stoves
 

Just wondering what stoves everyone uses for their wall tents. i purchased a tent and was looking for a stove. Thanks all the info will be a big help.

RE: stoves
 

Cook stoves or heating stoves?

Cooking for Main Camp:
2 - Coleman small camping stoves (burners 7-10,000 btu), good for fine tune cooking, simmering, etc.
1- Large Cabelas3burner (20,000 or so each burner) for hard core (skillets & griddles) cooking, coffee
1 - 40,000 btu single burner(for heatingdishwater/rinsewater)
1 - 170,000 btu "turkey fryer" burner for heating shower water
1 - small, fold up, stove top, minioven

Heating for Main Camp:
1 - [Mess hall] - Medium size Davis wood burning cylinder stove with coal grateand warming tray(Corn cobs in kerosene for kindling/starting) and 1 - Double Mr. Heater to kick start warming up the mess hall in the morning.

1 - [Sleeping Area] -50,000 btu propane stand alone "farm stove" with Eisenglas and Fire Clay and "Robert Shaw" thermostat --- home sweet home.

1 - [Outhouse Tent] - Propane lantern on stubby propane tree on 25 pound propane bottle, sits in the corner, light, heat, warm toilet seat --- home sweet home.

Spike Camp:
1 - Small Davis wood burning cylinder stove with coal grate, warming trayand "hang on the side" water jacket with spigot [the latter is way more handy than I would have ever expected for spike camp]

1 - 40,000 btu single burner for heating water first thing in the morning when the wood stove may be cold.
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Note 1: Buddy Heaters --- I own a Buddy Heater with the low oxygen sensor.... mistaken purchase.... I leave it at home.... totally unreliable, neighboring group from Michigan ran into the same problem, fickle at 9,000 ASL and/or with high winds.... IMHO, if you want HEAT and lots of it without condition, then don't get a Buddy Heater, get something low tech with a good flue to the outside.

Note 2: Fuel --- 2 one hunded pound bottles of propane, 10 twenty pound bottles of propane, 20 one pound spin on cartridges for lanterns (7), 1 fifteen pound propane bottle (pannier friendly)for spike camp. Coal: about 10 pounds to fire it up just once so I can smell that nostalgic smell from when I was a kid, okay for a couple hours and then yuck, enough of that. Wood: while we take chainsaws along, we prefer to pick up our firewood cut and presplit near Craig. We considercamp set up timeand scoutingtime and our energy reservesto be too valuable to screw around with scavenging for firewood, especially if you have had rain/snow it is an unrewarding activity.

RE: stoves
 

EKM,

My family and I will tent camp this year for the first time. 16X23 wall tent, about 9000ft, third season in southern CO.

What do you think of using a 55 gallon drum kit from Northern tool for a heating stove? I was gonna get a used pellet stove from the barn...MUST keep the wife warm and happy at all costs...but, being the cheap SOB that I am, I thought this might be as good. Weight is not an issue.

thanks

RE: stoves
 

I don't know anything about it. Does it stand upright or lay horizontal? I think horizontal would be better.
My main concern would be the lack of thickness of the steel....
The only "thin metal stoves" I've heard folks talk about is the lite sheepherder stoves --- and some negative comments there.

#1 - Get what you are going to use and try it out with your tent in the back yard now while it is still cold outside.Personally I would go heavy duty. Ask RedRivrHunter, they use a lot of homemade stuff.

#2 - I recommend taking a second source of heat. I like the Mr. Heater Double Heater (no buddy anything) as a back up. If number one fails, then you have back up. If it gets really cold, then you have reinforcements. If you need to warm up the tent fast in the morning it will do it. Simple and quick. You CANNOT sleep with this on, but then there is all the rest of the time, besides, as much as wall tents breathe I doubt they would be a problem, we take both smoke and CO detectors just in case for overall protection

RE: stoves
 

THe drums are horizontal....comes with legs to bolt on , ya cut a hole in the end to put wood in, and cut a hole for the stovepipe. Yup, they are thin, but also easy to get.

I have one of those kazillion BTU thingys that sit on top of a propane bottle. They work nicely for warming stuff up in a hurry.

RE: stoves
 

EKM your camp sounds very comfortable ,better then any cabin I have stayed in. I don't want to sound like I am inviting myself ,who am I kidding .I would love to camp in such comforts.goodluck to all.


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RE: stoves
 

i wanna have the same thing hehe

RE: stoves
 

We use an apartment sized cook stove well, for a cook stove in the mess tent. (Along with a salvaged full sized fry griddle out of who knows what burger joint). But only recommend such if weight/work is not a limitation!!!
As for heat, I think I have posted pictures of the wood burners our resident welders put together. Heavy duty, w/legs and outside flu. Once again, only YOU are the judge as to whether the cost/weight/work is worth it. Cheap, practically disposable with the option to replace frequently appeals to my nature as well. Our wood burners work wonderfully in the wall tents. Personally, once the season starts I don't really care about such until when and if I kill something. I believe in extra warm sleeping bags where no fire is necessary, at least for me.
Otherwise, in too big of hurry in the mornings to start a fire and don't care, and in the evenings would rather spend what little energy is left sitting around a large campfire drinking adult beverages and spinning yarns!!!!
Once the deal is sealed, then fires are really nice and I like to keep them going. We usually take our wood as base camp is vehicle friendly and just don't want to spend precious time gathering/getting wood.

I will post some updated pics of the Texas Hillbilly's and our recent additions to Elk Kamp. (Including the shower!!!)

Each of us has our idea's of happy. We tend toward suiting our definition of exactly that very thing!!!

RE: stoves
 

Private, warm water, warm air shower.... now you are talking sustainability and happiness in the elk woods with no need to go to town at all and no grunge factor.
We love our shower. The turkey fryer burner (170,000 btu) can heat water (100 degrees is JUST right, NOT 101, 100) as fast as our hunters can take their showers and get cycled thru.

Interesting, the sounds that come out of that shower!Dirt and sweat wash away and tired sore bones and muscles rejuvenate --- bliss indeed.Later when we're all sitting around in the evening, all clean withfresh clothes, loaded up on gourmet food andgood libation, and the storm howling outside ---- life is good. If the storm isn't howling outside, then cigars and cognac and sit and marvel at the carpet of stars in the sky on a moonless clear night, ah cigar is done, go back in, warm up, hit the left overs, refill.... priceless.

The kind of camaraderie that comes out of a tight, successful, elk camp tops my current huntinglist IMO,working the meat (field dressing and butchering and packing out with horses) comes second, and making the kill comes in a distant third; however, I must say an elk trip with a kill is more special than one without.

RE: stoves
 

Damn......I am ready to go!
Here's hoping everyone kills first light of first day......then enjoy camp to the fullest!

I know some may have thought that the full cook stove is a bit extreme, but you might change your mind when you bite into some of my biscuits or better yet.......peach cobbler!!!

RE: stoves
 

We only have one 12x14 wall tent. We make an awning about 10x14 out the front of the tent. For warming the tent, we have an army surplus wood stove. It's about 18" around, and about that tall also. It works pretty good for that small of a tent. For cooking, we have a Cabelas Outfitters 3 burner stove (which is done in the awning). We carry 3 25lb propane bottles. One to run the stove, and one to run a lantern which sets on a tree coming off the bottle, and one as a spare. We don't have a spike camp set up yet, but I am sure it won't involve any source of heat, lol. As far as wood, we just cut some close to camp. Pretty easy, and gets us out anyway. We like to make sure we are in an area that has some deadfall, which isn't much trouble around here. Not too hard to find a bug-killed pinon or dead aspens, and in some cases white pine or douglas fir.

Later,

Marcial

RE: stoves
 

hi, Thanks for all the replies. I just purchased a 12+16 tent from davis. I have a double burner propane heater. Looking at buying a heat stove. There are many to chose from. Was wondering if anyone has had problems with them warping.also do u think a wall tent breathes anough to use a propane heater all night. I also heard that propane heat makes more condensation, is that true. This will be my first year in a wall tent, been using a dome tent the last 3 years and it sucks.
Thanks again

RE: stoves
 

I used a 55 gal drum for a couple of years before I got a cyclinder stove. I think it's the hunter model.
the drum takes up to much space and space is always limited in a tent. they will also go through a lot more wood and burn faster.

this is in a 12x15
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/ldjanos/IMG_1270.jpg

RE: stoves
 

Go back to Davis and get the medium size cylinder stove.

Neither of my Davis cylinder stoves have warped and theyhave both gotten quite hot.

Sigh, perhaps so, but don't do it! Your life is too valuable (I think) and hunting partners with any sense will be highly suspicious and rightly uncomfortable with the idea. Don't do it.

Not if it is vented to the outside via a flue.
Your greatest source of condensation in a tent comes from not having a good floor in the tent thus leaving exposed earth.

Set up your wall tent while it is still cold this spring and test out the details now before you are on aremote/away from home elk hunt. Soak the tent with the garden hose to tighten up the stitching so it won't leak but make sure it is 100% dry before youput it away. Get a good rain fly for it so your tentstay warmer andwon't besubject to ember burns from the stove.

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listen to EKM he and I disagree on somethings but this anit one of them.

RE: stoves
 

Elkkrazy.....
you get metal hot enough (stove), some warping will take place. Now if it's made out of thick metal, it will resist it better than thin metal. But if you are like most and only use it for a short period of time per year, you will make the call on whether it is of "value" for you to invest the extra money to get one that doesn't warp.
As for the condensation, all things being equal, the propane does put moisture back in the air, but if you vent it properly it will be minimal. Wood burning stoves actually pull moisture out of the air during the process. Either way, the beauty of the canvas tent is it's ability to "breathe"!!!!

I can tell you from personal experience, you can burn propane (Dearborn stove turned up with the flames coming out the front vents) all night long in a completely sealed tent (non-canvas, non-breathing) and live to tell about it. But let me assure you that if you have CO detecters in the tent, they will be going off after a couple of hours and you will have a headache and you will realize how stupid you were and that you are lucky to have not killed someone!!!!!! (Yup...been there, done that!)

RE: stoves
 

Thanks for all the great info. Iwas not aware that a floor helps with condensation. Im thinking about tring to make a stove out of a piece of 16 inch stainless pipe. Thanks again.
Bill

RE: stoves
 

I have the same tent from Davis and have the medium size cylinder stove from Davis with the water tank and heat tray. I have had this stove for 3 years and it works incredible. We have had the thing glowing red (my partner stoked it left the dampner open and fell asleep) and have had no problems what so ever. The thing comes apart and stores inside itself. The hot water tank is great and helps from the inside getting dried out.

One of the most important things is getting a rainfly to cover the roof. Your tent will be fine in the rain but the fly helps protect the roof from the hot embers that may make it on there. Spend a little money now and invest in something that will last thoughout the future. I have the trad pole setup and can put up this whole tent by myself.

You will love it

Don

RE: stoves
 

There you go.