Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Tent Recommendation

Hello,

I am looking for a mountain hunting tent for backpacking. I plan to use it here in CO for pack-in fishing as well as elk, mule deer, and knock-on-wood, sheep hunts (I apply all over).

I am wanting a 2 man tent with a vestibule. I am thinking I might do a DIY caribou in AK sometime in the future.

I am open to any suggestions you all might have on here. I am also open to REI, as I have a dividend to burn.

Thanks!

Do it right, do it once, buy a Hilleberg and look after it, use it for 20 years.

For your needs, buy an Allak, maybe a Hille. UL tarp for cooking under and have a top quality and excellent camp for two.

HTH, my experience with such tents goes back almost 50 years and lots of tents, Hilles are the best I have used.

I've recently gone to a SeekOutside tarp tent with a stove, and will never go back to "cold camping" again. A stoveless tent with a floor in seriously ground-buggy conditions? Yes, maybe. Other than that, the ability to have a hot stove in the tent is a game changer for me.

If you're planning on hunting North of the Border anytime soon, I would strongly consider a Hilleberg. If you're not going to for a while and want to save money and weight, I like the Big Agnes line... I personally use the Fly Creek UL-2 for backpacking and hunting in Colorado and haven't had an issue.... Alaska is a different story...

Tanner

I don't know anything about Alaska or what your weight requirements are but I really like my Big Agnes Copper Creek 3. The 2 may suit your needs better.



Travis

I've had a Hilleburg Allak for about 5 years now and leaned on it pretty hard at times with no sign of breakdown. I'd buy one again in a heartbeat. The Nallo's are a better bang for the buck if you don't require freestanding design and are about 6' tall or less.

I had a BA for a while too, great tents for the money. I'd own another for general backpacking for sure.

Might be a bit tough to backpack this one

It would be great at an elk base camp though.

Not difficult at all. The entire system, pegs included, weighs 5.5#.

SeekOutside Lil' Bug Out with 3-piece vestibule; EdT 12" cylinder stove; 5' flue pipe.

Here is a link to REI's website with the tents on sale. I did a filter on it but it might come up as an error on your computers. Those Hillebergs look like the real deal. If I go that route, I'll probably try the used route. I don't have a problem spending money on stuff that lasts. Let me know your thoughts on these tents, please.

http://www.rei.com/outlet/c/tents?ir=category%3Atents&pagesize=90&outlet=true&r=deals%3AOutlet Products%7CClearance Products%3Bcategory%3Acamping-and-hiking%7Ctents%3BSleeping-Capacity%3A2-person%3Btab.sku-range-weight%3A3 to 4.99&page=1&rank=rank_outlet

Buy from REI, give your money to HSUS & PETA.

Rock Chuck, I entirely respect your opinion, however I personally think the backpacker and the hunter community could do each other a big benefit by focusing on education and similarities rather than blanket statements. I am being real honest, after all I benefit from blanket statements, but I prefer to focus efforts on education. After all, we are all just enjoying the same country, and if someone only sees the result of what you we do, vs the hard work we put in to conservation and and an honest meal paid for not only with our effort but our principles they get the wrong idea. Sorry for the stump speech, but I think we should make an attempt to educate wherever possible while not compromising principles. Carry on ...

Well said. Thank you, Kevin.

kscowboy:

One tent is not going to get it. You need at least two unless you want to carry the weight of a winter tent all summer long.

Most of the time you don't really need a good tent. Say for instance summer backpack fishing trips or early season hunting trips, the worst you can expect is some rain and/or cool temps. In that situation anything will do. I've tried a bunch of different tents and the one I'm currently using is a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL-1, which weighs 2#. It's an oversized one-man tent with a vestibule. If you have to have the extra room of a two-man tent then I would go with the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL-2, which weighs 2 1/2#. I use an REI Quarter Dome T-2 when I take the grandson or the dog. It has two doors and two vestibules and weighs less than 4#

It gets more complicated when you actually need a tent. Some people are going to recommend a single wall teepee with a stove. They work great in the summer when conditions aren't that critical. When it doesn't really matter what tent you have. But when you have to scrape away the snow down to the frozen ground, and setup your tent on that, they suck. Specially when the stove gets going because the ground thaws and you get to sleep in the mud. While you are sleeping, the stove will go out and moisture will condense on the inside of the single-wall and moisture will drip down and get you sleeping bag wet if it hasn't already gotten wet from the snow. Try collecting firewood when everything is covered in a foot of snow. Yeah you can do it, but that sucks too.

For late season elk hunting, sheep hunting, AK caribou hunt, winter camping, you need a 4-season, double-wall tent, with a full-coverage fly, a floor and a vestibule that will stand up to high winds and heavy snow loads. The best on the market are made by Hilleberg. Yeah bite the bullet and pay the price. The Hilleberg Jannu and the Hilleberg Kaitum are bombproof tents and are about as light as you find for a 4-season tent.

KC

KC, that's great advice. Thank you.

I spoke with my guide from my 2013 sheep hunt in AK. We used a Hilleberg on that hunt. I'm thinking that's the route I'll take.

I have never slept in the mud or had my sleeping bag get wet in a tipi with a wood stove. Also haven't had a problem gathering wood in any conditions. But I have only been camping in wood heated shelters for about 30 years. As I remember the 10--15 years prior to that camping in mountaineering tents is what. Really sucked.
As far as tents go, Hille are excellent. I'd also look at Crux tents.

As far as weight goes, my Seek Outside Beyond Timberline 2 weighs 4 lb 4 oz with pegs, center pole and my 12" titanium wood stove. 9' diameter, 65" high. A palace for the solo hunter.

KC , I get it. You don't like a tipi with a stove for whatever reason , and you are entitled to your opinion, but your facts are not entirely correct. Liners create a 4 season double wall, no different than what a Hille uses. In addition, ground sheets can protect from any ground moisture, and the option of walking in has several advantages for some folks , myself included. There are even "nest" sections that are complete inner tents. At that point the only difference is free standing or not. It's ok if you don't like a tipi, I get it, some of us don't like certain things and that is ok , but there are simple lightweight solutions to your common complaints that you never mention. You are telling only a part of the story.

kccowboy:

With the exception of the North Face tent, those are all 3-season tents. Any of them will work from mid-spring to mid-fall.

BTW, Ed T and Kevin T both sell single-wall teepees and backpack stoves for a living. Not sure that makes them impartial observers. Just saying.

KC

KC is also either not impartial or has never used a modern tipi with wood stove. If they didn't work better, I wouldn't have spent the last 30 years camping and hunting with them.

Actually , I sell optional double wall tents and inner tent sections .. so single wall vs double wall does not matter much to me. Just choose what you like, they are all lightweight and functional. Now if you want to argue free standing vs non free standing , no we don't offer a free standing so go ahead and make your point. BTW, I also know Ed uses and sells a lot of different style tents himself, and I also know that he does not use an SO shelter for every trip. Thats ok, I don't care.

I offer the best advice I can give. I often steer people to other products, so don't paint me as some car lot salesman saying "what can I do to get you in a tent today" as that is not my style.
What I am saying is you offer a lot of criticism that is without merit, by simply ignoring functionality that is built in. A lot of Hille can be single wall and floorless ? Do I hear you offer the same criticism ?

SINGLE WALL TENTS VS DOUBLE WALL TENTS

I think there are more benefits and fewer disadvantages when using double-wall tents vs single-wall tents with wood stoves.

Single-wall tents are significantly lighter than double-wall tents and weight is a primary concern for anyone who does more than the occasional casual backpacking trip. But moisture will condense on the inside of a single-wall tent unless you use a stove to keep the interior warm. If you don’t use a stove inside, the condensation will get everything inside the tent wet, even if it’s dry outside. By the time that you add the stove and ground cloth, the entire assembly is as heavy, sometimes heavier, than a double-wall tent.

I own several single-wall tents and one is a small ultra-light that I use for solo backpacking. It’s ventilated some and when you can leave the windows down condensation is not too bad. If it’s cold enough that you have to zip up the windows, condensation is a problem. I keep a cotton bandanna readily available and the first thing I do in the morning is grab that bandanna and wipe the condensation off of the inside of the tent. It’s small enough that I can reach the entire ceiling without getting out of my sleeping bag and the process seems to work OK. But it’s not so easy on a bigger tent.

I do a lot of camping in places where there is no wood available. In that situation wood burning stoves are superfluous extra weight











Double-wall tents do a better job of keeping out insects than single-wall tents without floors. There have been times when the vampire mosquitoes would have eaten me alive if I had been sleeping in a single-wall tent. One can employ methods such as repellent and staking the walls tight to the ground, to reduce the insect problem inside a single-wall tent, but it’s a lot of trouble and never quite as good as a double-wall tent. It’s much easier to keep out insects when using a double-wall tent.

Some people like the warmth inside a single-wall tent with a stove, in cold weather. That’s hard to disregard but that warmth comes with a price. Since single-wall tents are lighter than double-wall tents, you can carry a single-wall tent with a bigger floor area than a double-wall tent for the same or less weight. But the stove presents a hazard that must be accounted for. A good way to ruin a sleeping bag is to roll up against a hot stove while you’re sleeping. So you have to give up some floor space to the stove and the end result is the same or less usable floor space for the same or more weight. However, even with all that taken into consideration, it’s real nice in the middle of a snow storm to be able to lounge around inside a heated tent.

The small, lightweight, collapsible stoves require constant work to keep them going. You can only use small pieces of wood so you have a big pile of twigs and you have to keep feeding them into the stove to keep it working. If you go to sleep, which is of course what you’re hoping for, the stove will go out. The tent will get cold inside and moisture will condense and freeze on the inside of the tent wall. In the morning when you restart the stove all that frost will melt and things will get just as wet as if you had no stove at all.

I guess in the final analysis I just don’t want to have to deal with the stove. I usually wait until last light to setup my tent and settle in for the night. By that time I’m usually pretty tuckered out and I just want to get inside my sleeping bag and get some rest. I don't want to have to collect a bunch of firewood and break it into pieces small enough to use in the stove and I don’t want to have to mess around with a stove inside my tent.

When I rent horses for an extended trip, I take a big standup dome tent and a small propane space heater. I run the space heater for short periods of time to heat up the tent. The effect is about the same as using a wood burning stove because both heaters are running when you’re awake and they’re not running when you’re sleeping.

I own a Go-Lite Shangri La 5. I bought the nest and had it made into a half nest. Works pretty good. You can sit in your Crazy Creek chair in the vestibule and run your Whisperelite in the rain and wind and stay comfortable. Life is good. I have setup a small wood burning stove in the vestibule but it's a PITA that I don't want to mess with. That tent gathers dust in the store room.

When I need a winter tent I use a North Face VE-25. The tent in this photo is an old one. Hilleberg now makes a better tent.




Unlike others in this debate, I have no profit at stake in this discussion. You can gauge impartiality from that.

KC

I've spent a bit of time in a Hille Nallo 2 and a 3GT, and ate a couple meals in a 2GT, none of which I own. FWIW, I am usually packed the lightest, and generally end up carrying the tent as a result. Were I to pick between them, I'd pick the 3GT. Killer vestibule, and enough room to wait out crap weather in a less than ideal pitch is really nice to have. Hilleberg makes a hell of a tent.

KC , I feel that is an attack on my integrity, and honestly I take offense to that.

Oh have I hurt your feelings? Boo hoo. You are insulted. Well go sit in the corner and sulk.

Stop encouraging people to buy $1,500 tent, stove, etc., setups that are no better than a good 4-season dome tent at half the price, and maybe your integrity can recover.

Really mature response I don't need you for self validation. For your edification, we have tents similar priced and sized to the Golite you own. Bigger tents cost more, it is a fact of life. However, if you want to continue to post the same copy and paste you always do, I will challenge you to tell the full story, which is that you are leaving out facts.

I think we can agree to disagree.

Pretty lively debate here! I'll come down on the side of ultralight woodstoves and teepees, and I am a totally unbiased consumer of products. I have no links to any companies whatsoever.

I started out as a double wall tent kind of guy and used to use Moss tents - then on to Bibler and Hilleberg. And I still use those tents occasionally. I also have and use tents from The North Face, Nemo and Montbell. If I was to buy an old school tent with a floor these days I'd probably go with Nemo. I really like the tent I got that rather than poles uses pump up 'airbeams'.

I do live and work in Alaska - I do a lot of work in the field and often use the tents in remote base camps for up to a month at a time. For hunting these days I pretty much ONLY use teepees and woodstoves. Way lighter and FAR FAR drier. Only reason i ever use a tent is for mosquitoes, but by hunting season there aren't many bugs, and for just a few mosquitoes headnets work great.

And I have used a teepee in the snow. Did it on an elk hunt this fall. By the time we went to sleep the ground was totally dry. I also vent under the tent bottom and we had NO moisture on the walls. But venting is key. We had 4 people in the tent and the tent and woodstove all together weighed around 5 pounds.

Best of all, with a woodstove you don't have to bring along those bulky propane cans. I did a 10 day hunt in the Brooks range with a woodstove and one can of propane. We found wood up to 4400 feet in the Brooks Range. On Kodiak the best wood is dead alder and willow right at the tree line at around 2000 feet. Often the wood is much more moist down in the trees.

I can't even imagine going back to the bad old days of being cooped up in a tent. Woodstove and bare ground, warmth and conversation are the way to go. I remember hunting in the old days when after scarfing a meal down everyone would retreat to their tent and huddle in their sleeping bags. Or how about those 3 days of hibernation during a really bad storm? No More - those days are OVER.

I think the only time I would use my old Bibler or Hilleberg these days - other than in a base camp - is on a ski mountaineering trip.

Here are some photos - first the old days of mountaineering. I used a Bibler that is hidden in the lower left in this photo within our snow wall during a ski ascent of Shishaldin Volcano out in the Aluetians - we still also used a BD mega mid for a cook tent! This is the sort of trip where a mountaineering tent makes sense.



The next photo is of the inside of our teepee during an elk hunt last fall. We had earlier cleared off the snow before we pitched the teepee. The heat of the woodstove has already dried out the ground. The stove and tent in this photo weigh 5 pounds total including the pole.



Finally - living the life in the Brooks Range. It does not look like there is much wood - but there is plenty to found. This tent and woodstove weighed around 4 pounds total.

The amount of money I make from wood stove sales wouldn't get me very far. What really bugs me is when people make statements without experience.
If someone has extensively used a tipi and wood stove; it doesn't matter whether it is an SO, Kifaru, Ti-Goat, Wyoming Lost & Found etc and if they don't like it, I have no problem. But when you make blanket statements without experience using a product, that is different.
I advise a lot of people on gear. If they are camping above timberline, I often recommend something like a Hilleberg.
I own or have owned tents from The North Face, including a VE24, Sierra Designs, Bibler, Marmot, Big Agness, Mountain Hardware, Tarp Tent, MSR, Kelty, Terra Nova, Mountain Smith, Kifaru, GoLite, Seek Outside and I am sure I am missing a few.
Most were good tents. I don't think I would say any of them sucked for what they were intended.For my use a tipi with wood stove works best.
The store where I work sells Mountain Hardware, SD, Kelty, and Seek Outside. We will likely be selling Hille and possibly Crux in the near future. My guess is we will still sell more SO than the others because that is what our customers are looking for.
If someone were to ask me about elk cartridges, I could give them my opinion on the 300 H&H, .308, 30-06, 7mm-08, .325WSM, .338 Federal, .243, as I have killed elk with them all. I could also relate my experience in being with others that have killed elk for probably another half a dozen cartridges. But if someone asked me about a cartridge, I had no experience with, I would refrain from offering an opinion, except to state what has worked for me and why.
One other point. The SO BT2 tipi sells for less that $300 with a stove jack.

Gawd, I detest this sort of crap, it really detracts from a great forum and is so useless to anyone seeking advice from the more experienced guys here.

KC, in the years I have participated in this forum, I have always had great respect for your opinions and posts, based on a lot of experience.

I am saddened to read your unwarranted comments here on Kevin and EdT, whom I alsio greatly respect. NO, I have never bought anything from either of them, never met them and have spoken on the phone only with Kevin, so, this is just an uninvolved opinion.

I think your behaviour here is foolish, uncalled for and offensive and should cease now.

I am about your age, started hikingat age 10, solo camping in the BC wilderness in 1964 and have spent many periods alone in my mountain tents, in every month and for weeks at a time.

I have used/owned many tents, including three Hilles, four tipis and two wood stoves. For ME, in BC, for my usual trips now, I prefer my Hilles for several reasons. But, a heated tipi, properly set up is FAR more liveable and for longer trips, it is better in most situations.

So, maybe give some credibility and respect to Ed and Kevin, they well deserve it.

SNAP:

I totally agree and I avoid this kind of bickering most of the time. But it bothers me when people tell a person new to backpacking that they have to spend $1,200 for teepee/stove/nest combination and that anything else will be inferior. When we all know that they can buy a good 3-season tent for $300 that will serve their needs 95% of the time.

Look at the Seek Outside web page and you will see that they charge obscene prices for what's nothing more than a fancy sewn tarp and then they have the gall to get offended when someone points out, in the interest of full disclosure, that they sell the products which they are promoting.

I'm sorry that I have strayed from my normal MO of avoiding controversy. I apologize.

KC

since when do you have to spend 1200.00 on a tipi and stove? how big of a tent do you get for that price is probably a bit of overkill for anything above 8000 ft.

i have had so many tents that i cant remember them all but since i am not a mountaineer, i will stick with tipis and stoves since i will be in them for more than a few days at a time on a hunt or hiking trip

whambasted:

Here's the web page for Seek Outside. Seek Outside
Look at the 6-man bundle. Determine how many people it will actually serve with a stove and a half nest, then judge for yourself.

KC

My Hille. Saitaris is $1395.00 USD, IIRC and is fine for ONE on extended wilderness trips in BC. I will not use lesser tents based on a lot of experience, so, the price issue is a wash, IMO.

I think I'm gonna' have to try a tipi and a stove this Fall.....

Tanner

I can't say I have experienced this.

The stove dries schit out quick. Real quick.



Travis

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/9578645/gonew/1/FS-_Hilleberg_Nallo_3_(_Green)#UNREAD

"For late season elk hunting, sheep hunting, AK caribou hunt, winter camping, you need a 4-season, double-wall tent, with a full-coverage fly, a floor and a vestibule that will stand up to high winds and heavy snow loads. The best on the market are made by Hilleberg. Yeah bite the bullet and pay the price. The Hilleberg Jannu and the Hilleberg Kaitum are bombproof tents and are about as light as you find for a 4-season tent.

When we all know that they can buy a good 3-season tent for $300 that will serve their needs 95% of the time.

KC "

A bit of contradictory advise here, seems to me. What is it a $300 tent or a 4 season Hilleberg.
The Jannu is $975 The Kaitum is $865 to $925.
A similar sized tipi from Seek Outside, The Backcountry Shelter pricing starts at $629. I sure don't see anything obscene about that pricing.
Oh yeah, if you want to compare $300 tents, then compare to the BT2 which starts at $229.

And as I said earlier, if the OP chooses a Hilleberg, he will be well served. They are excellent tents.

Me either, and I've slept in plenty of tipis in cold weather. Even with a big stove, only a small bit of ground next to the stove thaws, and that's where the woodpile goes. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I rarely sleep right next to the stove anyway, red-hot metal and $500 sleeping bags are not a good combination.

There certainly are trade-offs between conventional tents and stoves/tipis. Once 4 of us used a big Kifaru 12 man on a late season hunt. We pulled our stuff in on sleds. Had to pitch the tipi on uneven rocky ground, so we shoveled snow inside for our sleeping platforms and leveled it out, worked great. We also slid our sleds with gear right inside, didn't have to unpack and it kept our gear organized. When the fire was going in the stove, we had to strip down to t-shirts inside.

Try that with your double-walled bathtub-floored tent.

Lot's of good perspectives here. I'm really enjoying reading this. I think there's room for both types of tents as they each have their own strengths.

No firsthand with hot tipi, well other than seeing Travis' at one of the Icebreakers. Looked pretty nice. I've spent a lot of time in the old USMC shelter-half tents, in a previous life though.

Wife and I have been camping in a Trango-2, and an Alaskan Guide 8-man for many years.

In cool temps above zero, below freezing, the Trango stays pretty nice inside just from body heat. The AG8 warms up quick with a single-mantle coleman lantern.

A couple years back we bought a 12x14 wall tent, with a cylinder stove. That thing is like a house. Awesome comfort. But it is a fair amount of work to put up/take down, it's heavy, bulky, and has big flat surfaces for the wind to work on.

So, a few days ago we put an order in with Seek Outside for a 12-man tipi. We are going to use it for camping and setup near the truck, and put the big wall tent stove in it for heat in the cold temps. Hoping we love it, as it looks like it will be excellent in wind, not heavy or bulky, and setup/takedown fairly fast.

In the last couple months I've been doing a lot of reading on these tipis on different websites. I've read a lot of Kevin's posts and do not recall him ever calling any other product inferior. He has shared a lot of info about the capabilities/limitations of his product, and how can anybody fault that?

Looks like I kicked a hornets' nest.

I'm in the market for a Hilleberg Nallo 3GT. Thanks for the advice on the tipi tents though.

Thanks!

Ed:

Come on. Let's quit this. Read what I wrote. I told him that he needed two tents.

Start with the $300 tent and see where things go from there.

But he should start with something like this

REI Quarter Dome T-2

Not this

Seek Outside BT-2 (from the Seek Outside web page)

Yeah the BT-2 costs $229 but it's not much good without a stove and that's another $375. So you're actually looking at $600 plus a half nest, which is what is depicted in this photo. Pretty crowded for two people.

You wrote let's agree to disagree. OK I agree. Let's stop this bickering.

KC

There's one in the classifieds right now dude.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/9578645/FS-_Hilleberg_Nallo_3_(_Green)#Post9578645

Hello, if you seen the Nallo 3GT in person go for it as it is a Great Tent. However,if not measure out its length somewhere as it has a looong Footprint.

I love my Hillebergs despite how heavy they are and big they pack.

Exactly. Everything is a trade-off; everyone just needs to pick the style that has the features most important to him/her.

Most of my hunts here in CO are September backpack hunts so I very rarely carry a stove, I just can't justify the extra weight. Although with the way things are shaping up with stoves these days, that weight can be pretty low. But in September, a stove is rarely needed.

I've gone to floorless pyramid tarp-tents with a single center pole for my hunting trips like the old mega-mid and SL-5. We rarely get wet heavy snow in September, I can pitch in the trees out of the wind, bugs are not a problem and I don't need a floor or a tent designed to stand up to snow loads or heavy winds. I want the lightest weight possible to cover two hunters and their gear and that style tent provides it.

I wouldn't presume to tell someone else what he needs, I always figure that most guys can figure that out for themselves, based on what's most important to them.

I think there is a place for 4 season tents like a Hilleberg which is why I own one (Jannu). That said if I think I can get away with it I prefer a floorless tipi much like PGSalton does.

Often I for go the stove, but when wood is around and the temps dictate then I bring a stove along as well. But for most of the May-August outings I use a tipi without a woodstove.

Time and a place for both, but I do enjoy the space and warmth of a tipi with a stove.

Just often even at 3k+ feet in Alaska there isn't enough willows/alder to make bringing a stove a viable option. In the Brooks most of the willow alder was really just along the river bottoms. Certainly isn't enough to consistently burn stuff at 4k'. I have no doubt there are pockets of small dwarf birch and the like, but I certainly wouldn't bank on it.

One you try a stove and tipi its hard to go back.

KC, why do you think someone should start with a $250 REI tent over something like a BT2?

I wish I would have skipped passed and saved my money and not bottom a few of the 3 season 4-5 pound backpacking tents I purchased when figuring out what worked for me.

I think Ed's advice is pretty sound certainly.

Me either!!!

Montana Marine:

I agree. I own both types of tents and choose the one best suited for the situation. I use double-wall tents ten times more than single wall tents.


Smoke:

You're always the peace maker. Thanks.

KC

KC,

Just get your facts straight. The BT2 works just as good as the tent you pictured for summer trips. The stove is optional just like a propane heater would be for one of your tents. And there isn't even a liner option for the BT2, a nest, yes but not a liner. I don't have liners for any of my tipis. For me they are added and unnecessary weight.

Your experience with mountaineering tents in a wide variety of conditions is a valuable contribution to the message board, but doing a gear critique without having used it isn't.

KC,

With all due respect, and I do respect you and your opinion as you've always been square with me, the REI Qd2 is what I had until recently and I got rid of it when I got the SeekOutside LBO and vestibule with a stove.

I froze my ass off in the Qd2 several times over and in several different states. I've been nice and toasty warm in a tipi with a stove.

I've never run the Hille tents, nor been to AK, and I certainly don't have anywhere near the experience of several people posting on this thread. I do know that the Qd2 was not right for me, at least not where I was going, and the tipi/stove has worked better. Now, AK or seriously above tree-line? No idea, but I can see how the Hille (especially with their reputations) would be a much better bet.

It just got bumped.

You better stop fuggin' off.



Travis

Appreciate it and we've had dialog. It's not a GT. Thanks for keeping me in mind. That was a nice gesture.

Alaska lance:

You ask a reasonable question. Here's a reasonable answer. There are several reasons why I prefer double-wall tents over single wall tepees.

1. I don't like moisture condensing on the walls with nothing to keep it off on me and my gear. Sure you can raise the walls above the ground and improve ventilation, but that only works when it's warm enough to allow that.

2. I don't like rolling around in the dirt, mud, leaves, wet grass, snow, frozen ground and getting my sleeping bag filthy. Yeah, you can carry a ground tarp but that adds weight that partially defeats the purpose of carrying a lightweight tent.

3. I think operating the small stoves with lots of small pieces of wood is a PITA that I don't want to mess with.

4. I don't like placing a stove or stove pipes that are covered in soot into my pack.

5. I think prices for the single-wall syl-nylon teepees are obscene. My single-wall teepee cost a lot less than those high $$$ tents.

6. I don't like fighting insects inside my tent.

7. I prefer free-standing tents in most situations.

8. I prefer a streamlined dome style tent to shed the wind rather than a tent that sticks up into the wind 5' or 6' or more.

9. I think that someone new to the sport should start with something simple and inexpensive like a 3-season dome tent.

I use double wall tents ten times more than I use my single wall teepee. I do use a single wall teepee when it's appropriate to the situation. You can't see it very well but there's a Go Lite SL-5 with a small stove in the background of this photo.



BTW I've shelved the REI QD T-2 for a Copper Spur because the Big Agnes tent weighs less. I was just using that tent as an example.

I just re-read my reasons. There are a lot of "I don't like" and "I prefer" in my reasons. So I guess in the final analysis it comes down to personal preference.

BTW there's now another thread on this forum regarding a Sierra Designs Mountain Guide Tarp with a LiteOutdoors Titanium stove. sollybug gives a good review.

KC

Fugg.

That sucks. You're welcome.



Dave

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, is buying US made products. Tipis form
Seek Outside, Kifaru, Wyoming Lost & Found, Ti-Goat are all made in the US, as are some of the mids from HMG, Gossemer Gear, Z-Packs & Bear Paw.
Not made in China or Vietnam like most of the mainstream companies.

i can do a 5 man and stove full rig for 750.00

that is with camo options too.

Lots of good advice here.

Looking for a 2-person Mountain Tent for what you describe, I'd get the HP (High Performance) version of the MSR Hubba Hubba. I have two of the Hubba HP's (1 man version), and it's my favorite alpine hunting/backpacking tent.

These are not available in North America, and I got mine here... good people to deal with:

http://www.adventure-spec.com/default/msr-hubba-hubba-hp.html

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/fr/msr/tents/experience-series/hubba-hubba-hp/product

It'll set you back $550 US but will be lighter and more storm worthy (the EU versions have better coatings than the USA models) than many costing more.

You can also get Carbon Fiber poles from Fibraplex to further reduce the overall weight.

http://www.fibraplex.com/tentpoles.htm

My Hubba HP with Tyvek Footprint and Fibraplex poles weights 2lbs 12oz's ready to go.

The Hubba Hubba HP can be configured to come in under 4lbs all-in.

I far and away prefer a side-entry, double door, double vestibule tent to any other style 2 man tent by a WIDE margin.

Personally I'd not carry the weight of a Hilleberg, and also believe they're a bit overrated for their expense. In that weight level I'd definitely be carrying a tepee/stove combo.

Those little suckers make a lot of sense. But no one tent does it all. But for me, The Hubba HP comes close.

Looks like very sound advice, however, try to spend some nights in very foul weather, especially 50+ mph winds, alone, and see WHY so many are so high on Hilles.

A week long trip in the Kootenays of BC, spring, 2004, had me in my old Northface dome for a night of actual fear due to very severe, constant winds. Obviously, I had this tent guyed every possible way and survived in one gimpy old piece, but, it was not "fun".

I gave the tent to a nephew for summer fishing use and went to Integral Designs tents, the real Canadian ones, not that chinamen crap made now.

These, however, while outstanding in horrible weather, are VERY small and too confining for longer stays. So, in time, I found, saved and lusted for and finally bought my Hille. Saivo and NOTHING I have EVER used equals this in shidtty weather....of which, we have our share here in BC.

So, IF you ARE going to camp in rough conditions, then, the Hilles. are worth the high cost, IMHO; if not, there are lots of less costly and lighter alternatives.

At my age, I just use my Hille. and if I must, "siwash" in an ID eVent bivy and Siltarp for a night, works for me.

Brad,
Are you able to keep packs in the vestibules of the HHHP?

go ahead and get 200 bucks worth of good fabric, sew a well made stove jack into it, get it all to line up so the pitch works out and with no blemishes..... hrs. of work... not chinese labor either like your cheap tents... and then we can ask why the tipi costs so much... i could make a tunnel tent in half the time as it takes to make an 8 or 10 panel tipi and with a lot fewer tricks

I never keep a pack inside a tent vestibule. There's just no need to. They're always outside with a pack cover on. But the all gear I need fits in the vestibule.

Roger... thanks.

I never keep a pack or any other chewable or "smelly" gear NEAR my shelter, due to Porcupines, Pikas and Packrats chewing stuff and bears being attracted by any odours.

I hang everything, except gun, ammo, emerg. and 1st-aid kits and water/pee bottles (CAREFULLY marked and separated! ) and thus can sleep in peace.

Brad, that HUBBA HUBBA HP is about the slickest little rig for old gimps like me that I have yet seen. I would buy one, but, have some rifles I have lusted after for years just become available and I am a total gun slut.

I agree, tho', that looks like what you call "The Schizzle" for a solo backpacker and like it would work in most crappy weather, especially if sheltered in second growth young timber to mitigate really harsh winds.

That said, I am thrilled to find the CF replacement pole sets for my two ID tents as they are no longer made and one of mine is slightly bent...thanks, bud!

Dewey, you don't need to carefully mark the water and pee bottles to tell 'em apart, there's a much easier way.

By the taste!

Phil, you are one SASSY young varmint!

Good to see you Kute.


Missed seeing you around here sir.

I've been contemplating a Contrail for a while. Its replacement, the Protrail, just came out and I'm really not so sure it's an improvement. I had a Rainbow and found it too apt to collect condensation... so many tents, so little time.

I like my MSR Hubba Hubba tent. Does real well for me in the SE AK alpine. I think I picked it up for $250 on the classifieds here.

No problem Dewey. Happy to help an old fart!

Would say, while I don't have the Hubba Hubba HP, I've used my Hubba HP (solo version) above timberline in 50+ mph winds and driving rain without a problem. It's about the most waterproof tent I've ever had.

I'd agree its profile likely doesn't make it ideal for 100 mph winds coming sideways, but good guying make it perfectly fine for lesser. All in all it's a fine mountain tent for the needs being expressed on this thread, and I like the non-mesh design of the HP version in colder weather.

I have a Hubba Hubba (non HP/mesh version) as well, but that's more for summer backpacking with my wife. However, can't see any fault using it into the fall either.

I have a Walrus Warp 2that is 15 yrs old & Hilleburg nammatj 2gt is 10yrs old. Both would work for you, however the Walurs is harder to pack down small due to the rapid hub pole system.
I picked up a S.O. Back Country shelter that I used twice one year & sold & have a SL5. I won't bring the SL5 as my only shelter. To many issues I don't like with floorless single walls for me. I wouldn't be afraid to try a good 3 season but I don't really know whats out there since I haven't looked for a long time.

if you buy any foreign made [bleep] and complain about our problems here then you can just shove off...

i don't care about who's U.S. made wares you do buy as long as it is really made by Americans and not some home based foreign sweatshop which are very real by the way....

you make more than 40,000 a year you should be ashamed to use anything made in a sweatshop

Like Brad I greatly prefer dual side entry in smaller 2P tents. Thus ,of the SO tents, I use the LBO and BT-2 a lot in the summer time. Good points, on labor. It should be noted, we pay what we consider a good living wage to seamstresses, more so than other nearby manufacturers. Part of the cost with 8 or 10 panel , is just the amount of sewing. If you count up the feet of sewing and number of box stitches, it adds up even with machinery to make it faster. Expensive materials add up as well and have a lot of of benefits, even if cheaper materials may suffice it doesn't make sense to use them in labor expensive products. If you look at some of the f European Tipi style tents, the pricing is not much less if the tent is sewn in asia.

I can confirm the Hubba Hubba and copper spur as good tents. Most MSR products are excellent; tents, stoves, snowshoes all superb. Big agnes is hit or miss in my opinion. Another good tent brand is Nemo.

For what you looking for (Winter camping in CO, maybe AK) I would highly recommend the REI Cirque ASL tent. This is a borderline four season tent with a weight on the heavy side of a summer tent at a cost far less than the true four season tents from MH, Marmot, Hill, and others.

For any late season to winter camping I would not recommend a tent with mesh sides unless said mesh can be zipped closed. The cirque offers the flexibility of mesh or solid side panels. I have used this tent in everything from sand storms in Moab (try a mesh walled tent in a sand storm, not fun) to climbing Mt. Rainier and everything in between including bow through 3rd season hunts in colorado. Tent is also well built for multiple guy line attachment points for anything but typhoon conditions.

Like others said, side entry tents are superior for two people unless you plan on digging in to the side of a snow covered mountain.

Lasty, tents can be cheap. Cheap tents will leak, probably sooner rather than later. Mid price tents from established backpacking brands will last you many many seasons. I have 200+ nights in a Hubba solo tent and it is still water proof.

And yeah, winter camping is cold. Fill up a nalgene with boiling water and throw it in your sleeping bag. Much lighter than a four season tent.

dludi:

A thermos with an insulator works better than a Nalgene bottle but, of course, the thermos is heavier. I couldn't find an insulator big enough to take a thermos, so I built my own using foam rubber and duct tape. At night, I first temper the thermos and then fill it with boiling water and put it inside the insulator and then inside my backpack. In the morning I have hot water for instant cocoa and oatmeal without getting out of my bag.

I suppose that you use your Nalgene bottle in the bottom of your sleeping bag to keep your toes warm. I don't put mine inside my sleeping bag. Too worried about it maybe leaking.

KC

So much bs about floorless tents. OP, you'll stay drier in a floorless tent than any with a bathtub floor, if you're not an idiot. A floorless tent of appropriate size leaves plenty of room to function without touching condensation on the tent walls. The condensation will not drip onto your bag unless you pitch it super flat and stretched out.

I can think of one scenario to which the bomber 4-season tent is suited: High alpine where you have no choice but to camp on a ridgeline or high saddle.

If some uninsured act of God destroyed all of my worldly possessions and I could afford but one tent to hunt with, it would be a replacement for my golite sl4.

I use Reflectex insulation (foil lined bubble wrap) and aluminum foil tape for all my "cozys"

Been using floorless shelters since 2000. Kifaru -- 8-man, supertarp and sawtooth. Spent many nights in all three from -30F to near triple digits and I have never once wished I was in a different type of shelter. Been in every climatic condition possible and have yet to be disappointed.

P.S. I won't 'put-down' other shelter options since I have limited experience in those other options available.

I typically use the opaque nalgene with the blue top, they are the lightest cheapest ones and have never had a leak in my bag. I don't think I would trust anything but a time tested nalgene for this application.

Screw the lid on tight and give it a shot sometime. It takes a bit of faith but makes for a warm bag. Especially helpful for stretching a summer sleeping bag into the shoulder seasons.