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'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?