Wall Tents Tips and Tricks

[HoofsandWings]

I remember some hunters who thought straw was a great idea and put it on the floor. They put their sleeping bags on the straw and
thought it was great until the mice discovered the straw. There were dozens that ran over the straw, their sleeping bags and their faces.

[ipkus]

Most of my 25+ years in wall tents are late season, or high altitude where rodents are not normally an issue.  Several things we do have already been mentioned.

1.) Straw, around the base of the outside of the tent, is a huge insulator.  The colder it is the more it matters.  About 1 1/2 bails for a 12x14' tent.

2.) Tarp over the tent.  Cut a hole for the stove pipe.  It really helps keep heat in the tent, and snow does not build up/slides off easily.

3.) We run a 5 gallon propane bottle outside the tent with hose up to the rafter to two lanterns inside.  The fittings will start to freeze up in cold weather without a little assistance.  A lighter to the outside of them for 30 seconds cures the problem.

4.) In tents with internal frames, parachute cord can be tied at multiple heights across the tent to hang things from.

5.) Astroturf is the best flooring I've found for a wall tent.  It used to be completely waterproof, and we've set the tent up on 1'+ of compact snow before and had dry feet the whole week.  On newer versions the coating on the bottom isn't as thick and often isn't sealed/waterproof.  Nothing a can or two of FlexSeal can't cure!  At the end of the season, hang it up, hose it off, let it dry.  It also handily stores all of our tent poles, we roll them up like burritos.

6.) A $20 set of plastic shelves(4' tall, 3/4 shelves) gives you tons of storage space for all your kitchen stuff.

7.) Supplement your wood stove with charcoal when it gets really cold.  It's cheap, and burns extremely well and warm through those long November nights.

[Rainier10]

7.) Supplement your wood stove with charcoal when it gets really cold.  It's cheap, and burns extremely well and warm through those long November nights.

I have never heard of this, I will have to give it a try and see how it works.

[skeeter 20i]

This is the next idea I was toying around with doing.  I found this on the good ol' google last night.  The owner used a dimmer switch and a deep cycle battery.

[skeeter 20i]

I also spray paint my fittings which makes it easier to set up especially if I have "help"

[ghosthunter]

I did much the same thing only I used different colored electrical tape.

[Buzz2401]

I've been using a inverter and a deep cycle battery for years.  Just hit a switch and you have light. No noise and plenty of light.  We use a 25w flouro bulb and get about a week before battery needs recharge. 

[ballpark]

I use a 3' x 3' piece of 1/4" cement board(lite) to sit my stove on, takes up no space.

[Rainier10]

I did much the same thing only I used different colored electrical tape.

[ghosthunter]

I've been using a inverter and a deep cycle battery for years.  Just hit a switch and you have light. No noise and plenty of light.  We use a 25w flouro bulb and get about a week before battery needs recharge.

Got a photo of each part?

[ghosthunter]

In our cook shack we took a truck cargo net with carabiners and streached it out along the inside ridge about 4 feet wide.
We throw bread,buns and paper up there to keep away from critters. You could do the same in your wall tent I think.

[farmin4u_98948]

Great info.    Thanks

[ghosthunter]

So the question came up tonight from a friend who is getting ready to order a stove for his wall tent.

How important is it to have the stove pipe above the ridge of the tent?

[ipkus]

The most important thing is to get it high enough that you don't get ember burns on the tent when you really stoke it up or burn some lively wood.  As long as it's over 2.5-3' above where it comes through the tent shouldn't have any issues.

[ghosthunter]

Has any one ever had the smoke stack come loose in the wind?
If so where did it disconnect? At the stove? One of the joints?