Tipis (no stove) and sheep hunts (the good, the bad and everything in between)

[JordanM]

OP did you decide on a tent yet? I’m torn between Tarptent Stratospire LI, HMG Ultamid and then I have been thinking about a Hillie Anjan 3 or Allak 3. The weight of the Hilleberg tents is a concern, but I’ll be splitting the weight with my father. For future solo hints the DCF weight is appealing. None of these are cheap. Let me know if I am derailing the thread and I can message some of you guys offline or start yet another sheep/tent thread.

 

[MountainTracker]

Bumping this up as there appears to be a bunch of experienced sheep hunters in this thread.

If sheep hunting in oct, would a guy be crazy to go with a durston mid tent? It’s pushing the snow time of year. This past year had new snow on the tops of the mountains the first week of Oct.

I was pretty set on getting a SG 2 person, but man the weight of the durston has me reevaluating. Especially if I do anything solo.

OP did you ever come to a conclusion on what you are going to do?

As always, thanks for sharing knowledge and experience.


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[RedStag]

This would echo my take as well.
Large area to pitch is difficult to find.
The floor less is terrible in August, even with a bug net, especially on slope with a lot of thundershowers.
The Tipi is awesome in late season with a stove, where you have fuel, but it's not a necessity.

I switched to the kuiu mtn star 2 this last year and don't regret it at all.

I have also done 2 guys in solo tents, it's the best set up for being able to set up almost anywhere

I wouldn't go too "ultralight" on your tent, early snowfall or windstorms might make you regret that.

 

[mtwarden]

I was pretty much set on taking my Tarptent Stratospire Li- very light, roomy for one, does pretty good in the wind, small footprint, can handle decent snow loads.

That was until I talked to my outfitter (Brooks Range)- two years ago they experienced some crazy winds/snow (this August mind you). They lost a few tents that season

So instead I'm taking a weight hit and bringing a Hilleberg Niak.

That was an unusual storm to be sure, but as this is a once in a lifetime hunt the last thing I need is even the small probability of losing a shelter.

 

[bcnorth]

I will be hunting stones in september this year and plan to take a tipi tent with stove for main spike camp (10km hike in) and using tarp shelters for staying on mtn if we need. Camp will be just below treeline.

September is bugless at night and weather can be more of an issue so the tipi tent is a great fit. Evening de-briefs of our day in front of the stove while eating a hot meal is very nice.

August is generally easier for drying out gear and nights are warmer but buggy during the day so i would opt for the free standing tent. August sheep hunts we generally cover alot more terrain and do the set up and take down more too.

 

[cbeard64]

Probably get some pushback on this but IMO the floorless shelter trend is just a fad that is already fading. It may sound cool but less than ideal in the real world for any number of reasons.

 

[dapesche]

Probably get some pushback on this but IMO the floorless shelter trend is just a fad that is already fading. It may sound cool but less than ideal in the real world for any number of reasons.

I am a big fan of my cimarron. For two guys during elk season, it is awesome.

I do bring a very light tent footprint.

I bought an xmid 2p solid for this year's sheep hunt and the cimarron is a castle in comparison.

With the xmid it's light, lower height for wind and has a fly.


I'd argue floorless is not a fad. It's just that folks want me comfort out there.




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[dapesche]

OP did you decide on a tent yet? I’m torn between Tarptent Stratospire LI, HMG Ultamid and then I have been thinking about a Hillie Anjan 3 or Allak 3. The weight of the Hilleberg tents is a concern, but I’ll be splitting the weight with my father. For future solo hints the DCF weight is appealing. None of these are cheap. Let me know if I am derailing the thread and I can message some of you guys offline or start yet another sheep/tent thread.

Ended up with the xmid 2p solid.

I almost went with the 2p pro but i didn't want to worry about how i packed and stored that dyneema fabric.

I can use the 2p solid without a liner if I wanted too.

Will camp with the xmid a couple times before sheep hunt so we'll see how it goes.

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[mod7rem]

I am a big fan of my cimarron. For two guys during elk season, it is awesome.

I do bring a very light tent footprint.

I bought an xmid 2p solid for this year's sheep hunt and the cimarron is a castle in comparison.

With the xmid it's light, lower height for wind and has a fly.


I'd argue floorless is not a fad. It's just that folks want me comfort out there.




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For me the floorless tipi is not so much a loss of comfort, but I feel it puts some limits on where to pitch it because of size and weather exposure. I’m a big fan of having the tipi/stove combo in the right place, but there’s no appeal for me to use my tipi without a stove. Especially with roomy, lightweight tents like Durston tents available. I’ve hunted Stone Sheep quite a few times with a tipi and stove but we were never pitched in any highly exposed areas on those trips and were always able to find sticks for the stove.
I really think two good quality solo tents is optimum for Sheep hunting. With good tents you get good weather protection, comfort and the flexibility to set up almost anywhere.

 

[mod7rem]

I really like and trust my Hilleberg Akto, but the Durston X-Mid Pro 1 at less than half the weight is really tempting. Especially with this annoying aging thing that we have to deal with ha ha.