tent for alaska caribou hunt with wife

[Retterath]

im planning a trip to AK next 2018 or 2019 with my wife to hunt caribou on a drop camp hunt. Im trying to figure out what tent we need to have. Right now I have a big agnes fly creek ul3. Is that going to be fine? Will this tent handle ak weather if we get hit with it? Do I need to go bigger for the two of us you think? Could I get a tarp to put over it and have a vestibule with the tarp? Does anyone have any pics of there ak camp setup? Thanks again guys and gals.

 

[awaldro7]

I dont have any helpful information for the tent, however, I am interested to hear the story when you get back. My wife and I were planning a drop camp caribou hunt this coming year and ended up booking a Newfoundland Moose hunt. We hope to get in the Brooks Range within the next three years though.

 

[colonel00]

Depending on weight restrictions, I'd go with a Cabela's Alaskan Guide dome tent. A six-man would be plenty of room but a 4-man would be good too if they still sell those. Depending on where and when you go, you could end up in some nasty weather and the last thing I'd want to do is to be cramped into a little tent even it if was with my wife. Take the ul3 as a spike camp tent if you want or a place to store gear and food if you go with a smaller dome tent.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Headed up this fall, with 5 buddies, not a wife, so we will want a bit more room. I have an 8 man tipi, and another guy in the group has a 6 man. We are bringing both of those, plus a 2 man backpacking tent. The plan is 2 guys per tent. I am guessing that by day 3 or 4 we will be able to charge the guys in the backpacking tent a premium of their remaining beer or candy bars to stay in a stove heated shelter.

I've been wrapped up in a blue tarp, staring at what used to be my 6 man dome tent in a Kodiak downpour, really wishing I had something a bit more wind resistant. I think the tipi design bucks the wind really well compared to some of the higher profile domes. A stove and some elbow room will make those long rainy or snowy days a lot more comfortable than a tiny tent. My setup (8 man with stove) weighs about 15 pounds. To me, it will be worth the weight.

 

[bmart2622]

Me and 2 buddies used a SO 8 man with a titanium stove on a Brooks Range float hunt. It was awesome, we had cots also. We ran into wet and cold weather for 11 days. Having a stove to dry off and keep warm was a Godsend.

 

[Retterath]

I dont have any helpful information for the tent, however, I am interested to hear the story when you get back. My wife and I were planning a drop camp caribou hunt this coming year and ended up booking a Newfoundland Moose hunt. We hope to get in the Brooks Range within the next three years though.

our plan is going with 40 mile air

 

[Retterath]

Depending on weight restrictions, I'd go with a Cabela's Alaskan Guide dome tent. A six-man would be plenty of room but a 4-man would be good too if they still sell those. Depending on where and when you go, you could end up in some nasty weather and the last thing I'd want to do is to be cramped into a little tent even it if was with my wife. Take the ul3 as a spike camp tent if you want or a place to store gear and food if you go with a smaller dome tent.

Weight limit is 50lbs per person. I was looking at the cabelas alaskan guide but it sure is heavy since we are limit to 50lbs a piece

 

[Becca]

Hard to beat a floorless shelter for space to weight ratio...not sure where you are headed, some areas don't have enough to burn to make taking the stove worth it. Having a fully enclosed nest with a bathtub floor offers the best of both worlds as your sleeping area is fully enclosed but you still have a large floorless area to hang out. Alternatively, taking a floorless shelter to hang out in and a two man backpacking tent to sleep in gives you a fall back shelter if things really get rough, I like the redundancy on fly outs when we can afford the weight. The 100lb weight limit (for two of you) with 40 mile is tough but doable. They don't count what you can strap to your person against your 50lb limit so when I flew with them for sheep in 2012 I ended up wearing all my clothing including puffy stuff and optics and had an entire box of snickers bars stuffed in my cargo pockets.

 

[LASTINLINE]

havent played with one yet but Snugpak has a 4 man 4 season tent called the cave. its around 10 pounds. the Cabelas guide tents are in the 23-26 pound range.

 

[Retterath]

Hard to beat a floorless shelter for space to weight ratio...not sure where you are headed, some areas don't have enough to burn to make taking the stove worth it. Having a fully enclosed nest with a bathtub floor offers the best of both worlds as your sleeping area is fully enclosed but you still have a large floorless area to hang out. Alternatively, taking a floorless shelter to hang out in and a two man backpacking tent to sleep in gives you a fall back shelter if things really get rough, I like the redundancy on fly outs when we can afford the weight. The 100lb weight limit (for two of you) with 40 mile is tough but doable. They don't count what you can strap to your person against your 50lb limit so when I flew with them for sheep in 2012 I ended up wearing all my clothing including puffy stuff and optics and had an entire box of snickers bars stuffed in my cargo pockets.

That is a good idea to bring a floorless to hang out in. Thats funny a whole box of snickers in your pockets.lol thats awesome.

 

[Old_Navy]

Hilleberg Nallo 3 GT: Good room for 2, integrated vestibule for gear. Will definitely handle any weather & pack weight
comes in under 7 lbs.

 

[Retterath]

Another question about the sleep system. When I was in Alaska last time I had a kelty ignite 0 deg bag with a cheaper pad and was sleeping on a cot and froze my butt off on a 20deg night. Is a well insulated pad going to help a huge part of it? I'm trying to figure what bag to get my wife cause she is always cold. I was looking at the eights -20 deg bag cause I don't want her to be cold at night. Or do u think she could use the same bag I did with a good pad and she will be fine?

 

[Old_Navy]

Definitely go with a better pad, the wife & I both use ExPed Synmat 9LW which is a R-6.
The DownMat XP 9M is R-8 but is way more expensive. With a better pad, you could probably ditch the cot
& save space /weight

 

[VernAK]

The first move is to get off the cot......a good insulated mattress on the ground is warmer.

Sleeping bag ratings are only somebody's guess. For mid-September moose hunt, I use a -20F Transalaska bag but then I'm an old phardt with slower circulation.

Another question about the sleep system. When I was in Alaska last time I had a kelty ignite 0 deg bag with a cheaper pad and was sleeping on a cot and froze my butt off on a 20deg night. Is a well insulated pad going to help a huge part of it? I'm trying to figure what bag to get my wife cause she is always cold. I was looking at the eights -20 deg bag cause I don't want her to be cold at night. Or do u think she could use the same bag I did with a good pad and she will be fine?

 

[Boreal]

If it was my wife the tent would have two pop outs, a stand up shower, full head, and a queen size in the back. But if she'll do it, I second Becca's suggestion of a floorless to hang out in, and something with a floor to sleep in. A good, insulated pad will make her happy, and your life easier. And go with the warmer bag, it's easier to dump heat than to find it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Kevin Dill]

If limited to 50 pounds (x2) on a 40 Mile bou hunt I would likely:

Bring a Sawtooth (type) shelter. I might upgrade to a 6 or 8 man tipi.
Delete the stove if camping above treeline. Fuel will be a hassle, if any even exists.
Delete the cot. Bring a couple tyvek or silnylon ground sheets to use under a good pad.
Bring a simple rectangular silnylon tarp to use for covering excess gear or meat at camp.
Bring GOOD down bags rated at 15 degrees. Such a bag weighs under 3 pounds and is w-a-r-m.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Weight limit is 50lbs per person. I was looking at the cabelas alaskan guide but it sure is heavy since we are limit to 50lbs a piece

That weight limit is ridiculous. Find another ride or arrange for an added drop and take a serious tent. Your life depends on your shelter if/when Mother Nature unleashes her fury. I have that Alaskan Guide 6 man (got it for a float trip) but question whether it is tough enough and as for the EXPED UL9LW pad, that's a solid recommendation! Heavy and worth every ounce.

[video=youtube;PylrnSDprIM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PylrnSDprIM[/video]

 

[colonel00]

That weight limit is ridiculous. Find another ride or arrange for an added drop and take a serious tent. Your life depends on your shelter if/when Mother Nature unleashes her fury. I have that Alaskan Guide 6 man (got it for a float trip) but question whether it is tough enough and as for the EXPED UL9LW pad, that's a solid recommendation! Heavy and worth every ounce.

That's a pretty standard weight limit for what I'm guessing is a ride in a cub. Alaskan Guide tents are plenty tough. Get the aluminum poles if you don't already have them.

 

[Retterath]

thanks for the info guys. 40 mile air said i can't bring jetfoil canisters and i needed to bring propane 1lb canisters. Is a guy going to have to buy a new system for the propane? i don't want to have to bring another gear load from a plane so trying to figure best way to pack. Another gear load will be $800 if i have to i will.

 

[colonel00]

I believe many folks use the MSR Whisperlight stove that can run on liquid fuel. I've even read where they use fuel from the plane to run their stoves. I'm sure someone else can chime in to better explain how to deal with this.