Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Cabelas Instinct Tents

I’m looking for a large tent for both hunting and housing my family for summer excursions. I’ve been eyeing the instinct tents at Cabelas. They have a few different sizes but I’m looking at the 12x20. Last season I saw one of the 4 or 6 man tents set up and those seem like high enough quality. The large has a stove jack and the floor zips open for a stove which I like. Seems easier to set up than a wall tent and cheaper. More along the lines of an artic oven at 1/3 the price. Anyone have any experience with these?

I own a Cabelas Instinct 6-man tent with aluminum poles. It has seven poles and is bombproof. With that many poles it takes a while to set up. Still a lot easier than a wall tent. It is very well built and I own a dozen tents of varying types to compare to.

Mine does not have a stove jack or zip-out panel in the floor. It is just too small for a wood burner stove. So if I need extra warmth, I just use a Buddy Heater. Even that small heater cannot be run all the time because it gets too warm inside.

I recommend that you pay the extra $$ to get the Aluminum poles.

I also have the six man Instinct and love it. As KC says, it is bombproof. I originally bought the fiberglass poles but after one year of that weight, switched to the aluminum ones. Huge difference and suggest you start with the aluminum ones. Also, even though this tent says it is a six man tent, it really is big enough for two with cots. And even then, you would need to be a family or very good friends. I would suggest you get the largest one of these tents you can for a family of four.

I also use a big Mr. Buddy to heat the tent and at the coldest temps you can only run it on low. I'm not sure I would put a stove in one because of the lost space. Yes, you can stand up and move around comfortably and the vestibules are great. I'm 70 and can set it up by myself, but it does take practice and time. There are several videos on You Tube showing how to easily set them up. Also, make sure you set the fly up properly every time. Use every tie so that the fly does not touch the main tent. If you do, the moisture will go out the vents in the top and all of the condensation will be on the fly and not in the tent. I "short cutted" that portion of the setup last year and after a snow there was a little condensation in the tent until I went back and fully tied it down. Then there was no issue.

This is a great tent and I highly recommend it.

I've looked at that tent as I'm looking at a tent for similar uses. A couple of the reviews leave me hesitant. They state they had poles break and that Cabelas does not sell or provide replacement poles. That makes it a tough sell to me...

Regarding price, a wall tent can be had from Davis Tent for about the same price. The videos showing a young girl set up a tent with the traditional pole set up has me thinking I could do it by myself. It would be heavier/bulkier than the the Cabelas option.

I don't see the advantage of that over a wall tent except for the weight savings. I had a traditional pole wall tent from Davis, 14x16 and it was pretty easy to set up after the first time. I could do it by myself in about 20 minutes. I also wouldn't say that tent is cheaper than a quality wall tent from someone like Davis. If you buy it from Cabela's, expect to pay about $300-400 more.

The cabelas tents are stout but quick set up isn't one of their strong points. We have a 4 man and it'll take a pounding. But I'll take a canvas over it.

I agree that for a family of four, the 10'x12' Cabelas Instinct tent is a better size. That costs $900.

A 10'x12' wall tent from Davis Tent & Awning plus a frame, without a floor, costs $967. ($487 + $480)

So pointer is right. The cost is essentially the same. I guess you have to decide if you want a wall tent or a dome tent. Weigh the pros and cons of the different types of tents.

They figure about 14 sq ft per man, no matter how the floor space is configured.

They do not sell the fiberglass pole but I had no problem finding the aluminum replacement poles for mine. I have heard of the fiberglass poles breaking when being bent when it is cold. That said, I used mine for two years in very cold weather, 3rd season elk, and had no problems. (Other than weight.)

I also have a canvas outfitters tent and it does not keep me nearly as warm as the Instinct does. You have to use a wood stove to keep it almost warm. I like not having to wake up at night to stoke a fire that the Instinct allows. When I have several of us hunting, I use the outfitters tent and do like it. But...mine cost far more than $900 after you add in the cost of a floor, stove and fly you are well over the cost of the Instinct. The big advantage of the outfitters tent is the five foot walls that allow you to have your cot right up against the walls giving you more "real" room.

I've had fiberglass poles on smaller tents split. I carry some duct tape to wrap around them. A couple wraps will usually keep it from splitting further and make it usable for a while.

If weight isn’t a problem, look into the Kodiak canvas 10x14 flexbow tent. I have the 10x10 and love it for 2 people, but I would think the 10x14 could work for 4 people. Setup is a breeze, with more time going into pounding in stakes than setting up the actual tent.

Just a thought.

These are still on my radar. The hold up for me is I think I want wood heat in the stove. Folks on this site have done it, but it reduces the amount of sleeping space enough that I think it may not be big enough. If they made one a bit bigger I'd probably give it a go. I've used a Springbar and they are easy to set up.

I came across a great Cabela's Outfitter Series XWT extreme weather 12x12 tent for sale in excellent condition here on the 'Fire back in the summer of 2017. This was the older Cabela's version of a bad weather tent.

The price seemed fair at $500, The 10x10 version new was selling at the time for $850 plus shipping. The only issue was the weight totaling 70-80 pounds, but it had aluminum poles and I could load it in my pickup and it had plenty of room for my family of four.

I can use a mid-size Buddy heater in the vestibule and heat the whole tent just fine.

The poor seller had a limited number of posts and members were razzing him about mainly posting in the Free Classifieds, which I thought was kinda mean. Anyway, he lives in Southern New Mexico, so he was willing to include free shipping and I was willing to give it a go. Shortly after that, he dropped off the 'Fire because of the way he was treated.

We corresponded and he turned out to be a very nice guy. How nice? He must have paid a lot for shipping, because he sent me TWO tents, the XWT 12x12 complete with all gear, poles, bags, etc., AND a similar Cabela's XWT 10x10 with all the extras! I can now house a whole crowd!

I'd say that it pays to be polite to folks.

BTW, it rained at each of the last two gatherings at Armijp Springs and the 12x12 was so comfortable that we hardly noticed it.

Norm

This is correct. "Six-man" means six sleeping bags and no gear. I agree with ro1459, the Cabelas Instinct 6-man tent is a good size for two people with cots and personal gear.

I also started with fiberglass poles but switched to aluminum poles because of the weight. That's important when you are flying to hunt and bringing your gear as carry-on baggage.

I further reduced the weight by switching out the steel pegs for solid aluminum pegs. My tent now weighs less that 25#.

Stansport Solid Aluminum Tent Pegs

I now use these solid aluminum pegs on several base camp type tents.

For comparison though, the large instinct tent is 12x16

Bottom line....they make a great tent and you will be happy with it. I love mine and recommend it to anyone that asks.

I have been using a Cabela’s 10x10 XWT extreme weather tent for the past 8 years or so, great tent but it is getting a little heavy for a 65 year old to put up alone. Thinking of trying a Kodak tent that look easier to put up.

The Kodiak tent is a great tent and easy to set up. However, there is not as much room in a 10X10 as the Instinct of the same dimensions. The reason is the slanted walls of the Kodiak. A friend of mine has one, a 10 X 14 Deluxe, and loves it. He also has the surround vestibule which keeps the rain and snow off the ground under the awning. If using cots he makes sure to keep his cot off the walls and all vents open.

And if a guy don't use cots, it's OK to close the vents?

If you want to get wet. There's just more room without the cots.