Tents
 

I am thiking of buying a tent; the one I was thinking about is the " Big Horn II" by Cabelas. Does any body have any information on this tent, or any other tent? Thanks in advance.

RE: Tents
 

I' m not familiar with that particular tent but I might be able to suggest one if I knew what you were going to use it for and when. Ie., backpacking, 4man, winter, that sort of info.

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Yeah, watcha gonna do with it? Need a stove jack? What kinda weight? More than on person gonna be there to set it up?

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My neighbor has the alaknak and he loves it. Uses it for everything from family camping trips to elk hunting. I am thinking about the alaknak myself. The reason I like the alaknak better is that it is square instead of angled like the big horn. The measuements are smaller L x W but it makes up for it by not cutting off the corners. The stove is in the front of the aaknak also so you can keep the wood by the door instead of bring it to the back of the tent. $100 cheaper too.

RE: Tents
 

I will ues it year round for fishing, hunting, camping, ect. There will always be someone to help set it up. I will not be using it for backpacking. I do want a stove jack. Would like it to sleep 4 comfortably 6 max. Thanks.

Bigbulls:

Thanks for the comparison; you have some good points.

RE: Tents
 

I have had two Cabelas alaskan guide model tents. Love them. I can stand up at 6' 2" and it is comfy for 3 and will sleep 4. I can set it up by myself but it is easier with two. I gave my first one to my guide for a tip after my first 6x6 elk and he was in love with it.

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handloader1,

I' m a big wall tent guy myself, but have been looking at tents for " spike camp" that could hold 4 to 6. I agree with bigbulls. I saw an Alaknak set up at Cabelas lawn and checked it out -- it looked pretty good. Reasonable price, stove jack, and a interesting vestibule option if you are wanting some flexibility now or later.

The only weak point I saw was how tight the door zipper was right at the " eve line" but that could be an error in set up and if it is " inescapable" then a tent maker' s modification could easily remedy it. I' d recommend you get a fly for it so the embers from your stove don' t burn little holes in your new acquisition.

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

RE: Tents
 

EKM,
Pitch the aluminum poles thet come with thet tent right off the bat. They won' t hold ANY kind of snow load. A feller I know has two of those tents. He' s gone thru several sets of poles thet Cabelas keeps sendin' for free, but he finally made some wood poles cause people don' t like wakin' up to a collapsed tent on a cold night.

RE: Tents
 

I would say the cabelas Big Horn or the Alaknak. I would recomend heavy poles,if not find a canvas shop and have them build you a tent style alaknak with a wood center pole. If that don' t work go with a 22 Ft Prowler Or Wilderness 5th wheel.:D;) BBJ

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You can' t get one of them 5th wheels back where the big bulls are. That' s ok though, more elk for me.[:-]

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How does the Big Horn or the Alaknak tents do for condensation in cold weather when a stove is needed. That would be one of my worries or does the tent have a second wall and ceiling.

RE: Tents
 

BJ,

Good call on the tent poles. Thanks. I remember thinking, " those will be nice and light for the horse to carry...." . I would imagine the center pole in particular and the " side poles" near the stove would be critical. If the whole thing collapses under snow while you are maintaining the stove through the night, then in a matter of seconds you are going to have a hole melted in the side/top of your tent where it " laid down" on the heating stove plus the flue might come disconnected/offset and fill everything with smoke. It would make for a great story after a year or two passes but would major suck at the time.

EKM

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I' ve never seen a wall tent with a double ceiling, but maybe thats because I' ve only used the army tents. Is that a common feature on good wall tents?

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I understand the concept of dead air space insulation, hence double walls; however, I have not seen it (literally) in wall tents. If one has a tight rain fly over a canvas wall tent then there is a limited dead air space. I can say that a wall tent with a fly on is MUCH warmer than one with out.

The Alaknak is single wall all way around; however they do make a fly for it which would create some dead air space. Regarding condensation, at least as far as design goes the Alaknak has a air vent at the top of the cone and on the sides.

EKM

RE: Tents
 

If yer lucky, they collapse after the stove has cooled. Those poles will buckle with as little as 6" of snow. The condensation isn' t a problem as long as the stove is going. If it goes out on a cold night, yer breath will become a layer of frost on the ceiling, wetting all yer stuff the next day. Best to keep the stove going a while after you leave in the morning to dry everythin' out good.

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After years of using tents (members of our group) they switched to the building of a camp made of plastic. We would build a frame complete with some rafters from trees near by. We would have to hang a second layer of plastic to stop condinsation forming on the inside of the plastic (even when the stove stayed burning all night). Without that second layer (dead air space) everything would become soaked from the little water dropplets which would fall onto everything. We also included air vents at the peaks in the walls to let out moisture.

Up here in Canada, there is a company that sells " Outfitter Tents" just like the one that Cabela' s sells but inside side walls are an option as well as a fly on the outside. Why I was asking about the condisation was because I wondered if there was a problem. Did not know if the extreem slope of the roof helped with that problem.

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hey Bigbulls the 5th wheel was a pun or a joke:):),we do use a 22 ft camper when we set up camp,we pull to the trailhead and set up,put up portable panels for the horses.Stay a few days there then we head out with the string and supplies.We use a canvas style alaknak w/a wood centerpole,and good outside poles of aluminum,never have buckeled yet and we leave it set up all hunting season in the back country,we are hunting out of it every chance we get.Our stove is the heaviest part,it is a old cast iron camp stove(about 100lbs) but it burns hot and cooks well.;) BBJ

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I know BareBack, just messin with ya a bit.;) We use the same type of set up. Canvas wall tent with the big heavy steel poles and the iron wood stove for heat. Hevy as all get out but it makes a good home away from home.

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I don' t know many details about the " Bighorn 2," but I hear they are a good deal and are good quality.;)

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Buy yourself a real man' s tent. Order a Montana Canvas wall tent from Cabelas. Don' t even cosider that alaknak model.

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Wolf,

W-H-Y?

EKM

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ELKampMaster
The alaknak tent looks like a circus tent. I don' t see why people always try to fix things that aint broke?
If I had a friend that even thought about the alaknak tent? I would smack him upside the head with a britchin strap. I don' t hunt witrh carney freaks.

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This wolf feller is startin' to grow on me.