Which 1-2p tent for backpacking in alpine environment?

I'm intrigued by the tipi style tents w/stove. It seems some guys like them or even love them. I'm trying to get my head around the no-floor thing. How is that a good thing? Also trying to understand the price with no floor. When I'm hunting, I don't make a fire anyway. When I get back to camp, I make dinner, maybe get tomorrows lunch together and crash. Isn't a floorless tent 1/2 a tent?

I dig the whole stove thing. Can't count the times I've slipped into clothes & boots that were frozen stiff. I'd even be willing to get up an hour early and start a fire to warm the duds up. Does the stove dry out the ground quickly? Honestly, why is a Kifaru better than a whole tent?
 
Mike
I know its seems strange but especially during hunting season going floor less is great .You get more covered tent area per pound of tent,you can walk into your tipi with muddy boots without mucking up you're floor.And on top of all that I think you will stay dryer,I know I do and I mostly camp in Western Wa.we get ALOT of rain around here
Tim
 
Mike
I know its seems strange but especially during hunting season going floor less is great .You get more covered tent area per pound of tent,you can walk into your tipi with muddy boots without mucking up you're floor.And on top of all that I think you will stay dryer,I know I do and I mostly camp in Western Wa.we get ALOT of rain around here
Tim



How will you stay dryer in a floorless tent?

I walk right into the floor of my tents all the time.
 
I hunted Western Washington once. Every hunter I saw was wearing fishing gear and every camp had a hay tarp over it. Seriously! You guys know wet weather. I didn't put on one stitch of clothing that wasn't frozen in the morning.

O.K...
For conversation's sake, you pitch your tent on wet ground. Will it dry out quickly or will it stay wet or very damp for a while/days? Also, I can never find flat ground to pitch on. Will rain or melted snow run through? I can see a major advantage of condensation never puddling on the floor provided the grounds not frozen. Also, there's no floor to clean. There's the thing about the gap between ground and wall. How much colder is it? I can't think of a situation where, if I were cold, a breeze in the tent would be welcome. Also, what are the add-on liners for (Kifaru Sawtooth)? Are you say'in a week of Washington rain/sleet and it's still cozy?

That's a good point , more tent coverage per/pound. I'm wondering if it also equates to more coverage/dollar? I'm not obsessed with ounces. Half the time I'll reach into my pack only to find last seasons lunch still in it.

I hunt Idaho and you can just about count on your hunting area being burned to a crisp at one time or another. In a burn area, even 10 years after the event, the ground is mighty fine and ash like. How's floorless in those camps?

I've always maintained that I could market a dog turd as the finest turd in the world, produced by the finest breeds that were fed the best and most expensive caviar... and if I charged enough, I would bet the farm that I could find somebody to buy it and eat it. I just want to know the $1000.00 floorless 3-man tent/stove I'm thinking about buying isn't a turd.
 
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Eureka Drawtite series...2 man.... Cheap enough and will last you forever. Timberline models

Eureka Camping Tents, Dome Tents, & Family Camping Tents

Never been one to recommend things that I've not fully tested....

If the Timberline is half the tent today, that they were 40 years ago. I'd go with one.

I bought my 2 man (say person now:)) with vestibule... around 40 years ago and it's been everywhere. I used it extensively last year on a 3 week backcountry trip in upper Michigan and it's getting a bit tatered (fly is) but it's still wayetproof, sets up in a flash, poles go together fine and the YKK zippers still work flawlessly. I strongly suspect it will outlast ne.......

I believe I paid...if I remember correctly, around 40 bucks back then and it was a high priced tent back then.

Still have my Kelty rigid frame expedition backpack too and my NorthFace goose down parka... for those cold nights.....
 
During a hard rain it may be wet 4"-5" from the outside edge,I almost always end up pitching over wet grass once you get the stove going it dries out fast.The liner is worth while in my area.I've not ever camped on a real recent burn,usually a couple of years old so the dust has not been a problem. Two advantages of a wood stove are that you can use them during a burn ban and that you don't get the smoke in you're face
Tim
 
I was very skeptical about the no floor twice the price tipi. But after two year of hunting Northern Idaho's and Montana's backcountry. I am there biggest fan! I have pitched it over every type of terrain. I carry a small piece of tyvex, sometimes I need it sometimes I don't. I use the small stove for the supertarp and the 8 man. It does the job, if you keep on feeding it. The biggest plus is when I am 4+ miles from the road and I am warm and dry.
 
I was very skeptical about the no floor twice the price tipi. But after two year of hunting Northern Idaho's and Montana's backcountry. I am there biggest fan! I have pitched it over every type of terrain. I carry a small piece of tyvex, sometimes I need it sometimes I don't. I use the small stove for the supertarp and the 8 man. It does the job, if you keep on feeding it. The biggest plus is when I am 4+ miles from the road and I am warm and dry.

Another vote for the tipi. May I ask what brand/brands you use? Regarding the 8-Man, how many people + gear go well in it? Couldn't possibly be 8!
 
Mike 338,

The 8 man can fit four no problem. But I like it with 3 and all are gear. I have a couple different brands of tipis and I like the kifaru. The biggest factor is durability. I have ripped the other two tipis. Never had that problem with the kifaru and no I have no ties to kifaru, just like there product!:D

Ryan
 
Mike 338,

The 8 man can fit four no problem. But I like it with 3 and all are gear. I have a couple different brands of tipis and I like the kifaru. The biggest factor is durability. I have ripped the other two tipis. Never had that problem with the kifaru and no I have no ties to kifaru, just like there product!:D

Ryan


Good to know re: durability. Just ordered a Appy Trails 5 man tent. It's probably good for about 2 people but very inexpensive. It doesn't look like it would hold up to windy conditions but should work for a one man, mild weather option for scouting trips. I can put a stove jack in it and see how I like a pyramid style tent. I'm using mules now so a larger tent isn't to much of a problem. Now that the wolves have killed all the game, I'll probably be spending more time at camp anyway!
 
Mike 338,

I don't like that style for one reason snow! Don't know anything about the company, but it kind of looks like a sawtooth. The price looks dam good. Post back on how it holds up.

Ryan
 
If yo have any thoughts of putting a stove jack in that tent I would suggest testing it really well in high winds and with a snow load if possible.A tent collapse with a hot stove and a cherry red pipe could be catastrophic and life threatening in the back country
Tim
 
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