Keeping furry critters out of floorless shelters

Joined
Aug 28, 2017
I'm a tipi newbie. Anything that you do to keep furry critters out of your tipi at night? This morning I woke up to a possum about 6" from my face. Would prefer not to have that happen again. I was thinking of pitching the sides lower to the ground but then you lose the ventilation aspect. Any ideas?
 
If you had a floor, they might have just chewed through it.

Mini-bears (chipmunks and squirrels) are good at that.


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I always pitch my tipi tight. When condensation is high, a quick light of the stove takes care of that. Also pitching it away from grass when possible. I solo hunt solo so condensation is rarely an issue. With that said, critters are part of the floorless game. I have never had the bigger furry critters, but plenty of mice crawling thru my stuff. I try to keep what attracts them away from where I am. (food other smelly things they may want to check out). I like my stove for the later hunts, so the trade off to using a floorless is worth it for me. If you don't use a stove, a reg floored tent is probably your ticket.
 
It was good for a laugh at least. I really don't care about mice a whole lot. It's the squirrels and coons I feel would cause havoc, especially if I'm not around to run them off. More worried about them chewing on any gear that may be left inside while I'm gone.
 
Anyone hang a bear bag to get smellables out of your tent/tipi at night?

It's a bit of work to hang one...

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Toadmeister...

That is what I meant by removing "smellies" from where I am.
All critters will come check out the "new thing" in their play ground, but only the ones with reasons to stay , will. But even still, they all have curious cousins. It's all part of the process when you're out in their territory.
 
Tentipi Nordic tipi's have a full storm flaps which can be positioned inward and staked down inside the tent. They can also be positioned outward to enable snow to slide off more easily, but the normal position is inward which creates a better "seal" against the ground (and critters). Here's a Tentipi Crucial Features video which show both options -

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Tentipi Nordic tipi's have a full storm flaps which can be positioned inward and staked down inside the tent. They can also be positioned outward to enable snow to slide off more easily, but the normal position is inward which creates a better "seal" against the ground (and critters). Here's a Tentipi Crucial Features video which show both options -

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Clever guy/storm cord holders... that's worth it right there!
 
Think of a floorless shelter as an awning, not a prison cell. If you want no potential contact with nature ever while in your shelter, to include bugs or wayward mice during the warmer months, then get an ultralight nest or bivy. Pitching these shelters right to the ground, except during bad storms, is not the answer.

If you get a good bear hanging system set up beforehand, it takes little effort and less than a few minutes to hang your smellables/food. Without a system, it can be frustrating and time consuming.
 
It was good for a laugh at least. I really don't care about mice a whole lot. It's the squirrels and coons I feel would cause havoc, especially if I'm not around to run them off. More worried about them chewing on any gear that may be left inside while I'm gone.

Coons? When raccoons tried getting on our back porch, momma just chased them off with a broom.
 
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