Newbie here with a wall tent and stove question

[sometimesineedhelp]

Thanks for letting me join your forum! I'm not a hunter (I'm actually a vegetarian /ducks and covers) but I appreciate that hunting is more humane than factory farming and I am probably more concerned about gun rights than a lot of you on this board!

ANYHOW, I'm planning on building/sewing my own permanent cabin tent on a platform and I'm worried about the stove pipe burning it down. I borrowed a friend's wall tent last month to do a test-run of the realities of living in a tent and I loved it... (Except for the stench, lol) I'm most likely going to be using waterproof awning material (like sunbrella(r) or similar) for longevity and hopefully to not get that smell... Lots of ventilation under a raised rain fly should help with that, right?

My First Question is: What should I use to fire-proof the stovepipe opening and how much clearance do I need to plan for? 
I've searched and searched and can't seem to find material specifications... I see that some outfitters offer tent-specific roof protectors, but they seem to just be a reflective material that lays over the roof surrounding the stove pipe... Is it just plain canvas right up to the pipe on the interior of the tent?! (My friend's tent did not have a hole for a stove so I have nothing to study from)

My Second Question is: What stove would you suggest for my size tent?
I've done quite a bit of camping in my life but never the way hunters do (which is LUXURIOUS compared to the ultralight backpacking communities) so the most elaborate tent-heating I've ever experienced was a small propane heater (from which I learned that propane is a very moist heat!)  I'm planning on a very large 24x16 layout (384 sq ft, or two 12x16s side-by-side) For permitting reasons, it has to be considered a "portable" heat system so I'm afraid those seriously awesome marine stoves are off the table. I'm also open to a vented propane heater if it wouldn't cause too much condensation and if it would be cheaper than cord wood (can't cut my own, it's on a protected wetland!)

Finally: How much wood do you need to use to heat a tent that size for 1 week of 35 degree weather? And how warm does the interior of a single wall tent get with a wood stove? Is it enough to be comfortable barefoot or should I plan on always dressing like I'm camping?

Thanks everyone! I'm sure I'll tweak my plans as I go along, but I knew that hunters in Washington would best know what I can expect! I'll be in the Key Peninsula if that matters. 

[Jason]

for the stove jack, you can google canvas tent stove jack , most tent manufactures will sell you the parts you need
http://www.outfitterssupply.com/Stove-Jack-with-Canvas-Edging/productinfo/WT+O117C/
http://www.walltentshop.com/tentacces.htm

and for a stove you could go with something about 16-20" in diameter and 2.5' long, really theres a lot of different stoves and manufactures out there to choose from, and they usually tell you the specs on their stoves.
http://www.outfitterwarehouse.com/stoves-c-22.html

[follow maggie]

You should be able to pick up a stove jack at most canvas shops.  Tacoma Tent & Awning is  good place if you're near Tacoma.  AS far as stoves go, I would recommend the cylinder stove- the heaver guage and round shape keep it from warping like the sheet metal stoves do.

[AWS]

I lived in a wall tent for three years in northern WI and ran traplines in northern MN for a couple years.  First I suggest putting your stove pipe outlet  an end instead of the roof and streching a HD plastic tarp over the top a couple inches off your main fabric.  I ran a second ridge pole above the main ridge pole to hold the plastic tarp away from the tent fabric.   Snow will slide off the plastic and it gives you a dead air space betweent the tent and the tarp keeping the tent warmer.  I streched the tarp out far enough to be able to stack firewood  from the ground to the tarp just a few inches from the tent wall again it kept the wood dry and the wind from hitting the sides of the tent keeping it warmer inside.

Use a material like canvas that is breathable or you'll get condensation in the tent BAD. 

I had a plywood floor raised the height of a 2x4 off the ground and stapled my sod cloth to that and set my furniture on it to keep it in place.I used a shortenned grease barrel for a stove and at -30 I could sit around in a T-Shirt but had to wear my sorel liners on my feet.  At that temp my water barrel would get ice on the bottom but the top stayed thawed.  I did make a sheet metal shield that went between the stove and the tent wall as I had it in a corner close to the wall and had to run it cherry red at times.

I did all my cooking on the stove, I had a coleman oven that would sit on the stove for baking and an extention behind the stove that I could set a big soup kettle on and keep it hot with out overcooking it.  I'd make a big pot of soup or stew and would just come in and scoop out a bowl  and put a piece of bread on the stove to toast, a kettle would last a couple of days and was always hot.

AWS

[Schwag173]

I had a 14'x16' made at Yakima Tent & Awning a few years ago, a custom job to my design specs.  AWESOME people, google them and I'm sure they'd answer any of your canvas/fireproofing questions.

One of features of my tent was the ability to add an 8' addition in order to create a 14'x24' tent.  I built my own stove for it out of a 55-gal steel barrel and a pre-fabricated cast-iron kit available online for about $100.  I cut 1/3 out of the middle of the barrel, making it about 24" in length and therefor easy to move when empty.  When fired up and stoked wide-open this stove can literally drive you out of the tent (great heater).  My total expense for this stove, pipe and all, was about $200.  If you'd like photos, feel free to email me (Schwag173@Comcast.net).

If getting firewood will be difficult, you might well consider the propane systems out there.  Propane is easier, but I much prefer wood.

[huskyrunnr]

In the canvas tent I made, I sewed in a sleeve that accepts a steel sheet w/ a hole in it, per the instructions found in the conovers' book, A Winter Wilderness Companion.  http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Wilderness-Companion-Traditional-Undiscovered/dp/007136417X

In my silnylon or DWR or parachute silk tipis I've made or refurbishied, I sew in 17 oz. silver silicone.  That is the same stuff used Kifaru and Titanium Goat.  http://www.trucktarps.com/category.cfm?Category=4&CFID=5623058&CFTOKEN=8935

I also have a polytarp tipi from Wyo Lost and Found that I got in exchange for a cylinder stove I made.  They used regular hardware store fiberglass cloth for the jack.  I don't have a good feel for how that works though.

Good luck and have fun.

[Cascader74]

Look into Utah Cylinder stoves, I just ordered their Yukon model.

[Schwag173]

Cascader; The Yukon looks like a nice stove.  I'm wondering about the 10-12 hour burn time, though.  That's about what my home-made stove will do and it holds a lot more wood than the Yukon.  With good dense wood, I bet the Yukon will probably get you through the night just fine.  I do like the extra features of the Yukon.  I make do with a 10-gallon pot of water I leave sitting on top.