How much tent is too much?

J.flanagan

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I've got an eye on 2 different tent setups... the first is a SO redcliff and the other is a SO 12 man tipi. The scenario would be CO late season with 4 guys. I get the impression that the redcliff would be super tight but doable with 4 people and a stove. Gear would go to a second smaller tent. However, the 12 man is pretty heavy. Would be 20 lbs or so with a stove.

Would we be miserable in the redcliff? Is the 12 man overkill for 4 guys and a stove?
 

*zap*

WKR
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If 4 guys cannot carry a12 man, well.....

Redcliff would be super tight, I would not want to be in it.
 
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4 with a stove in the 8 would be tight. 12 is nice but finding a spot can be challenging. The tipi is nice for hanging out, drying clothes, warming up, eating in weather, etc. You don't really need to sleep in it. When we have 4 or 5 folks we bring the 8 man and a lightweight 2 or 3 person for a couple folks to sleep in. Most all the gear stay (and dries) in the tipi. Works pretty well for us.
 

Marbles

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4 adults is reasonable in the Redcliff if you are not spending much time in the tent. It will be tight with a stove though. If you bring a second shelter, I would sleep two in the Redcliff with gear and use it as the main hangout, then two in the second shelter. A Redcliff and Cimmaron would be lighter than the 12 man (but not by much) and very comfortable for 4 people. Cost would be about the same.

Advantage is you can pack the Cimmaron if you might get stuck out over night, plus for future hunts you will have a more flexible setup.

If you have one guy who is fine with it, you could also do a Redcliff and Silex with 3 sleeping in the Redcliff. The stove does not burn long enough to keep you warm all night anyway.
 

brian_

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I would think 4 w/o a stove in the Redcliff would work fine if you guys are friends. Then again I'd do 4 in the Cimarron... as others have stated, a stove changes the equation. But IMO I wouldn't buy the 12 man unless I already had some places in mind where I wanted to set it up. It's too big otherwise.
 
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Are you packing in or road camping?
Like said finding a spot for a 12 can be challenging.
If road camping would a wall tent or Kodiak canvas type tent be an option?
 
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Good thoughts, I like the main shelter to hang out in, dry, etc and smaller tent(s) to sleep.

OP has not been in this thread since his first post...
 
OP
J

J.flanagan

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Looks like we will be sticking closer to the truck and going with a bigger tent. Will keep a couple small tents in the truck so we can always spike out.
 

JP100

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As above, the problem with very big tents is the footprint size.
Depends on you terrain etc, but finding an actual camping spot for a 12man would probably be difficult.
Go 2 smaller tipis?

2 4mans? or 2 6 mans?

More versatile longer term, ie you wont always be camping with 4 people in the same spot etc.
 
OP
J

J.flanagan

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As above, the problem with very big tents is the footprint size.
Depends on you terrain etc, but finding an actual camping spot for a 12man would probably be difficult.
Go 2 smaller tipis?

2 4mans? or 2 6 mans?

More versatile longer term, ie you wont always be camping with 4 people in the same spot etc.
Agreed. I definitely see the value there. However, one of the main deciding factors ended up being the fact that all of us have families and will be using it has a family tent for camping. So, for that use, the single large tent made more sense. I imagine, over the next few years, we will add a few redclifs to the arsenal.
 
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Go big or go home

How many times do you ever say “wish I had a smaller tent” when inside the tent? (Hint: never).

Sure when carrying it solo, but you have people to split the misery


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

dutch_henry

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With a stove, I love my redcliff for solo use or for two.

On a perfect crisp day it is too much tent. When the weather is bad, it's just the right amount of tent. When the weather really sucks, I wish I had a redcliff with sidewalls.
 

S.Clancy

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I have the LBO Base+Tarp+Base. I've done 3 people with stove really easy. Those tipi's have so much wasted space because they are round, the LBO is basically a rectangle, so space is used more efficiently. And the whole thing is like 8-9 lbs including stove
 
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I have a SO redcliff w/ stove and no way i'm doing a late season hunt with 4 guys & stove. Late season hunts means less daylight and alot of time spent in the tent, 2 guys with gear and stove is perfect.
 

rcb2000

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For a late season hunt you can do 3 in a Redcliff with a stove, but one will sleep in front of the door.
Not the end of the world, but can be a little annoying.
 
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