Free: Contests & Raffles.
I was wondering about not having a floor a pro or con? Does more condensation happen? I know with a stove you could dry everything out but if i choose to not bring a stove is there any negative to that? Whats your experience do you use them for backcountry hunting? Are they worth every penny?
On a serious note, before spending 600 to 1000 dollars on something, do some research. Hilleberg (kifarus tent line) makes great quality tents if youre going to be above treeline in harsh conditions. But there's a lot of good quality stuff out there. There are tons of good gear reviews on youtube and elsewhere. How often are you going to use it? What time of year? In the summer when i go scouting, I just use a tarp. The video i posted discusses ground sheets also. IMO you can spend a lot less on gear, and still get quality gear, on stuff that's geared toward backpackers instead of hunters. Also in a lot of cases you can find good quality gear used because a lot of people are chasing the ultimate in ultra light and last years model weighed 6 ounces more blah blah. I do recommend something with a vestibule so u can keep your gear out of the weather and cook. Youtube has a channel called "The Trek", which posts thru hikers videos. A lot of them post their gear lists in the comments section. Their shelters sometimes change depending on if they are in the Sierras during early season or hiking thru Washington in early August. Anyway my
Has anyone tried those polish milsurp lavvu shelters? Was going to give that a shot before dropping the $$$ on a kirfaru.
Quote from: Eric M on July 15, 2019, 12:33:48 PMOn a serious note, before spending 600 to 1000 dollars on something, do some research. Hilleberg (kifarus tent line) makes great quality tents if youre going to be above treeline in harsh conditions. But there's a lot of good quality stuff out there. There are tons of good gear reviews on youtube and elsewhere. How often are you going to use it? What time of year? In the summer when i go scouting, I just use a tarp. The video i posted discusses ground sheets also. IMO you can spend a lot less on gear, and still get quality gear, on stuff that's geared toward backpackers instead of hunters. Also in a lot of cases you can find good quality gear used because a lot of people are chasing the ultimate in ultra light and last years model weighed 6 ounces more blah blah. I do recommend something with a vestibule so u can keep your gear out of the weather and cook. Youtube has a channel called "The Trek", which posts thru hikers videos. A lot of them post their gear lists in the comments section. Their shelters sometimes change depending on if they are in the Sierras during early season or hiking thru Washington in early August. Anyway my Probably not common knowledge on here but I write product reviews as a side gig. One of the big shows I attend is the Outdoor Retailer show in Denver. During this show I meet with lots of backpacking gear companies and one of my great selling points is the "Most hunting trips are nothing more than camouflage backpacking trips." The same JetBoil that heats water for a Vegan Non-GMO Organic Tofu Stew meal that an ultra woke millennial backpacker in Zion uses could also be heating up some Ramen and Backstrap Stew on a backcountry ridge someplace. Point is, most backpacking gear is very functional hunting gear disguised as ultra hippy gear for the modern day man bun crowd. Your tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, fork, headlamp or anything else does not NEED to be camouflage to be functional. MSR is great stuff and the color red is not on the spectrum for most animals you would be hunting so....
On a serious note, before spending 600 to 1000 dollars on something, do some research. Hilleberg (kifarus tent line) makes great quality tents if youre going to be above treeline in harsh conditions.
QuoteOn a serious note, before spending 600 to 1000 dollars on something, do some research. Hilleberg (kifarus tent line) makes great quality tents if youre going to be above treeline in harsh conditions. Is Hilleberg really Kifaru's tent line?
Kifaru and Tyvek. Winning combo in all conditions👍
I run the Seekoutside Redcliff when it’s more than just myself. The stove is definitely a game changer in the nasty weather. We sat in snow and below freezing early this spring on a shed hunting trip and we were soooo hot in there! Yep, we had little chairs and a bottle of bourbon too. Had to open both doors and the top vent wide open for a bit because it was just so dang hot in there. You do get condensation, but eh, I just give the walls a quick wipe down and it’s all good. I know it bothers some people, but doesn’t seem to bother us much. I really like not having to take my boots off in my floorless too. Haven’t had any bug or rodent problems as of yet, but that doesn’t bother me to much either. I think my entire set up with center pole and steaks with stove and 8ft stove pipe I’m at just around 10 lbs. not bad for a Bitchin backcountry heated camp!
I was in the exact same situation that you were in. I decided to check out a company out of Forks Wa called LUXE. They make Tipi style tents that are also stove compatible. I went with their 3-man Hexpeak XL tipi, and it worked out great for me when i went camping up in the cascades scouting for some mule deer. They do sell inner tents if you want to have a mixture of a tipi style and traditional style tent. They're significantly cheaper than Kifaru and Seek outside tents, and as far as i can tell built just as well. If you show up to their brick and mortar store, they do have a few tents that people have returned at a pretty good discount. They also set up three different tents for me to experiment with when i drove over from Whidbey Island to check them out. Their customer service is on point, and they were honest with me about any conerns i had. It's well worth the drive over there if you have the chance just to see everything in person before dropping a few hundred bucks on something.
Quote from: Tbob on July 15, 2019, 07:09:07 PMI run the Seekoutside Redcliff when it’s more than just myself. The stove is definitely a game changer in the nasty weather. We sat in snow and below freezing early this spring on a shed hunting trip and we were soooo hot in there! Yep, we had little chairs and a bottle of bourbon too. Had to open both doors and the top vent wide open for a bit because it was just so dang hot in there. You do get condensation, but eh, I just give the walls a quick wipe down and it’s all good. I know it bothers some people, but doesn’t seem to bother us much. I really like not having to take my boots off in my floorless too. Haven’t had any bug or rodent problems as of yet, but that doesn’t bother me to much either. I think my entire set up with center pole and steaks with stove and 8ft stove pipe I’m at just around 10 lbs. not bad for a Bitchin backcountry heated camp! How big where those steaks ? 12 oz New Yorks ?
Quote from: mountainman on July 15, 2019, 04:40:33 PMKifaru and Tyvek. Winning combo in all conditions👍Did you put a stove in that Tut?
Floorless or not floorless seems to be a personal thing aside from the heat aspect. I tried it, didn't like it and just sold my last floorless shelter. Bottom line is you gotta try for yourself. Adjustments can be made for condensation is what I've found.
Had a kifaru tipi. Did not like it. By the time you get the tipi , the liner, the stove. Then collect wood for the stove it’s a pain in the butt. Condensation was always a issue. Takes a pretty good size level spot to set up to. Switched to a 3 person big angus tent and a good Low temp EE quilt. Couldn’t be happier with this set up. Lots of room for one person or two people with your gear stored inside the tent with you. Camped at 11,500’ High hint in Colorado. Thunderstorms and rain. Worked well.
