Backcountry tent

[rooseveltkiller]

I was wondering if anyone has used or owns a kifaru tent or something similar. Im wanting to get info on using that type of shelter in the washington high country. Maybe, there is a better tent or shelter option with a stove? Thanks

[Bushcraft]

I've owned and/or used pretty much all of the Kifaru shelters except for the Tut.

What do you want to know specifically?

[rooseveltkiller]

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?

[rooseveltkiller]

Also what about the rain we get in the Olympics? Will it hold up to that?

[Eric M]

Check out this video. She actually has a lot of great videos. She has thru hiked the AT, PCT, and CDT. Dont be against using something other than what a hunting company is selling. These hikers spend months at a time using their equipment. This gal knows what works. Plus her southern accent is pretty great.

[Magnum_Willys]

I have the Seek 8 man and xl stove.  If you need heat ( i.e. wet snow or rain) and must have something packable the tipi gets it done.  If you don't need to dry out then I prefer small 2 man tent with fly and tub floor.   If you can horse, quad or truck camp then tipi would not be my first or second choices.

If you are stuck in nasty weather with a buddy or two its nice to have a warm place to dry gear.  Condensation can be a problem if stove not used. 

[jackelope]

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.

[Bushcraft]

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?

You can always lay down a piece of Tyvek if you want.  Presumably you are going to use one anyway to keep your sleeping pad and bag clean.  Ostensibly, a large enough piece would effectively block that aspect of the condensation issue (it's the same with any single wall shelter).

Tipi's are essentially an enclosed tarp. But, they can take far more wind, rain and snow than most tarps and tents (except for 4-season bombproof tents like Hillebergs) assuming they are pitched well on firm ground.  But they really come into their own when a stove is added to heat the shelter.  You can definitely get away without using a liner in very arid environments, but I would never use one in the Pacific Northwest without a liner, particularly when using a stove.     

Imagine comfortably sitting in your shelter in a chair sippin' a little bourbon while wearing nothing but your birthday suit while the rest of your hunting gear is drying out....while a massive rain or snow storm is raging outside.  You can do that in a Kifaru or any of its copycats. Can't do that in anything else you can backpack into the wilderness.

[Eric M]

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 

[CoryTDF]

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 

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.... 

[AROTTY]

Has anyone tried those polish milsurp lavvu shelters? Was going to give that a shot before dropping the $$$ on a kirfaru.

[Bushcraft]

You nailed it CoryTDF.

That said, out of necessity hunting packs and outer shell clothing like rain gear tends to be far more robust than what's available on the recreational side of the product/use spectrum.

Other than my clothing, rifle, optics and backpack, I'm rolling with the same state-of-the-art ultra-light backpacking and/or mountaineering gear the man-bun crowd is using. 

Sylnylon tarp if I can get away with it. Kifaru Megatarp if I need a serious shelter that I can heat while retaining mobility. Big Kifaru tipi with liner if there's going to be a base-camp. Hilleberg Soulo if I'm up in the rocks and can expect some nasty weather.

[Bushcraft]

Has anyone tried those polish milsurp lavvu shelters? Was going to give that a shot before dropping the $$$ on a kirfaru.

I haven't heard of them.

One thing to keep in mind, the Kifaru gear tends to hold it's resale value really well. Sometimes you can buy a brand spanking new piece of gear from them (with the lead time) and immediately turn around and sell it for more to someone that wants it right now and doesn't care about paying a premium and doesn't want to wait.

If you're patient you can find one that's going for a fire sale because either some guy doesn't care and just wants the next cool piece of gear that he thinks is going to make him a more successful hunter, or someone's wife is pissed and is forcing the sale.   

[follow maggie]

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 

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....

This is a fact. I've been using backpacking gear and clothes since the 1990s when I started hunting because it was far better than any hunting brand. The newer hunting brands make good stuff, but you pay for it dearly. The backpacking stuff is still a better value most of the time. I'd love to have a Hilleberg tent, but I'd buy it from Hilleberg rather than Kifaru- direct from the maker at the same price.

[Eric M]

Has anyone tried those polish milsurp lavvu shelters? Was going to give that a shot before dropping the $$$ on a kirfaru.

Not familiar with that specifically. Most military surplus stuff is sturdy, durable, and heavy. Looks like youd have to carry a ground tarp also.