Wall tent size

[hechterooskie]

Looking at wall tents, probably going to average about 4 people in camp. I’m thinking about getting a 16x20 or 16x25 from Davis tents. Does anyone here regret getting a wall tent that was too big? Maybe go down to 14x15 or 14x20 if the bigger tents are too much.

 

[Legend]

Those big tents are heavy! And can be a bit of a pain to set up. I prefer two tents. We run a 10x10 cook tent and a 12x12 sleep tent.

One monster tent is fun but it is hard to get your head around setting it up for a short trip.

 

[Seeknelk]

I have a 14x16. Gets a little snug with 4 dudes and cots and table with a stove but still a palace compared to backpacking stuff obviously. Like the Legend said, I'd prefer having two tents if I needed more space. And a separate cook, food tent would be nice. Also easier to find two smaller footprints to set up in, more flexibility.

 

[shootnrun]

Depends how you plan to set things up. We like to have a table to set gear/chargers/lantern and such on and a little space to move around, plus the wood stove. We have a 15x15 and 3 is comfortable. 4 is doable. Its fine when hunting all day during early season. Late season hunts when the weather is nasty and days are quite a bit shorter it can feel overly crowded.

 

[5MilesBack]

I use a 14x16 most of the time solo or with two. If you wanted to keep it to one tent, I would have no problem jumping up to the 16x20 for four, especially if you intend to put a stove in it too. But as said above, two tents can come in handy as well.

 

[eamyrick]

I use a Kodiak Canvas 10x14. Can set up in 10 minutes. Has been solid in snow, wind, rain, and hail. Size is good for three adults on cots or 2 adults and 3 kids. You could manage 4 but it would be snug with gear. I used a 10x10 with cots for 8 days in heavy snow in CO and it was good for two guys but we also did all of our cooking and hanging out outside. In your shoes I may just grab 2-10x10s.

 

[mainbeam pursuit2]

I have a 16x20, the room is nice. Had a second stove jack put in it after we struggled with heating it on a couple 3rd and 4th season hunts. With the 2 cylinder stoves it does good, even better if you put a poly tarp over the top. Big drawback is you cut a ton of wood. Building a couple of pellet conversions for the stove to try next, I want to hunt, not cut wood.

 

[hechterooskie]

I have a 16x20, the room is nice. Had a second stove jack put in it after we struggled with heating it on a couple 3rd and 4th season hunts. With the 2 cylinder stoves it does good, even better if you put a poly tarp over the top. Big drawback is you cut a ton of wood. Building a couple of pellet conversions for the stove to try next, I want to hunt, not cut wood.

I’ve been looking at this wood/pellet stove https://green-stove.com/products/hori-4-camping-multi-functional-pellet-stove

Every time I check the website they have been out of stock and no reply when contacting them. Does anybody have something similar to this setup?

 

[mainbeam pursuit2]

I haven't been able to find anyone that makes a similar pellet feeder. I kept checking also, told me they are coming, they have been saying that for the last year and half. I don't see it happening, so bought the steel to make my own. Hopefully, I can get it to match the one cylinder stoves made.

 

[ChrisA]

A 16x20 Davis works great for 4 people. It has enough room for a large stove, L shape pile of wood stacked between stove and wall, big cooler, card table, and 4 big cots. Two people can set it up and take it down. Yes, its heavy so I built a wooden tongue and groove chest that fits everything including stakes, connections and rain fly. I wouldn't do it any other way unless you only plan on two people or solo.

 

[Tick]

My 14x16 sleeps 4 cots but gets crowded quickly with gear and food. A cook shack was a great addition.

 

[il_cop]

Another vote for the David 16x20 if it's suits your use case. Very comfortable for 4. That said, as mentioned, we have to need it to rationalize lugging it around and setting it up. It's a to do, esp compared to sleeping in truck beds.

 

[BCSojourner]

Looking at wall tents, probably going to average about 4 people in camp. I’m thinking about getting a 16x20 or 16x25 from Davis tents. Does anyone here regret getting a wall tent that was too big? Maybe go down to 14x15 or 14x20 if the bigger tents are too much.

Check out Snowtrekker. They are pricey (but so are Davis), much lighter than conventional canvas and come with a quality (Easton) internal frame. We use a 13x13 that works great for 3 on full size cots and leaves room for kitchen area, wood stove and wood, huge probably 8x8 center area for tables, chairs, etc. They fold up small, pack away small, and their guy-out system in ingenious with minimum guys so very fast setup (about 15 minutes). Extremely wind resistant and waterproof. We have used ours for 3 years now and yet to find a single con. Should be a life-time investment like any quality canvas tent if cared for. Also incredible customer service. They have been around since the early 1990s and have been one of the "go-to" tents for winter campers in the northern states. More recently discovered by elk hunters like us. They have many various sizes-one of the Mega Crew models would be a good choice for four.

 

[Sacrvrrat72]

Another vote for the David 16x20 if it's suits your use case. Very comfortable for 4. That said, as mentioned, we have to need it to rationalize lugging it around and setting it up. It's a to do, esp compared to sleeping in truck beds.

Agree with all of this

 

[Bobbyboe]

I have a 14x16. I like running a stove, table and lounge area. 3 people is about max with XL cots.

 

[Packer9037]

16x20 is definitely big and cumbersome. But it'll give us some additional space in the tent to be comfortable inside instead of cramped. Primarily rifle hunting so I wanted something that was easier with a woodstove...our kodiak canvas tent didn't have a stove jack and we lost a lot of space for the group with the wood stove.

 

[WRO]

14x16 with a cook shack awning, make sure to get the 5' walls. we sleep 4 in ours just fine.

 

[Hunter26]

I would say I would greatly prefer using one tent big enough for four people than a two tent equivalent. Yes a big tent is big but with two you do everything twice and just as much work if not more IMO. Two heat sources, two tarps on the top, two tent frames, two floors, two light sources... You get the point. If you have four guys it is a pretty easy task with a big tent. Things to consider to the other side of the argument. If you think you might have just a couple people from time to time then doing the two tents might start to even out the debate. Personally I haven't ran into much of a issue truck camping with a big enough footprint but it could be an issue that two tents gives you a little flexibility.

For heat I am going to try a cheap diesel heater at some point and see how it goes. My buddy has his camp set up that way and it works pretty well. Biggest thing it his tent was smaller so I will see how that changes things. I got a back up battery like a Jackery 1000 and will run a small Yamaha 2200 for a few hours in the evenings to keep the battery charged up. I am also going to use it to heat a cargo trailer conversion so I have a use for it regardless if it doesn't work. Wood stoves kind of suck IMO. We generally use propane heaters but you have to be careful of carbon monoxide and not starting stuff on fire. If you go this route make sure the socks on the ends of your tent are left open.