Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 6 Man Tipi or Kifaru Sawtooth

Have a little dilemma...I'm torn between a 6 man tipi or a sawtooth. This will be a duel purpose shelter for solo elk hunting or with a partner; and car camping with my girlfriend and dog in the summer (so a stove taking up space is not an issue for the 3 of us). With a dog a floorless shelter is a no brainer, but I want to be sure that for car camping my girlfriend, dog and I will be comfortable enough in the sawtooth.

Anyone have any experience with both shelters being used? if not with a dog, maybe 3 people in the sawtooth? Any pictures of the inside of both would be appreciated as well.

Sounds like a sawtooth will fit your needs very well. For the past several years I have used my supertarp, sawtooth and 8-man in various situations and each has its own specific use. You will be quite happy with a sawtooth for 2 adults and a dog.

Thanks Fair Chase....after looking at the specs of the sawtooth vs tipi, I was thinking the same thing. The sawtooth looks like it will easily fit 2 of us, gear and the dog curled up by the door part. Also for solo hunting the 6 man tipi might be overkill.

Sawtooth is what you want. I hunt solo out of one but it's ideal for two with enough room for three to be comfortable. The six man is way too much for one and it's larger footprint makes finding a good backcountry campsite even more difficult than the Sawtooth. You will have plenty of room for two people along with a dog and stove. I would be nervous about a dog and a stove though. I could easily see an incident with the dog and stove becoming a burning dog and tent disaster. It would greatly depending on how attentive and intelligent the dog is. Plenty of threads with pictures over on Rokslide.

AJ:

You have decided that you want a floorless shelter, with good reasons. That's great. But I just want to complicate your decision a little. You might want to take a look at the MSR Twin Brothers Shelter. You might discover that it is as good a shelter as those that you mentioned, and less expensive. Here's the web site.

MSR Twin Brothers

It's on sale right now at REI.

REI

Us the code REIMEMBER2016 and get an additional $80 discount. I just got one for $320.


You would have to install a stove jack and buy a stove. You can get both from Lite Outdoors.

Lite Outdoors


KC

Dave - That's what I was beginning to think (that the 6 man is too much for one person), why add the extra weight when I'm solo and can't drive up to a nice campsite. Just really wanted to confirm that the sawtooth is enough room for lady friend and fury friend. I wouldn't be running the stove while I have the dog so no worries - although she is a german shepherd and quite smart, she's young still. Stove would only be in use for elk/deer hunting, and I wouldn't be taking either girl nor dog with me. (my dad taught me well - HA!)

KC- I've never seen these before, so thanks for throwing in a new wrinkle. They are definitely cheaper, which I know my pocket book wouldn't mind. Would you say they are as bombproof as the sawtooth? Those LiteOutdoor stoves, can you warm up food/boil water on top of those? It looks like it might be possilbe to rest a pot on those 2 bars across the top?

AJ:

The Seek Outside Stoves and the Kifaru stoves are rectangular and have a flat top. It's easy, though time consuming, to heat up food on them. I haven't tried to heat up anything on my LiteOutdoors stove. The round top and bars just don't seem to create a very stable platform and I don't think those bars would transfer heat very well.

The material in my MSR shelter seems pretty strong and I like the storm flaps that seal the bottom of the tent to the ground.

There are advantages and disadvantages to single-wall shelters vs double-wall dome tents. We on the fire have had many discussions regarding that subject.

The single-wall shelters provide the best weight to volume ratio.

Single-wall shelters don't have a floor. That fact presents advantages and disadvantages.

Double-wall dome tents are better at keeping out insects.

You have to manage condensation in a single-wall shelter. It's much easier to accomplish that feat in a double-wall dome tent.

Single-wall shelters are best used with a wood burning stove. The stoves have advantages and disadvantages. It's not practical or safe to use a wood burning stove in a double-wall dome tent.

I own several versions of both types and I use the type that suits the anticipated situation. I'm going on a remote fly-in hunt in Alaska in September. We will be using 4-season, double-wall dome tents for sleeping and my MSR Twin Brother shelter as a group cook shack. I was going to use my Sierra Designs Origami-4 teepee for a cook shack but I like the bigger volume of the MSR tent for four people.

KC

I did not see a place for the stove pipe on the MSR.

I personally use the kifaru 8 man tipi with a small stove. Solo I do not carry it far but with 2 people it is perfect. You can fit 4 with gear and still use the wood stove for heat and cooking. Any more than 4 it would be tight.

Snake:

No. It doesn't come with a stove jack. You have to install one yourself. That's why I referenced the LiteOutdoors web site. You can buy stove jack material from them.

KC

FWIW I've used and be totally happy with 6 man solo.

Just not solo backpacking only...

for wife and I we use the paratipi when backpacking only.

KC -

I've been through several threads on here about the advantages/disadvantages of the floorless, but thanks for giving another quick rundown. I think with the dog it makes pretty good sense though, i'll definitely be looking at that MSR a lot closer now.

are the liners worth their weight to purchase along with say the sawtooth?

Not for Colorado IMO. Don't suck it tight to the ground and you shouldn't have an issue with condensation in normal Colorado conditions but if you are going to the PNW where it's cool with tons of moisture and drizzling rain it may be needed. There's always the exception but I have not needed one yet in Montana and Idaho.

I've never used a liner and have never needed one in Colorado. My guess is if there is so much moisture and humidity that you need a liner, you might as well go to a double-wall dome tent.

KC

Good point, coming originally from IL where the humidity is a beast; CO is pretty manageable.

Thanks for all the input guys. I have some time before I have the money to make a big decision like this so I'll try to look at the sawtooh and MSR in more depth/in person (and any other viable option)

I do not like Kifaru tipi's. Condensation has been a problem. yes you can keep the edges up a few inches to help but then your getting blasted with wind and rain right at the sleeping bag level.

In warm weather ants spiders etc will welcome themselfs..right on to or into your bag.

so your choice in rainy and windy weather is wet by condensation or wet by wind and rain blowing in. The stove will dry it out eventually if you want to feed it enough.

I did like the tipi for really cold snowy weather. The stove would heat it well and it was a welcome refuge at the end of the day. Other than that it sucked IMOP.

Lefty C

KC -

What diameter is the stove port jack for the sawtooth and what length of pipe do you need? I was looking at the TiGoat Wifi's as an option as well

The large WiFi is what I run in my sawtooth. Works perfectly.

I"ve used the tipi in dry and in wet. Had a week of wet sleet storms in CO once...

I keep the liner just in case.... don't always use it.

Yes you have a few bugs now and then, especially if you pitch the bottom open, which I do at times.

But we get bugs and such in a floored tent to, and the floored tents get so dirty... its a joy to go in and not worry about tracking stuff in and out.

I"ve been in so wet with one that the edges came damp under the tent a bit about a foot or so once.

But then thats the joy of the stove.

We now tend to ATV camp with a big outfitter type floored tent in AK, and I'm ok with it, but I"d still prefer the floorless, except I need a bigger than 6 man to do it, and I have the other tents alreayd, and ain't paying 2000 for a tipi at this point... but man I think we'd love a 12 man for the AK gig...

In the total end, the only way you'll know is run both some. My wife is ok floorless but leans towards floored and thats likely why we have floored in AK. Of course it helps we have a 10x10 there, with vestibule so we have plenty room to get the boots and packs off outside, out of the weather and still have room inside...

At least with the tipi I never had to shake it out while taking it down to get it clean...

Daveinjax - looks like the large WiFi has a 3" diameter pipe....is this the standard stove jack for the sawtooth or did you have to call and request that size? And what length pipe are you running? If im correct the sawtooth is about 6.5' to the peak...so a 8.5 long stove pipe?

thanks Rost - i think that's one of the biggest appeals..no dirty floors, can run into them if it's pouring rain and not have to worry about taking off your boots, and like i mentioned....the dog. I think i would go ahead and get the liner for it as well....never know where the camping will take me.