Base camp / truck tent HELP!!!

[sodaksooner]

RTT's are awesome!! I have the ARB awning and tent room on my truck already. It works well if I am by myself or with one other person.
The only thing I don't like is that if I am in an area where we can drive to a new spot to glass or when upland hunting, I have to tear it all down to drive. Would like something that is stand alone from the truck.

This was my plan this year till the brother bought the Alaknak. I'll have it with as we have a remote area or two we will drive to and will use in those cases (if we don't use the 6 man tipi). I think we are tent whores...lol. Mine is a CVT McKinley. 2nd largest one they sell. Sleeps 3 grownups comfortably and you can put a person in the bottom on a cot. I also have an M101A2 trailer I can mount it on if I choose to go that route.

 

[5MilesBack]

The only thing I don't like is that if I am in an area where we can drive to a new spot to glass or when upland hunting, I have to tear it all down to drive.

That was my first thought.......when I drive away, how does it stay put?

 

[Gunnersdad49]

You say you are never going to pack it in anywhere. For now. Look long enough and adventures will pop up.

I was looking for a wall tent for October deer and elk hunting in Colorado. I have an RV, but when my nieces and nephews all show up, I end up losing out on bed space. I was hoping for something for me and possibly one or two other people, but a stove was a must. The tipis are competitively priced compared to the wall tents, but the reason I ultimately went with a SO 8 man vs a wall tent was the size and weight. I can pack the SO down into a space about the size of a sleeping bag. That includes the pole and stove. It weighs about 15 lbs. The wall tents that our family used (don't know the brand), took up about the space of a 55 gallon drum, and weighed enough I grunted when I picked it up.

If I were spending a few months at a time in my tent, I may have opted for the wall tent, but for a week or so, the tipi is my choice.

Oh, and it is small and light enough that I can bring it into the bush in Alaska without chartering an extra plane ride.

 

[steveo]

I have a 12x12 Alaknak and you would be hard pressed to fit 3 people if you have a stove. I usually can only fit 2 people with large cots. If using lower cots them three will do. My hunting partner got a 8 man seekoutside tepee. With a liner and stove you can fit 3. With small cots maybe 4. but I would go with the 12 man. I have to say the tipee is way easier to set up and take down quickly.

 

[GKPrice]

I am going back on forth on what to buy.

This would be used mostly for base camp / Truck camping. No packing it in. Max in it will be 4 guys.....maybe a 5th on a VERY rare occasion. I love the idea of a Davis but can one person set that up fairly easily if needed?

I want to be able to use cots and chairs inside, want to be able to stand up and possible 1 person set up.

Below are the 3 choices.

Kifaru or SO 8 man tipi with stove(maybe 12 man?)
Cabelas 12x12 Alaknak with stove
Davis wall tent with stove (size?)

Thoughts? Thanks in Advance!!!

I have a 16' x 20' Reliable wall tent from Boseman MT with aluminum internal frame, 5' walls (if I were only truck camping I'd consider 6' walls maybe) 4 guys is a snap, 5 easily doable on cots and a wood stove - IF we're packing in I'll normally go in 2-3 days early and set up camp, putting the tent up is as easy as it gets (wish water and firewood were the same) I learned many years ago that wall tents are the way to go

 

[Matt W.]

Do you need a burly weather fighting tent with stove capability? If so, then LOTS of good ideas above. If just a large tent will work, my family and I have used the below tent from Cabela's. Its a great 3 season tent, lots of room for the 5 of us and the dog. Kodiak would probably not be a good idea, and a stove is a no go, but my little Buddy Heater does the job.
Cabela's Online Store - Quality Hunting, Fishing, Camping and Outdoor Gear
For the money, and with the limitations listed, its been a great tent! Just another options as you think through things.

 

[Ironmerganser]

Thanks High Country. I do have an REI Kingdom 6 that works like the Cabelas tent you mentioned.
I have been wanting to try and tent/stove combo for quite a while now though.

 

[Dirtydan]

View attachment 55588
Not to long ago I was in the same boat. I wanted a canvas wall tent but needed it to be a one person setup. I ended up making a couple canvas single pole tipis. Ones 20' diameter and the other is 16'. We just got back from a 4 day archery shoot over in PA where we had three cots and all our gear inside with room for a stove in the larger one. The 20' weights in around 45lbs. So it's very doable for one guy.

 

[sndmn11]

I am the sales manager at Davis Tent. I also own a Seek Outside Redcliff, and I happen to think it is pretty awesome. In my eyes, in the sizes that have been mentioned, a wall tent and a lightweight tipi style tent cover very different bases in their best application of use. There are pros and cons to each, and if you have to pick just one to purchase for now, you really need to examine your priorities. For livability, the wall tent wins hands down, but comes at the cost of a greater packed/transport size and weight. Obviously, the lightweight tipi style tents are drastically smaller in packed size, and lighter in weight. I have not been in a tipi style tent other than my Redcliff, but the usable space compared to a similar footprint wall tent (10x12?) is a decent amount less. This is the main cost/benefit between the two in my eyes, and my personal opinion is that set up times are not different enough to matter. I have found the most time consuming portion of the set up for either is getting the stakes into the ground. Most people should genuinely be able to set up our wall tents in 15-25minutes by themselves. I find myself at about 10-15minutes with my Redcliff when using all the stake out points possible. I am fortunate enough to own both styles, but if I were not, the decision on style would come down to one question; Do I value portability or livability? If you can answer that, then the style choice is pretty apparent. I can't offer a sizing opinion on a tipi style tent, but if you go the wall tent route, a 14x16 would be the absolute minimum size for 4-5 people, and a 14x20 or 16x20 would be a better choice.

 

[camping1601]

Another vote for a wall tent. Myself and the wife set up a really comfy camp twice a year by ourselves. If you have two more guys with a decent work ethic you could really live large.

 

[Ironmerganser]

I have no doubt that a wall tent would be a home away from home. I just think I will be happier with a tent that will serve me for both car based camping and packing in with a couple friends. With the amount of money invested for either one....right now...I can only get one.

I really appreciate everyone's input!!!

 

[dotman]

I would go wall tent and stick to a smaller tent/tipi size for backpacking. Get a small tipi to have just in case you really want to pack in but for a car/base camp you want comfort and nothing outside of a camper will be better then a wall tent.

The price of a smaller tipi and wall tent might not be too much more then a 12 man tipi and your buddies can buy their own packing in gear. I prefer to have my own shelter when I pack in anyway.

 

[kcm2]

You haven't completely defined your problem. If you are not space limited, the wall tents are comfortable. They are also heavy and bulky. And there's a good bit of work to set them up. I don't know how wind limited they are, as I've only used one in well-sheltered woods.

The Kifaru tipis and their copies, OTOH, take up little room, weigh little, and are easy/quick to set up. 4 people in an 8 man with a big tarp for outside can work, but it would be better with a 12. They will also hold up to 60-75 mph winds, with the right stakes. I know because I've used mine in reported 75 mph winds.

It's also not clear what kind of weather you'd expect. A tipi is a lot easier to dry at home than a canvas tent, too. YMMV.

 

[quackaddict]

One thing to think about too...If you have to pitch a tipi on damp ground, it's going to turn into a rain forest without a stove/liner. And if it rains, again, the condensation is really bad if you don't have a stove/liner.

I had an 6 man SO, and it was really nice and roomy. Easy enough to pitch, but I got rid of it and got a Kodiak Flexbow. The 6 man is a little too big for packing(especially by yourself), and not big enough IMO for a base camp.

That being said, I would like a 12 man with a liner and stove one of these days.

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[wymtnpounder]

Guide gear tepee tent 18x18 is a pretty decent tent for the price
has a floor and I put a stove jack in mine

 

[JigStick]

I have a Cabelas Bighorn2 with its matching vestibule. Its got plenty of room for 4 guys on regular size cots and a Four Dog stove. One person an set it up, and it handles wind and snow like you wouldn't believe. I used it for 3 years as a base camp here in the PA wilderness, and have rode out some nasty weather in that thing.

 

[mcseal2]

The buddy I hunt with and I recently bought a 8 man SO tipi together. We got the half floor, half liner, bug screens, and XL stove. We both want to be able to sleep on the side with the liner for condensation reasons, and found that to do so with cots we had to get fairly short ones that will go closer to the walls. We plan to use the other side for our gear we aren't as worried about, we have waterproof bags and totes to keep it in. For a base camp I think the 8 man is a nice size for 2 people plus stove and gear for a week long hunt. I am glad we didn't go smaller and don't think a 12 man would be a bad idea. If you are looking to sleep 4 or 5 in cots I'd go with the 12 man as a minimum.

We set ours up inside out to seam seal yesterday and got a rain last night. It had been sealed for 3hrs or so before the rain, so hopefully it got dry enough. We will set it up right side out this weekend and seam seal it again on the other surface. Last night was a humid night and has been really humid all day today. It is pretty damp inside still. I just went and opened the doors up so the inside dries out completely. I've used a Megatarp and Paratarp quite a bit but never a full tipi before, those tarps have so much more air flow they didn't stay that damp inside. I'm glad we got the liner after seeing what it looked like today. The tipi is set up inside out now as I said so the vent isn't working properly and we didnt have the doors open to let air flow through either so that makes the condensation worse. I have a Goal Zero Yeti 150 and some fans we can use when camping in it also to help with condensation if it's hot and the stove will help if it's cold.

 

[GKPrice]

the OP stated this tent would be a "base camp / truck camp, no packing it in" hence my enthusiastic vote for a wall tent with wood stove of which there are many good ones to choose from - "IF" the correct tent is chosen the comment about it being heavy is incorrect and bulky only somewhat

for many years we packed into wilderness areas and backcountry units and used 1 or 2 wall tents for very "luxurious" base camps - now I even set up the 16' x 20' wall for summer family camping trips - for hunting season I locate the tent lengthwise with a stout tree out front 20' - 30' and a tree 10' or so from the rear end, string a 5/8" rope or cable shrouded with garden hose and tightened with a come along, then stretch visqueen or tarp over the rope/cable a foot or two above the tent that extends beyond all sides - no condensation, little to no moisture hits the tent, front covered porch and covered side storage and when it's time to break camp you can fold the DRY tent up on dry ground - simple and easy - We've used a Cabela's Alagenak in AK and some other fancy types in BC twice and for me there is no sense doing it any other way - I WOULD NOT want to backpack a wall tent in though .......

 

[WV Mountaineer]

12 by 12 Alaknak is going to be way small for 4 and gear. I own a 12 by 20 Alaknak II and a 16 by 20 canvas wall tent and fly. We sleep 4 and gear, plus a stove in the alaknak. It works pretty decent. The Wall tent is the berries though. Much warmer, much more comfortable with no sewn in floor. The only downside is it takes a bigger spot to set up and the long poles. Plus, its heavier to lug around. But, I've put it up by myself a bunch of times so, it isn't something that would stop me from using it if there is the spot to do it.



If you want warm, dry comfort, you can't beat the wall tent. Check out walltentshops.com Great tents at a great price. Canvas is superior to the synthetics in every way as far as I'm concerned. Just don't get one so big you can't find a place to set it up. Alaknak is a great tent as well.
but, it ain't no wall tent. God Bless

 

[ianpadron]

The Bighorn 3 is on sale at Cabelas (online) for 649 bucks, that's a screamin deal.

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