Canvas Wall Tent VS. Cabela's Alaknak

[BuckHunter23]

I was hoping to get some opinons from you guys on your preference for larger tents.  My hunting partner and I were thinking this would be a good year to finally invest in a nice tent that will hopefully last us several more hunting years.

We are comparing a 14x16 canvas wall tent from Kwik Kamp to the 12x20 Cabela's Alaknak.  Both seem to offer lots of great options and tons of space.  I have friends who own both, and give good bad reviews on each. From a price standpoint, the Cabela's tent seems cheaper after buying all the options, including stove.  But I've also been told to spend the extra fwe hundred dollars to get the canvas tent.

So I thought I would ask a larger forum to see what hunters prefer.  I'm tired of being crammed into a small tent with tons of gear (maybe that's the problem, ha).  Anyway, appreciate the responses and look forward to hearing what your opinions are.

[280ackley]

If you are going to "invest in a nice tent" then defiantly look in to Beckel Canvas in Portland and Davis Tent in Denver.  Here are there links.
http://www.beckelcanvas.com/
http://davistent.com/

[actionshooter]

I have the alagnak and like it but part of my decision is based on weight. The alagnak works better in small planes, it only weighs 100# w/o the stove.

[huntnfmly]

Canvas is the way to go.We have a 12x15 from canvas cabins in ore.Every tent comes with to doors and he will put the stove jack where ever you want for a little more he will put in windows.We have a cylinder stove that will blast you out.There is me and my 2 girls with cots it works great because you can put your gear under them and no condensation.

[finnman]

Just get exactly what you want! Don't cut corners! Find a wall tent manufacturer you like and talk with him about all the details. I have a Bravo tent made in Camas, WA. His web is Bravomfg.com

Oh, look on Craigs list, everyday if necessary! I looked yesterday and just so found a 15x20 Beckel with stove used one time, like new listed in Redmond, OR for $1,100!!! He paid $2,000! I emailed my friend in Salem and he was the first one to call the guy, after talking to him, he called his cousin who lives in Bend and had him go look at it, he said it was nice so he gave the guy the money! The guy later said he had 5 calls after he had sold the tent!
Just so happened I looked and was the first to find it!

[nw_bowhunter]

I would go with canvas all the way. I personally have a 12x15 Rainer and it works great. No leaks, stays warm, although it is heavy with lots of poles, ropes, etc. But once camp is set you are good to go. Also, depending on how many people you are going to have I would also consider the add-on for the kitchen. My can hold 4-6 cots for sleeping or 3 cots with the kitchen set-up inside and stove. 

[Jerry]

Defintiely check out BRAVO! tents. We have a 15x18 and frankly, I don't know how we ever got along without it!

He's down in the Fern Prairie area norht of Camas.

[elksnout]

We have four tents in our elk camp. Three canvas wall tents and one Cabela's Alaknak. All work well and hold back the weather well. The Alaknak has a sewn in floor so they have less
" mice " issues. Mines a 14 x 16 x 5 . Kind of a pain to set up but once it is I feel confident to be dry and comfortable thru out the hunt. I picked it up 6 yrs ago for 300 bucks from an 82 yr old who was retiring from hunting. In fact he had two for sale at this price. I was lucky and got the last one. I had to make my own ridge pole, but no big deal. Another tent in our group
 { 10 x 14 } was picked up for 50 bucks minus poles. So they are out there used for decent prices. You just need to look everywhere. You need to look at these as an investment for the long haul. As such I would vote for the canvas tent. Just can't see that nylon and light duty threads holding up as well as the canvas. I'am betting the Alaknak is a Chinese product and I'am pretty sure any wall tent you would find is a USA product. Hell that's reason enough.

[Crunchy]

I went with the BigHorn 3 and love it.  Not too heavy and I can set it up alone.  Takes me about 30 minutes to get it all finely tuned.  Money well spent.

[Huntbear]

Do not pass on looking at some military surplus tents.  We had two that we used for years.  They were great for sleeping, and keeping dry.  Plus they had doors at both ends.  With an old Korea era military wood stove, we kept very warm and toasty at night.  We slept a total of 9 people on cots in them.

[Slayock]

Another thing to think about is weight.  If you are going to be horse packing weight is a big deal.  A heavy tent thrown on top of a pack animal is alot of top weight that will be hard on the animal.

[TeacherMan]

I want to get a nice wall tent really bad. What are they like in the summer time when it is hot out? My family likes to go camping for a week at a time so I like the thought of the room. I'm antelope hunting in MT in August? What about critters in them? I don't like snakes...

[whacker1]

I have a small 8 x 10 x 4 that I use all over, but it is only good for two people.    I am going to buy new poles for the frame and new canvas for the angle kit and make it a 10 x 12 x 5.  Anything larger than that and it becomes difficult to set it up as a one man operation.  I do that quite often hunting solo for a long weekend.  This way I can keep my gear inside the tent, which would be nice.

I also hunt with a buddy that has a 12 x 17 x 5, and the main advice I give is to buy a stove larger than recommended for that size.  And my next stove will have a pellet feeder on it, so that it keeps burning through the night.

[bow4elk]

Before you buy, talk with Canvas Cabins...top notch product and one heck of a guy.  He knows his stuff when it comes to NW weather and wall tent assembly, durability, and weather integrity.

[mtndew]

My hunting camp has used three different canvas tents, and one Alaknak over the years. The Alaknak is a decent tent, it really shines if the weather is warm and the bugs are still out in force. Easy to set up, and does not budge in windy conditions. But once the weather gets cold, you can not beat canvas! The Alaknak will sweat, canvas breathes. The canvas will hold the heat from a wood stove better, and wont melt from sparks! My