Campsite Tent pad with Tipi style tent

Joined
Mar 1, 2021
Messages
56
Been pondering an 8 man Seek Outside for backpack hunting as well as car camping with my family. Car camping got me thinking about how to set up a tipi on/around those gravel tent pads they have in established campgrounds. There's not a standardized size for those. 10'x10' and 12'x12 are common. Pythagorean Theorem shows a 10'x10' or even 10'x12' pad would fit entirely inside an 8 man SO. A 12'x12' pad would be 16.97' on the diagonal, so about a foot bigger than the diameter of that tent. Is there an easy way to deal with the corner of a tent pad sticking out from these tents? Do you guys just avoid the tent pads?
 
OP
W
Joined
Mar 1, 2021
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56
Tried to search this but my search results got me sleeping pads not tent pads. If there's another thread on this let me know.
 

Wrench

WKR
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Aug 23, 2018
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5,596
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WA
Most guys who shell out the dough for a lightweight backcountry tent don't have the same constraints.

Id just put the stakes where I need to or take a coleman tent. You can adjust the diameter some...but it affects pitch.
 
Joined
Feb 12, 2022
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1,689
Been pondering an 8 man Seek Outside for backpack hunting as well as car camping with my family. Car camping got me thinking about how to set up a tipi on/around those gravel tent pads they have in established campgrounds. There's not a standardized size for those. 10'x10' and 12'x12 are common. Pythagorean Theorem shows a 10'x10' or even 10'x12' pad would fit entirely inside an 8 man SO. A 12'x12' pad would be 16.97' on the diagonal, so about a foot bigger than the diameter of that tent. Is there an easy way to deal with the corner of a tent pad sticking out from these tents? Do you guys just avoid the tent pads?
I have a tent that doesn't play well with tent pads... When the wife and I use it car camping, I just pick a suitable spot in our campsite area. Never been a problem.

Here it is in Northern Idaho.
 

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5MilesBack

"DADDY"
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Colorado Springs
I assumed you meant sleeping pad too. I've never even heard of a "tent pad". Are they made out of foam? Knowing how much space even sleeping pads take up in a truck, I wouldn't want to deal with a tent pad the size of the tent footprint.
 
Joined
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I assumed you meant sleeping pad too. I've never even heard of a "tent pad". Are they made out of foam? Knowing how much space even sleeping pads take up in a truck, I wouldn't want to deal with a tent pad the size of the tent footprint.
They're not portable...
 
OP
W
Joined
Mar 1, 2021
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The tent pad I was referring to are those elevated platforms made with rail road ties or 4x4’s and filled in with gravel. Theyre in established campgrounds and not in the back country.
 

Tman24

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 14, 2015
Messages
217
I have a SO 8 man. Never have pitched it in a campsite tent pad. But I do know it is a pain to setup in small areas, uneven ground.
One thing though with the 8man is you can set it up as a 6man by using the upper guy outs staked to the ground and lowering the pole. So if it didn’t fit the pad you would have that option. Of course you’d have a smaller shelter though.
 

*zap*

WKR
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Dec 20, 2018
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N/E Kansas
If the 8 man is too large to fit you could pitch it smaller by staking the guy outs to the ground on the whole shelter or just where necessary....ymmv.

SO calls that pitch(guy outs staked out) a Flexi Pitch. They make the guy outs strong enough to do that.
 

bushpilot

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
111
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BC
I have found using my 8 man in those situations, I usually setup in the sites approach or wherever I can make it fit. Sometimes it takes a quick little scout of the available campsites, as not all have the same layout. Also another consideration is that these site are built on packed gravel, bring an extra set of heavy duty pegs, as the durapegs and aluminum backpacking ones with bend and break before you can reach a suitable depth.
 
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