Kodiak Canvas tents - yes please

ItemB

Lil-Rokslider
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Nov 2, 2017
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Bought the 10x14 this year really like it the 2 times I have used it. Use a buddy heater in it and haven't gotten cold with it. Ordered mine from cabelas with some discounted gift cards and active junky. Moosejaw runs decent sales some3too.
 

RoJo

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Dec 5, 2016
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I have had the 10x10 Spring Bar for 15 years. It's a great tent and made in the USA. Same tent as Kodiak for the most part.

I have been considering getting one of these Springbar/Kodiak style tents. I would spend the extra money to NOT buy something made in China. Kodiaks are made in China, and sadly it appears Springbars are too now. Very unfortunate.
 

realunlucky

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I have been considering getting one of these Springbar/Kodiak style tents. I would spend the extra money to NOT buy something made in China. Kodiaks are made in China, and sadly it appears Springbars are too now. Very unfortunate.
Spring bar tent still builds tents right in Utah they also have some import models to compete at Kodiaks price point.
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RoJo

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I emailed the Springbar folks. They are moving and their US production is not quite up to speed yet. They will be taking down kirkhams.com and building springbar.com up with all their product lines. I inquired about the US made 10x14 tent ("Family Camper 7"). Of course, it is more expensive than an equivalent Kodiak or Chinese made Springbar, but to get something not made in China I am there.
 
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I can pitch my FlexBow 10X14 w/ annex in 12 minutes solo. Add two more minutes for the propane stove. Super easy.

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I'm a big fan of their truck tents too.

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NEhunter

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Bruce, what sleeping pad and bag is that in your truck bed?


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I had a 3" closed foam pad custom made for it...local vinyl & foam shop made it in a day. I have several sleeping bags so I toss in whatever is appropriate for the temps, I think the one in the pic is an old 40* Coleman. Great way to camp solo. And I tested the rig for offroad travel, it works.

 

NEhunter

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I had a 3" closed foam pad custom made for it...local vinyl & foam shop made it in a day. I have several sleeping bags so I toss in whatever is appropriate for the temps, I think the one in the pic is an old 40* Coleman.

Thanks, I’ve been looking for a large comfortable truck camping bag. Was looking at a couple from Teton sports and that one in your pic looked similar.


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Sep 22, 2013
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Got it at Big 5 during year end inventory clearance after Christmas. Cost like $45. LOL
Wanted something thick and heavy and soft.
 

mmac

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Mar 30, 2017
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I wrote to Kodiak Canvas and asked why they don't offer models with stove jacks. They said they are not recommended for any type of heater at all. Has me concerned. I realize people use them, but I now am thinking something that is meant to have a jack. Thoughts?
 

92xj

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Thoughts... Don't be stupid with fire or another heat source and you'll be fine in a Kodiak canvas with whatever heat source you want. I've run all known sources in mine for years and am still alive as well as my dog and kids and the tent is holding up great and zero damage. Though I just bought a travel trailer and I might be selling the kodiak
 

DBuck

Lil-Rokslider
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Mar 27, 2019
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I wrote to Kodiak Canvas and asked why they don't offer models with stove jacks. They said they are not recommended for any type of heater at all. Has me concerned. I realize people use them, but I now am thinking something that is meant to have a jack. Thoughts?
I run the big buddy system in mine and have never had issues, although I do worry about my 3 year old knocking it over but with built in protection it should turn off.

With that being said I knew of a father and son out cowboying that had the same set up and wound up getting burnt bad. Dad was 60% burnt son was 30% burnt. It was deemed they had their sleeping bags to close to the buddy heater.
So like anything else, common sense and caution.
 

elkduds

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Jun 22, 2016
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CO Springs
Just spent a few nights solo in my 10x10, CO @ 8.5K elev.
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Cot is on the side of the tent where camera is. Low temps around 20. Turned heater off @ bedtime. I decided to experiment w running the heater on its lowest setting from about 2 am until wakeup @ 530. 0 degree bag w thick insulated pad on full sized cot. The adjustment on the heater went pretty low. I left an air gap in the window cover zipper nearest the heater, and both walltop vents were half open.

Overall good results: Water bottles on tent floor froze halfway. Clothes hanging in the upper half of the tent were warmish for getting dressed. The fleece shirt covering my facehole in the sleeping bag was damp from respiration, did not freeze as it had the night I went without heat. I need to innovate a ceiling fan, as the heat was all above the level of the sleeping bag, Very comfortable when I stood up to get dressed. I might have used 5# out of a 20# tank in 3 days, including heating @ medium setting for 2 hours before bedtime each night. I will get a CO detector, will not hesitate to use tanktop heater while sleeping in the future when nights fall below freezing. I find more to like about this Kodiak Canvas every time I use it.
 
OP
Newtosavage
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I've run my regular buddy heater on low overnight, connected to a 20 lb. bottle by a hose. I put the bottle outside the tent. No issues at all. I vent the top of the windows front and back. Keeps the tent comfortable enough that I don't even hesitate to get out of my bag when I need to pee. For 40 years, I've done the whole "I can get back to sleep" nonsense when I really needed to get up and pee - mostly because I didn't want to get out of my sleeping bag.

KC has to cover their rear ends with the warnings, but I think a person running a buddy heater on low all night will be fine as long as they vent front and back.
 
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