Hunting Camp Tent

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Covelo-NdN

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Hello the high roaders. I'm approaching my 9 year sobriety birthday October 27 of every year I reward myself with a firearm; however this year I'm going to do something different. Im thinking of buying a nice outfitter tent. I'm 35 yrs old. I don't wanna sleep on the ground anymore. I wanna hunt longer. I wanna shower etc. So do any of you have a outfitter tent? I'm looking for advice, here is my criteria for purchase:

1. Needs to sleep 4 with cots
2. Needs to fit a stove.
3. Warranty or lifetime purchase would be a plus.
4. Have to be able to set up solo
5. American made a plus.

Here is what I seen so far

http://www.cabelas.com/product/CABE...gclid=CMTPq-Hug9QCFQyHfgodajoP8g&gclsrc=aw.ds

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabe...md?categoryId=734095080&CQ_search=canvus+tent

So what do you have or recommend?
 
Better served to have a tent to sleep in and a tent to cook in. 10x10 is a small space for 4 people. Downside is the need for 2 stoves.
 
What's your budget? What vehicle do you have? Big tents require big wheels. Can you lift the weight of the canvas tents(60 plus pounds)?
10.9-oz. white cotton duck is essentially blue jean thick material. Works well. Made a 15 x 15 x 9.5 with 6 foot walls, Medieval style, square tent, years ago. Takes 3 hours for me to set up alone. Mind you, it has a pole every 3 feet with a screw on finial. 3/8" sisal rope holds it up.
That Cabela's Montana tent price is plus another grand for the frame too. (I looted a buddy's wood lot for saplings and a small oak for a centre pole.) Shop around. A net search for Outfitter tents turns up 128,000 results.
A canvas tent is heavy. 5 foot walls isn't high enough to change your pants standing up. Or stand up in period. You'd want the 10' x 12' x 6' but you'll still have space issues with cots. Cots require flat ground too. Measure the width of one and add at least 2 feet clearance. Figure on about 75" x 26" for the cot alone. Gives you 4.6 feet per cot in a 10' tent with no standing space. Not enough. 12 x14 might do. Cheapie cots only hold 250 pounds too.
And the stove will need to be away from the cots with easy access to its door.
 
I have a relatively inexpensive single pole teepee style. I really like it. Easy to set up and quite roomy. It came from Sportsmen Guide. Im not going to try to convince anyone to buy it, but it works well for me and my boys.

Congratulations on 9yrs!
 
Thanks for the feedback. I have a budget of around $1500.00 I drive to my hunting and fishing spot so no need to worry about weight. I'm physically fit, so the weight won't be an issue.
 
I'd suggest that you look at something like 11 x 16 with an 8' ridge pole, and 4' sides in a wall tent from Tentsmiths..., http://tentsmiths.com/period-tents-wall-tents.html, and if that's too small then 11 x 19 with the 8' ridge height (no need to add extra height and dead space that wastes heat) , and the tent jack for the internal stove will run you an extra $75. Meets ALL of your criteria. I have two of their tents, and although none are the wall type..., but several of my cohorts do. You can speak to them about the location of your stove jack..., since some folks merely use the stove as a way to heat the tent, and perhaps boil a small kettle, while others want to be able to cook full meals within the tent..., location of the stove then will change..., some like going out through the side, some like through the roof, some like near the side, some like in the middle of the tent, etc etc

LD
 
I hunt in a 12'x14' wall tent with 5' walls (I think the peak is 8'; in any case there's plenty of room to change clothes). It's crowded on a cold, wet day but there's room for 4 cots and a stove. we put 3 cots across the back and a 4th end to end across from the stove. It has a conduit metal frame and I have put it up by myself but it's a chore. We heat water for coffee on the stove but do the majority of our cooking outside under a fly.
The tent is a palace with two people but if I were to purchase over again I'd buy two 10'x12' tents for the flexibility. And everybody I hunt with snores; including me and my wife.
 
A friend of mine had a 14'x14' single pole marque tent from panther primitive. That sucker was easy to set up with 2 people, and not so bad with only one. We had tons of room for 4 cots, gear, and a small 2 burner stove.
 
Got a Gander Mountain nearby? They're going out of business and pretty much the whole store is marked down and the going out of business sale has been going on long enough now that the discounts are now larger than the inflated prices they seemed to have marked up the whole store previously.
 
Armored farmer said:
I have a relatively inexpensive single pole teepee style. I really like it. Easy to set up and quite roomy. It came from Sportsmen Guide. Im not going to try to convince anyone to buy it, but it works well for me and my boys.

Congratulations on 9yrs!
Click to expand...


OP - sorry for the hi-jack but this begs asking AF for his experience. Congrats on 9 years!

AF - Been looking at this same one. I like it but I am concerned about two things that you can provide information on, I hope. First, it looks tricky to set up with all those guide ropes and stakes. Is it ? Can one person set it up? Second, what about weight and bulk? How heavy is it and does one require magical skill to get it back in its carrying case ? Thanks for opining on these and any other matters you may wish to address.
 
"...a budget of around $1500.00..." Hi. That sounds like more than it is. Look at what comes with whatever you think about buying. Lot of 'em don't come with the poles and some don't come with pegs or ropes. Consider buying locally too. Shipping adds up fast too. And the vehicle has to be big enough for a great big duffle bag plus all the rest of the stuff you take with you. 'Scientific' packing gets tiresome.
"...They're going out of business...." Gander Mountain has been reported as sold to another retailer on these pages. Also been reported their 'GOB' sale prices aren't low.
 
If you are going to tent camp for an extended length of time, the 14-17 wall tent and a set of the metal poles is your best bet. Put down a good tarp under each bed. A good woodstove will keep it nice and warm for the better part of the night. Mornings will be a bit frosty. One of the camp kitchens set up with a 3 burner stove and storage for pots and pans etc. Don't forget to add a comfortable chair for sitting. Showering you may want to look at one of the solar showers with it's own shelter.
The Alaknak tents are nice summer tents, if it doesn't rain.
 
If you have the wheels and cargo space, I have seen an ideal setup -- a guy from Pennsylvania used to come out to Colorado every hear with a house! The gable ends and 4"walls were made with particle board, and the roof was a blue tarp.
 
RPRNY said:
OP - sorry for the hi-jack but this begs asking AF for his experience. Congrats on 9 years!

AF - Been looking at this same one. I like it but I am concerned about two things that you can provide information on, I hope. First, it looks tricky to set up with all those guide ropes and stakes. Is it ? Can one person set it up? Second, what about weight and bulk? How heavy is it and does one require magical skill to get it back in its carrying case ? Thanks for opining on these and any other matters you may wish to address.
Click to expand...
PM sent
 
The tent in my profile pic was bought for $100 and sold for the same the day deer season ended. We used it for 2-3 years. The guy I bought it from had it since '85 and he left it up for 3 months at a time.

I believe it was a "command post" from the Vietnam era. Smelled bad but did the job no doubt. I would watch craigslist and similar sites for a deal. I sold it because it weighed about 200lbs with steel stakes and my 1950 yukon stove. After I moved it stayed in my possession but was not practical to meet the guys when I had to load it into the truck myself.

A 5 or 10 man arctic tent is on my list now. The modern versions fit in a big duffel and supposedly are better insulated. Mine was 16x16 and was awesome for what it was. We had 50mph gusts measurered at the local airport blowing one night and while we were rattled, stayed warm and dry. 6 guys and a folding table was easy.

Edit: the canvas coated in god knows what was very reassuring. During that windy night the stove bounced like it was in the back of a truck with sparks flying...

HB
 
When I was a lady, there was an old fashioned farm across the road from our house. They had milk cows,pigs,chickens, turkeys,......
Every summer the old lady's brother would come from Chicago and stay in a tent for about a month. He had a canvas wall tent complete with a cot, Coleman stove, rug on the floor, etc etc. It was pretty darn nice setup. I used to hang out over there some. He had an old ruger single six that he shot blackbirds with to bait his trot lines.

Wow I hadn't thought of that for 40yrs.
 
I don't know tents well, but I'd like to offer a hearty cheer and a hats-off to you on nine years. Well done! I reward myself with purchases at milestones too, since that's free money that would have gone to a brewer or distiller in my previous life. :D
 
If you want a serious all weather, all season hunting tent skip the old canvas outfitter tents. Check out the Artic Oven from Alaska Tarp and Tent. I have the AO 12 Extreme and absolutely love it. Without the stove it can fit my family of five, to include a pack and play, two full size cots and three kids without issue. With the stove in the tent you can get 4 people in there with cots but it'll be tight.

The extreme has heavier poles than the standard and way heavier poles than any other "professional" grade tent. My tent is comfortable whether it is -10 and howling wind or 80 and blazing sun. My 12 has a huge vestibule that easily accommodates all the gear I don't need inside the tent. The AO is the real deal when it come to serious all weather hunting tents. But be warned, they are not cheap, but they are not cheap.

http://arcticoventent.com
 
"...A 5 or 10 man arctic tent is on my list now..." Surplus places up here have CF Arctic tents. Buy the 10 man even though it's $800Cdn with no liner. Don't think there are any border issues. CF sleeping bags beat anything you've ever used too. Used 'em at -40(the scales meet there. It's friggin' cold.) and slept like a fat old guy.
http://armyissue.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/69/products_id/3154
 
I used to have a 20' x 20' rip-stop nylon tent, with 8' walls. I would leave it up year round. I spent many, many nights in 0 degree temps, with 20 mph winds, and 40 mph windgusts. It was quite comfortable, and very light. Smaller version are handy for weekend survival outings too. I didn't take cots...I took multiple twin sized inflatable mattresses. It also had a 10' x 10' awning over the entrance exit. The entire set-up weighed about 50ish pounds.

Just a thought.

Geno
 
A guy I met at elk camp last year had one of these:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/camping/tents-shelters/outfitter-tents|/pc/104795280/c/104779080/sc/104481180/cabelas-alaskan-guide-model-geodesic-tent-with-fiberglass-poles-person/1546762.uts

It was very nice, and was still firmly planted after we had 60 mph gusts come through the camp and I was picking my backpacking tent out of a tree. They also make a larger 8 person version. I'd like the 6 person version, but might wind up buying the 4 person since it's cheaper and I hunt alone most of the time anyway. I mostly just want a tent that has room to set up a buddy heater, and that can take some wind. Once the temperatures fall below freezing, my lightweight tent doesn't cut it, and sleeping in the truck is pretty uncomfortable too.
 
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