Hey all,
I'm currently making notes on heated shelters to be used on backpacking trips/hunts and was hoping for some feedback on these two company's tipis.
This shelter will be used for 2 people max, and hopefully will be light enough for me to take on solo trips. Therefore I am considering Ti Goat's Vertex5 and Kifaru Paratipi or 4-man tipi.
What are some pros and cons of these shelters regarding ease of setup, durability, weight, comfort and anything else I should be aware of.
Part 2:
What are the differences between the Ti Goat box stoves and Kifaru Stoves? I understand that cylinder stoves are lighter, but I want to be able to easily cook on the stove and a box stove will be easier for that (as far as I know).
Thanks alot,
F
Part 1)
Ease of setup: easy once you get the hang of it. Practice in the backyard. Powder snow can be problematic. It must be stomped on to get it to "set-up" to hold the snow pins. Not a good shelter for the rocky alpine environment, imo. Too hard and time consuming to set up on rock.
Durability: I have both Kifaru 8-man and Ti-Goat V 5.5 or something in DWR. The Kifaru fabric feels sturdier to me and is a heavier fabric, but I don't know for a fact that it is more tear proof. I do NOT like the cone design on Kifaru, where the tipi panels converge and get folded into the hem on a cordura cone at the peak. PM me if you want to know more. From pictures, it looks to me that the cone has been redesigned compared to my older tipi, so this point may be moot. In direct flame tests, I found the DWR to be less flammable than the sil-nylon, but in either case and in practice, all you get are pinholes from the stove. I only mention it because it always seems to get brought up but I think it's a non-issue. Note that Ti Goat quit using DWR due to lack of demand.
Weight: depends how spacious you want to go. There are carbon fiber pole options for Ti Goat that make things a bit lighter. The biggest advance in weight reduction for these systems was using shim stock for stove pipe, but it makes it a pain in the ass to set up compared to sectional pipe.
Comfort: Unbeatable. Floorless and heat. I have not used another shelter since.
Part 2) There are a few things that tip it to Ti Goat FOR ME. I like that the door zipper goes clear to the top. Look at how the door folds back to the next stake over in Trapper's photo. That is different on the Kifaru. The zipper does not go clear to the cone on my 8-man. Consequently, you cannot fold the door back to the next stake and tuck it under. You have to tie it off. This may seem inconsequential, but you do it enough times, you come to appreciate not having to tie it off every time.
Neither Patrick nor DJ like guyouts. They seem to have problems tripping over them. Consequently, Kifaru guyouts are designed to be close in to the tipi. This sacrifices their effectiveness as they really should be higher up the wall. I do not trip over guyouts and I talked DJ into more functional ones. An added benefit is that these guyouts can be more effectively used to keep the tipi walls from sagging after rain or condensation relaxes the fabric, or when clothes are hanging on the line. There is no need to reset the pole to tighten the walls. The last thing is regarding the stove systems. I prefer the damper and screen system on the Ti Goat stoves. I like the bigger size of the Kifaru stoves. I do not use the screen slots in my Kifaru system. I do not like having air carbureted into the pipe. Finally, I like the snow skirt that I asked DJ to add to my Ti Goat.
Both systems work, and work well. So does a parachute soaked in campkote.