Early Season Elk – Floorless Shelter Reality Check

[spinninggriller]

Ran a Seek Outside Cimarron for the first week of September elk in western CO. Temps swung from 80°F to 28°F overnight. Condensation was brutal, especially after a wet evening. A small bear decided to nose around the vestibule at 3 AM, which was less than ideal in a floorless setup.
Groundsheet helped, but I’d still go back to a lightweight tent if I expect weather like that again. The floorless crowd is right about weight savings, but not about sleep quality.

 

[mrbillbrown]

I added 12" of 2mm cord with micro line locs to the bottom perimeter of my Tut. Makes a world of difference in condensation raising the floorless shelter 4-8" off the ground. Bears..... no experience there.

 

[Jdeck09]

I used liners this year because of snakes and spiders in NM. That being said, you will see a huge difference if you get that the tent in "draft" mode as Argali describes it. That extra airflow probably cut the condensation by 50% once I made some adjustments after the first day.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

I sold my Cimarron but kept the stove. Going to replace it with an Argali for the material difference, but I've relegated floorless to cold weather only. Ticks in the spring, bugs in the summer / early fall, no thanks. Finding a spot for two guys within the footprint of the tent can also be tough in the country we're in.

Durston X-Mid 1P has been awesome. I can get it down to ~26 oz using just the fly, borah bivy, 6 stakes and trekking poles or ~30oz with the inner and no bivy.

Compared to 55 oz for a cimarron with pole and stakes you're around the same weight/person unless you're sleeping 3-4 in a Cimarron. We usually only have two guys in one though.

I could spring for a freestanding single person, ultralight option too though. Relying on getting stakes securely in the ground has had my butt puckered a few times.