Tipi and Tarps

[AJ Howard]

I am really interested in getting a tipi or doing a tarp and thinking about stoves as well and wondering the ease of there use in the high country and when backpacking. I understand flat spots are the best, but are they able to be set up with a slight slope?

What are everyone's thoughts and concerns around ti[is, tarps, and stoves?

[Skyvalhunter]

How slight of slope and would u want to sleep on a slope?

[vandeman17]

How slight of slope and would u want to sleep on a slope?

You can set them up pretty much anywhere but sleeping might not be the most comfortable.

[Magnum_Willys]

Tipi great if you need stove but in wet liner needed which increases weight. Pushing 6# for 3-4 men.  (8 man rating)

[highside74]

I did a Mt Smith LT floorless for one archery elk hunt in September and found that it was drafty and wasn't worth the # in weight savings. If I were to be with another guy and a stove maybe it would be okay for drying clothes and stuff but a good light 2 person if it's just me is way warmer than that Mt Smith was.

[jackelope]

How slight of slope and would u want to sleep on a slope?

You can set them up pretty much anywhere but sleeping might not be the most comfortable.

Keep in mind they're not freestanding, so you can't really set them up "anywhere" like you can an actual freestanding tent that doesn't need to be staked down.

[kselkhunter]

Tipis can be set up at various angles and slopes.   99% of the time they hold up well in all weather.   But if in heavy snow, make sure that pole is straight up and down as it's designed to hold all weight of the load in the vertical position.....

I managed to snap my tipi pole earlier this month on our backcountry rifle elk hunt, because I elected to set up at a slight angle on a slope to be close to my friends tipi.  I knew it was a risk, but have successfully set it at an angle on sloped terrain in light snow before and was fine.   Granted, I wasn't anticipating multiple feet of snow to drop on us that week....with about a foot falling after I fell asleep one night and the stove went out.....woke up to a loud snap.   I cut a tree to use as my pole for the rest of the week.   Three heavy snow storms that week made for an interesting trip.  To be fair any backpacking tent, short of a reinforced 4 season version, would have failed with the amount of snow we had.

It wasn't a manufacturer defect, it was my fault for site selection and angle of setup.  The aluminum version of the pole probably would have held up, but carbon fiber poles aren't meant to handle that much flex. And I knew the risk.  I just wasn't expecting that much snow to fall in such a short time.   Like I said, 99% of the time you're fine with varied slopes and angles.   Attached is a photo, mine is the tipi at the goofy angle on the right.  (the photo is before the heavy snow storm hit).   

[vandeman17]

How slight of slope and would u want to sleep on a slope?

You can set them up pretty much anywhere but sleeping might not be the most comfortable.

Keep in mind they're not freestanding, so you can't really set them up "anywhere" like you can an actual freestanding tent that doesn't need to be staked down.

agreed. "anywhere" is a rough term in that the ground doesn't have to flat or level

[wendigo]

Count on lots of condensation with a teepee. I had prolonged winds  hit me during high buck and condensation rained down on me all night getting my sleeping bag pretty wet. I started to pack a lightweight bivy to use inside my teepee (which makes me feel dumb) when its too warm for a stove.
As much as I hate the condensation factor I love a huge shelter that can buck the wind and snow while only weighing a pound or so.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Miles]

Count on lots of condensation with a teepee. I had prolonged winds  hit me during high buck and condensation rained down on me all night getting my sleeping bag pretty wet. I started to pack a lightweight bivy to use inside my teepee (which makes me feel dumb) when its too warm for a stove.
As much as I hate the condensation factor I love a huge shelter that can buck the wind and snow while only weighing a pound or so.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had condensation problems once in my tipi and it was awful.   I now pay attention to how I set it up, always ensuring I have good airflow under the sides.  I haven't had a problem since.   

[kselkhunter]

Airflow helps.   Some tipi manufacturers also provide a liner, which solves the condensation problem.

[swisski]

Floor-less shelters and stoves are awesome.

I've been able to use a few different types/models. I own an 8 man tipi by SO, one of my buddies has their Cimarron, and another buddy has the Sawtooth. All of them serve their purpose very well in my opinion.

The 8 man tipi is most prone to condensation issues, and mainly because I find that I am typically pitching it all the way to the ground. That's just the nature of the beast in Western Washington. Utilizing the liner with it however, completely solves that problem- it just becomes whether or not you are willing to actually pack all of that in. The stove also helps mitigate this issue. I've packed this before, and love the amount of room it provides, but find that we've used this shelter more when setting up camp that we can drive to.

The Cimarron is sweet for packing in, and can be easily pitched to allow for adequate ventilation to the point that condensation doesn't even happen. As someone mentioned above, we just pitch it with an air gap at the bottom and this works very well. This kind of pitch we mostly do during the early season.

For late season, especially in the high country, having the ability to run a stove can be just a total moral booster. Coming back to camp, especially after a windy, cold, rainy or snowy day... I just don't see another way! In these situations, we mostly are splitting the load up between 2 people and are running a smaller stove. The thing to keep in mind is that the real purpose of the stove here is just to warm up and dry things out if need be. Don't think you're going to running that bad boy all night long unless you want to be up every hour and a half stocking it.

[boneaddict]

One of the last big bucks I killed, I couldn’t find a flat spot, so carved a flat spot for a bed, used my pack to make sure I didn’t roll out, and slept under a fly. “Tarp”. It snowed two inches the last night I was there.  I used a parachute cord stretched to keep the snow from laying the tarp on my face. That made it drip however.    I can’t imagine a tipi and stove in that situation.  Either packing one or setting one up. So I suppose they have their uses.

[ian_padron]

You can pitch a tarp places that a free standing tent won't cut it. Here's a deer bed turned into a Supertarp camp in the GPW. Comfy given the circumstances lol

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

[mountainman]

A couple of our camps. We use a Sierra Design "Origami", and this year, the Kifaru "Tut". Great lightweight way to camp!