Wall Tents
05-07-2008, 08:18 PM
#21
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 604
RE: Wall Tents
We've been using a cabela's Anarak 12x12 for our sleep tent. Room for 4 on cots with a wood stove.
If so how are you arranging the cots? I could not get a 12 x 14 to work with a stove.
05-10-2008, 09:06 PM
#22
Spike
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 39
RE: Wall Tents
This may not be totally PC, but I would not recommend a wall tent for hunting, or for anything else for that matter.
I mean, you asked. So I'm telling you straight up. In my hunting career to date, I've gone through a "wall tent" phase, in between my "tentcamping" and "RV" phases, leading up to my current "motel and cafe" phase. These phases have taken my over 4 decades of hunting, so hopefully I can give you some advice that will help you out.
Wall tents are a PITA to set up, take down, move while changing hunting areas, and to store in the offseason. There is no canvas made that is waterproof -not even the treated military stuffthat weighs a ton (I know from experience). There is no canvas made that is not heavy and prone to cementinginto theicearound the tent's bottom edgesin frigid weather, so when you take it down in a Montana elk hunt you have frozen ice chunks along with the tent.In wet weather they are wet. In cold weather they are cold. In muddy weather they are muddy. Did I mention they are heavy and bulky?
If you heat a wall tent with awood stove (always the romantic advertisement), you will get smoked out everytime the wind backdrafts the stove pipes. You will get filthy dirty from messing with the stove, stove pipes and spark arrestor (required in all national forests). You will need a chainsaw and axe to feed the stove. The chainsaw requires additional filthy tasks, as well as risk that if it dies, your butt freezes. To top that off, after a week of such camping w/o access to a hot shower daily, you'll greatly resemble the Unabomber upon capture.
Wall tents are also expensive. You should include the cost of a frame and floor in the equation. Also a woodstove and related items. A quick look at a Cabelas' catalog puts you in the $2K range easily. For that, you can find a good used travel trailer to use as a hunting camp. For that, you couldspend a high percentage ofthe rest of your hunting tripsin a motel with someone coming in each day to clean up "hunting camp" for you, and fluff up your pillow.
If the RV/Motel phase isn't here for you yet,better you stick with a quality weatherproof tent (good ventilation is especially important here in cold weather)that you can stand up in to get dressed. Get a quality thick insulated pad to keep you off the ground. Get a quality sleeping bag and some blankets. Forget thebag that's good to -30 when wet. If it gets that cold or my sleeping bag gets wet, I'm heading in. Get the versatile +30bag andbring someblankets/quality long johnswhen needed.Get an indoor-safe propane stove to take off the chill and dampwhen you get up in the predawn darkness.
My .02s.
I mean, you asked. So I'm telling you straight up. In my hunting career to date, I've gone through a "wall tent" phase, in between my "tentcamping" and "RV" phases, leading up to my current "motel and cafe" phase. These phases have taken my over 4 decades of hunting, so hopefully I can give you some advice that will help you out.
Wall tents are a PITA to set up, take down, move while changing hunting areas, and to store in the offseason. There is no canvas made that is waterproof -not even the treated military stuffthat weighs a ton (I know from experience). There is no canvas made that is not heavy and prone to cementinginto theicearound the tent's bottom edgesin frigid weather, so when you take it down in a Montana elk hunt you have frozen ice chunks along with the tent.In wet weather they are wet. In cold weather they are cold. In muddy weather they are muddy. Did I mention they are heavy and bulky?
If you heat a wall tent with awood stove (always the romantic advertisement), you will get smoked out everytime the wind backdrafts the stove pipes. You will get filthy dirty from messing with the stove, stove pipes and spark arrestor (required in all national forests). You will need a chainsaw and axe to feed the stove. The chainsaw requires additional filthy tasks, as well as risk that if it dies, your butt freezes. To top that off, after a week of such camping w/o access to a hot shower daily, you'll greatly resemble the Unabomber upon capture.
Wall tents are also expensive. You should include the cost of a frame and floor in the equation. Also a woodstove and related items. A quick look at a Cabelas' catalog puts you in the $2K range easily. For that, you can find a good used travel trailer to use as a hunting camp. For that, you couldspend a high percentage ofthe rest of your hunting tripsin a motel with someone coming in each day to clean up "hunting camp" for you, and fluff up your pillow.
If the RV/Motel phase isn't here for you yet,better you stick with a quality weatherproof tent (good ventilation is especially important here in cold weather)that you can stand up in to get dressed. Get a quality thick insulated pad to keep you off the ground. Get a quality sleeping bag and some blankets. Forget thebag that's good to -30 when wet. If it gets that cold or my sleeping bag gets wet, I'm heading in. Get the versatile +30bag andbring someblankets/quality long johnswhen needed.Get an indoor-safe propane stove to take off the chill and dampwhen you get up in the predawn darkness.
My .02s.
05-10-2008, 11:04 PM
#23
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Idaho
Posts: 144
RE: Wall Tents
hey noi appreciate any input from anyone good or bad. and i do agree with you that tent camping is not for everybody or every situation. and not every trip is a perfect weather, every thing works like its supposed to kind of trip. especially here in idaho, it never happens. but in my opinion thats part of the experience. i have honed many skills in fixing, adapting, and adjusting to situations that many people would have called it quits and went home.
but since you mentioned it, here is my hunting background. wedid the trailer thing for years and for the most part it was fine other than the problems with trailer that anybody that uses one for more than a few years will experience. for example leaking roof, frozen pipes, dead battery, burned up water pump, run out of propane, pilot light wont stay lit, etc. not to mention how long it takes to park, unhook, level, unload, and set up everthing else. to me its just as much time and work to set up camp with a trailer as it is with a tent.
another thing is the location. my favorite camp you cant get a trailer into, i dont care who you are or what trailer or truck you have. and far as the motel which is a good idea if you want to hunt hard and then be able to relax with some comforts of home at the end of the day. but myself i cant afford to hunt as long and hard as i do if i have to cough up more cash for a room every night. but the main reason the motel doesnt work for me is the location again. the nearest motel is over 100 miles (driving miles) from where i hunt.
so i absolutely see your point about the trailer and the motel, but in my situation its just not an option. besides i already ordered my tent, bought the frame and stove, and will be getting the rain flyvery soon. and i got it all for less than $1000.
but since you mentioned it, here is my hunting background. wedid the trailer thing for years and for the most part it was fine other than the problems with trailer that anybody that uses one for more than a few years will experience. for example leaking roof, frozen pipes, dead battery, burned up water pump, run out of propane, pilot light wont stay lit, etc. not to mention how long it takes to park, unhook, level, unload, and set up everthing else. to me its just as much time and work to set up camp with a trailer as it is with a tent.
another thing is the location. my favorite camp you cant get a trailer into, i dont care who you are or what trailer or truck you have. and far as the motel which is a good idea if you want to hunt hard and then be able to relax with some comforts of home at the end of the day. but myself i cant afford to hunt as long and hard as i do if i have to cough up more cash for a room every night. but the main reason the motel doesnt work for me is the location again. the nearest motel is over 100 miles (driving miles) from where i hunt.
so i absolutely see your point about the trailer and the motel, but in my situation its just not an option. besides i already ordered my tent, bought the frame and stove, and will be getting the rain flyvery soon. and i got it all for less than $1000.
05-11-2008, 04:38 PM
#24
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 604
RE: Wall Tents
The tent leaked at the seams which was not good. They sent me a can of sealer at no charge I have not had it in the rain to see if it still leaks.
I checked it out right when the rain stopped an could not find a single leak. I cannot speak to the long term durability of Tectron DWR but based on the firstrain seems to work really well.
05-12-2008, 12:06 AM
#25
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location:
Posts: 21
RE: Wall Tents
To get 4 people in a 12x14 tent you will have to put 3 cots along the back, and the fourth in line with the third on the opposite wallfrom the stove. There will be no room for anything other sitting around or sleeping, but it will work.
05-12-2008, 11:21 AM
#26
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Idaho
Posts: 144
RE: Wall Tents
ORIGINAL: Torqued
To get 4 people in a 12x14 tent you will have to put 3 cots along the back, and the fourth in line with the third on the opposite wallfrom the stove. There will be no room for anything other sitting around or sleeping, but it will work.
To get 4 people in a 12x14 tent you will have to put 3 cots along the back, and the fourth in line with the third on the opposite wallfrom the stove. There will be no room for anything other sitting around or sleeping, but it will work.
the only thing that my tent is going to be used for is sleeping and maybe drying clothes. i dont spend much time in camp anyway unless i am sleeping.
again guys thanks for the help.
05-13-2008, 01:31 PM
#27
Fork Horn
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 473
RE: Wall Tents
I used wall tents for years,we used to pack in a wilderness area on my horses and we always cut our own poles and firewood with a hand saw (no motors or wheels allowed) Was it work you bet but the hunting was great,I am getting up in years now so we don't pack in but go places where we can get to with an ATV (on Old logging roads). With cutting your own poles it takes at least 3 guys to put one up. When 4 of us go we take the wall tent and cook inside that way we can use the hot plate for heating also, When we packed in we were at 10,700 ft. so there was only conifers to burn,So even if they were dead for many years there was still a lot of creoste and pipes had to be taken down every couple of days and cleaned. We used a take down Sims stove for heating and cooking. Seems we always had snow but the wood stove would keep us warm. Was this a lot of work Yes Yes yes but I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.
Redclub
Redclub
05-15-2008, 01:44 PM
#28
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Nocona, Texas
Posts: 248
RE: Wall Tents
Just an extra note on how many you can get in a tent....
all depends on how you get along with your fellow tent dwellars!!! Do they snore..smell....etc.
We have had as many as 5 in one of our tents that is 12x17, with a wood stove in the corner. And that is with all 5 being oversized cots (40x85). If all you do is sleep in it, works fine.
What some call "hard work/PITA", others call "times with friends in the outdoors that can never be replaced"!!!
all depends on how you get along with your fellow tent dwellars!!! Do they snore..smell....etc.
We have had as many as 5 in one of our tents that is 12x17, with a wood stove in the corner. And that is with all 5 being oversized cots (40x85). If all you do is sleep in it, works fine.
What some call "hard work/PITA", others call "times with friends in the outdoors that can never be replaced"!!!
