Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Finished my new tent with no time to spare

For the record... I've had versions of this drawn up before K and SO put their shelters out so this is not a copy of anything they've done, though if either of theirs had met my needs It would have been easier by far to buy rather than build.

What's different? I can stand full upright in it next to a center pole and not touch the sides. This was a biggie for me. I'm 6'4" and when its crappy out I want to be able to stretch and stand up while sheltered from the elements. I also wanted to be able to open both doors which means the stove can't be in the door. Why not a tipi from K or SO? Well... when they got tall enough, they are extremely wide for one or two people and there's a lot of extra space I didn't need.

The pictures don't have the stove jack installed yet and I didn't stake out all of the guy lines. I'm really happy with the way things turned on. The only thing left is to put it up tonight and seam seal it so it has enough time to cure before I head up to GMU18 on Friday.

Good job. Even though you are not a customer of ours, always feel free to reach out if you have desires we don't meet. We can't meet every need or desire obviously, but we do put a high priority on solving customer problems, coming out with new designs to solve problems or perhaps finding slight ways to change things to meet another other needs.

Regards
Kevin

I may hit you up for a pole. Adjustable from 8' to 9'.

--thumper338

Great work Thumper. It looks like the classic George Tent.

Indeed, but the front is not flat on my tent.

Here's a pic of it packed up next to my size 15s. So the package is about 14" long and 6" in diameter. For now there are also 20 of the 9" ground hog style stake in there too though I think I might cut that back to six 9" stakes and the rest as the lighter aluminum shepherds hook style. I need to find a postal scale that has decent resolution but I think it's in the 4lb range.

Good looking tent and very compact. Size 15 "dogs" huh? Wow!

I picked up a scale at lunch. It is a luggage scale not a gram, food, or postal scale. Someday I'll get a more accurate scale, but I though this would be more useful for me right now.

I weighed just the canopy and the stuff sack several times. The highest it registered was 2.89 lbs the most frequent value was 2.86 lbs. I can live with that.

That's a very doable weight Thumper. I'm an inch shorter than you, and very much appreciate why you built a tent to YOUR specs. I (we) anxiously await a hunt/tent report upon your return.

Thumper, now there is a tent built for a normal person!
Awesome job! My size 15's always seem to be jammed into a tent that is anywhere near light enough to carry. Any my creaky knees and back would love to walk in and stand up.
How much room from pole to back? Where are you thinking about placing the stove?
More details are always welcome.
Great work!

Looks like a cross between a Kifaru sawtooth and SO backcountry shelter....good company to keep. Nice work.

Almost my thoughts exactly. I like the height of it.

338WIN: 10 feet from the pole to the back. 10 feet across at the widest. For stove location and 6'4" me standing in the tent see photos below.

Now to finish loading the car and start the drive.

--thumper338

Great idea and it looks like you did a fine job putting it together. I'm 6'7" and it has room for me, too. 10 feet behind the pole and stove would be about perfect.
Have hunted around GMU42 a couple of times. Helped haul a few off the mountain, never got one. Great adventure. Hope you get a good one. I always like to say about tents with stoves, "Heat is good!"
Silnylon? Looks like you made your stove? Are you packing it in or parking at the end of a road?

Aren't you concerned you may knock the pole over in the night?

The pole is under tension, and won't get "knocked over." There's more room inside these tipis than the photos show, and an occupant has just as much chance of walking through the side of the tipi as he would bumping into the pole.

The biggest risk is actually bumping into the cherry red stove and pipe.

Now that you have the design sorted out, I'd like mine in a natural color! pm for my address...

with a sidewall that steep, you'll probably want one of the "hang down flaps" that Seekoutside puts at the bottom of their stove jacks if you haven't already.

looks like a nice shelter!

I was thinking the same thing.

Funny you mention that... though I haven't seen any of the SO stuff in person, I think I wound up doing something like you describe. When I test fit the stove I was a little concerned with the clearance from the stove pipe to the tent so I had some extra fiberglass let it hang down on the inside of the tent providing some dead air space, and another layer between the stove and the tent.

Pictures from the successful trip to follow.