Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Start from the top: Best 1 or 2 person shelter

please explain how you get a close pitch to the ground with your SL4. Also like to see your stove and jack setup.

EdT stated to run the tent stakes right thru the stakeout straps up close to the material for a tighter pitch. Judging from the picture, that might be what Evanhill did. Looks good and taut.

MtnHtr

I quit the whole bivy thing years back. Bivys, well, suck!

Like Doc, I've gone to a small footprint tent. (Actually, got my first small footprint tent back in 1986, a North Face Mayfly). I currently use a Black Diamond Firtslight. It's perfect for the solo hunter. The problem with Pyramids and stoves is weight and the footprint (sf) they require. They're comfortable, as anyone can attest, but that comfort comes at a price... everything in backpacking is a compromise, and I choose to make that compromise on the lighter, smaller side.

Start with the adjustable straps completely drawn in when you stake them down. After putting the center pole up, pin all the secondaries down tight. That pretty much does it.

Stove is a Kifaru small. Stove jack is pretty straightforward. I cut the jack material so that the perimeter overlays the top cone seam as well as two side seams. Put edge binding on the jack and put on the hole cover. Then sew the whole thing right onto those seams, with an edge binding backing for the bottom where it isn't on a seam. Cut out the tent fabric afterwards. I've done this on two megamids, an origami, and the SL4. Works pretty well. Just to save someone else a blunder -- don't put a stove jack anywhere but the center on a pyramid. The pipe is an important part of the heating equation. If most of it is outside, you won't get nearly as much heat nor will it be as even. Besides, the center pole is already making the center space unusable. Might as well stick the stove there too.

Regarding Brad's comment about the problem with pyramids and stoves -- I'll add fussing around time to the equation. Pyramids go up quick, but stoves don't. When the weather is good, I regret bringing the stove and fussing around with it. Every time I'm reclining in civilized heated comfort with a storm going on outside, I remind myself yet again to always bring the stove.

Great feedback. Thank you.

Is the small stove the way to go or would you go bigger?

It also occurred to me that I typically drive the stakes about an inch underground. That helps take up the stake loop slack.

I've been happy with the small stove. Friends who have both smaller and larger stoves observe that the small stoves require quite a bit more stoking than the medium stoves do. I wouldn't get the para, which is smaller yet.

One thing on the footprint of floorless tents is that they do allow you to set up over things like small shrubs, stumps and embedded rocks. Because the floor space is so large you can sometimes pitch over them and place them out of the way, allowing you to use a space you might not otherwise. I've quite enjoyed having a nice shrub in the corner of my SL-6 for ornamental use or a large rock to lean my gear against.

My take on it, using an ID silshelter for a number of years, with the wife, just a bit on the small side. For me alone thats probably exactly what I'd take though.

For us we take the paratipi now. Just right, plenty of room to sleep, to get up and dress and not much weight.

We do not use a stove as all of our hunting has been at 15 for lows and above, no need for it there. But I do have the tiny TI Goat tube stove on my list for an in case thing, IE pack it just in case we ever get snowed in unexpectedly etc....

And in a pinch the paratipi could handl 3 folks easily.

With the silshelter and fairly open front I could carry the small stove and put the pipe out the front and be fine.

I did call about sewing a jack into the front of the paratipi and they said were too busy. I have on my list to buy a good sewing machine one day and the first 2 things will be to add 12 inches of ground cloth to the bottom so I can seal it off with dirt if needed for really bad weather, and to move the stove jack to the front. Then will be to make a moisture liner for the sleeping area only. A few ounces of material can keep some of the drips off and keep the down bags drier.

We did the dumb thing and bought bivy bags the other year and might work super at some point, plan was to sleep without anything unless the weather turned iffy, and we had so much frost both inside and outside of the bivy that it wasn't worth the hassle IMHO to fight that every morning when packing up to move.... especially with down bags.

I'd do a tarp next time instead of the bivy and might still have the same problems.

Hammocks seem like a good shot but cool weather/cold weather would suck. Have to pack too much weight/bulk for the under liner for cold. But one could think about not using a sleeping bag in that instance but basically the bottomless blankets to cover with...

Unfortunately you'll spend lots of money and time and have this prefected by the time you can no longer do it most likely...

In laws have the Go Lite SHangri la basically for unexpected nights out and it will sleep 3 in a pinch and keep you out of the weather. Can't complain much about it in general.

Brad, EdT, DocB and fellow hunters/backpackers,

How about the Hilleberg Nallo 2 or Akto or Unna? I've also heard great things about Warmlite?

Anyone use the Kifaru 4-man as a 2-person sheep hunting tent?

My tent on the goat hunts is the Eureka Alpinlite. I will say that I stayed comfortable, but the guides tents leaked badly. On the sheep hunts I have been in several. A BD MegaLight was very nice in the bug free, snake free, temperature mild environment of the Summer time in the NWT. This year I was in a MEC two man WITH the guide, and it was just a bit tight, but did well. In all cases, on these hunts, I've been covering large amounts of vertical ground and was exhausted in the extreme and would have slept under a wide brimmed hat very well. When I go around here, for a night or two, I like comfort, and weight is not paramount for me. I love Hillebergs and have been using my Jannu to go out with my little girl and dog. I've been liking the Hillebergs because you can set them up in the rain without getting the inside wet. This year the North Georgia region is getting enough rain to erase a 5 year drought (4 inches today). It's a pain setting up my beloved Rabs or Integral Designs, poking the poles through the open door with the rain pouring in.....gotta set up a tarp first. So far this year my favorite is a Hille Jannu.....tall, long, wide, light, and got a vestibule, just a little on the heavy side these days for one guy. I did just get another Akto on the classified that I'm going to give another chance. I got rid of my first one after it kept falling in on me on an ice/sleet storm, but I think I'm going to get the extra pole.
That's all for now.....
Don

Doc,

If you would upgrade that Akto just a bit to a UNA your problems would go away. Just enough room, weight, ht., and strength. Just like Goldelocks!

Excuse the spelling it's late!

Lefty C

I like the Firtlight. On my digital scale it's EXACTLY 3lbs 0oz's. THAT'S LIGHT! A Tyvek ground cloth adds 8oz's.

A bit tight for two, perfect for solo plus gear. Best in a dryish climate likely, but I've had mine in 50 mph winds, blowing, prolonged rain, and snow with absolutely no worries.

I can't see an additional 2-3lbs for a solo tent. However, if two are sharing the load and the "footprint" is bigger, I could see going to a 6lb tent, in which cae the Hilleberg is likely great.

However, one of the best I've owned of that category was the Sierra Designs Omega.

Considering I paid close to $300 eleven years ago, this is a good deal for a bomber tent:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Pr...gn=PCGOOGLEBASE9&codesProcessed=true

Another great tent I currently own is the Sierra Designs Asp III... luxurious for two and Bomber:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Pr...gn=PCGOOGLEBASE9&codesProcessed=true

Firstlight:

Asp III

Nice shots, gorgeous location. Sorry but I got distracted from the tent itself.

I have a Kifaru 6 man. And yes to answer your question kifaru tipis are well worth the cost. I used to have a supertarp which I really liked. But now have the 6 man and feel that the 6 is perfect for 2-3 guys with gear. And if you are hunting late fall and its cold weather you can bring along the stove and you will be amazed. Nothing like riding out a blizzard when you are inside the tipi in a t shirt and shorts.

I am new to the stove concept. Thinking about putting a jack into my Hilleberg Altai.

Any concerns about ashes getting on the fabric and burning pinholes in it? How do you prevent that from happening?

My one-man shelter is a Hilleberg Akto and I love it. It worked great for a 6 day backpack hunt and is comfortable in wind, rain, etc....

Great room and great vestibule to throw your pack, rifle, boots, etc to keep the weather off of them...

At 3 pounds with my ti-goat stove...the super tarp has worked out great and well worth the money. I use it mostly as a solo but have gone a week with my wife and I in it. She prefers our 8 man but I prefer carrying the ST/annex.



I have since added a couple of snaps to the overlap between the annex and the st - this has made it much more secure and bomber.

This may be a bit off topic but my wife and I have used a Cabela's 8 man Alaskan Guide dome for years and have been thinking of putting a stove jack in the center and having a large cut out in the center of the floor, liner and ground cloth. This tent has been through days of rain and high winds and seems indestructible. It pitches tight. While not lightweight, we were thinking that with a stove jack and stove in it, it would make the perfect portable yurt. If anyone has any input or knows of anyone who custom modifies tents for stove use, I would greatly appreciate it.