Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Tipi + stove for three

What size, model is good.

We will be backpacking in 9 miles this year in for a mule deer hunt. We did the same hunt a couple years ago and my SL5 was great for two. This year we will have three and I don't mind supplying the tent for the group. My Sl5 is a bit small for three I think. Gonna order an EdT 16" cylinder stove

Suggestions or recommendations?

In the Kifaru line, I'd go with an 8-man. Or a similar sized tent from Seek Outside.

Yep, I'd agree with 8 man. I have a SO 6 man and love it, but for an extended hunt for 3 guys and gear the 8 man would be a better fit.

Six or eight man would be a good choice. I'd also look at the new Redcliff from SO.

How much space do you want to have in the tipi? I have a SO 8-man tipi and find that it is ideal for two guys and their gear, along with the stove. The tipi could very easily work for three guys and gear, but I'd start looking at the 12-man as a solid option for three guys and a stove to camp in luxury.

An LBO base+tarp+base is a little small, but can work. Just for reference.

I have a Seek Outside 6 man which is perfect for two hunters, with stove and all gear for late season. It worked great for my hunting buddy and I on a 2nd rifle season and hunt in CO. For a 9 mile hunt with 3 hunters, you would probably be better off using an 8-man tipi or, a 6 man tipi with a separate tarp tent to store gear.

While I typically agree with the idea of having much more space in a tent than you need, I have a four-man Kifaru and medium stove that I'll use this season with three of us hunting. I've done three adults in it before with no problems. You don't have a ton of room to spread your gear out, but that's not the point. The tipi, liners (both halves), pole, stakes, stove, and stovepipe all weigh 10lbs combined. That's as heavy as I want to go with three dudes. I had a 12-man and, while I loved it for spaciousness, just didn't use it much due to the size and weight. It was a base camp-only type setup. If I'm sleeping next to the truck, I'm bringing a trailer or a camper.

I'm kinda onboard with this take.

I've stayed in Kifaru 4-man. It would do for three guys...not luxurious, but if you're backpacking in for nine miles can you afford luxury? I sold the 4-man... wish I hadn't at this point.

I stayed in a SO 12-man with one other guy last fall hunting elk (Out of a vehicle). It was fine, but didn't feel too large. I'd much rather stay in a small/med wall tent.

I just don't think tipis are a luxury shelter. They are lightweight and quick to setup... good for backpacking or moving around. If I do it over again, I'm going to stick to lightweight and accept being a little cramped. For camping out of a vehicle I'd rather have an Alaknak or something along those lines.

To each his own. I've packed the 8-man and stove with two people and no problems so I'd have no hesitation with three. Three guys and gear in a 4-man is crowded. A bigger tent allows you to leave the liner at home. And IMHO, having extra room to spread out your gear is whole idea behind a tipi, especially when you get a few days of bad weather in a row; you want everything including a pile of firewood inside with you.

8-man - Definitely. Plenty of room for three men, all your trash, firewood, room to stand and move a little, room to hang gear to dry.

6-man - Workable. Enough space to stand, keep gear and wood inside, but it will fill up faster than you think.

4-man - Fugg that. Not for three men, stove, gear, wood. Too painful.

We have Seek Outside tipis, I can heartily recommend them. Kifaru has a stellar rep for quality and customer service too.

I would concur on the 8-man Kifaru with large stove will be very comfortable and you will have room to dry things out. That's one of the primary reasons I went to this sort of shelter.

Thanks the feedback guys.

What are the main advantages to the Redcliff style vs the more round tipis? More usable space? Easier to stake? Stronger in wind?

The Redcliff looks like a jumbo sl5 with better features and construction.

More usable space for the weight and footprint. It does have subtle angles so it is not a pure mid, but it sets up just like one. The Redcliff does very well with snow, and thus far holds its own surprisingly well in the wind (it is our windy season here , so it has been getting a good test).

I recently had to toss a dome tent that finally fell apart after 30 years, and have been going round and round on a replacement. I've been thinking a smaller Cimarron size for solo/summer use and a larger tipi for later season and up to 3 people (leaning towards the 6 man). I've been on the verge of pulling the trigger on a Cimarron and adding a tipi down the road a bit. Now I see the Redcliff and that definitely looks like one shelter that would work for everything rather than buying two.

Having no prior experience with any of these types of shelters, the Cimarron has appealed to me as it seems would be easier/quicker to set up/take down on shorter weekend type trips. The 6 man tipi seems like it may be more than I want to deal with in those scenarios, but I suppose it's just a matter of how many stake out points you're dealing with. Looks like maybe 8 on the Cimarron and 16 on the 6-man with the Redcliff somewhere in between?

With the weights of these shelters in the mid-3lb to +/-5lb range, they all seem light compared to my old 7-1/2lb dome tent...

The SO 6P tipi needs minimum 10 stakes, if you just stake the loops on the seams and doors. 20 stakes for all the perimeter loops.

Then you have another 10 guyout loops up higher on the seams, if you really need them, or to flexi-pitch to a smaller footprint.

Here's a decent look at the numerous stake loops.






Living large, solo in the 6P, with cot, chair, Buddy heater, and lots of other trash.

Looks good Shane. I see a cot in there - will 3 cots fit with room to move around in the center (thinking base camp by the truck like you're showing)?

Thanks,
Jerry

Jerry, I don't think three army style cots would work in the 6P. Possibly three if the cots were the low style. It would be tight if possible.

With the Army style like you see in my pic, you could fit two in there without a stove easily enough. I'm not sure if it would be feasible with the tall cots and a hot stove.


Shane