Is a wall tent too heavy to backpack in?

[npaden]

Join BHA as a platinium member for $2,500 and you get a seek outside 12 man tipi with liner and stove that would normally cost pretty close to that.

https://backcountryhunters.nationbuilder.com/life_membership_platinum_seek_outside

https://seekoutside.com/12-person-build-to-order-xlbundle/

If you end up going a different direction down the road resale on those high quality tipi tents is pretty good.

 

[FAIR CHASE]

Look for a used Kifaru 8-man.

 

[ssssnake529]

(we would cut trees instead of using aluminum poles)

Seriously?

Cutting down trees?

Stuff like this is what gives hunters a bad name.

 

[XXL]

We've horse-packed into the middle fork of the Salmon and our synthetic wall tent weighted 28 lbs IIRC. No problem for a horse and doable by a human as well. Montana Canvas and others sell lightweight wall tents and Cabelas sells a tipi style tent which will work as well by cutting the center pole once you get to camp. Cutting down trees for tent poles, especially in the backcountry, does NOT give hunters a bad name in my opinion, but it's always prudent to look around your campsite for poles that are already cut and leaning up against a tree to be re-used each year. Four guys in their 30's should be able to pack 3 miles, especially since you only have a 900' gain in altitude. Your bigger problem is when you get 4 350-class bulls on the ground 7 miles from the trailhead and you have to pack them out. Lightweight stove and pipe may be another 30 lbs. It's nice to be able to warm up in the morning and/or not freeze at night. A stocking hat worn while sleeping goes a long way to making you more comfortable. PM me if you'd like more info.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Seriously?

Cutting down trees?

Stuff like this is what gives hunters a bad name.

The best tent poles come from dead lodge pole. Just like the kind people cut for firewood that they burn at camp. I don't see guserto4 ruining hunter' reputations over cutting a few dead trees. However, he might have to worry about the fallout when he destroys the nucleus of Bambi Elk's family by murdering his father, Big 6X6.

 

[archer wapiti]

Well, now that I've removed my diatribe about what this compromise is likely to do for your experience, and the state of the forests and cutting trees, I'll leave you with this one idea:

You might also consider tarping a communal area for cooking and also having personal 2-man tents so you have a place for your gear, or sleep in pairs in 3-4 man tents. I'm talking a ~12 x 16 lightweight tarp. You can diamond pitch it with one end of the ridge line on the ground to the windward side and have a nice shelter that's not going to weigh an excessive amount.

 

[guserto4]

Good point about the tarp, I was thinking maybe getting creative with one would be a decent way to get some covered community space. I'll have to look more into that.

When I said trees I meant fallen ones- I know green ones make for poor ridge poles and even poorer for fires! HA!
And we would be so lucky if we got anything! I've been hunting in the Midwest since I was 14 but my friends are what's now termed adult onset hunters, and none of us have hunted the west before so this will be a learning trip if nothing else.

The one thing we do have going for us is that we have a diversity of tags; I'm the only one with elk and wolf tags while others are getting muley tags, and as out of staters we could shoot a bear, mountain lion or wolf instead. Plus fishing licenses...

 

[Gerald Martin]

Sounds like you are in for a great trip!

 

[archer wapiti]

Just another thought: If terrain/tree conditions permit, pitching two tents about 6-8 feet apart with doors facing each other and hanging a tarp over them so you have a covered space between the two can also work. I've never done this with small tents, but with big tents (standing room size dome tents like REI Hobitat/Kingdom), it can work awesome and gives you a place to come in from the weather and shake out your clothes before you head into the tent... In those situations I'm car camping and use a sheet of heavy clear plastic drop cloth as the tarp, but it seems like it'd work on a smaller scale if the tarp covers up to the ridge line of the tents so that the water drains away from the space between the tents.

 

[Eyeguy]

Wall tent wayyyy to heavy. Get a pair of 2-3 man tents and call it good. My buddy and I use the Cabelas Instinct 3 man actually. It doesnt weigh much more then the 2 man but the small amount of extra space it worth it. A couple things to make you stay much more enjoyable. I pack in one of those foam camp rolls (weighs ounces) to lay down on first then have a small inflatable that I put over that. The inflatable has insulation and keeps you VERY warm. Pack a good sleeping bag. These things will weigh 50X lighter then a wall tent and you will be warmer. We can set up that tent 50x faster then you can cut branches to length (not a good idea) and set up a wall tent. Plus....does it have a floor in it or open floor? Im betting you would be better protected from the elements with the above plan instead of a wall tent.....in a backpacking situation at least. Good luck! Have fun!

 

[jryoung]

I'm going to go against the grain here. Pack in a wall tent and please GoPro the experience for our amusement.....I mean education.

 

[wytex]

I'm betting there is plenty of standing dead beetle kill and cutting those gives hunters a good name. We regularly cut standing dead timber for camp wood and too make the camping area safer.

 

[brymoore]

I'm going to go against the grain here. Pack in a wall tent and please GoPro the experience for our amusement.....I mean education.

I second this motion!

 

[SteveE]

Bout 12lbs all loaded up with stove and liner.

 

[guserto4]

I'm going to go against the grain here. Pack in a wall tent and please GoPro the experience for our amusement.....I mean education.

I second this motion!

HA! One of my buddies says he's part Pack Mule, and when I thought a wall tent weighed 60 lbs I figured he could handle that no problem (I just carried 60lbs around the Smokys for 3 days and 40 miles) but I guess I didn't get that the wall tent size I was looking at was 100lbs. I'm sure he'd still say he could do it, but that's not contemplating all the other gear, plus any meat, we'd have to pack in and out as well. We're doing this to work on being better hunters, not specifically better Sherpa's

I think at this point whether we get a few doubles tents/tipis or one bigger communal for this trip will be based on how much others in my party want to individually sink into shelter this year. I'm inclined to pony up and get an 8 man and stove and figure it'll serve me well in a variety of situations now and in the future. It might even get my girlfriend to do some winter backcountry camping or come along on a future hunting trip too

 

[guserto4]

I think I've decided to get the seek outside 8 man tipi, but I'm having a little trouble narrowing down a stove. Size v. material/weight v. cost. How compact a stove can I go with an 8 man tipi? Can you stoke a stainless (I heard you can't really get a titanium to go all night bc it'll get too hot and warp)? Is longer (20x8.5x9") better, or is more height (14x10.5x10.5") better? Who else makes an economical (~$400 or less) lightweight wood stove besides SO & Kifaru? Fourdog seems out of my price range. Any others? Right now I'm leaning towards Kifaru's large stainless steel stove, but would love to know about others to check out.

Thanks again, guys! You've all been really helpful!

 

[Elkmagnet]

HA! One of my buddies says he's part Pack Mule, and when I thought a wall tent weighed 60 lbs I figured he could handle that no problem (I just carried 60lbs around the Smokys for 3 days and 40 miles) but I guess I didn't get that the wall tent size I was looking at was 100lbs.

Part of the problem is that the canvas would likely stick out 3 1/2 feet from your back and is a very awkward 60 -100#.
It's not an issue of whether or not some can do it. It's a matter of whether or not it's worth it.
Follow the advice you got here.
Good luck

 

[Elkmagnet]

I think I've decided to get the seek outside 8 man tipi, but I'm having a little trouble narrowing down a stove. Size v. material/weight v. cost. How compact a stove can I go with an 8 man tipi? Can you stoke a stainless (I heard you can't really get a titanium to go all night bc it'll get too hot and warp)? Is longer (20x8.5x9") better, or is more height (14x10.5x10.5") better? Who else makes an economical (~$400 or less) lightweight wood stove besides SO & Kifaru? Fourdog seems out of my price range. Any others? Right now I'm leaning towards Kifaru's large stainless steel stove, but would love to know about others to check out.

Thanks again, guys! You've all been really helpful!

It's not likely that you will be able to pack a stove that will burn all night. My steel tent stove is usually out in the am.
Don't worry so much about being comfortable. Hunting isnt about comfort and Backpack hunting isn't for everyone. Get a sleeping bag that is sufficient. Choke out the stove before bed and zip up.

 

[ssssnake529]

Thanks for the clarification on the trees.

High impact hunters are a sore spot with me. I've seen a lot of hunter camps with live trees cut down, sticks pounded into live trees to tie up horses, mounds of beer cans and other trash, metal grates and other camp junk left behind, etc.

I try to leave no trace if possible.

Good point about the tarp, I was thinking maybe getting creative with one would be a decent way to get some covered community space. I'll have to look more into that.

When I said trees I meant fallen ones- I know green ones make for poor ridge poles and even poorer for fires! HA!
And we would be so lucky if we got anything! I've been hunting in the Midwest since I was 14 but my friends are what's now termed adult onset hunters, and none of us have hunted the west before so this will be a learning trip if nothing else.

The one thing we do have going for us is that we have a diversity of tags; I'm the only one with elk and wolf tags while others are getting muley tags, and as out of staters we could shoot a bear, mountain lion or wolf instead. Plus fishing licenses...

 

[SteveE]

I have the medium kifaru in the sawtooth. It will drive you out of the tent if you feed it.
Size relates more to burn time then temperature. Bigger stove equals bigger pieces of wood which dictates burn time. None of the backpacking stoves will burn very long. When i truck camp I use scrape 2x6 cut to the length of stove and fill it up. It will burn about 45 minutes and stay hot/warm about 1.5 hours. When backpacking I use dead fall for fuel and only get about 20 minutes burn due to the smaller chunks of wood.

For these reasons I suggest the medium - lighter and a bit smaller. Someone with 8-man experience might chime in but I would think the medium stove would drive you out of an 8-man with a good fuel source. The larger stove will get a bit more burn time. It is all a trade off when it comes to lightweight.

When it is cold I heat the tent as I get ready to sleep. About 3:00am As temps hit the lowest I will fire the stove and go back to sleep. About an hour later it is cold again so I stoke it about 4:00 am and have a hot tent when alarm goes off at 4:30.