Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Real Life Tent Performance Comparison

While not AK, RWE, NH K9, and I stayed in a SeekOutside LBO (base+tarp+base) in CO at just below treeline in Unit 45 last fall (first rifle season). The winds were blasting. No idea what the actual speeds were, but I've had the same tent in 30s with gusts over 40, and the CO winds were rather much over that for two days and two nights. No problems with the tent at all.

Gratuitous tipi pic. 6-man from Seek Outside.

Luckily we don't get wind in Montana.

Makes ya wonder why anyone would use a tipi in Alaska at all and survive!

I have a pile of tents from tipis to 4 season backpacking tents to even cabelas xwt 12x12 and an Arctic oven. Each excel in different areas. I prefer the floor less tipis to hangout in and cook in but backpacking 4 season double walls of weather is truly nasty.

I am thinking the OP refuses to actually buy a seek outside or Kifaru made tipi cause he might accidentally see the light.

That location is obviously protected from the wind.

Do you tipi guys use backpacking cots to keep off the ground, or what?

Nope. Sleeping pad, maybe a bit of Tyvek under that (rarely), and a bag. That's it.

How about you, MM?

Sleeping pad on the ground. The green USMC isomat. I could use an upgrade one of these years.....grin

If necessary, I'll put a USGI poncho down as a ground cloth.

I just got one of those lightweight titanium stoves this summer. It should be great for drying out a wet tent interior.

The isomat? You have to bring your own rocks out there?

NeoAir. Thank me later.

I use a sheet of Tyvek, a closed-cell pad like a Z-rest, and a lightweight inflatable (NeoAir).

That's a little more weight than necessary but the trade-off is worth it to me. The closed cell pad will keep me off the ground if the inflatable fails, and it's good for sitting on around the campfire, glassing, etc. Plus it protects the inflatable from sharp stuff on the ground and adds a cush factor that to me is worth the extra weight. Especially with the weight you save by going floorless.

If you're willing to accept a suggestion, try one of those Crazy Creek chairs in place of the closed cell pad. It weighs about the same, does the same to protect the inflatable, and gives you better seating options around camp or while glassing. I'd forgotten I added that in until I read your post. RWE and NH K9 thought it was pretty damned slick, and clearly I need to go backpack hunting again.

I like a full-length closed cell pad to sleep on.

I've been looking at the NeoAir Xtherm. Everybody seems to like them.



When I joined the Marines (1979) the isomat wasn't in the inventory, so when we got it we thought it was awesome.

What we had before the isomat was an inflatable, that never held air. It was known as the "rubber bitch".

First thought I had as well reading the OP...

MM - which stove did you go with?

I went with a Seek Outside SXL. 1280 cubic inches, and a flat top. 3.5 lbs all-in with the complete stove, bag, and 9 ft pipe.

A smaller stove would probably throw plenty of heat, but I was thinking longer burn times. This held heat for over two hours with the size fuel you see in the pic. Obviously if one feeds it twigs it will burn through them much faster.

The large door on the SXL makes it easy to get your hands in there to get the tinder sorted and lit also.

The stove assembles very easily. The pipe was a little tricky the first time, but after burning it in on both ends it practically rolls itself.

THAT is 3.5 lbs?

Wow.

It's pretty much all titanium. Maybe with the exception of the legs (not sure), wing nuts, cable pipe loops.

Packs down pretty small too, considering.

The complete 6-man tipi, and stove, with everything included, is under 10 lbs (9.3 lbs to be precise).

Thank you - looks perfect! I'm still going back and forth on the 6 man and Redcliff, but leaning more towards the Redcliff and something similar on the stove. I agree on going a bit bigger on the stove for the ability to load more / larger pieces for longer burn times.

As regards big vs small stoves I use both and have noticed some other important differences between the two. First of all the smaller stoves tend to draw better. This means they are easier to light with wet wood. You get them drawing and they'll burn anything. Bigger stoves sometimes have a harder time getting the air from the front to the pipe and can get 'smokey'.

Another interesting almost 'non-difference' is that while small stoves need less wood - the wood also requires more cutting and splitting. Sometimes it is easier to gather wood for the night for the larger stoves because you don't need to saw the pieces as short or even split them.

Finally, the big stoves tend to have more 'momentum'. They don't fluctuate in heat as much. You get them going and they stay going. They do not go up and down in heat output quite as much. No cold spells while you try to get the fire up to speed again.

Anyway, my 2 cents.

And as regards the original OP and tents in wind. I find teepees work better than most of my double wall tents, but I do have a couple of single wall mountaineering tents (bibler fitzroy etc) that do handle wind better. Personally I can't stand double walled tents in high wind. And if you want a real quiet teepee in high wind try one made of cuban fiber. Get that stuff drum tight and it stays drum tight no matter how wet it gets. No flapping at all.

Patrick