Need input on tent and stove

I

ID_Paul

Guest
I recently returned from a solo elk hunt that was shortened in part due to lack of an adequate camp. It was well below freezing the whole time and overnight my boots froze so hard I couldn't put them on the next morning.

A friend advised me to get a wall tent and stove so I could be more comfortable during my late-season hunts. I think he has a good point, but I usually hunt solo and don't want to deal with a major camp setup.

I'm hoping some of the guys here could point me in the right direction of a tent and heating system that would be manageable by one guy.

I'd prefer a stove that doesn't require woodcutting. I want to spend my time hunting, not chopping wood. Looking for a pellet or oil stove, I assume. Something that could be kept going overnight without danger of monoxide poisoning.

In order to have a stove in it, the tent would need to be able to have a chimney, but I'm not familiar with tents like that which wouldn't require 2-4 guys to set up.

Any advice?

Thanks.
Paul
 
Are you talking about a tent at the trail head or something you will be packing in on your back or even by horse?

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"
 
I would suggest a cabelas alaknak tent. I bought one this year and will never hunt in my coleman tent again. I hunted by my self this year and it took me about twenty minutes to set it up. I also bought the cabelas stove kit and it was more than enough for that tent.
 
I have a some of my huntin buds in colorado right now hunting the 4th season for elk in one a of those alaknak tents,has a stove also.let you know how it holds up.cowboy57
 
If you mostly go solo, get yourself a 10x12 wall tent from one of the major makers and a Cylinder Stove. You can pack (or gather) enough wood in a short amount of time to last several days. I have a 14x16 Davis with internal frame and can set it up by myself in 30-40 minutes.
 
Another option would be a tent trailer with a propane furnace. I've seen some great deals for right around $2k. Lightweight, easy to pull, and one guy can set it up in no time.
 
Montana canvas makes wall tents and spike tents out of a lightweight material that are nice. Combine one of them with an internal frame and a cylinder wood stove and you are good to go. Set up is quick even alone. With a chainsaw you can cut enough wood to last a week, burning 24/7, in 30 minutes.
 
If you go with the wall tent get one size larger than you think you need. You'll be glad you did.
 
I went with the Kodiak 10x14 and then I use a Mr. Heater. The heater is safe to run all night, but I usually just run it until bedtime and then 1/2 hour before getting out of bed.
I'm going to upgrade the heater though to the one that blows the air (helps with drying clothes).

My tent did fall once on my trip though this year after a heavy, wet 8-10 inches of snow. I wasn't there to knock it off.

We've done similar setups a few times in the past and always been comfortable.

The tent weighs 80lbs., so it's manageble and very easy to setup.

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
 
I think Oldman is right on. I have a Montana Canvas 10X10 with a 9 foot center pole spike camp model. I have a sheepherder stove, but plan to upgrade to a cylinder stove. I have used this tent heavily and even lived in it for about a month, and it was been good.

I can set it up with stove in place in less than 30 minutes. I've used it with my wife and son without the stove and it was enough room for summer camping. During fall/winter hunts two people do crowd it a little, but is managable if you each have a cot to strow clothes, gear, etc, underneath your cot. I used it last Dec. for a cow elk in southern CO and stayed plent warm. It is perfect for a solo hunter and enough space for a cooking area on the stove top. I've heard good things about Davis tents too.

Leonard.
 
I have the same set up as Forman4x4, 14X16 Davis with a cylinder stove, I can set it up in under an hour by myself. There is a lot of room when I am alone, but you can't ever have too much room. If you have a chainsaw, an hour worth of cutting will get you plenty of wood.

www.muleybulloutfitters.com
 
LAST EDITED ON Nov-20-10 AT 08:10PM (MST)[p]
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I have a Davis tent 14X16 with there medium sized stove and have never had a problem with being cold. Wood stove is very efficient and you have to be careful how much wood you put in it or it will cook you right out of the tent. Use a woodstove rather than propane heater so you don't build the codensation up in your tent a propane heater that does. Look up Davis tent and give them a call they are very knowledgable and you can't beat the price/quality. They sale the sheepherder style tent as well. Watch there monthly specials as well cause you'll get even a better deal.
 
LAST EDITED ON Nov-20-10 AT 10:38PM (MST)[p]IMHO, anyone using a propane heat source inside a tent during winter weather conditions is asking for trouble. Propane can't keep up and keep a tent dry and if you get water or ice built up to where the tent won't breath you risk waking up blue. A few years back there was a guy and his niece that were killed inside a tent here in Utah under those exact circumstances.
 
Foreman4x4 posted a July monthly deal that Davis was having and I got the 14x17 wall tent with internal frame and the big cylinder stove. I've so far used it on a fishing trip and an elk hunt. Its all about living in comfort. If you don't want to cut wood you might try charcoal. I have seen a wall tent pellet stove in the past advertised in Bugle magazine but I haven't looked through a Bugle in a long time. If you want some really lightweight tent options and lightweight stove options then look at the Kifaru website. fatrooster.
 
If your in Utah or one of the states close by, go to Kirkams and get one of the wall tents made by them, they make the best tents, hands down! If your driving in and out of camp why skimp on compfort? get a cabin style frame and a good wood stove. Two more thing. Go 1 size bigger than your thinking and get 5 foot walls.

NVMDF
 
Thanks for all the great input. I had never considered that a wall tent could be a one-person option.

Back in the late 90s I hunted with a great group in the Frank Church. One guy had a wall tent with 3-foot walls, external frame and wood ridgepole. That was definitely a team effort to set up.

I have been in wall tents with 5-foot walls and internal frames and they are definitely great for comfort. I have only helped set one up once or twice. Maybe next year I'll go to a dealer and get a setup demo to see if I can handle it alone.
 
The frame just snap together they are a breeze to set up by your self, I color code the pieces(of frame) so it a 20 minute job on a wall tent to set it up. They work great.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
Wall tents today with internal frames are really mamageable for one person to set up and take down.

My outfit is a 10x12 Reliable with 5' walls, internal frame and the small Cylinder stove. Reliable makes a heavy canvas which I went with to hold up to wind a little better. That was a good choice for me as I often camp in the winter. Sometimes I do wish I had purchased the 12x14, but for one or two people, the 10x12 with 5' walls is a palace. Some kind of floor is very good to have. I use a couple of sections of indoor/outdoor carpet with one piece cut out for the stove.

As far as wood for the stove goes, I head down to the local firewood yard and get half a pickup load just for the stove. Just take your own wood with you. That way you know it's dry, available and ready to burn. Always seems to be space in the truck for enough wood to last three or four days then you can start cutting at camp.

Reliable usually has a Spring tent sale and they have a lot of optioons. Have fun shopping and picking out your outfit. You won't regret it.
 
If your really wanting a pellet stove then look at
clarrypelletstove.com or rileystove.com. Also, there is a fold up wood burning stove that weighs 3.5 pounds at Sims Stoves, phone-1-800-736-5259. fatrooster.
 
The Heck with a tent, PITA!!!

Just get yourself a nice little used, read cheap, cab over or pop-up camper!! Nothing to set up, nice and toasty when you want it to be. You, your clothes and gear, and your food supplies are fairly secure and bear proof. All this and you can move camp to another area in 10 minutes if you want to.

Now, if you got a bunch of guys and horses, tons of gear, established camp area, i can see the "big" tent camp but going solo or even a couple and day hunts from camp like i've been doing these past years, IMO, a Camper rig is the ONLY way to go!! I'm as toasty and comfortable at rest and sleeping as possibly can be when hunting from my camper rig. Also, IMO, bigger is NOT better for a hunting, hit the road rig. Go light-small, still plenty comfortable enough, and your truck will hardly know the camper is even there.

Joey
 
I also would recomend a small wall tent. We use one that is 17'x14'. Yes that is way bigger than you need but like already stated you could get a 10x12 or even a 10x10.
We use propane and let it run at night on low. We use the ones with oxygen sensors on them and make sure there is air flow in the tent.
I have set this tent up by myself and it is with a homemade internal frame. It is not the easiest design but it works and is doable for a stubborn person with a never quit attitude :).

If you get a small tent with a easy to set up internal frame it would be easy to set up alone.
Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"
 
1+ Sage.. I bought a 19' trailer and have loved the convenience. I own 2 wall tents and a springbar. I'm sure I'll use them again, I just don't know when. One of the coldest days I've ever spent hunting was when the ridge pole broke in a HEAVY/WET snow storm and we had to repair it in a blizzard. I do like the wall tent for poker games.
 
you should check out cylinder stoves
They are local and make the best stuff around.
They make a pellet attachment for the stove that is a simple setup.
great gear.
 
I too have the exact same setup as Foreman4X4...a 14X16 David wall tent with a cylinder stove. Best money I ever spent on camping/hunting gear! Put a fly over the top, extend it out towards the front and you have a porch plus additional protection from the elements and you will extend the life of your tent. The guys at Davis are great too.
 
i use a sims stove. it folds right up and can pack it easy on the horses..its nice for when you got a long trip and space is a must.and super light which is nice for packing the mules..


the 2 bad things about it is it lets a lot of heat escape and burns wood really fast.

number 2 is after you break it down a can of wd-40 is a must to spray it.

so just like anything else it has its up and downs but in my case of packing in 15 miles its a must in my pandards.
 
I have a couple of Davis Tents and there are great. They are easy to set up and take down and like already said watch for there monthly sales as you can save a lot.

CABugle
 
Here is another vote for the Cabelas Alakanak. I have the 12X12 and I can set it up by myself in 20 min. I have had it up in Wy in 50+ mph winds and it held up fine. No problems. Any small woodstove will work. At lower elevations, a Mr. Buddy heater will keep it plenty warm but mine won't work at much over 7000 feet due to the low oxygen sensor shutting it down. This setup is too big for a backpack camp but you say you would drive to the campsite so the Alakanak would work fine. That is how I use mine.
 

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