Base Camp Shelters

[mcseal2]

We use an 8 man Seek Outside Tipi for 2 of us. I like that it's portable by UTV if something prevents taking a truck and UTV trailer to base camp. We usually only get a week to 10 days for a hunt and when we schedule it we have to make it work. I would go a minimum of double in size for the number of people you expect, adding more isn't a bad idea. I use broken rake teeth from a Vermeer wheel rake to make my stakes, they break off about a foot in length and the end without a hook can be sharpened on a grinder. They are tough spring steel and work great in softer ground. Rocky stuff at least they don't bend or break, but you have to find a way to get them through the rock.

 

[MAVinWA]

if you go wall tent, as I do, cut some rebar at 24" length for the outer tie down ropes.
Makes super secure tent stake in soft ground.
My tent base camp is up for 12 days in elk season. It goes thru some pretty stiff windstorms and the rebar holds extremely well.

 

[5MilesBack]

My 14x16 Davis Tent is usually set up the entire archery season, and is home away from home. Although I usually feel like I'm away from home the other 11 months out of the year.

It's a great tent, has been through heavy snows and a butt load of rain without a fly on it. No leaks or issues. I too cut up some 1/2" rebar into 24" sections to hammer into the ground for at least the four corners. Have never had any issues with the tent staying up. Although rocky ground is a real pain in the rear trying to find enough spots that the stakes will hammer into. Sometimes I can hammer until the rocks break up, but sometimes I'm just SOL with that stake.

For room with 6 guys I would want the 16x20, or two smaller tents.

 

[mcseal2]

The 2 smaller tents idea has merit. If I ever go to a bigger base camp I'd like to have a place to cook and sit in at night separate from the sleeping quarters instead of one huge tent. I rifle hunt and usually go later in the year, so somewhere heated to do those things is a nice touch. I never really considered all that until last year's muley hunt where we got 15" of snow the first night and 0 degrees the 2nd. I don't know that I'll ever go to a 2nd shelter for that but it would have been nice. Having 2 separate ones means you don't have to have such a huge area to set up one with a giant footprint either. I like to be mobile and have a camp I can have packed up quick so I don't know if I'll ever go to that big and comfy a camp. I hunt to many new units with limited scouting time and don't always find the hunting I'm looking for close to my initial camp.

 

[Michiganhunter]

We use an army surplus general purpose medium tent. It’s 16x32 and can accommodate 2wood stoves if needed. We put anywhere from 4-8 guys in it depending on who shows up. Never d lot with snow but have spent many downpours in it.

 

[timekiller13]

Buy a travel trailer

 

[BRWNBR]

Buy a travel trailer

Haha I hadn’t even thought of that one!!

 

[timekiller13]

Haha I hadn’t even thought of that one!!

I thought about using my 26 ft travel trailer as my base camp for elk hunting this year. It has heat, running water if I fill the tanks, and much more comfortable than a tent. The only reason I didnt take it is because it would nearly double my fuel cost. 3500 miles round trip at 10 mpg is a lot of gas!

A smaller, 18-22 foot, would be the ticket.

 

[outdoorguyBP]

A wall tent sounds right up your alley, and I am the Sales Manager at Davis Tent. Feel free to give us a call 877-Elk-Camp (355-2267) and we can tell you about the advantages of buying from the manufacturer, and a USA made product, rather than an overseas made product sold by someone with a warehouse and a website.

Many thumbs up for Davis! Great product and great guy!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Titan_Bow]

I've had a handful of different types of base camp style tents, and the one I go to most is the 10 man Turbo Tent from Black Pine Sports. This thing has been amazing. Its one of the best built tents I have ever owned, very heavy duty and rugged. When battened down, it will withstand some really gnarly weather and high winds. Its huge, with a 10x20ft. footprint, and I can put it up by myself in 15 minutes or so. You could probably mod it to run a wood stove pretty easily, but I've always either used it where theres electric hookup, or used a Mr. Heater propane tent heater.