Backcountry Tent for Two & Drying Clothes

[amp713]

Floorless really is pretty simple..I wouldn't pack an inner tent or liner if you are running a stove..... if it's small snow levels clean the area first, if its alot tamp it down. You will need to learn how to do a dead man anchor point. Use seam sealer on your pad on both sides to help with the slip and slide and use tyvek under your stuff to keep it clean

 

[hunt1up]

Floorless is pretty sweet. Walk right in with some wet muddy boots, wet gear, and it's no big deal.

I had a 16x20 Davis wall tent with all the trimmings. I sold it and my buddy and I now have a 6 man and 12 man tipi. I'd never go back to a wall tent and also see no reason to go to a floored shelter. The space to weight ratio on a tipi is awesome. I can fit either tipi under the back seat of my truck if need be. Light, compact, and functional.

Be sure to clear the grasses and debris out from where the stove will set. They'll get hot and actually start burning stuff on the ground directly under it. Just take a minute to clear the spot well.

 

[Newtosavage]

So there are pretty much no recommendations for a traditional tent? Only way to dry stuff out is with a tipi and stove?

I've been using an ALPS Chaos 3 person tent for about 10 years now. It's my go-to tent for 2 people. At 6 lbs. it's a bit heavy, but it's spacious for 2 people with plenty of room under the two vestibules to cook or store gear. I've cooked under one of the vestibules in a pouring down rain at 10,500 feet with no problems at all. It's withstood winds over 60 mph in the mountains of far west TX. My wife and son call it their favorite tent and my son went out and bought himself one exactly like it after he moved to Colorado. For the price, I don't think you can beat it. I've noticed that so many manufacturers have copied this design in the past 10 years - for good reason.

Big Agnes makes a couple tents with the same design that are a pound or two lighter and cost 2x as much. So depending on your budget I would recommend one of those.

 

[treillw]

I've been using an ALPS Chaos 3 person tent for about 10 years now. It's my go-to tent for 2 people. At 6 lbs. it's a bit heavy, but it's spacious for 2 people with plenty of room under the two vestibules to cook or store gear. I've cooked under one of the vestibules in a pouring down rain at 10,500 feet with no problems at all. It's withstood winds over 60 mph in the mountains of far west TX. My wife and son call it their favorite tent and my son went out and bought himself one exactly like it after he moved to Colorado. For the price, I don't think you can beat it. I've noticed that so many manufacturers have copied this design in the past 10 years - for good reason.

Big Agnes makes a couple tents with the same design that are a pound or two lighter and cost 2x as much. So depending on your budget I would recommend one of those.

Thanks for the info! How do you deal with wet clothes?

 

[treillw]

How does the floorless (unsealed) design work with bugs in the summer? I've already killed about 8 mosquitos on my leg in one swat in the spring. I'm sure the little buggers will find ways to get in and it would make for a miserable night.

I hear that rattlesnakes are drawn to warmth as well

 

[treillw]

Would it be a terrible idea to put damp clothes inside of a down sleeping bag? (Western Mountaineering Versalite)

 

[Newtosavage]

Would it be a terrible idea to put damp clothes inside of a down sleeping bag? (Western Mountaineering Versalite)

Yes.

We clothes are tough without a heat source. I deal with wet clothes by not wearing anything that stays wet very long. All synthetics of wool. Basically anything I take hunting in the back country can be air dried in a matter of hours - or a matter of minutes over a campfire. The Chaos 3 has a gear loft I use to hang socks. Wet boots are another matter completely. Those I can put under the vestibule, but without some heat they aren't going to dry overnight.

 

[treillw]

This looks rather awesome.
https://seekoutside.com/cimarron-ultralight/

 

[Brendan]

Floorless isn't great in really buggy environments (unless you bring a bug nest). Summer in the northeast, I use something else. But, I'm not hunting and have less gear. Hunting seasons, it's floorless every time.

You can dry out clothes in your sleeping bag overnight IF it is a synthetic bag. Won't be perfect, but it helps.

 

[Tim in Wa.]

How does the floorless (unsealed) design work with bugs in the summer? I've already killed about 8 mosquitos on my leg in one swat in the spring. I'm sure the little buggers will find ways to get in and it would make for a miserable night.

I hear that rattlesnakes are drawn to warmth as well

Seek Outside offers a variety of nests and Bear Paw Wilderness designs does as well

 

[Tim in Wa.]

This looks rather awesome.
https://seekoutside.com/cimarron-ultralight/

It is really awesome,I like mine

 

[amp713]

Bugs= bug net, bug bivy, or inmer liner.

Snaked= the same plus maybe a cot if you are that concerned.

If it's cold enough for a stove snakes and bugs aren't as much of a concern.

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

If you can't dry your clothes with a stove/fire, find some place comfortable and dry where you can sit and dry them out while you wear them.

If your shelter isn't really large enough for that, you can always do what my brother-in-law and I did... we brought a spare flat tarp, and made a lean-to. We knew we were in for cold and wet weather and decided to bring it. It provided us with more living space where we could sit up comfortably, get a ton of air flow, and stop getting wetter from the weather while we were trying to dry.

A 9x9 sil-poly tarp and 50ft of paracord probably only added about pound to our pack, but it came through huge for us. Also, when we were packing up camp before heading out, we laid the tarp on the ground to keep our gear out of the snow while we were packing, and I just stuffed it in it's sack and lashed it to the outside of my pack when we were done.

 

[treillw]

It is really awesome,I like mine

Can you provide me with any further details on it? Doesn't seem to be much out there on the internet about it. Know of any good reads?

I wish they made a dcf saw tooth.

 

[*zap*]

Canister stove will put of heat to dry stuff. Use common sense when using one for that.

 

[Brendan]

Can you provide me with any further details on it? Doesn't seem to be much out there on the internet about it. Know of any good reads?

There's plenty of information on the Cimarron out there. Being made in DCF changes the material: weight, stretch, resistance to fire/embers, noise, but nothing about how it's used.

 

[jspradley]

Floorless is awesome.

Get some tyvek, run it through the washing machine a few times to soften it and make it less noisy and there's your floor under what you need to keep off the ground

 

[Wiscgunner]

Love my SeekOutside Cimarron, a palace for one, great for 2.

For warmer weather where mosquitoes (or ticks/snakes/etc) are a concern the nest options are great.


For colder weather, ditch the nest and bring the stove. Won't burn more than a couple hours without restocking but is great to fire up in the morning or at night before bed. A cloths line can easily be tied to the top of the pole inside and extended to one of the corner tie-outs. I used Polycryo tarps from Gossamer Gear under my sleep system this time. Worked awesome and lighter than Tyvek, used rocks to create corner ties-outs and used bungee cord to maintain tension.



If the weather is cold/wet and weight is not an issue then an Artic Oven (yellow) is a much better option for the headroom. Not floorless but has a stove option, double walled with a felt type inner wall that helps insulate much better.