Tent Talk

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May 17, 2018
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Talk to me about tents. Four of us are going to WY, two are taking a trailer and two of us in a tent. While we have one, the two of us that are in a tent don't want the headache that "could" come with bringing a trailer, mud, clearance, breakdowns etc. A wall tent is out of the question as I just don't have the need often enough to justify the cost.

I have a Kelty Vortex 2 that I know will handle any kind of wind and rain, but no way am I spending a week with my buddy in this tent. He's a RV guy and has zero gear.
I also have a Kelty Mesa 6. It's a decent tent, can handle the heavy rain and have been in it with 20mph winds. I originally planned to shore it up with a cross member inside but after hearing some horror stories of tents collapsing, I am now am second guessing on how to proceed. The backup plan was to sleep in the back of the F150 under the topper if needed.

Questions then, how bad should we expect eastern WY to get. Should I have him get a 2 man tent for himself? Will I be OK with the Kelty Mesa 6? Does it make sense to bring the trailer? Any suggestions otherwise are much appreciated.
 
Your big issue will always be wind. Are you just going to be sleeping in the tents (is the trailer going to be a communal space)? If it is just sleeping, I would say the 2-2 man option would be a better shot. I used my Jack Wolfskin 2 man on a lope hunt in Maybell CO a couple of years ago and it weathered a strong night of thunderstorms easily. Good tent with a lower profile. JMO :)
 
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I would plan on sleeping in the truck.
Your buddy should make a plan with the two trailer guys.
Just my 2 cents.
 
A kodiak 10X14 has room for 2 cots and a table and gear for 2 people. I've used this set up in all 4 seasons and weather. It folds up small and can be set up by one person in a matter of minutes.
 
Check out Seek Outside or Kifaru. They can take wind and weather plus you can add a stove.
 
How big of an RV are you leaving at home? Will you pay for hotels on the way out and back? What do you plan on doing after you tag out on the first day? We tent camped last year with no problems. Sleeping in truck bed with topper over it sounds like a good idea.
 
Take both Kelty's if room permits. If not, I'd wager the bigger one would be just fine. Even in pronghorn country there's places to camp, especially in a tent, that can offer some wind protection. I'd not sweat it. Heck, my Walmart Coleman dome tent has gotten me through more than a couple of WY hunts. Stake it out as best as you can and if you really feel the need, pile some weight in each of the four corners to keep it from flying away...
 
Wind! Avoid tents if possible. Your hear about" we had no problems". Ask the guys who have seen 70+ mph winds how good of sleep they got... Many places in eastern wy have Strong winds and little natural wind blocks: rv,trucks are best. If u must set up tents use rv as a block.
 
My two cents based upon my multiple experiences hunting the plains and deserts of New Mexico - get a wall tent if the budget allows. You will find excuses to get out and use it. I have camped using one of those higher profile dome tents in relatively tame winds for the plains and it still collapsed constantly resulting in poor rest and consequently ineffectual hunting. Your two-man tent will work fine but it will not be comfortable for very long.
 
When we visited Eastern Wyoming two seasons ago for deer season we saw temperatures fluctuate between the mid-80's to the mid-20's. Had a windstorm that lasted for a day and a half that had straightline winds at 40 mph and gusts to "whoevenknows".

Spent 9 days in a Cabela's Alaskan Guide with a vestibule and a queen size air mattress. Fantastic time. Where we camped we had a little shelter, but no way would I want to have weathered that storm with a cheap tent. If you do take a tent make sure you run ALL the guylines, and maybe some extra. Keep the back of the truck clear just in case you need to relocate in the middle of the night.
 
I have no real experience to add to this conversation, but the reasons you just mentioned is partially why I just invested in a SO Silvertip. I would hate hauling an RV across the country and then trying to get it down questionable roads. I would bring a good 4 season tent and plan on sleeping in the truck as a backup
 
Oy, sharing a tent with a snorer man or sleep apnea dude or gastric distress guy is a way to destroy your sleep recharging. Pitch your tent so is out of the likely wind by being near the trailer or vehicle or both. I camp in my SUV and make it easy by placing all items that fit into stackable plastic containers then toss a tarp over them when removed from SUV at sleep time. Takes 15 minutes to unload my SUV and about that to reload in morning. Will it be cold? SUV has a heater. Takes a mighty wind to blow over. Rarely leaks.

Personally, I would sleep in the SUV and offer the gearless guy the loan of one of your tents.
 
A kodiak 10X14 has room for 2 cots and a table and gear for 2 people. I've used this set up in all 4 seasons and weather. It folds up small and can be set up by one person in a matter of minutes.
What Cush said. I have the same set up, durable, easy, plenty of room for two and not to bad on cost.
 
You guys aren't making this any easier.
I don't see myself buying a new tent for an antelope hunt right now so I guess my options are the trailer or the tent. The trailer is either a 28' Jayco or a 16' cargo. I'm just concerned about the locations I'll limit myself too based on the road conditions and don't want to have to deal with digging out a 1/2 ton truck and a trailer if we should get a good amount of rain.
I lived in a tent outside of Durango at 10,000 feet for six months including October snows and May rains so I know what mother nature can bring unexpectedly and what my tent can handle. I also know how to get the most out of it but I'm still concerned. Most likely I'll double angle the guy lines, sew on some more attachments and use the marble trick where I can get some more support. I think if I creat an internal X brace with guy lines connected to the outside I should be OK, if not, it looks like I'll be sleeping in the truck or the personal shelter. Thanks for the tips.
 
Take the 16' cargo and sleep in it. Sounds like a pretty good compromise. You can cook etc in the rv and sleep in the trailer. You'll have a dry spot if needed and room to spread out your stuff. You should be able to find a spot close to, or in your hunting area to park it. Sounds like it would be a lightweight tow.

The wind stories are not exaggerations, we get some doozies. You may not have any issues but be prepared.
 
I have done a few loper hunts and have camped out in the open, put my pickup camper in an r/v campground and stayed in motels. Putting the camper in a r/v campground was by far the most comfortable and least hassle. It was never more than a short drive to the hunting area and a nice comfortable camp was always nice to come back to in the evening. I have an easy on/off camper so it is almost like a trailer. You will have to decide how hard you want to make loper hunt.
 
If your dealing with high wind don't put your tent downwind of the RV. In the Sun River country on the east slope of the Rockies I know of several Fifth wheel trailers and pull trailers being flipped due to the high wind. Also I saw a Wall tent torn apart that had been set in a coulee with tree's that should have sheltered it, but it didn't work out. One night I got up and hooked up my fifth wheel to the truck because of the wind effect. The camper was a rockin and not in a good way :)

Good luck,
Dan
 
IMO not getting any sleep worrying about whether the tent is going to survive and being half scared to death is hardly a ringing endorsement of a tent. I sold my 2006 Voyager. I just didn't trust it, not enough guy lines for my liking, it relies too much on its poles for integrity and they're pretty lightweight and slender now in order to keep the weight down a couple of hundred grammes.

I've had my Akto in some really wild weather and the only thing that stops me sleeping is that it's near deafening inside in a hoolie, although ear plugs help a fair bit. I've got complete confidence in it, that's why I can sleep. I can't claim to have had it in winds as strong as you experienced Ray but I've used it regularly camping high and wild, mainly in the Carneddau, all seasons for over a year and I've experienced a fair bit of rough weather.

I think Terra Nova https://bestoutdooritems.com/best-canvas-tents/ are losing the plot and gettting obsessed about trimming 50g of weight each year. What's with those daft flimsy tubes of groundsheet material that thay call pole sleeves? What was wrong with the continuous mesh pole sleeves which spread the load over the whole inner? On mine where the pole sleeves attached you could see tear holes developing in the inner fabric because of the excess tension on one small area. As for those very small Titanium pegs, best sold on Ebay and some real pegs purchased.

Just my opinion, I'm not trying to upset voyager owners.
 
Wind! Avoid tents if possible. Your hear about" we had no problems". Ask the guys who have seen 70+ mph winds how good of sleep they got... Many places in eastern wy have Strong winds and little natural wind blocks: rv,trucks are best. If u must set up tents use rv as a block.

+1

It's not like you can't use a tent, but if you can do it without a tent, that is what I would do.
 
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