Tipi Setup 8 vs 12 man

Whisky

WKR
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Messages
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I'm pretty well set on a tipi to be used with 1-2 people, and was wondering if the 12 man is much more of a pain to set up then an 8 man, or if there's really no difference? Also when it comes to wind is there much of an advantage having the 8 over the 12?

Here are some things to give you an idea on use:

1- 2 men, with full size cots.
Early to mid season use (no stove)...below freezing, extended trips we'll bust out the wall tent
Mainly base camp hunting, shorter trips... with occasional pack in via horse
Mobile hunting, as in setting up in different locations every night. Moving camp often, scouting new ground.

What do you guys think?

Also I suspect the liner would be pointless if not using it much below freezing with stoves??

Thanks
 
Here's my limited experience with our 12 man Seek Outside as you described without a stove and no liner. I have only used it twice on two out of state hunts, both in WY with no moisture. 1st time was my dad an I in WY mid sept. Setup was 2 large cots, 2 chairs, gear, and a folding table. Just used a buddy heater with a 3 gallon propane tank for heat. Had plenty of room to move around and spent most our time in the tent every evening.

2nd trip we slept 5 in the tipi. 3 on large cots, and 2 people on a queen size air matress. Only really had extra room for clothing and was pretty tight quarters but worked fine for a few nights. On that trip Antelope hunting in WY we did experience a pretty good wind over 20mph one evening and it did fine. One of the stakes did pull out in the middle of the night and had to get up and reset it.

I have no experience with the 8 man so can't compare it to the 12 man. Overall I'm happy with the tipi setup. It's super light takes up very little room and very easy to setup/breakdown with 1 person. Still haven't used it in the rain/snow yet so once I experience that will probably wish we got the liner but it's been perfect so far.
 
I set up my 12 person by myself and it's no big deal. Personally, two guys, cots, stove and gear going in via truck or horse I'd choose a 12 person without question. I have liners for mine and wouldn't be without. Condensation is a reality and the liners mitigate it quite well. Use all the stake loops and guy it completely out and it'll do fine in the wind. I had harsh weather during muley season and I was happy with my tipi.
 
I have not used a 12 man, but have some time in an 8 man. As for setup they really quite straight forward and quick to setup, the only real downsides I could see with the 12M is finding spots large enough to pitch it, weight, and I'm assuming its probably little more susceptible to bad weather due to increased surface area even though I wouldn't worry about that myself.
IMO an 8man is perfect for 2 people plus gear and a stove, thats the setup I used and space was plentiful. As far as weather resistance these tipi's are pretty awesome, we got hammered by storms every night on kodiak for 8 days and it didn't have a problem. I cant really add anything about liners as Ive only used them once, without them yes you will have condensation you will have to be the one who decides wether its an acceptable amount or not, climate and pitch location does make a difference.
 
The setup is the same. Both are easier to setup. I set up a 12 man all the time by myself. Piece of cake. If you want to use cots and stuff go 12 man!
 
No experience with the 8-man, but we have a 6 and a 12.

the 12 is just as easy to set up, just a few more stakes to put in. When we use the 12, it's for base camping, with full size cots, cylinder woodstove, table, etc. Very roomy and comfortable for two.

The 8 might have an advantage where terrain doesn't offer great siting. But you have the ability to flexi-pitch the 12 down to the size of an 8.
 
12-man interior,

P5230048_zpsaimq5stl.jpg
 
One consideration for the 8 versus 12 man with the seek outside versions is with the 12 man you have the pitch flexibility to use the guy out points as the stake point. I would guess you would have something close to the 8 man when staked out that way. This give you flexibility if you were limited on pitch location.
 
Does anyone else think this "Tipi" terminology is an absolute joke?

So my old SL-5 was tight for 2 men and gear...the 12 man is tight with 5 guys....what a crock...why don't they tell it like it is?
 
The sizing standard doesn't consider cots, stoves, etc. It only considers how many sleeping bags you could fit in there.

You could put 12 in a 12 man, no problem.

12 sleeping bags arrayed feert toward pole, heads outboard. Kind of like a military arctic tent.
 
The sizing standard doesn't consider cots, stoves, etc. It only considers how many sleeping bags you could fit in there.

You could put 12 in a 12 man, no problem.

12 sleeping bags arrayed feert toward pole, heads outboard. Kind of like a military arctic tent.

and move around in there...or store added gear....Cmon!?
 
Of course it would be impossible for most people. It requires order, teamwork, and discipline.
Slap...Ok, grin...good comeback.

So elk hunting for a week in Montana...how many do you sleep in your 8 man tipi?
I think the problem is many folks have to order this stuff sight unseen and have to divide by 2....and in the context that we are hunters that usually have a fair amount of gear...the capacity of these are way over rated.
 
Yes, it can be confusing but at the same point, the manufacturers are a bit hamstrung in how they can rate a tent. They can't list it based on gear assumptions as some people with have more gear than others and usage situations will obviously differ as well. A group car camping may have minimal gear they need to store in the tent (like we do when on a fishing trip) while a backpacking trip will need to have room for all or most gear. Not to mention ever scenario in between. So, the companies can only use the standard to list out the floorspace capacity of people of average adult size. We all know it's not the true reality but at least it's a standard we can all understand.
 
Slap...Ok, grin...good comeback.

So elk hunting for a week in Montana...how many do you sleep in your 8 man tipi?
I think the problem is many folks have to order this stuff sight unseen and have to divide by 2....and in the context that we are hunters that usually have a fair amount of gear...the capacity of these are way over rated.


We have a 6 and 12.

The 6 is nice for two people to spread out, have a stove, and a big pile of firewood. Three would be workable, but getting tight.

Usually just me and the wife. 6 man is for backpacking, 12 is for vehicle camp, cots, chairs, big stove etc.

I'd agree it's a good rule of thumb to divide the stated size by two. Divide by three if you have a lot of trash and want to spread out a bit without feeling too tight.
 
Does anyone else think this "Tipi" terminology is an absolute joke?

So my old SL-5 was tight for 2 men and gear...the 12 man is tight with 5 guys....what a crock...why don't they tell it like it is?

It's standard tent rating. It's the number of people feet to head and head to feet side by side like sardines in a can. If you look at mountaineering tents it's the same principle. Their "2 man" tents are barley enough room for 1. With kifaru tipis I cut the number in half. This makes for plenty of room for gear etc!
 
Great information. I to, am in the market for one of the tipi type tents. I have just recently come across seek outside that you are referring to here. Are they comparable to the kifaru tipis? The prices seem to be a little better. I will be doing strictly truck camping so the 12 seems like the ticket. What are other brands that I should be looking at.
 
It's standard tent rating. It's the number of people feet to head and head to feet side by side like sardines in a can. If you look at mountaineering tents it's the same principle. Their "2 man" tents are barley enough room for 1. With kifaru tipis I cut the number in half. This makes for plenty of room for gear etc!

True. I suppose its ubiquitous across the industry.
Some of those mountaineering tents they assume a 28" wide space for each guy- a 2 man is a little more than 48" wide. Heck, I've eaten pizzas with more floor space than some of those mtn tents- [hey, if the tent makers can exaggerate.....] grin
 
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