Best tent for Alaska sheep hunt

[wapitispokes]

I took a Bibler Eldorado on a Chugach sheep hunt years ago and endured some serious wind. The poles are fairly flexible and the tent was basically laying down on top of me, but the poles never broke and I stayed dry. The tent stood back up as the wind died down and was good as new.

Nice. I like those "old" Bibler designs. I have the Bibler Eldorado and the Bibler Bombshelter. Both about 20 years old but fairly lightly used. They haven't been in those kind of high winds, but I would expect both to do well - especially the Bombshelter. The internal pole design largely eliminates "flapping" and the Bombshelter has something like 5 poles (Haven't set it up in a while). I think 4 structural poles and one mainly to support awnings.. The Eldorado has not vestibule of any sort which makes storing boots and such a bit problematic, but it sure is a cozy den for one person. I have the optional vestibule for the Eldorado, but if you are backpacking, by the time you add the vestibule you may as well have just packed a different, larger and heavier tent.

 

[Villreinjeger]

I’m from Norway, so no Alaskan experience, but weatherwise we can be similar in our mountains. Have also hunted quite a feet times in the southern alps of New Zealand. Caught the Tahr bug. They have the worse winds in my opinion..

Have had Helsport Ultralight 2p, Hilleberg Akto and Nallo 2 , and Soulo. Got tired of excess weight, and went HMG Ultamid 2 (never cuben fibre again - leaking after a while), only Kuiu storm Star 2p in stock now, and have ordered a MLD duomid.

Doing backpack hunts, where weight is imperative, I find the mids to be most interesting.

The condensation was worse in the Hillebergs, In my opinion, and best in the mid. Same goes with bigger heavy mids made in Norway. It is a reason why the Indians use teepee aso.. over here the Same people use teepee style shelters. It sheds wind very very well! They ventilate very well due to draft to higer point, and they offer very good headroom. Bugs seems to gather in the top cone too? I love the headroom and being able to get into the shelter before shedding clothes and boots. Keeps sleeping bag area dry. Mids also accommodate a stove, adding to some comfort in late season!

I was stuck in my borrowed little 2p tunnel tent in New Zealand for the better part of three days in an epic downpour. A mid would have made that a no problem compared to my experience…

Weight is an issue. So I’m planning on going with the MLD Duomid with either an inner, or skip the inner and do a combination with Borah ultralight biv. The last option beeing the very lightest yet safest option I have come across to date for camping under severe conditions.
My nr two choice would be a Kuiu Storm star 2p. Ventilation system is «ok», but I actually prefer the mids before the freestanding tents in general.
Only downside of mids are space needed to pitch them.

Just stick to 4-season rating, and you’ll be fine.

 

[kaboku68]

Throwing this out. The Black Diamond Eldorado is one of the best sheep hunting tents ever made. Is it the lightest? Probably not. Is it the cheapest. No on that count either. But it will keep going through more damaging weather than nearly every other tent and I highly recommend it.
This tent is 20 years old and while it has a fixed rip in the floor and a new zipper from Apocalypse Design. It continues to perform. I am likely to get a green one as a second tent soon.

 

[Sneaker]

If you are skinny guy like me and need to keep weight down on a long backpack hunt, I loved the super light Tarptent Notch Li. I took one spare pole and my trecking poles, leaving me with one trecking pole to take with me on day hikes when we left the tents at camp.

 

[wapitispokes]

Throwing this out. The Black Diamond Eldorado is one of the best sheep hunting tents ever made. Is it the lightest? Probably not. Is it the cheapest. No on that count either. But it will keep going through more damaging weather than nearly every other tent and I highly recommend it.
This tent is 20 years old and while it has a fixed rip in the floor and a new zipper from Apocalypse Design. It continues to perform. I am likely to get a green one as a second tent soon.

Yup. That's my tent too. Only drawback is lack of vestibule for muddy / wet gear and pack. I bought mine for Glacier Climbing in WA State but it is a great fall mountain hunting tent too. I've thought about selling it because I don't use it much and I have a lot of tents, but I'm quite sure it is worth a lot more to me than the market price for used one. I also havethe "Bombshelter". Now THAT is a nice tent! Both are heavy, but the Bibler Bombshelter is actually lighter than a Hilly (space adjusted).

 

[ColeyG]

Throwing this out. The Black Diamond Eldorado is one of the best sheep hunting tents ever made. Is it the lightest? Probably not. Is it the cheapest. No on that count either. But it will keep going through more damaging weather than nearly every other tent and I highly recommend it.
This tent is 20 years old and while it has a fixed rip in the floor and a new zipper from Apocalypse Design. It continues to perform. I am likely to get a green one as a second tent soon.

Blast from the past!

My 2 cents. While the Eldo and I-Tent were revolutionary in their time, the Toddtex fabric is old technology at this point and there are far better options for lightweight tents that offer a lot more space and functionality that the Eldo/I.

These tents basically have no room for gear inside the if it is occupied by two normal sized humans. To have any sort of dry gear storage or a place to set up a stove out of the rain, you have to add the optional vestibule, which puts the packed weight around 7lbs. Near double some of the better choices out there.

The soft backed Toddtex fabric is a sponge that takes a long time to dry out after it has been saturated. Goodness forbid that you get stuck in it for multiple days in below freezing temps. The end result will be a stiff, frozen tent that will take up your entire pack if you can get it crammed in. It will weigh a couple of more pounds as well. Ask me how I know.

Ventilation is challenging on these tents as well, especially in buggy country as they don't have a bug screen (at least mine don't), just a solid fabric door, and only two small vents at the top of the tent. It turns into a sauna when it is sunny out.

I will say that the poles are burly and if you properly guy these tents out, they are surprisingly solid for the super simple two pole design.

With the internal pole design, these tents are also tough to pitch in windy, rainy, snowy conditions without totally soaking and trashing the inside of the tent. Models like the MH AC2 or MSR Advance Pro with external pole sleeves are a better choice in a much lighter package. BDs Firstlite tents came in behind the Eldo/I and were all the rage for a while for fast and light alpine ascents. They are not durable or waterproof for very long though and not suitable for extended wet, windy weather.

In, at one point, 20 years ago I would have agreed with you. These were fantastic tents and revolutionary in their day. That day has long passed.