Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Tent hunting experience...Yay or Nay?

My Big Buddy heater will keep a fairly large tent warm but it sure wets down the walls. Is there a good vented propane tent heater?

Dixie_Rebel,

My group hunted out of a 14x17 canvas wall tent here in Virginia for many years and we enjoyed the time there camping with the kids and grandkids. Now the one we used had a sewn-in floor and it was a pain in the assss to put up but as "1minute" posted a tent without a floor will be very hard to keep the critters out of. My vision of Alabama is that it is infested with critters, from snakes ( I hate snakes) to alligators, so if that is a concern to you a sewn-in floor is a good idea. Just be aware of how difficult they are to put up.

As far as heat a wood stove works best because as others have mentioned the condensation from gas heaters is a problem. All tent will be warmer than you want when wood stove is burning and cold shortly after the fire dies. I am sure the climate in Alabama is warmer than here in Virginia so I don't know how much of a problem heat would be.

Slightly off topic, but Ive found this helpful when tent camping.

Regarding adding wood to the stove in the middle of the night, we have a rule: If you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, check the stove and add if needed. It also helps when one guy gets up to go, everyone gets up and goes at the same time. This prevents multiple people getting up at different times throughout the night which makes for a restless night.

At my age, and with who I tent camp with, there is always someone who needs to get up at some point during the night. Hope this helps.

Regards,
Manny

Good idea but when it's cold I'm not getting out of that bed unless I have to.

I say Yay…once! Tent hunting by yourself or with a group of buddies is definitely an “experience”. After freezing and sweating parts off in the military in tents or on the ground, I find myself wanting less “experience” and more comfort. I always say “suffering builds character”. The last tent elk hunt I went on was very good for character building. Good luck, be safe, have fun…and if it’s a blast for you, keep on doing it.

Doc_Holidude

😊👍

One trick with a wood stove is to make sure your partner has an extra cup of tea at bed time, and then remind him to stoke the stove when he gets up a few hours later!

We've hunted out of ours for the last 10 years in Kentucky using a medium sized Cylinder stove to heat it. With the dry heat of the stove we have zero condensation problems. It usually requires one stoking a night if temps are in the 30s. We set up a shelter on one end with the kitchen. It's held up just fine in some heavy winds but we are starting to see some small leaks. I guess due to cinders maybe that escaped the stove pipe.

With cots and the stoves it makes a very comfortable camp and all in all very pleased.

[/quote]Good idea but when it's cold I'm not getting out of that bed unless I have to.
[/quote]

Lol Understood!
Manny

Dixie Rebel:

The Cabelas Alanak tent is way down on my list for tents. The only good thing I can say about it is that it's cheap compared to a canvas wall tent. In almost any environment one can expect condensation on the inside of the waterproof single walls unless they are heated with a wood stove. They have no floor and they do have a hole (stove jack) for the exhaust pipe from a wood burning stove. I would not try to heat one with a Buddy Heater, which would almost certainly create lots of condensation. You haven't lived until you wake up in the morning and your sleeping bag is soaking wet from dripping condensation.

Tell your buddies to spend the money and get a canvas wall tent. It's cheaper to buy the best the first time around.

I suppose that they can buy an Alanak tent now, experience how miserable one is and then use it for storage after they buy a better tent.

Maybe they have changed but ours has a floor as well as a floor liner including a zip out section where the wood stove goes.

A plus over a canvas tent (and I considered both) is the Alanak is much lighter and requires less storage space and requires less care than any canvas tent I found.

In KY during deer season we often have mid-day temps in the 60's and it's nice to be able to open both ends plus the windows if you're looking to take a midday nap out of the sun. With the OP in AL that might be a factor.

Of course, YMMV depending on climate and other factors but writing it off in general seems to be shortsighted.

Hey Dixie_Rebel I ran across this guys videos a while back. You might get some good insight on tent camping by watching them. Some good advice coming on your thread too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdS4SOfc_Gk

Your needs in Alabama are going to much different than Colorado. You're more likely to need AC than heat during most of Alabama's season. All of it unless you live near the Tennessee border. The heat given off from a Coleman lantern will keep the inside of your tent warm enough for your needs. Once in the sleeping bag and lights out you won't need any heat. Light the lantern and give it 10 minutes or so before you get out of the sleeping bag and you'll be fine. The Fall is still Hurricane season in the SE. You might seriously consider a small AC unit sitting on a milk crate aimed into the tent and run it off of a generator for part of each night.

I've camped in canvas tents, nylon, back of the truck, pop-up's and travel trailers while hunting. What is best depends on a lot of factors. If you're going to be in one spot for a week or more then it is worth it to set up an elaborate camp. Otherwise a small tent and cold food or backpacking food is a lot easier.

The size of the party matters too. A 6 man nylon tent is about right for 2 people to sleep. You have room to stand and get dressed and a little room to move around. Virtually all of our meals and eating are done outside. A large tarp over the table and cooking area will keep you dry if it rains and provide shade.

Yeah, back in the day. Today, nope. Outside Leadville Colorado.

Built a shack on the first few places I hunted, usually 8’x20’. I could get wood and plywood off construction jobs for nothing. I had one shack for 25 years. This is the last one I built, slept in it for ten years. It’s in Polk county still.

I've spent a fair amount of time in various tents - backpacking to canvas in more than a few states. 20 degree temps and high humidity does make it feel colder but your not going to freeze to death. I normally camp 3-10 nights in TN during our Nov-Dec deer season and find it rather enjoyable. Buy good clothes, a true coldweather sleeping bag, and some kind of space heater and you'll be fine.

A trick I use across the country - 20,000 btu Camp Chef stove and a propane cylinder. In the AM or return in PM, turn on both burners on high, wait 5 minutes, it will be tee-shirt weather inside. I know about the oxygen issues for prolonged use without venting.......don't leave it run forever. I've done this at below zero a number of times. Works like a charm. The other option has been a Little Buddy heater. Most come with an oxygen sensor and will shut off if oxygen levels get low. I NEVER run a non-vented stove at night - a good sleeping bag alleviates the need.

I've never slept in an Alakanak but have slept in various other spacious nylon tents. Not a fan. They are light, roomy, but very prone to punctures, burn holes, and water leaks. I'd buy a Kodiak tent. I have 2, an 8x10 and 10x14. Compared to a true frame supported canvas outfitter tent, I find the Kodiak a bit smaller despite their stated size. 2 people max in the 8x10 and 3 in the 10x14. We tend to sleep in one and eat/hang out in the other. Canvas is where it's at for comfort.

I'd also offer: buy an Alps Escalade cot and find/buy a piece of memory foam. My cot setup is almost as comfortable as my bed at home. Plus the Alps is tall enough to store stuff under the cot.

Nice camp.

There is nothing like a good wall tent when you are hunting. There is nothing compact about a wall tent, but with the right gear, they can't be beat. Cots and a portable kitchen stand makes it like home. A propane 250,000 BTU heater will heat it up in seconds.

Who is the guy on the left???

3 of us hunted Caribou on the N Slope of AK in late Aug about a decade ago. Temps were high 30's to low 40's at night and upper 50's low 60's during the day. My only real suggestion would be a 2nd tent to hang gear in. 3 people sleeping in a tent puts out a lot of humidity. We didn't have any manner of heater, just sleeping pads and sleeping bags.

If going someplace I could drive and didn't have to carry everything, I'd definitely have a "gear tent" and a "Sleeping Tent".

We hunted out of a tent the first 4 years In Wyoming. I was fun then 20 years ago. Now we take the trailer. Ya I know,sissies. 73 now !