Hunting Washington Forum
Equipment & Gear => Power Equipment & RV => Topic started by: BuckHunter23 on February 14, 2009, 12:10:55 PM
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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.
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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/
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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 :twocents:
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I agree with the post above, its hard to beat a heavy canvas wall tent the snow starts to fly. My old man has a Beckel 16'x20' that we use for elk hunting camp. Weight isn't an issue, the wood stove keeps it warm enough to wear shorts & t-shirt. And when it thaws and snow begins to fall out of the trees in huge chunks, that old tent has never colapsed, torn, or failed.
However, if weight is an issue; horseback or fly in hunts. Cabelas Alaskan guide dome tents work fantastic as long as you don't need a wood stove. Thats when the Alakanak would shine. I've slept in my buddys and I really like it. :twocents:
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i have an alaknak 12x20 and the above post is correct, if it is wet and cold it will sweat, to eliminate that i put a big tarp over it to create and little buffer, works great. have used mine for several years and although i am biased i like it better than canvas, has a floor, light, one guy setup and although lighter pretty doggone tough. i can post pic if you want :twocents:
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Haven't used an Alaknak, but have used a canvas tent and recommend it. We researched many manufacturers and tents before buying. We wanted a tent that was durable and would last several decades. We purchased a 12x16 Bravo tent. We asked several manufacturers why tents came back for repairs. The most common answer was for grommets and seams. Bravo uses "D" rings sewn to nylon webbing instead of grommets and sews the seams with 4 layers. They start with the best canvas available. At the Sportsman's Show they ran a sprinkler on the canvas the entire time with no leaking. They custom make each tent so you choose where you want doors, windows, and stove jacks. We opted for a screen door that attaches to the main door and is removable. Their porch can be added later, if desired. They were close to me so I saved several hundred $ in shipping costs by picking the tent up myself. They make good pole bags for internal frames and sell the joints and poles, but will sell the canvas and/or joints without a frame if you don't need them or want to cut your own poles.
We made several light-weight methods for hanging gear. The clothes drying rack is made of plastic electrical conduit and the gear hangers are just small rope and "S" hooks. The photo of the "D" ring would be better if you could see that the nylon webbing runs the length of the eve.
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Thanks for the pictures and the post.
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That looks like a really well built Tent! I will have to check out Bravo tents, our camp looks like it will be expanding and the need for more space to sleep is really needed!
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thanks for all the replies and suggestions. The consensus sounds like I should go for a wall tent. Now I just have to check out and price all the different recommendations. Thanks again. Hopefully I can report after the season on what I got and how it held up. And with a nice buck hanging near by!!!
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After everyone's advice, I think my buddy and I have decided to go with canvas vs. the Alaknak. Mostly because of how long it will last and I wasn't to thrilled about all the condensation stories I heard about the Alaknak.
We are most likely going to go with a 14x16 Kwik Kamp combo setup. Tent, frame, and stove about $2,000 out the door. Has anyone else purchased their tent from Kwik Kamp? Your thoughts? Is the price decent?
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Have both(between Booner and I)......the Alak does seem to have a condensation problem. The wall is much more comfortable in bad weather situations. However the Alak is much more portable and easier to put up, take down and move.
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I've only slept in a buddy's squad tent in Alaska during the winter, fall and spring with his gasoline powered stove. It was warm but very dark.
We have the Alaknak which we like. Have not used it in real cold conditions but can see where you'll have condensation problems if the stove is not pumping out heat and you can vent out the moisture put out by the human body and our dogs.
