Solo Tent/tipi with stove? Who can school me?

DapperDan

WKR
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Messages
1,644
I couldn’t find a tent forum so I’m throwing this in general forums. For the last 9 years I have used a big angnes UL fly creek 2 as my ultralite tent and a hilleberg late season two person tent (mostly in Alaksa). I’m kind of getting the itch to try a floor less with a stove set up not due to cold but mainly to dry stuff out. And I turn 40 in a few weeks so it think I’ve earned some comfort. lol.

I enjoy both current tents for what they are and both have pros and cons I’ve slept in the hilleberg black label when it was 70 degrees at night and the big Agnes well below freezing. Nothing like 8 am sun hitting a four season temp with the vents closed and it being 70 degrees. Talk about sweat soaked underwear….

If I’m going to go a hot tent option I really only need it big enough for 2 people plus packs/weapons. I’ve watched plenty of videos and read other threads but it’s hard to get a feel for how much room is in each shelter. As of now I’ve looked at the seek guardian and Cimarron with the u turn stove. Seek does make some dynemma tents but none available as of now. It seems that several companies use the same material and some use different material. Can anyone explain the differences between the materials used? Pros/cons.

Ideally, I’m potentially looking for a shelter for two that has room with a stove option and as lite weight as possible in order to potentially be ran solo on late season hunts. My big Agnes set up is sub 3 pounds with the footprint and I really don’t want to add much more going solo considering I added a 85mm spotter. The dynemma cimarron has what’s really caught my eye for weight/space at sub 5 pounds with a large stove but wouldn’t be available this year. And it’s double the weight of my current set up for a solo pack. For two it would be pretty hard to beat from what I’ve seen thus far on weight comparisons.

I’ll be in the flat tops area for second rifle this year. Probably don’t need a hot tent but it would be nice to dry some stuff out if the weather goes south. My nephew should be joining but he can’t make it until the 27th due to being on tour with his bluegrass band. I’ll have to drive down and pick him up at the nearest town since he decided getting rid of his truck for a Tesla was a good idea…. And I’m not wasting 2 days picking him up from the airport when he flys in. Lol


I haven’t looked into any other shelter manufactures yet but plan to.


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I was in the same boat (literally have the same BA tent) and I picked up a Argali 4p with the insert for warm weather (our bugs are horrible) and Their stove... weve spent the last four weekends camping one or two nights and safe to say I'm obsessed......

Ultralight summer stuff the BA gets the nod, because both shelter and insert arn't lighter, BUT cooler weather where weight isn't a factor the Argali is incredible so far

With Stove, two people, packs rifle and a dog. it's totally do able. you just have to be smart and deliberate, but take away the dog and that frees up some space.

Its really really really good.
 
I was in the same boat (literally have the same BA tent) and I picked up a Argali 4p with the insert for warm weather (our bugs are horrible) and Their stove... weve spent the last four weekends camping one or two nights and safe to say I'm obsessed......

Ultralight summer stuff the BA gets the nod, because both shelter and insert arn't lighter, BUT cooler weather where weight isn't a factor the Argali is incredible so far

With Stove, two people, packs rifle and a dog. it's totally do able. you just have to be smart and deliberate, but take away the dog and that frees up some space.

Its really really really good.

What is the total weight for your shelter/stove/pipe/stakes? I won’t run an insert unless weight isn’t a concern or I can split the pack weight with another person.

That big Agnes is a sweet little tent though! I’ve slept in it for a few weeks combined hunting with my wife. I need to reattach a strap with a clip that connects from the rain fly to the insert. It came un adhered. Should be a simple fix. Only complaint I’ve had in 9 years with that tent and I’ve used it almost every year. Not near as much as I’d like though.


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I'll weigh everything, Tent/Stove/pipe/stakes and I use their carbon pole.

I bought their adapter for the trekking poles but it isn't nearly as stable, would probably be fine with the 2p but idk

Uhm yeah! I had the stretchy stuff inside the poles fianlly stop being stretchy last fall and I re strung it all for about 30 bucks, only problem in 7 years.
 
If it’s worth it to have a stove along combined with the work it takes to make wood to feed it I don’t go as small as possible. I have used the smaller shelters with a stove and the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.

One person and a stove I want a cimmaron
2 people and a stove I want a redcliffe/6man tipi.

Dosnt much pay to have two guys and a stove in a cimmaron because by the time you lay out some gear to dry you have rated up all your room.
 
If it’s worth it to have a stove along combined with the work it takes to make wood to feed it I don’t go as small as possible. I have used the smaller shelters with a stove and the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.
Agreed with this. Go slightly bigger on the stove as you'll never regret the longer burn time/bigger chunks of wood for the small weight penalty.

OP, if you want it for your hunt this year, Argali has their Absaroka in both silpoly and dyneema versions. It's very roomy for two people with a stove. I own one the silpoly version and it's been a fantastic tent for two people. The Absaroka with 10 MSR Groundhog stakes, and carbon center pole is 48 ounces. I have a Seek Outside SXL stove and stovepipe that weighs 53 ounces. I can get a good 3-4 hours of burn time in this setup.

I had a Seek Outside Guardian with a small Lite Outdoors stove that I used in Montana two years ago. I'm not a big fan of silnylon, and it was tricky to get a good pitch. It was a palace for one person and you could fit two in it with the stove. If I hunted solo when I wanted a hot tent setup, I probably would have kept the Guardian at the time. I ended up selling it to fund my Absaroka purchase as I mainly hunt with one other person and wanted more room. The Guardian with stakes and poles was 39 oz. The Lite Outdoors small stove (with baffle) was 35 oz with stove pipe. The biggest downside to this was the stove would only last about 45 minutes and required almost constant attention. It had no problem heating the tent, but you always had to feed it.

If you can wait until probably next year, I think the new Argali Lemhi that Brad has sent samples to people (me included), would be a better fit. The Lemhi is a half pound lighter than the Absaroka, pitches with trekking poles, and is the easiest pitching free standing tent I've used. It's more than plenty for two people. My initial thought for this tent is "this is what the Guardian should have been". I'd pair it with the Argali stove and you'd have a perfect setup for solo hunts or the occasional guest.
 
Agreed with this. Go slightly bigger on the stove as you'll never regret the longer burn time/bigger chunks of wood for the small weight penalty.

OP, if you want it for your hunt this year, Argali has their Absaroka in both silpoly and dyneema versions. It's very roomy for two people with a stove. I own one the silpoly version and it's been a fantastic tent for two people. The Absaroka with 10 MSR Groundhog stakes, and carbon center pole is 48 ounces. I have a Seek Outside SXL stove and stovepipe that weighs 53 ounces. I can get a good 3-4 hours of burn time in this setup.

I had a Seek Outside Guardian with a small Lite Outdoors stove that I used in Montana two years ago. I'm not a big fan of silnylon, and it was tricky to get a good pitch. It was a palace for one person and you could fit two in it with the stove. If I hunted solo when I wanted a hot tent setup, I probably would have kept the Guardian at the time. I ended up selling it to fund my Absaroka purchase as I mainly hunt with one other person and wanted more room. The Guardian with stakes and poles was 39 oz. The Lite Outdoors small stove (with baffle) was 35 oz with stove pipe. The biggest downside to this was the stove would only last about 45 minutes and required almost constant attention. It had no problem heating the tent, but you always had to feed it.

If you can wait until probably next year, I think the new Argali Lemhi that Brad has sent samples to people (me included), would be a better fit. The Lemhi is a half pound lighter than the Absaroka, pitches with trekking poles, and is the easiest pitching free standing tent I've used. It's more than plenty for two people. My initial thought for this tent is "this is what the Guardian should have been". I'd pair it with the Argali stove and you'd have a perfect setup for solo hunts or the occasional guest.

I looked at the argali set ups earlier today and was eyeing the Absaroka in dyneema. It has captured my curiosity. I’d have no problem with a tent this size as well as a large stove as long as I had someone to split the weight with. I’d be real interested in knowing more about the shelter you’re testing now. I’m all honesty my wife is the one that will be sharing a tent with me 95% of the time. I have a buddy that may start going on hunts with me as well. I can tell you that I for sure don’t mind sharing a small shelter with someone else. I sleep like a baby in the mountains. I can make do without a hot tent this year since it’s second rifle season. I could make do durning 4th season to be honest. The stove is a luxury item to me. I’ve slept in weather down in the teens in my ultralite without any issues. Goose down bags do wonders for warmth. As do thick wool “sleep socks” as my wife calls them.


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Agreed with this. Go slightly bigger on the stove as you'll never regret the longer burn time/bigger chunks of wood for the small weight penalty.

OP, if you want it for your hunt this year, Argali has their Absaroka in both silpoly and dyneema versions. It's very roomy for two people with a stove. I own one the silpoly version and it's been a fantastic tent for two people. The Absaroka with 10 MSR Groundhog stakes, and carbon center pole is 48 ounces. I have a Seek Outside SXL stove and stovepipe that weighs 53 ounces. I can get a good 3-4 hours of burn time in this setup.

I had a Seek Outside Guardian with a small Lite Outdoors stove that I used in Montana two years ago. I'm not a big fan of silnylon, and it was tricky to get a good pitch. It was a palace for one person and you could fit two in it with the stove. If I hunted solo when I wanted a hot tent setup, I probably would have kept the Guardian at the time. I ended up selling it to fund my Absaroka purchase as I mainly hunt with one other person and wanted more room. The Guardian with stakes and poles was 39 oz. The Lite Outdoors small stove (with baffle) was 35 oz with stove pipe. The biggest downside to this was the stove would only last about 45 minutes and required almost constant attention. It had no problem heating the tent, but you always had to feed it.

If you can wait until probably next year, I think the new Argali Lemhi that Brad has sent samples to people (me included), would be a better fit. The Lemhi is a half pound lighter than the Absaroka, pitches with trekking poles, and is the easiest pitching free standing tent I've used. It's more than plenty for two people. My initial thought for this tent is "this is what the Guardian should have been". I'd pair it with the Argali stove and you'd have a perfect setup for solo hunts or the occasional guest.

Can you explain what you like/dislike about silnylon and silpoly? Do you have any experience with the dyneema material?


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I looked at the argali set ups earlier today and was eyeing the Absaroka in dyneema. It has captured my curiosity. I’d have no problem with a tent this size as well as a large stove as long as I had someone to split the weight with. I’d be real interested in knowing more about the shelter you’re testing now. I’m all honesty my wife is the one that will be sharing a tent with me 95% of the time. I have a buddy that may start going on hunts with me as well. I can tell you that I for sure don’t mind sharing a small shelter with someone else. I sleep like a baby in the mountains. I can make do without a hot tent this year since it’s second rifle season. I could make do durning 4th season to be honest. The stove is a luxury item to me. I’ve slept in weather down in the teens in my ultralite without any issues. Goose down bags do wonders for warmth. As do thick wool “sleep socks” as my wife calls them.


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The small bust down stoves really dont extend your ability to sleep in the cold at all, they burn pretty quick and sil tents don’t hold much heat. It is a luxury item for drying and passing time comfortably.
 
The small bust down stoves really dont extend your ability to sleep in the cold at all, they burn pretty quick and sil tents don’t hold much heat. It is a luxury item for drying and passing time comfortably.
That is all true. But it sure is nice to be warm when you slide into an already warm sleeping bag/quilt, and I fall asleep much quicker.
 
The DCF Cimarron is a great choice and you could probably make it work with 2 people and a stove but it is going to be tight. I think it works best solo with a stove or two people without a stove but I also like having room to spread out/sit in chairs while eating and cooking. I'll eventually get a DCF Redcliff to use for two person trips with and without a stove just for the extra room and the Cimarron will probably just become my one person shelter.

Obviously DCF/Dyneema are lighter weight than silnylon which makes it easier to justify stepping up in size but I've also noticed the DCF is way easier to pitch and once its set up it doesn't need to be adjusted as weather changes.
 
One word of warning is that using any single layer shelter will likely have condensation problems without a liner or stove of some type to dry out the ceiling and walls. The last thing I want to do each day is gather and chop/saw wood to fit in a stove. I would much rather be hunting all day! I imagine propane-fed stoves would be a little quicker and easier to deal with than wood if you want to dry clothes or get rid of condensation.

If you are in relatively dry conditions with well-ventilated shelter, there likely won't be as much condensation. I would seriously look at ventilation options if going with single walled shelter in wet or humid conditions. Obviously, the more people and smaller the shelter the more condensation. Some shelters have vents in the roof/sides and others may have a gap on the floor. It's possible with some shelters to raise the gap close to ground level....but then you risk water/snow, etc coming in from the side....especially in windy conditions.

I just bought a floorless Mountainsmith Mtn shelter that weighs around 2 lbs. It was only around $150....which I think is a steal! It uses trekking poles. with guidelines it is pretty solid. I was in a pretty horrific rainstorm at around 11,000' this weekend and it withstood the storm pretty well. I had condensation on the walls....which could be expected for a long period of steady rain with the sidewalls set up close to ground level. For 1 person with gear or 2 people it would be a pretty decent option.

One other option I would HIGHLY recommend is going floorless using the fly off a Hilleberg Nallo tent. It is pretty much a bomberproof 4 season fly that can withstand deep snow and wind. Mine is a 3 person with huge vestibule. It has worked great on weeklong trips in Alaska. There is a lighter version of the Nallo that would also work great that is a little lighter weight. The fly on that version doesn't quite meet the ground but has better ventilation.

The really nice thing about the Hilleberg is I can use the fly by itself if I want to go relatively light. If I want to use the body plus footprint for extended trips it would withstand just about any conditions thrown at it!

The Mountainsmith shelter mentioned above is about 1/2 the weight of the mentioned Hilleberg but with 2 guys splitting the weight of the Hilleberg would be well worth a little more weight.
 
Just curious what some of you guys do with shelters/tents that use trekking poles during the day once you leave to hike/hunt?


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Can you explain what you like/dislike about silnylon and silpoly? Do you have any experience with the dyneema material?
I like silpoly over silnylon. I believe they're equal from a strength and durability standpoint. Silnylon will stretch when it gets wet. The nylon will absorb some water, whereas silpoly does not stretch and does not absorb water.

If you do a search here, you'll find more arguments about which one is superior. It's really a personal preference. I have no experience with dyneema as I can't justify the major price increase for modest weight savings.

Just curious what some of you guys do with shelters/tents that use trekking poles during the day once you leave to hike/hunt?
I'll typically use dedicated poles if I'm using a stove in the shelter. if I'm not using a stove, I take my poles with me and just let the tent lay collapsed on all my gear. That way, when I get back to camp, I can put the poles in and the shelter is back up and good to go.
 
Just curious what some of you guys do with shelters/tents that use trekking poles during the day once you leave to hike/hunt?


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I’ll use the dedicated pole if I want to use my trekking poles regularly. If my tent is going to sit I don’t mind the weight. Where it pays is being on the move and packing down daily; that’s when I want to save the most weight and size possible


I’ll also echo the above, if your in cold season I always have liners. For example if it’s cold enough for your condensation to freeze instantly on the walls im bringing the liners. Iv watch many guys tuck tail and head back to the truck because they were not prepared to manage condensation. Nobody likes a rain storm that’s only in their tent.
 
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