Is a hot tent needed for second season rifle Colorado?

[buffsmoker]

Right now i'm trying to decide between 3 options:

1 - A jeep/truck with a roof tent which has a propane heater. My concerns with this option is, no real standing room in the tent although the vehicle will have an awning which is nice for cover, although that part obviously won't be heated. Also if we get crushed with a random snowstorm, not sure how well the roof tent holds up in that situation.
2 - Rent a canvas tent with stove and cots; probably the best overall option comfort wise, but lots of work to put up and not a lot of flexibility if we want to move to a different area.
3 - Get a hot tent and go that route; kind of somewhere between the first 2 in terms of comfort and flexibility/ease of setup.

FWIW there will be 2 hunters and we will be around 8500-9000 feet

The last few years on 2nd/3rd season hunts, I've been using a 10x14 Kodiak Flex-bow and it has been awesome. Way faster setup and tear down than a traditional canvas wall tent, and plenty of room for two guys. Comfy cots, you can stand up, and just run a buddy heater on a 20 lb propane tank or two. Just make sure to crack a window to vent if using overnight. I also pack a CO detector for peace of mind.

 

[JK47]

Even for archery I take a walk tent and stove. I pack some laundry detergent, so after a week I can hand wash my clothes. Use the wood stove to dry em out in the tent.

Just be mindful of burn bans, especially early season.

 

[Esetter77]

Right now i'm trying to decide between 3 options:

If you are camping at the trailhead and not packing in you may want to consider a diesel heater over a Propane heater. Diesel heaters can be had pretty cheap now and have some advantages over a Propane heater such as they don't put extra condensation in the tent and are generally safer as they aren't consuming oxygen and putting combustion by-products in the tent. Most diesel heaters have a thermostatic temperature control which is nice too

For packing in, I use a tent with woodstove but for "car camping" the diesel heater is pretty nice primarily because it will run all night without needing to get up to add wood.

I do also have a Big Buddy propane heater and have used it a good bit over the years. It's the easiest thing to just buy and use, but if I were starting from scratch I think I would go with the diesel heater over a propane heater.

You would want to set up a diesel heater and know how to use it before your trip, they aren't overly complex, but something you would want to mess with in advance. One other down side to the diesel heater is it will also require a deep cycle battery or portable power station to run.

 

[Trrads]

I'm considering the hot tent option more and more. At this point i'm mostly concerned with sleeping on the ground for 8 nights straight. I have an old lightweight sleeping pad which i've never really loved. Any recommendations? It would be awesome if there was a super lightweight cot, but i'm not sure i've ever seen or heard of such a thing.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

I'm considering the hot tent option more and more. At this point i'm mostly concerned with sleeping on the ground for 8 nights straight. I have an old lightweight sleeping pad which i've never really loved. Any recommendations? It would be awesome if there was a super lightweight cot, but i'm not sure i've ever seen or heard of such a thing.

Cots are pretty cold with the air coming underneath unless you have a pad. Just be aware of that.

 

[SonnyDay]

I'm considering the hot tent option more and more. At this point i'm mostly concerned with sleeping on the ground for 8 nights straight. I have an old lightweight sleeping pad which i've never really loved. Any recommendations? It would be awesome if there was a super lightweight cot, but i'm not sure i've ever seen or heard of such a thing.

One Word: Zenbivy

 

[cnelk]

I’d rather have a warm tent than a hot tent

 

[Trrads]

Oh, I like the Zenbivy concept. But I just bought a Western Mountaineering Badger MF bag that I love (and spent a lot of $ on) so I'm not even close to parting ways with it or dropping more $ on a quilt. Although I like the Zenbivy design that keeps you on top of the pad. Plus the hood to keep the warmth around the head..... Is there a good way to just use my current sleeping bag with the Zenbivy pad/system?

 

[fmyth]

Right now i'm trying to decide between 3 options:

1 - A jeep/truck with a roof tent which has a propane heater. My concerns with this option is, no real standing room in the tent although the vehicle will have an awning which is nice for cover, although that part obviously won't be heated. Also if we get crushed with a random snowstorm, not sure how well the roof tent holds up in that situation.
2 - Rent a canvas tent with stove and cots; probably the best overall option comfort wise, but lots of work to put up and not a lot of flexibility if we want to move to a different area.
3 - Get a hot tent and go that route; kind of somewhere between the first 2 in terms of comfort and flexibility/ease of setup.

FWIW there will be 2 hunters and we will be around 8500-9000 feet

I had a large roof top tent with a vestibule on my Ram Powerwagon. It was great during archery season. During rifle season we ran a Buddy heater in the vestibule. The hot air went straight up, missed the area where we sleep and caused a bunch of condensation which dripped on us. After that hunt I bought a 10x14 Kodiak. I've run 2 Buddy heaters in the Kodiak in extremely cold temps and not had a problem with condensation.

 

[Doowap6]

Sorry to hijack the thread as I know you've been talking about second season specifically. But how do you all approach camping in first rifle season. I know in October you can have summer and winter in the same week, especially where I'm from in the Upper Midwest. I have a really nice three season tent and a solid sleep system that works great for fall camping here that I was hoping to get away with on my CO first rifle hunt this fall.

Likely truck camping so I guess worse case scenario I can retreat to lower elevation if things really turn but I'd rather not. Also, don't expect to stay up playing cards in a tent after a day of hunting as I imagine I'll just want to eat something and go to bed.

Thoughts on a hot tent vs three season that time of year?

 

[blackhawk219]

I'm usually riding solo for rifle seasons and I usually just run a cold tent with a good sleeping pad/bag. I don't want to carry the extra weight and I don't want to find fuel for the stove. I've been a combination of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rifle seasons the past 4 years in CO and I've only ever wish I had a stove once (a really cold and snowy 3rd rifle in 2022). Other than that I've been plenty comfortable in my cold tent.

It really is so dependent on weather though. This past year for 3rd rifle I was basically sleeping with my torso out of my sleeping bag it was so warm (even at 9.5k where I camped). And just remember that the weather can change on a dime. 2 years ago for 2nd rifle the first half of the week was t shirt weather and then a storm rolled in and dropped a foot of snow on my buddy and I and cooled around 30 degrees. My buddy sure wanted a stove those nights lol.

Just one more data point.

 

[RyanT26]

Sorry to hijack the thread as I know you've been talking about second season specifically. But how do you all approach camping in first rifle season. I know in October you can have summer and winter in the same week, especially where I'm from in the Upper Midwest. I have a really nice three season tent and a solid sleep system that works great for fall camping here that I was hoping to get away with on my CO first rifle hunt this fall.

Likely truck camping so I guess worse case scenario I can retreat to lower elevation if things really turn but I'd rather not. Also, don't expect to stay up playing cards in a tent after a day of hunting as I imagine I'll just want to eat something and go to bed.

Thoughts on a hot tent vs three season that time of year?

I would not buy one specifically to go out first season. It could very well be 70 to 75° that week. It could also dump a foot of snow. In my experience, you’ll be fine with the three season tent in first season, especially if you’re camping at the truck you can always just throw in a buddy heater.
IMO a hot tent is a niche tent, they are nice to have when you need one and I do regret selling my Cimarron, but I wouldn’t spend the money unless it’s just burning a hole in your pocket for a first season

 

[blackhawk219]

And for clarification my tent is a 3 season backpacking tent. I've only had it happen once where I wake up in the night to the tent collapsed on top of me because of snow. Nothing a little shake won't fix lol. I may eat those words once a pole breaks or something, but we'll see!

 

[Esetter77]

Likely truck camping

If you are truck camping, other than the money, I just can't see not having a heater of some sort.
Most likely you won't "need" it, but the way I look at is if I'm going to be car camping which has it's pros and cons I'm going to take full advantage of the pros, which include the ability to have a bulky heavy heater of some sort. You could get a diesel heater and battery setup for $200-$250 and just use your existing tent. You may even already have a battery you could use. A Propane heater would be even less $ but has some downsides.

With that said usually if I'm car camping solo on a hunt, I'm camping in the back of my SUV or bed of my truck under a topper, while also using a diesel heater (or Propane Buddy Heater prior to my diesel heater days).

A heat source is not a necessity, but certainly may be nice to have, and for me is a no brainer if camping at the truck.

 

[Neumie]

Yes 100%. I really enjoy the ability to dry out clothing and get the chill out of the air.

 

[Doowap6]

Great feedback everyone!! I figured that I'd be able to get away without the hot tent but it's good to hear from others. Being from MN, I already have a full arsenal of buddy heaters for ice fishing Guess it doesn't hurt to toss it in the back of the truck.