Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Tent W/Stove Versus Tent, No Stove

I am about to list my Cabela's Alaknak tent for sale and make the switch to backpack hunting. If the backpacking does not prove to be my thing, figure whatever tent I do buy will suffice, albeit small.

So, I have been reading all of the recent tent threads and gathered some much needed information. I thought, after a bit of reading and research, that a Kifaru Paratipi and Kifaru stove was my first choice. After thinking long and hard, I am having some trouble swallowing the nearly $750 price tag for a small and floorless tent/stove combination. Now I am looking at other tents with floors and thinking I forgo the stove. I am quite confused as to what might be my best choice. What would you all recommend for Colorado mule deer hunting. The past three years hunting in Oct have usually been quite warm during the day and quite cool in the evening, high 20's for overnignt lows. I say lows in the 20's calls for a stove, maybe I am too soft. Does a 4-season tent with a floor retain much heat without a heat source, or is it just flat-out cold and miserable? I have never had a tent without a floor, does this become miserable in the wet? Is the Kifaru combo worth the $750 price tag? Most of you that live for a week in a backpacking tent.....do you go it without a stove in a floored tent? I cannot buy two tents, I can only buy one and hope I made the right choice, and $750 is about as pricy as I can go. What is the best choice, floorless and a stove, or floor and no stove?

Brent

I have no experience with the Kifaru tent/stove combination you are planning, but I think I can answer the stove/no stove question -

On snowshoe trips with a 2-man mountain tent, there was a little heat generated when we were cooking inside the tent. As soon as we turned off the stove, inside temp = outside temp (except for wind chill). You can do this for an extended period, but you are relying on hot liquids and high-fat food to keep your core temperature up. Your insulation has to be kept dry, as you generally can't dry it if it gets wet.

On snowshoe trips out of a "base camp" (a larger tent with a Coleman lantern during the evening), we actually got the inside temp of the tent high enough to take off our down jackets. There still wasn't enough heat to dry clothing, but warm fingers meant you could read a book, play cards, etc.

This was in California's Sierras, near Lake Tahoe. Elevation 9000 ft or so, in winter. Temperatures dropped to 10�F at night.

So, yes, I believe there is a tremendous difference in comfort, and therefore how long you can stay out if you have a heat source. A stove means you can dry clothing and this is really important.

august hunts up here i go no stove

come sept and moose season and therafter, tent w/stove rocks socks...and can dry them too

Since you have time, why not buy used and have both?

Check the classifieds here as well as at kifaru's site and I'm thinking that by summer you could have the kifaru type setup and a nice 4 season tent for your stated budget.

Just my 2 cents.

Mike.

With any of the small backpacking stoves as soon as the fire is out the cold starts its return. Therefore keeping the fire going is needed to keeping the heat. For me there is nothing nicer than waking up and starting the fire to knock the morning cold off, and while your doing this having a cup of wtr setting on the stove to get hot for the morning joe. Then crawl out of the warm bag into a warm surrounding to get dress. Get the stove you won't regret it. Allen

The comfort level between stove and no stove is huge. They won't heat your tent all night but you'll rest, dine and go to sleep in warmth and can get out of your bag in the morning the same way. I think if you try it you'll never go back, but if it doesn't float your boat, Kifaru gear has very little depreciation if you want to sell it. You're unlikely to be out much money for trying it. I'm betting you find it money well spent though.

Another option if you are handy is to buy a Kifaru tent and make the stove. There are several threads on this forum about making a take down stove including the pipe for WAY less than Smith wants for his. Search and find the thread.

Heat is a BIG deal. I retrofitted a conventional canvas tipee tent
with a home built takedown stove. It REALLY makes a difference in how long you can stay out and especially if you have damp socks.

+1 on what CCH said. This year was my maiden voyage with a Kifaru 4man and small stove for elk hunting. The comfort level over a traditional backpack camp is off the charts. We sat around in our undies with temps outside in the teens and put on warm clothes and boots every morning. The stove won't keep your tent warm all night, but starting off in a warm bag will keep you toasty all night. I won't ever go back to a floored tent.

For Backpacking I would go good 4 season tent with no stove.
We stayed in a cheap tent in a blizzard -10� and high winds, with just a tarp over the tent. That wasn't to nice we had to stay in the mummy bags.

So I bought this tent.

it is a cabelas xpg 4 seasons. it is not quite a backpack tent at 13lbs. They were out of there ultra light version when I orded this one. But with the complete fly it keeps the heat in but lets the moisture out to the outer fly. We kept it real nice and warm with a small single mantle lantern with the temps getting to +10�, we even shut the lantern off and our body heat kept it cozy enough for sleeping.

Broncolope

A lightweight stove and tent probably isn't all you'll have to buy to get rolling in lightweight backcountry hunting.So the $750 budget might have to be stretched a little farther to included a down bag and titanium cookware.

You can get a floorless tent then use tyvek construction house wrap as a floor when needed -so pick a floorless tent w/ that in mind.
There are many tents that a stove jack [pipe] can be installed on -it doesn't have to say kifaru on the tent to do so.
Look at the MSR twin sisters tent -four season that has wind skirts to keep the wind out -it could easily be used w/a stove.
Sunny sports sells them for $159...

here's my copy of txtrapper coleman fuel can woodstove. I purchased the stove jack from tigoat and installed in into my msr trekker tarp. there's nothing like wood heat to dry things out and have a comfortable dinner in your t-shirt. i got my little tent up to 85degrees on a 22 degree day. burn time on this is only about 15 minutes but it cheap and easily replaceable. cost around 20$ to construct.

+1 on the stove.....and the quality of Kifaru equipment. You can't really go wrong.

Thanks all, this is some great information. I think I am back to leaning towards a tent/stove combo. I just got to have heat...

Brent

You might consider Titanium Goat's cylinder stove.

www.titaniumgoat.com

Brent, I sent you a pm, did you get it?

I own a 6 man and paratipi Kifaru tent with stoves. Obviously, I'm a fan of the stove. Collecting the firewood, starting and maintaining the fire are routines that not only bring warmth and comfort, they help keep my mind occupied during the sometimes long nights. Its almost therapeutic for me. Near the top of the tipi, the heat is sufficient to dry clothes, socks, and gloves. The fire won't last that long but even on the coldest of nights, you'll find yourself venting the tent - there's that much heat. That's refreshing after a long day in the cold.

You will find that the floorless part is a non-issue. I grew up using traditional tents and thought this might be a deal breaker for me. I got over it quickly. With regard to service, Kifaru is outstanding. I set mine up this fall to air out before my scouting trip. My dog put two 3" tears in the tent. Kifaru fixed it on their nickel with a couple of patches sewn in for water integrity. That was not expected but very much appreciated.

Its always fun to acquire new gear. Best of luck to you on your choice. I've been doing the backpack hunts for 4 years now and I'm hooked.

I like no floor + heat.



Nice to have a quiver to pull out just the right tent for the job - I keep going with this one...

+ whatever on Kifaru gear. You do pay more, but the customer service is top notch. Great, quality gear too.

What are your normal trips like? Duration? Solo? Basecamping?

The Paratipi is very nice but the 4 man is more 'liveable' for extended stays or two people.

Like NH Hunter mentioned, keep an eye out for used Kifaru gear. I picked up a practically new Siwash about $70 cheaper than new.