Floorless Tipi Regrets?

[WSMHNTR]

I'm on the fence about trying a floorless tipi. The ability to have a stove and weight reduction over my current setup are the driving factors. Give me the good bad and ugly.

 

[KHntr]

Downside, bugs. Learning curve to get the pitch right.
Upsides- better in the wind. Drier. More space. Better ventilation.

I could never go back to a floored tent now.

 

[Poser]

I've been using floorless exclusively for 11+. years now.
I use a stove far less than I ever expected I would and less and less over the time. Stoves are heavy, finicky, and time consuming. When you really need them, they are great. When they would be merely nice to have, I don't mess with them anymore.

Downsides: condensation. Sag when wet or, especially, under heavy snow.
Condensation + sag from heavy, wet snow can get borderline miserable when you're not using a stove.

 

[rayporter]

bugs have not been the problem i have expected. on 2 Alaska trips and 2 Canada trips bugs were thick but i did not get bit.

i got my first floorless after fall hunt with a lot of wet snow that had the floor constantly wet. it got so bad i poked a hole in the floor to let the water out.

 

[Hussar]

The biggest benefit is the flexibility. Most tipis now have floor systems and/or inserts so that you can cater the shelter to your environment. Warmer hunts with bugs? Go with a full insert to give you the most room. Cold hunt? Leave the insert at home and bring the stove.

The biggest learning curve is site selection so you're not pitching somewhere water is going to pool if it's raining/snow melting/etc and not using a floor/insert.

 

[mikkel318]

Don't look back. They are awesome. Learning to pitch it correctly is tough, but once they are set it's solid.

Bugs are definitely not as bad as expected and if you run a thermacell inside of it, then they are non-existent.

I take my floor liner during the day and wrap my sleeping stuff like a burrito to keep it dry.

I have a 12-man tipi and we've used it all over..Alaska, Northern MN (winter, summer, fall), South Dakota, Wyoming.

 

[bluetick78]

I had the same fears. Bugs, snakes, badgers, wolverines, etc, etc. I've used a Jimmy Tarps 4P, wore that completely out, now I'm using an Argali Absaroka 4P. Bought the half nest to use in really buggy or wet conditions, otherwise I just throw Tyvek under my pad. A Lite Outdoors stove keeps it warm when the lows head for the 20's. Watching a 5 minute YouTube video will have you setting one up like a pro. There's tons of options for set up. Flush to the ground when it's cold, off the ground when it's warmer. Easy to patch holes with Leukotape and a dab of seam sealer. I wouldn't go back to a floored tent unless I was in very extreme conditions. Argali and Seek Outside are the ones I'm familiar with, and they perform above expectations.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Love my Kifaru Tut 4 man tipi. Coming from Oklahoma (and heading to Colorado for archery elk hunting) I was really concerned about bugs, spiders, snakes, no floor, single wall, etc. I'd always used a full tent here at home. I was blown away at the advantages of the floorless shelter. More room (including stand up to dress/change height), fast set up and break down, walking in and out of the shelter without the need to remove my boots, raising it off the ground 4-8"for great ventilation, room for 1 as a palace or 2 plus gear and stove when needed. When needed during warmer weather, I use a UL bivy or an MLD mesh nest to protect all my sleeping gear while out during the day. Never have to worry about bugs in my sleep system. I won't take any other shelter when in the high mtns but still use a full tent for kayak camping.

 

[WSMHNTR]

Thanks all! I think I'm going to bite the bullet and go with a 4 man Seek or Argali and possibly add a stove as money allows. For those that have a stove do you find it worth the weight for dry hunts with lows around freezing?

 

[Gulogulo]

Been using floorlless for the past 15+ years and the only time I wished for a floor was in eastern MT and the grasshoppers were beyond thick. I currently have three Kifaru shelters and love them all.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

For those that have a stove do you find it worth the weight for dry hunts with lows around freezing?

No, not worth the hassle if lows are only around freezing. Can be super comfortable with pad & bag in them temps. As mentioned by someone else I find I use the stove way less than i thought i ever would. Only comes with now when on really late hunts with a bunch of snow and temps in the teens to single digits.

 

[KHntr]

By bugs, I don’t mean mosquitoes or anything. Only had one bad trip for mosquitoes and that would have been solved by a thermacell.

I mean more like what happened on a trip to the coast last August where a wasp crawled into my quilt overnight and stung me beside a nut.
Flies are somewhat irritating where we sheep hunt in that they will amalgamate at the peak and bonk around up top all night, but same thing, a thermacell would solve that.

Same here with the stove though, I used it on the first trip that I had it, because we were on horses. And I used it last October because temps were 20* below freezing and I like to be warm when I get dressed.

 

[mavinwa2]

Love my Kifaru Tut as a floorless tent for backcountry or spike camp hunts.
Combined with a custom interior liner, for those wet, clammy days and interior w/bathtub floor 1/2 nest for bug protection. I use the 1/2 nest every time, the liner only when wet, rainy conditions expected.

A backpacking LiteOutdoors wood stove for those cold days really makes a difference before bedtime or first wake up in the morning.
Wood stove creates, adds extra comfort feeling after a long, cold and tiring day of hunting.

 

[mahonsr]

During archery in Colorado I’ve never used my stove. Get up early and hunt late through dark. These days I often don’t even set up a shelter at all. Just not worth messing with. For Nov rifle the stove is nice to have but I’ve only truck camped than so - is a lite weight stove worth it? Maybe. For bugs - like others say - for floorless location is important. If there are mosquitoes or ticks, it’s no fun. But in the fall - the floorless is great and really flexible. In reality if you like backpacking/camping, you’ll likely end up with more than one system.

 

[RCB]

Good thread idea!

I have a Seek Outside Cimarron. Have used for a few seasons as a solo hunter (it's certainly on the big and heavy side for that). I have only used it in late season hunts with cold temps, snow, and long nights. Nice to be able to hang out in a toasty warm tent all evening, melt snow for water, dry out clothes and boots, etc. Makes for a lot of camp chores (setting up stove, collecting firewood, sawing it down to size, etc), but when the sun is down at 5:30, you need something to do anyway.

For that shelter, the main advantage in my mind is the stove, since it is by itself not particularly light or convenient to use relative to a tent. I don't have a bigger shelter or stove, so I'll often use it when car camping too. I wouldn't think to use it over a small, light tent unless I was expecting low temps and/or lots of moisture to dry out. I could see a smaller floorless shelter being of use in the warmer seasons, I suppose. In that case I'd probably go with the bivy + tarp approach for ease and flexibility.

Downsides: a free-standing tent is a simpler pitching process. Bugs and rodents could be a problem, though by using it in the late seasons I've avoided bugs, and so far no rodent problems yet. Condensation sometimes annoying but has not been a bad problem for me yet in the dry Rockies.