Sheep tent: Argali vs Kuiu

[Sheep_Fever_AK]

I’m looking at getting a more lightweight tent setup for my solo 10 day sheep hunt in the Alaska range.

I’m looking at the Kuiu mountain star 2p tent
Vs the Argali Rincon 2p tent floorless but with a Bivy

I’ve heard good things about both but curious if anyone has experience with these tents in sheep country and how each one will hold up to the task.

Especially differences in weathering out storms, high winds, set up in different environments, which one will keep me warmer, dryer etc…

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Do you have experience using a non freestanding floorless shelter, as well as a bivy? If not, the advantages won’t mean much and you’d be better off in a tent. The Mountainstar is fine, as long as you don’t get the carbon pole version.

 

[Sheep_Fever_AK]

Not a ton but I’ve used them before, not in AK or in terrible weather though.
In your mind what are the advantages of a floorless shelter?

 

[Marty]

Disclaimer: No experience with the mountainstar; 1.5 seasons with the Argali Rincon. My double wall tents are mainly hillebergs; have a few floorless shelters from Argali and Hyperlite Mountain Gear.

If thee most important thing to you is riding out the most extreme weather, I'd recommend a red or black label Hilleberg with 10mm poles, with each stake buried under a pile of rocks, and all guy lines used. If it's not, there is room for compromise.

I found that I could trim some weight and strike a balance in other shelters. My mentality is this- I'll default to my floorless options first. I've found that they can take a lot of weather but there is a point when I'll default back to my hillebergs (march mountain goat hunting in Kodiak comes to mind).

Pictured below is the Rincon before and after a big storm. I did not have an anemometer with me so I could only estimate that winds exceeded 50mph. Tent held up great but it was a restless night as wind ripped around me at 7500ft; nearly zero visibility, and my sleeping pad leaked flat ever 30 minutes or so.

 

[Deerhunter6250]

I went on a 15 day sheep hunt and used my big agnes copper spur tent. A guy that went on one used one and recommended it to me. Its light and kept me dry through much rain. The guide had a tent but it leaked glad I took my own.

 

[S.Clancy]

Not a ton but I’ve used them before, not in AK or in terrible weather though.
In your mind what are the advantages of a floorless shelter?

The only real disadvantage of floorless is wind. You can mitigate it with how and where you set it up, but when it fails, it fails spectacularly.

 

[Geewhiz]

The only real disadvantage of floorless is wind. You can mitigate it with how and where you set it up, but when it fails, it fails spectacularly.

Don't skimp on stakes. Especially when floorless. I carry a buttload of steel stakes and though they are heavy, I feel that they are worth their weight in gold when a storm kicks up. I've gone through a pile of "ultralite" stakes and they are all crap IMO.

I like to camp high, and most of the time "high' means rocky and exposed. Light weight stakes have never met my needs when it counts.

 

[Sheep_Fever_AK]

.

How did the tent hold up for you Marty?

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Not a ton but I’ve used them before, not in AK or in terrible weather though.
In your mind what are the advantages of a floorless shelter?

Floorless mid’s can be more weather resistant to inclement weather and wind, if they are used properly. However if you fail to stake them out well or pitch them properly, they can fail catastrophically.

Advantages are lighter, more room and able to have a space that you don’t need to keep clean by taking off your boots etc.

Pitching consideration as far as ground, stake out quality and size are different, or rather more critical with non freestanding shelters.