Sawtooth or 6 man tipi

[bobhunts]

Good info here!

 

[rbljack]

Shrek, using the system you describe below, if im understanding you correctly, there are no coals left in the AM, so you have to prep a new fire in the AM. Is that correct, and second related question is this, how many days can you go using the method you describe before you have to empty the ash? Will it go a few days without cleaning, or is it a daily chore?

You can get it pretty warm but it doesn't last long. It will warm you up and dry things out but it's not going to allow you to get by with a lighter sleeping bag. The fuel is generally small stuff you can break up and it burns up fast. To keep you warm you would have to feed it every 10 to 15 minutes all night. I light mine and then get undressed and into the bag while it keeps the tent warm. If I've collected enough wood then I might sit in front of it and feed it for a while and get toasty warm but I make sure I save enough wood to make a good fire in the morning. After it burns down in the evening I'll set it up ready to light in the morning. I wake up and poke an arm out and light it first thing in the morning along with my cooking stove. By the time the water boils the tent is warming up. I can unzip the bag and start the breakfast rehydrating , make coffee , and dress without a nasty cold shock. I'll feed the stove a little while I have my coffee and eat.

 

[Shrek]

There are no hot coals left soon after the fire starts to die .The stove doesn't hold heat so when the fire dies down it goes cold and completely out pretty quickly. I reset the fire from my sleeping bag before I go to sleep usually. If not I can do it in the morning but I really like to have it ready to go. How long before you need to empty it depends on how much you're burning but it can go a few days minimum with just a couple of burns a day. I usually dump it when I get back to camp anyway so it doesn't build up much for me. One tip to help my keep a good fire in one is to put fuel you plan to burn next under the stove to pre warm it. If the fire is getting a little low and you try to throw a larger cold piece on it the fire can die completely or need recesetation. About a third of a trioxane tab is the best thing I know of to start a stove. No fiddling around and trying to find perfect tinder to get it going and way easier and less messy than Vaselene soaked cotton balls.

 

[Kevin Dill]

After years of making/trying/using everything reasonable to start a fire in these small stoves, the trioxane or Esbit tabs are 100% the way to go. Modern science wins.

 

[rayporter]

in addition to esbit and trioxane there is a product called fire ribbon. it is a gel in a tube and works pretty well. i used to use it to get gasoline stoves going in cold weather, but if you smear a little on some tinder it burns quite well. the vasaline cotton balls are ok until it has been raining for 5 days straight.

trioxane lights easy and burns hot and it only takes a half inch square piece to light a stove. esbit is good too -just a little hard to light in the morning. the gel works well but the tube could rupture in a pack.

since i always have one or the other on me for noon coffee i make use of of a piece to light the stove or campfire.

 

[n2horns]

Are there nest options for the Sawtooth? Arizona has too many crawlers and would like to avoid them. Going to other states or colder temp, could leave nest at home. I am looking at the Sawtooth, SO 6 man tipi (hot tent combo) and also the Exped Orion I know Exped is a no stove, but just another option in the arsenal.

 

[whitingja]

N2horns. I have the same dilemma. Look at the Bearpaw bug nest. I am thinking about running this with my future Sawtooth. Solves my problem. I don't like bivys

 

[Shrek]

It would be pretty easy to run an aftermarket nest in a Sawtooth. There is a cord that runs from the front pole to the rear pole that you could hang it from.

 

[n2horns]

I wish I had more money, or more common sense. I started looking a the SO BCS 2 tonight and that seems like an option an similar design to the Sawtooth. It has ability to take an SO nest too.

Shrek - wonder if any side loops would need to be sewn to hold outer frame of nest tighter to wall instead of collapsing inward. I also thought I saw a post about sewing loop on rear outside of Sawtooth to move the pole outside. Another option gain space.

Looking at the BCS 2 ans Sawtooth, seems Sawtooth you sleep more parallel to the side walls and in the BCS 2 our primary is horizontal in the back as well as along the side walls too.

 

[dreamingbig]

I want to see the new shelter options from Kifaru! . I have a
2 person nest from seek outside waiting to go in something. I ran it in my golite 5 previously. Only 4 stakes and something to hang it from is needed.

 

[Shrek]

In the Sawtooth I think all the attachments you would need are already there to be used with the liner option. I don't have a liner so I'm not sure about the exact layout but there's tiny orange loops in some places that I've never used for anything myself. Yes you do naturally sleep parallel to the sidewalls in a Sawtooth. I can't speak to the BCS2 .

 

[Larry Bartlett]

SaaawTooooth !

 

[RamDreamer]

Quick question for you guys running a sawtooth. What size stove works best in there the small or medium?

 

[Shrek]

Medium.

 

[ndboy]

I have been researching this exact topic for a little while, just have a couple more questions.

1, would a tipi from seek outside with the sod skirt be warmer than a sawtooth? I notice most of the sawtooth pics have a gap between the ground and the start of the tarp, this would not be a big deal for my out of state high country hunts but i would like to use this shelter for november deer hunts here in ND and am concerned about the blowing snow and colder temps. (we currently use a alaknak with wood stove) so would a tipi better serve colder hunts than a sawtooth in your opinion?
2, Worried about finding a place big enough to pitch a 6 or 8 man tipi. Last year in wyoming we had a hard enough time finding a spot for a 2 man tent let alone a 8 man tipi?

thanks guys this thread has really helped, hope to make a purchase soon

 

[Backpack Hunter]

ndboy; 1. The gap at the bottom is all in how you pitch the shelter. For the most part it can be there, or not, whatever you decide. I like the Sawtooth for up to two people in colder weather. If there are going to be more people I would prefer a tipi.

2. I have never had a problem finding a place to pitch a tipi, but that does not mean I was able to pitch it where I wanted to.

RamDreamer; I agree with Shrek the medium is the way to go. The small will heat the Sawtooth just fine, but it is smaller so you have to make your wood smaller, the fire does not last as long, etc. etc.

 

[rbljack]

Medium.

Still a packable option with the medium? if there are two people, im sure its easy to split the load and pack the medium, but what about solo? How much weight and bulk does it become for one person?

 

[Shrek]

The ss medium is a pia to pack and my fat old self has packed it but I'm getting a ti oval this year to cut the weight by over half. The ss is a flat rectangle collapsed and I put it against the frame in the bag but it takes up a good bit of room in my DT1 bag. This combo is about comfortable camping not ultralight packing. I will say that if the weight of this is giving you heartburn then WTF are you going to do with a bull down miles from the road ? This is a big tent and stove and it goes in a big bag designed for big loads of meat and camp. I find it to be an ideal compromise of weight , pack a ability , and comfort for me and the ti oval will make it much more so. I can't see a need for a skirt as I can get the Sawtooth tight enough to cut any wind and when you seal it up tight you are asking for condensation issues.