Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Floorless shelter for solo and two person use - $500 to spend and lots of questions

I've been scrimping and saving in order to update my backpacking/hunting gear, and I have about $500 to spend on a shelter.

I'm mostly a summer backpacker, but I'm entering into the world of hunting. I live in Colorado, so I can expect a wide range of conditions in all seasons. I want to get a shelter that will help me to do more things, so ideally this shelter will also be a good choice for winter as well.

For my backpacking, it will usually be with my wife and occasionally a dog. The hunting will sometimes be solo. We are used to sleeping in a little 2-man Eureka, and we are very much in love so we don't mind close quarters. My wife definitely prefers to have a fully enclosed sleeping space, and honestly sometimes I do too.

I am attempting to build a stove based on the the DIY design from Hill People Gear, so I'm hopeful that stove camping is in my future.

So far, I've focused in on two Seek Outside tents - the new Cimarron tent, which is a sort of modified pyramid, and the Lil Bug Out with vestibule. I like the flexibility of going floorless or adding a nest, and even with the nest, we'd still have a large floorless area to track in mud and keep a stove and gear.

I like the Seek Outside stuff because of the nest options, the sod skirt, and the good reputation of the brand. They're local, and I got to talk with them in person about pack choices. They were super helpful, and I've got a Unaweep pack on order with them. I have no desire to be a brand fanatic, though. Are there any other options I should be looking at in my price range? I'm willing to spend what I've saved for quality, and I'm not much for the idea of doing my own modifications like sewing stove jacks in myself.

Also, I'm concerned about finding the right size. I've never backpacked with a large tent, and I wonder if site selection becomes much more difficult with a pyramid/tipi tent. Also, I'm pretty unfamiliar with wood stove camping, and I don't want to get something too big for my stove, which is pretty small (uses a 6 inch by 9 inch steel canister). Of course if I'm not satisfied with my DIY stove, I might start saving up for the real deal from Kifaru or Seek Outside.

I do want to have enough room to store gear and not live in constant fear of melting my gear or skin against a stove. The LBO is about 9 x 8, and the Cimarron is about 10 x 9 and taller. Do those of you with big mid tents use them for solo use? Do you ever wish you had something smaller?

I use a Go-lite SL-5 a lot for two-person camping and solo hunting. It's got a fairly large footprint but if you're solo it's not hard to find a spot, given that half of it can be pitched over a rock or stump or uneven ground. With two it's not that hard either. Big enough for two, but light enough for one to carry. When I got my first floorless shelter (mega-mid) I bought a floor to go with it but once I got used to going floorless (the only way to go with a dog) I realized the floor wasn't needed, especially during hunting season with no bugs. Now I just use a small tyvek ground cloth.

That's kind of what I was thinking. Thanks for the reply!

The Cimmaron looks like a great balance of size/weight/footprint.

The Cimarron does look like a nice, lightweight tent. The folks at Seek Outside are great to deal with and make a fine tent for hunting or camping. It may be a bit large for one, but, if you are going to be backpacking and camping for extended periods….bigger is better IMHO, as long as the weight is reasonable. Floorless is the way to go, especially in wet weather. My hunting buddy and I used a SO 6-man Tipi with a large TI, SO stove in CO's 2nd rifle season last year. We camped at 11,000 ft for a week and stayed warm and comfy. I see no reason why the Cimarron would not work equally well for one.

I am not a fan of single wall tents. Nor am I a fan of wood burning stoves for backpacking. But if I were to buy a setup now, this is what I would go for.

Sierra Designs Mountain Guide Tarp Tent $325
http://www.123mountain.com/mountain...mRHtDTUMPs5SVis4xOwC2vFc0WuuAaAomU8P8HAQ




LiteOutdoors Titanium Cylinder Stove $235
http://www.liteoutdoors.com/product/liteoutdoors-titanium-stove/


KC

For the money, available space (without being too big), dual doors, and USA construction, the Cimarron looks very attractive. My only concern might be how well the flat sides shed wind compared to a true conical shaped tipi. Paired with one of HPG's new stoves, I think you'd have a dynamite backcountry home.

I find it interesting how KC always recommends foreign made products over US made.

HAHA.....I hear ya.

I find my US made roll up stove to work just fine



I am a fan of wood burning stove in single wall tents when I can find something to burn. But they aren't the end all be all there is a time and place for a 4 season free standing tent as well. Just depends on when and where you are going.

A wood burning stove is a luxury certainly, but its a luxury that is often worth having.

Granted if my main experience with a wood burning stove was in a tipi that was too small for the number of people along not designed for a wood stove in the first place, had a bunch of heavy wet snow and hauled a heavy bulky big blue tarp along anyways I might be a little jaded as well towards them as well. Maybe using the right tool for the job would have change ones mind.

How does that stove compare to other stoves you've used?

I try to avoid non-USA made stuff where I can, but especially knock-off products. I refuse to buy from companies who benefit from all the R&D dollars/time/sweat of an original designer..............at least until the original has been discontinued or become public domain. Every vote still counts .............at least in my little world.

There are some discreet angles built in to minimize the flat sides.

Good to know. Am I correct in assuming it sets up a little quicker than an oval footprint? At least for less coordinated and unpracticed folks?

You are correct, sets up pretty much like a mid, but we will recommend a different set up method that while a bit different is more exact, and nearly as easy.

Thanks.