TENTS !!

[masterplumber]

so how long are your poles.  teepees have very long poles.  12 foot for a small one up to in the 20's for large teepees.  highdesertranger

The Kifaru uses a single center pole made up of sections of aircraft aluminum that slip together. Packed the pole bag is roughly 2 foot long for an 8 man tipi. Remember, 8 man is in mountaineering terms. In real life terms 2 people and gear is comfortable, 3 people and gear is ok, 4 is doable but starts to feel crowded. That is with a wood stove in the middle for warmth and cooking.

 

[DannyB1954]

Here is a tipi made of foam board. It should be easier to heat than a tent. His web site has other shelter designs. http://www.elkinsdiy.com/

here is another how to video

 

[gnarledwolf]

I'm out here in a tent right now. Still warm here... No idea yet on winter... Windy though. Rattled the tent all night.
Matt

 

[Ken in Anaheim]

Gnarledwolf, what kind of tent ? And,have you been "long-terming" it in a tent ?
Thanks...........KinA

 

[RVTravel]

Another tipi to check out.

http://www.rutalocura.com/pentamid.html

 

[myway_1]

What do you think of a yurt as a dwelling to set up beside your vehicle when you are going to be in one place for several months? Many yurts can be set up by one person. The longest poles for a 12' yurt are 8' long and the walls are lattice that collapse. The 12' ones from this company weigh 200 pounds. I know they are very expensive but what might be bad about them?

http://www.campingyurts.com/index.shtml

 

[gcal]

I'm thinking of trying to winter in Quartzite with a tent.
 I know Bob frequently warns that it gets pretty windy and occasionally (especially this year) rainy.
 I'm just wondering how many folks started (or still are) out full-timing using a tent and any hints they might have.
 I'm alone and would probably be using a Kodiak 10x14 flex-bow  ( http://www.kodiakcanvas.com/10-x-14-ft-flex-bow-vx-tent/).

KinA

OK, here comes the naysayer. If you can afford this tent, you can probably find a used popup. I have been tent camping in wind and sand. It was a gritty, buggy mess. A good, whipping wind was creepy. So much nicer to be just a bit off the ground with a little more solid feeling.

 

[speedhighway46]

I'll second what ggal said! After a few years of motorcycle tent camping, I just wanted to be up off the ground. The setup and takedown tasks also got to be a hassle, but certainly bearable. When I was much younger I spent two nights in a tent up in the San Bernadino mountains; its was windy and extremely unpleasant.

If you must try your tent idea, get something cheap or used; or better yet, borrow one. See how you like it. Get a into a daily routine of moving, and determine if it really appeals to you. Set up in the rain; the wind; and at night.

I liked it for a short time, and then moved on.

.

 

[speedhighway46]

I'll second what gcal said! After a few years of motorcycle tent camping, I just wanted to be up off the ground. The setup and takedown tasks also got to be a hassle, but certainly bearable. When I was much younger I spent two nights in a tent up in the San Bernadino mountains; its was windy and extremely unpleasant.

If you must try your tent idea, get something cheap or used; or better yet, borrow one. See how you like it. Get a into a daily routine of moving, and determine if it really appeals to you. Set up in the rain; the wind; and at night.

I liked it for a short time, and then moved on.

.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I spent a few years tent camping around the states.
I used Cabela's 6 person Alaskan Guide.  Can see it here;   http://www.cabelas.com/product/camp.../Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_105517980?recordsPerPage=108

It is rated at 75 mile an hour winds, National Weather Service verified it with stood 90 mile an hour winds in one storm, with one strut broken.

With heat I could keep it at 70 degrees inside with snow covering the tent.

Also had a 4 foot table inside as my kitchen and a cot for a bed, tall enough for a six foot person to stand in the center.

Weighs only 26 pounds with aluminum poles, 24 tie downs if you are worried about wind.  I use to only use 10 on a basic set up.  About 40 minutes for one person to set up and load gear into the tent.

I was going to suggest Cabela's Guide Tents as well but greybeard beat me to it.  My friends dad has one he uses for deer and bear hunting every year and i've spent quite a few weekends in it.  He also let me borrow it for the Sturgis motorcycle rally and they get pretty good winds out there and  I and my stuff survived all of it when a  lot of the lesser tents perished in the wind.  

I've always had very good luck with Cabela's products, and their customer service is 2nd to none.  I have a credit card through them and charge every single purchase on it from gas to groceries and then pay it off as soon as I get home so  I never have an interest charge.  The points add up to a lot of free gear.

 

[bullfrog]

My wife and I were at the rtr with a 10 x 14 kodiac we used it with a shower tent for several trips but found sleeping and even being inside in high winds stressful as in 35 to 45 mph wind will try to lift sections of the floor and walls will flex a couple of feet cutting down useful space to about 6 x 10 , but it did stay up with no damage !  We then built  a box on our utility trailer we used to haul our camping gear when traveling as well as a sleeping compartment and used the tent as kitchen living area which worked well but as I get older put up and take down is becoming an issue.  James took some video of it at the rtr which will probably show up somewhere soon.

 

[Txjaybird]

I think living in a tent, tipi or yurt depends a lot on a persons needs and where and when they will be living in it.

I once spent part of sept., oct., and nov. living in a 14x21ft 2 room tent in a friends back yard in south Alabama.   I wasn't roughing it...I had my four poster bed ,TV, and sewing machine in the back "bedroom" and used the front room to sort and sell my belongings as I had too much to take back to TX having been out of state for 2ys.  I also had a 5gal. pickle "P" bucket {just keepin' it real}  I set up my tent in the open away from the trees,  the morning sun would have it warm and toasty, I'd dress and go inside the house where the heaters were on and everyone was looking for warmer clothes.  The only heat I used was a elec. blanket to warm up the bed and then I'd turn it off.

I'm a scaredy cat :huh:  about some things and sleeping in anything soft sided where there are lions and tigers and bears and wolves and bob cats  IS NOT ON MY TO DO LIST!!!  One of the reasons I'm thinking of selling my Viking pop up.     TJB

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I had my days in a tent but anymore they just seem to be a hassle and don't suit my full time travel needs.

I can't count the number of people I have helped "nail down" a tent to survive the desert winds.
A few guy lines can make even a cheap tent with stand a lot of wind.

 

[gcal]

I think living in a tent, tipi or yurt depends a lot on a persons needs and where and when they will be living in it.



I'm a scaredy cat :huh:  about some things and sleeping in anything soft sided where there are lions and tigers and bears and wolves and bob cats  IS NOT ON MY TO DO LIST!!!  One of the reasons I'm thinking of selling my Viking pop up.     TJB

Not to mention rats and mice and snakes and scorpions and coyotes and the neighbors' loose dogs and cats and anything else out west that may be drawn to the area by piles of refuse. Hoards of undesirable critters may either just happen to wander into your tent because it is on the ground and accessible or may be actively tempted to chew or dig into it because they smell food in there. Spending an entire season in a tent sounds like an awful lot of vigilance is needed.

 

[highdesertranger]

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my. highdesertranger