Kifaru Tipi review - finally

[masterplumber]

So quite a while back Bob asked if I'd do a review of my Kifaru Tipi. I had planned to do it right away, and I could give you all a lot of excuses, but you know what they say about excuses - something about babies an diapers and what they are full of! So any way, here we go. 

My Kifaru is the 8 man model. Remember that tents like this are rated by mountaineering standards, so you can fit 8 in this tipi, and I have actually slept 9 once, for longer term camping or living 4 is about max, 3 is ok, and 2 is about perfect. Kifaru can be found at kifaru.net . The company was founded by Patrick Smith who also founded Mountain Smith, the makers of much high end mountaineering  equipment. Patrick is the chief designer and engineer, and mostly works by taking a basic prototype out into the field and living in it and tweaking it to perfection. When he owned Mountainsmith he was constantly modifying his personal equipment for his hunting excursions, so when he sold Mountainsmith it was only natural for him to start a new company catering to hunters who wanted mountaineering quality gear, and the military. The tipis in particular have a long history, starting out as Mountainsmith shelters and have been used at such inhospitable locations as Everest Base camp. So there's the background, and a couple teaser pictures below. In the next post I'll show pictures of all the bits and pieces, then give my impressions of it after spending approximately 13 weeks living in it over the last 11 years in all kinds of weather. 

    

 

[masterplumber]

So in the photos below I'll start explaining all the pieces. One thing I didn't touch on before is the construction. The tent body and liner, along with the stuff sacks are all made of genuine parachute fabric. very strong and light stuff. It originally started out as an ultralight option, but now it is all they offer. They have offered a few color options over the years, but I prefer the white myself. The center pole is made of aircraft grade aluminum in sections that slip together and lock with an adjustable height feature on the bottom section. The stove is made of stainless steel except the lags which are all thread steel rod. 


From left to right: the tent stake bag, the tent bag, the pole bag, and below, the stove bag.
The tent bag actually has the tent and the liner in it. the liner actually came with it's own stuff sack, but I leave it in all the time so I just stuff it in the one bag all together. 


This is the stove bag opened up but with the stove still packed. the cylinder at the edge is actually the chimney. it's rolled up along the short edge. To set up you unroll the metal, then you roll it into a tube along the long axis. then slide some pre-made cable loops over it, and viola, you have a really nice stainless steel chimney. It is probably the most ingenius piece of engineering in the whole kit!


And here is the stove in use. It's small, and in my experience you have to constantly feed it, but it will warm the tipi in zero degree weather and cook a meal at the same time. In fact, when you stand up the upper part of the tipi will be downright hot.

 

[akrvbob]

I've really been looking forward to reading all about it, thanks for doing this!
Bob

 

[masterplumber]

I don't seem to have any pictures taken during the actual set up, and while the instructions seem a little complicated at first, once you've done it a couple times it's really a breeze. I have set it up in the dark in a snow storm and it probably didn't take much more than 15 minutes including the stove. A few more specs according to the Kifaru web site; the tent body, stakes, and pole weigh 7 lbs 9 oz, the liner weighs an additional 2 lbs 2 oz, and the stove weighs 5 lbs 12 oz. These weights are what make this set up actually back packable. It's not an ultralight load by any means, but it is doable and it can make a trip not only survivable, but actually comfortable. Now I realize most people on here won't be packing into the wilderness carrying a 100 lb pack, the same things that make this work there also mean it will fit into the smallest of vehicles. I've even thought of trying it out with my motorcycle if I ever go on a bike trip longer than a week - the extra space compared to my ultralight 2 man tent would sure be nice. 


To me a tipi shape just looks great! Besides the wind shedding benefits intrinsic to the design.

 
I can't really get a good picture of the inside with my cheap point and shoot, but here is a view looking in from each door as we're setting up out hunting camp this year. This is what the inside looks like with gear for 4 guys. Those of you with a sharp eye will notice a different stove, which I'll explain later. In the last few years we have been using horses to pack in and the 5 gallon buckets fit perfectly into the saddle panniers. They are mainly full of food and kitchen supplies. The tipi set up still helps us get packed in efficiently. A friend of mine who has a traditional outfitters tent and stove requires a large mule just to pack in his tent and stove. We can pretty much throw the tipi set up on top of the buckets without much concern as the weight and bulk is so low.


A pair of logs to sit on, water from the spring down the hill, and the gear tent, aka "the shed", in the background. Makes for a pretty comfortable wilderness camp!


If you're late getting back at night the tipi makes a great beacon! This picture was taken with a flash, as I haven't been able to find a way to turn it of auto, but it really is dramatic in the dark.

 

[masterplumber]

So, how does it hold up to scrutiny? Pretty well, as long as you remember what it was designed for and can work within those parameters. As far as quality, it would be pretty difficult to find anything built better for the weight. As I stated at the beginning I have probably had it set up and in use for approximately 13 weeks over the course of the last 11 years. While it doesn't look new anymore by any stretch of the imagination, it is still in good shape and I expect if I continue to take proper care of it, it will serve me well for at least another 11 years, if not double that. It definitely isn't cheap, but given the expected life span, for me it's a good value not even considering the performance. The 8 man tipi currently costs $1174, the liner is an additional $274, and the medium stove is $353.

As far as service, I had a kid step on it over some sharp sticks and managed to cut a small hole in the tent body. I called Kifaru up and they aid to send it to them. They repaired it stronger than the original body and I only paid for shipping one direction. They back it up even when it absolutely isn't their fault. I also have one of their Long Hunter packs and it was custom made to my measurements as part of the standard price.

So any cheap Walmart tent can get you through in perfect weather. But how does it work when the weather head south. I have camped in everything from summer heat in Nebraska, to full on winter blizzards at over 11,000 feet elevation in the Colorado Rockies. It has never failed me. There are a few tricks that I'll share below, but it really is that good. In one memorable trip, back when I was teaching adventure leadership to middle and high school kids, I set it up with the stove on top of 4' of existing snow. This was a winter skills trip and the kids got quite the education. The plan was for the kids to build different snow shelters in teams and then spend the night in them. We had one snow cave collapse on a kid, and another kid get his sleeping bag wet. then a storm blew in. By the end of the night I had 9 of us in the tipi and the stove going full blast. What could have been pretty much a survival fest with a nighttime hike out to the van, turned into just a somewhat uncomfortable night with everyone eventually getting the rest they needed to face the next day.

Some tricks and tips; This is a floor less tent. This is great as you can walk in with your boots on and not worry about tracking in dirt and rocks and putting holes in the floor. We usually put down a small trap or heavy space blanket under out sleeping areas to keep our bags clean and have a place to the side to put out clothes and personal effects. This still leaves the center wide open for for walking in, cooking, etc...Speaking of cooking, without a floor you don't have to worry about a few spills as they just soak into the ground.
As it is essentially a single wall tent, even with the liner, ventilation is very important. It is also important as the stove needs air or it will backdraft and smoke you out, if it doesn't kill you first. it has doors at each end so what we do is leave the door that the stove faces open on the bottom about 8'' to a foot. At the other end we pull the zipper down and pull the strings that allow you to make a window - another great innovation. Before we started doing this condensation was a major issue, since it has really become a nonissue even during a rain storm. You do need to keep things out from under the window, but the tipi plenty large enough for that.
The base of the Tipi is oval, not round. The doors are on the short sides. Pitch one of the doors into the prevailing wind, and mainly use the other door when the wind is blowing. This shape is what makes it shed wind so well
There are stake loops at the bottom, and also strings attached about a foot or so up on the outside. Stake out both for a taught pitch. It will give you more room and also help keep the sides from sagging in if the weather turns wet. The other cool feature is you can actually pull the stakes at the bottom and roll up the sides all the way around for some really phenomenal ventilation if it really gets hot.
If you are going to be staying in it around other people, get a darker color fabric or only change your clothes during the day. When a light is on inside at night it leaves little to the imagination when looking from the outside. Unless of course you're into that sort of thing. I think a darker fabric would also shade it better in the sun, but ventilation would become even more important to keep it from heating up.
Never ever store a tent wet. Many times when I've rolled up to head back to the barn there has been ice and or snow stuck to the tent. When I get back I always open it up and spread it out to dry completely before putting it away. A tent of pretty much any fabric will deteriorate extremely rapidly if stored with any moisture on it

And finally, if you aren't planning to pack this into the wilderness, but want a wood stove, I would suggest buying a KniCo brand Packer stove. It still packs small as all the pieces fit inside the stove (about the size of a 12 x 24 duffle) but can take normal size firewood. This makes a huge difference in burn time, or how often you have to feed it. Kifaru does make some larger stoves, but they are very expensive due to their ultra light construction and their ability to pack down into a smal package. The trick with the KniCo is to order the stove and chimney separate instead a package. With the package you get a 5 to 4 inch nesting stove pipe. This won't fit through the stove pipe hole in the tipi. What I did was use a 5'' damper sleeve, then a 5x4 reducer connecting a 4'' stack robber, which acts as a spark arrestor as well as conserving more of the heat inside. Then I used a 4 to 3 inch nesting stove pipe. This ended up the perfect size going through the stove hole and also far enough above the tent without being so high as to blow over in the wind. With this set up we had no problem with the stove drafting at all.

 

[masterplumber]

A couple more considerations, and a few more pictures. First, what size should you get? Kifaru makes this design in everything from a 4 man to a 24 man size. When I was buying they only went up to 12 man. For me it came down to comfort vs weight and the ability to find a large enough area to set it up. Since I mostly use it in the mountains, flat spots are at a premium. Even my 8 man has a base that measures 15' x 17' in an oval shape. That is a pretty large area to cover. The 24 man covers an absolutely huge 26' x 28'. Where I hunt about the only place that big is the parking lot at the end of the road 6 miles from our camp. So you ask, why not the 6 man instead of the 8 man then? The 6 man was brand new when I bough mine, and I did consider it seriously. But it boiled down to the fact that I could only stand straight up in the very center right next to the stove pipe. In the 8 man I can actually walk all the way around the center area, which makes a huge difference if you're stuck in the tent for a couple days during a blizzard. Now I'm a full 6' tall and not a small man at 225 lbs, so if you and whoever you may be sharing this with are of a smaller scale the 6 man may work just fine for you. 

Second, if I were to use this on the road, especially when I didn't know if I'd be running into any buggy areas, I would also invest if the mosquito netting option. Being able to keep the doors open and not get eaten alive would be a necessity as this tent would be miserable without ventilation, especially in the muggy conditions that tend to produce bugs.    


The nested stove pipe for the KniCo stove. That's about 7' of tapered pipe that fits inside the stove for transport.


I think we have enough wood for the 8 days we'll be here.


The top of the liner, and the clothes line. Things like socks and t shirts dry quickly here due to the stove heat, but it's not strong enough for jeans.


The bottom of the liner. It basically acts the same as a traditional liner in that it creates an air space between the outer tent and the inner spce to help keep things dryer. 


And finally a random picture of the top of the stack robber on the KniCo stove, along with the chimney pipe and center tipi pole.

Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer them. I think it could make a great home, in the mountains or the desert. You would have to try and keep it shaded as much as possible if you were going to leave it set up long term, as all man made fabrics suffer from UV degradation pretty rapidly in direct sunlight. I also realize that this particular option costs more than many have in the whole vehicle etc... But for the person who wants or needs to travel light, but still have some comfortable room where they set up for a week or 2 in each location, I think it is a viable option. Yes it's expensive, but I can think it will outlast several Walmart tents, and it will keep you safe and even comfortable in conditions that will flatten them in an instant. I think the ideal use would be for someone with a long wheel base Jeep or Toyota Land Cruiser type vehicle, or even a Subaru wagon. You could sleep inside the vehicle while traveling from place to place, and then set up and have room to spread out once you get to where you're going.

 

[akrvbob]

Great stuff! Thanks.

I wonder about wrapping the south side in a tarp to keep it out of the UV rays? They are the big risk to any nylon tent.

 

[masterplumber]

Yeah Bob, I remember last year at RTR there was a guy that wrapped his entire dome tent in a big blue tarp. Besides making it last longer it created an air layer of insulation, shaded it, and with some overhang at the door created a vestibule for stuff he didn't want inside, but also didn't want rained on. I think with the tipi you'd have to wrap a tarp all the way around to get it to stay up. That would be ok, as long as you weren't using the wood stove as the chimney would melt the tarp if it were close.

 

[masterplumber]

I found a few more pictures I wanted to share.


This shows the bottom rolled up for ventilation. The brighter white fabric hanging down is the liner which could also be tied up.


Here is a better picture of the KniCo stove when it was brand new and shiny. You can see the warming tray on the left, which also stores inside the stove box for travel. On the right is a 2 1/2 gallon stainless steel water heater - very handy. 


And the rest of the chimney going up through the center of the tipi. 


This is what the door looks like in window mode from the outside. In an earlier post I mentioned leaving a window open for ventilation, which may have not been clear since it doesn't have any separate windows.

 

[highdesertranger]

very cool, I love it. is that a small oven or a stack robber on the flue? highdesertranger

 

[masterplumber]

It's a stack robber, that doubles as a spark arrestor. I use a Bakepacker to bake with. It's basically a grid that fits in the bottom of a pot. You fill the pot with wwater up to the top of the grid. Then you put all the ingredients into a zip lock or oven bag and put it on top of the grid, cover the pot, and let it boil. Usually bakes a muffin mix in about the same time, or maybe just a couple minutes longer, than the time on the package.

 

[eDJ_]

As I was reading through this thread I noticed the heating issue regarding the hot air rising to the top of the tipi.

I was at Lowe's the other day and noticed one of these indoor dryer kits.   Inside the bucket at the bottom
is a cone shaped structure,  so it isn't just a empty bucket.

I also noticed in the discussion of having a Jeep or 4X4 of some kind next to the tipi. 

I got to thinking that if a guy got a 4" 12vdc fan and put in the end of the flexible dryer duct with the duct and fan attached up near the top of the tipi,  and a power line run to the vehicle that this simple system could
recirculate the warm air in the tipi.  So it isn't too hot at one area and too cold at the other.

To make this work I'm sure a simple thermostat could be wired in the power supply line from the vehicle.   Thus it would cycle on and off and even out the temperature zones a bit better and perhaps require less
fuel in the stove to yield a better living environment.

Just a thought.  The vent kit was like $14 dollars.  I don't know what the fan, power line and thermostat would
cost.

 

[highdesertranger]

eDJ no need to get elaborate. with a wood stove all you need is a thermal electric fan. I have one and it works great. no plug ins, no batteries. mine is like this one, http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Wood-...fan-AirMax-Heat-powered-Wood-Stove-Fan-Nickel . there are dozen of different ones. highdesertranger

 

[eDJ_]

That is a clever piece of work.  I've not seen one of these before, but I can imagine the difference it would
make by keeping the air circulating.  If it could extract power from that heat robber and be set to direct the
hot air downward it would be quite an asset in a blizzard or extreme cold event.   A pot of water on the stove
would add moisture to the air and make a more comfortable environment.

 

[masterplumber]

HDR, we actually have been looking at getting one of those fans, but haven't pulled the trigger due to cost. For a house heated with wood it's a no brainer, but for a tent that's only used a couple weeks per year it's hard to justify. Plus I'm trying to get rid of all the "extra" stuff I've accumulated over the years. I dream of having a smaller house as a base and hitting the road for much much longer periods of time, but it's hard when we can't seem to make a dent in all the junk filling this one. I'm about ready to just get a 40 yard dumpster and fill it, but that goes against my belief of not wasting anything usable.

EDJ, I like the idea of using a computer fan to circulate air, but I rarely use this tent by my truck myself. If I can get my truck there I can get my cargo trailer conversion there also and it's way more comfortable. But if someone were to use it with a Jeep like I suggested above it would be a great idea. No need for the pot of water. With the KniCo stove there is a 2 1/2 gal water heater hanging on the side, and the lid is definitely not tight fitting. But more importantly, due to the single wall construction of the tent we are usually working to get rid of excess moisture from our breath and perspiration condensing on the inside walls. That's the reason I stressed ventilation so much.