular tarp. I'll have to check out the Davis website again!

Thank you.

Ray