Seek Outside 8 Man Tipi Temps

[Radosilver]

I’m curious how low of temperatures you have comfortably run your hot tents in? I have a Seek Outside 8 man and a Seek SXL stove. Used it once late in the archery season last year but the temps weren’t all that low…maybe mid 20s for an overnight low on the cold nights. Does anyone have experience with this setup in subzero temps? I’m planning on my first November MT hunt this fall and am trying to get an idea whether my setup is ok if the temps really fall for a few days. I assume based on how warm the tent was in the 20s last year that I will be fine. But I would appreciate feedback since I don’t have any experience. Thanks in advance.

 

[adoyle]

I have the same set ups and I spent two nights at 10deg.. not quite as low as you were asking but I thought the tent and stove did well here. I ran the stove all night and would pack it full of wood every hour or so.

 

[valtteri]

I spent a week this January in a Seek 16 man with the Big Mama stove. I also have a Kifaru 8 man and the 16 man is much harder to keep warm because of the height and added airspace (warm air travels upwards etc).

Lows were in the -10F range and I would run the stove constantly, but not at full tilt. At -10F you will need to keep a fire burning to be warm.

If I’m staying in one place, I will shovel all snow out and pitch on ground. It feels like after a couple of days when the stove has melted all remaining snow from the ground, it is considerably warmer inside the tipi than outside, even if you’re not running the stove. Haven’t ever measured temps so could all be in my head.

The 8 man is new to me and haven’t yet had a chance to take it over-night in the winter, but I pitched it in -20F and fired up the stove (ran the Big Mama in that as well) to see how it would heat up. Pitched on snow, with liners and it got hot quick - even at -20F.

If you have enough wood for the time you’re awake and in the tipi, you’ll be fine in your 8 man. Prep enough wood and enjoy!

 

[rcb2000]

Tipi's don't really have 'temp ratings', anymore than a tent does.
Lower temps just mean you need to fire up the stove more frequently.

What about those guys camping on Everest, they don't have a stove right?
But they do have tents that can handle snow loads, high winds, and pair them with pads/sleeping bags that can handle the temps.

 

[snowymtnwolf]

No fire. No heat. It’s simple. If you can keep it stoked or pre-loaded before departing for a few hours you’ll be good.

Liners make all the diff on keeping heat in too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[11boo]

Liners must help, I don’t have them. It was bearable. Got down to zero most nights. Note inside poop bucket.

 

[Lurch12]

I have a SO court house, with the SXL stove. Been down to 10 degrees and it worked great. I don’t have the height that you have tho.. we were firing it about every 1.5 to 2 hours if we woke up. If we didn’t it went out. I would then fire it about 15 minutes before I got out of my bag in the morning.

Like others have said. It’s about all your gear together. My sleeping bag is good down below zero by itself. But man is it nice getting into a warm bag and out into a warm tent..

I’d think u will be just fine.. the stove is just a bonus to have..

 

[Poser]

I’ve had a hot tent out during ski season in some very cold temps. You’ll definitely be warm enough to hang out in the tent without being in your bag down to some pretty cold temps. Of course, you need a sleep setup that will be sufficiently warm enough without the stove as it will likely go out in the night unless you are on top of keeping it fed.

It’s not going to hold heath like a canvas tent, but I’ve never been “cold” once the stove is cooking.

 

[woz18]

I ran a seek outside Tipi last year.. It got piled by 8 - 12 inches of snow in a night.. I woke up at 2 AM to what I thought was a gun shot.. The center pole snapped. Needless to say I won't be using them again..

The condensation was also terrible and I had a liner.. Although that may have been a little user error possibly not leaving the sides tall enough up.

The only thing that I will say is their customer service was top notch and they stood by their product in a full refund of my money.

 

[FlyGuy]

IMO and experience, the temp rating of any tent is 100% determined by your sleep system (bag, pad, and any optional clothing). I personally wouldn’t depend on a portable stove to make up for the difference between the ambient temp and the rating of your sleep system, unless you plan on not sleeping and being up all night reloading your stove every 45 minutes. Portable Stoves are great. I love them, especially to knock the chill off in the mornings so it’s a little bit easier to climb out of a warm sleeping bag. But they can only be loaded with pretty small logs that just don’t burn for very long so they require a lot of tending to keep them going. Good luck!

 

[Radosilver]

The tent and stove worked well last November. Overnight temps were consistently 10 or below. The stove got things warm quick for hanging out and making sure you were warm when you crawled in the bag. I had a 0 degree bag and a decent pad but the bag was not high dollar. I stayed warm enough with a Kuiu Ultra Down and an extra blanket inside the bag (we were truck camping so weight wasn’t an issue). I definitely got cold a few nights and sleep suffered but made it work. I did upgrade to a Stone Glacier 0 degree bag though so we’ll see how it goes next cold weather hunt.

 

[FlyGuy]

The tent and stove worked well last November. Overnight temps were consistently 10 or below. The stove got things warm quick for hanging out and making sure you were warm when you crawled in the bag. I had a 0 degree bag and a decent pad but the bag was not high dollar. I stayed warm enough with a Kuiu Ultra Down and an extra blanket inside the bag (we were truck camping so weight wasn’t an issue). I definitely got cold a few nights and sleep suffered but made it work. I did upgrade to a Stone Glacier 0 degree bag though so we’ll see how it goes next cold weather hunt.

Yep, that is exactly how I use the stove. Makes it much more comfortable, but it really doesn’t impact the temps you can camp in. And it sounds to me like you are addressing the root of the problem with a better bag. It’s also critical to have a sleeping pad with a good R-value, or you will be cold no matter what bag you’re in. I’m guessing you’d want something around a 5 or better for those temps (but I’m no expert and this can be highly personal). Do you know what your pad is rated at?

Btw, if you have them, You can always just sleep in a set of down glassing pants and a down puffy jacket to really stretch the temp rating of any sleeping bag.

Good luck to you!

 

[Radosilver]

I slept on a cot with a Klymit Static V Lux insulated pad. I think they list the R value at 6.5. But I’ve heard mixed reviews on their pads. It treated me fine and I noticed no cold coming from under me even with the air space under the cot. That being said, since we were truck camping I did take an old quilt and double layer that under my pad. What that does to the R value I have no clue. I did sleep in a Kuiu super down ultra after the first night and that made a huge difference. I wouldn’t say I was comfortable most nights. But it was doable. A little suffering from time to time can be good. But the older I get the more willing I am to spend money for comfort. Thus the new sleeping bag purchase.

 

[*zap*]

I ran a seek outside Tipi last year.. It got piled by 8 - 12 inches of snow in a night.. I woke up at 2 AM to what I thought was a gun shot.. The center pole snapped. Needless to say I won't be using them again..

The condensation was also terrible and I had a liner.. Although that may have been a little user error possibly not leaving the sides tall enough up.

The only thing that I will say is their customer service was top notch and they stood by their product in a full refund of my money.

Which pole were you using?
Thanks.

 

[cowdisciple]

I'm looking at the same setup, but agree with previous posts that your bag and pad determine your temp limitations. The stove is great for getting warm and (especially) dry, but if it's COLD you need a warm enough bag. Once the stove goes out no tent will hold heat for long. I winter camp in the Alaska interior on occasion. Hot tents are great, but no one is out there without a -40 bag.