Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Cabela's Alaknak II tent?

I used one in BC this past september . Although I do like the design, it did not breath at all . 2 of us in it and we could not get away from the drips the way the seems ran. We did not use a wood stove though so that may have helped dry it out a bit. I am also in the Kifaru camp , it is awsome gear. I have a para tipi and am going to order an 8 man.I had my paratipi on an AK bou hunt the year before last in unit 17b and it rained and blew for 2 days solid . Wind speeds at Illiamna airport were reported at 76 mph and my little tipi never shed a peg or flattened out I am sold on them.

Huskyrunnr: I like your tipi! I am also a fan of the Kifaru gear, but it is just not in the financial cards at the moment. Can you give me the dimensions? how many does it sleep? And, what does it weigh? Thanks for any help.

Bill, aka dukhntr

I live in B.C. and have hunted and worked in the wilderness here for many years and I will not use a tent that will not allow venting of moisture. It is very wet here and living in a plastic bag is not my idea of comfort, the Kifaru tipis can be kept relatively dry with the liner and inner heat source, they are a very sound option, but, are expensive.

A decent alternative is a dome tent with a small propane heater, this will keep the inner tent dry in thhe most vile storms and a dry tent is a HUGE factor is your comfort/success of hunting trips. MSR, Hilleberg and others make dome tents that will do the job here in B.C., although I prefer something one can actually stand in.

I used a 35' British mil-surplus chute and cut 9 panels out of it to get the cone shape. My centerpole is 11'-12' high (adjustable). This gives a diameter of about 21' and makes it a 14-man tipi by kifaru dimensions and nomenclature. Now, divide that number in half- 7 men is the nominal number it holds. The 'chute has a skeleton of flat nylon webbing that runs inside sleeves or channels that form the panel seams. This webbing skeleton is only attached to the 'chute silk at the top and bottom hems. For sewing on the peg loops, I figured out where the 'chute curves back on itself. First, I tried to make a wall of that lower part but it curves in too much. So, I sewed peg loops vertically onto each panel seam, through the webbing, about a foot or so of stitching. Now, I have all this leftover lower part of the 'chute, about 2 ft and all the way around, that I just left as a snow flap or sod cloth. Probably adds a few pounds to the tipi but it seemed not worth the trouble to cut or hem all that cloth. And I'm sorta partial to snow flaps. The tipi is 12 lbs. I suspect if one were to hot-cut off that big snow flap, it would weigh about 8 lbs. Thats without pole and stakes. I use a kifaru pole with an extra section at the top that I cut from a Radio Shack antenna pole.

The top has a hole which is kind of nice- like a smokehole on real tipis. I took some left over fabric and made a hat that clips onto the top of the pole and covers the hole if the weather really turns. This is similar to a design that Pam Flowers used on her Scott tent on her trek across the arctic. Allowed her to cook inside the tent.

I bought the zipper already made from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics, the 'chute from Major Surplus & Supply, but I could not find the 'chute on their website. Here's another company that sells them:

http://www.imsplus.com/ims54.html

Happy Trails

Huskyrunnr: Thanks for all the info! Is this a great site or what? I am interested in the "hat you made; does it install from the inside or outside. If the tipi is already up, how do you install the hat?

Thanks again for all of your assistance.

Bill, aka dukhntr

dukhntr, my pleasure. The hat is a cone of silk with a rope sewn into the bottom hem to keep it weighted down. You have to pull the pole to attach it if the tipi is already pitched. I'm still experimenting. What I need is a flat square of that fiberglass cloth to just sit on top, like on Ms. Flowers' Scott tent. Then I could just have it up there from the get-go. Its a little more problematic when you have a hot stovepipe up there, but the fiberglass will work fine. It looks just like a roof vent:



from Alone Across the Arctic, Pam Flowers, Ann Dixon

Happy Trails

Great info in this thread!