Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Kifaru tipi or Ti Goat

Bob, thanks but I'm not looking to pinch pennies.

I'm pretty well sold on the Kifaru. Was leaning this way when I started the thread, but wanted to hear from the guy with Ti Goats, which there seems to be few of.

Thanks to the gents who've posted.

What's the bulletproof issue with the SL? Just curious. Haven't used mine enough to say one way or the other.

Another fan of the Kifaru - I have both a Ti-goat stove and a K-stoves.
In my 8 man I run a Kifaru med. with a liner.... and it is the shiznit.



I would go to a large stove if I was using it in mainly colder (15 and below) temps. JMHO

In my Super Tarp - I went Ti-goat cylinder for shaving some weight - The whole thing with stove is 3 pounds ...

Here's a six man on e-bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kifaru-6-Man-Ti...tZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439b711eb6

Bitt- How's the supertarp retain heat with that large of an opening, or do you have an annex?

Yes, I have the annex - in that pic the door is just tied open.
It heats up very easily and gets plenty hot in there but there is nothing to hold the heat once the stove goes out.
The front with the stove port and the door side are the annex. It is nice that don't have to pack it but most of the time I bring it and the stove.

Thanks! I posted the question before reading the other similar thread. I'm really thinking I like that set up! Wonder if there's anyway for the K-folks to put a loop on the front peak so that it could be tied to a tree and not have to use the front pole...

it already has a loop over each pole position

Thanks!

Not sure if anyone is still watching - but a couple of more questions....
You guys who like the liner, why? I have a sil-nylon tent and am familar with the condensation issue - so is the liner just to keep you dry when you brush up against the wall - or does the moisture actually rain down on you? I suspect its a bit warmer as well???

Anyone used the ti-goat venting system? Bottom to top venting systems can be quite effective in these shapes - there are no pics of it and Kifaru doesn't spec one (but they have two doors) Just checking to see if/how it works?

FYI - another option for a floor I am considering - when I don't have to pack it on my back is "multi-mesh" the kind of stuff they use to tarp loads on dump/trash trucks. A tent maker here puts it in some wall tents - because the tracked in moisture drains through and it does keep down some of the dirt. I like the idea of showering inside and this would allow the water to drain through and dry out pretty fast. (primarily thinking of raft trips and pack animal trips here - I think the floor alone would weight the same as the tent and stove combined) Thoughts?

The liner does stop you from brushing up against the wet material- except the door. For that I have old arrow attached to the pull so you don't have to get on you knees and almost lay down to get the last foot or so closed or opened. The liner.... It does make it easier to heat. I can pitch the tipi with stakes as normal or about 6"'s up is another guyout point which you could use for extra tie downs or loosen the bottom edge and vent the lower section and the zipper can come down and drawn open to vent the upper. Plus the 2 door deal to cross vent. I am in the Great Nor'Wet and no venting will keep it dry like the liner here (which is absolute). The silnylon loads with water and when the wind hits it it raining again only this time its inside. I love my liner.

The mesh floor sounds interesting. I go the light way and for a shower or by the door I lay a drybag down to stand on to keep from getting muddy. I'll look forward to your review.



In warm weather 2 doors cross venting is the ticket...

Thanks Bitt:

Like the original post - I am still struggling between the brands, so I am trying to really focus on and understand the differences: I've kind of settled on the 8-man size thinking it would be good for 2-3 person pack in hunts and 4 person family rafting adventures. Sounds like most everyone wants a bigger one, did't hear anyone say they wished they went smaller. The Ti-goat 8 has the same footprint as the 8 man Kifaru - but slightly shorter - so its really sized between the 6 and 8 man Kirfaru. The main differences that I can see are...

1) Liner - we get precious little of that humidity here in CO - so with some moisture management and venting I can't see the condensation being that big of a problem. Also thinking that with an 8-man and typical 2 person use - you should be able to stay off the walls. I know of the humidity you speak of and I might be more worried if I camped in that more often (almost never - maybe once every 4-5 years?). A liner adds more weight - but I see the benefit of the added insulation. With the stove going - is moisture condensation still a problem, maybe with a sil-nylon tent it just can't get it out - or you have to open the top of the tent door? Maybe your moisture just re-condenses on the walls as frost after the stove goes out in the middle of the night - then rains on you in the am when you start the stove?This is a tough one....Any more experiences with condensation problems with and w/o a stove?

2) Two doors - obviously this makes venting easier. But I suspect when flow through venting is needed so are two mosquito net doors? If its that hot and that humid, almost anywhere there are going to be a bunch of bugs. In terms of access I like the idea of two doors on smaller tents, so you can get out w/o steping on your tent mate, with 200 sq. ft. in a teepee and 4 or less people you should be able to get everyone situated and still have a clear path to the door - right?

3) Weight, the weights listed are tent, pole, pegs, sack and large/medium stove respectively. (BTW the ti-goat large and the Kifaru Med are almost the same volume stove)

9 lbs. 7 oz. Ti-goat
12 lbs. 4 oz. Kifaru

So thats a fair amount less weight for the ti-goat - and really makes splitting it between 2 people "reasonable" to pack. My winter 3 person mountaineering tent weighs just over 10 lbs - and thats no-stove!

4) Stove design - they both look OK - but the titanuim ti-goat seems to be more to my likeing except for the screw-together part. You might be able to make that ti-goat more air-tight with some small woven stove gasket stuff and stove caulk. If you can get it basically air tight you should be able to get a damped down fire to last 4-6 hrs.

5) Customer service: Everyone raves about Kifaru - and that is very seldom heard these days (and worth alot!). Although no complaints either for Ti-goat - I wasn't sure we had an actual T-goat tent customer speak yet here?

The tent and stove combo coat nearly the same to me delivered. I am leaning Ti-goat but would re-consider if someone had something negative to say about them - or if more people recommended the liner in the more arid southern rockies?

I am not going to try and swing you either way.
I have both Kifaru, and TiGoat products and both are very high quality.
I have the smaller Vertex 5 and use a smaller homemade stove. It is perfect for my needs.

Here's the V-5........ (I need to get some more pic's, I keep using this one)



The stove..........(or one like it)

TX Trapper - thanks! But you guys aren't helping.....just kidding!

How do you deal with the condensation? Just live with it, does the stove dry it out, on my canvas tents a stove works wonders to dry out the tent, but thats because the water has somewhere to go, no real place to go in a si-nylon tent unless there is still some opening high up on the tent in addition to the stove pipe hole? How does the ti-goat venting system help?

How about those two guy-out points on a ti-goat? Useful? In the way? Do they somehow work with thier venting system? I think I see some of the ti-goat venting system in your pic. Is that diamond shape piece low on the tent, behind your pole the bottom vent they talk about? I suspect none of thier vents are covered in bug net, is that right?

Thanks!

The condensation just runs down and onto the ground and is absorbed.
In the larger Tipi's you can get away from the walls so no problem, the smaller one's just get a good bag w/ some wtr res. shell and also good to go. It doesn't bother me at all.
The tie-outs are just that, the do help if you need them.
Yes that is the bttm vent behind the pole. I usually just keep it closed. Mine doesn't have screen.
The stove will dry it out, I burn a candle lantern sometimes and this also helps, but again not an issue for me.
Good Luck!!!

I have the TiGoat 8. I've used it with two people on a very humid hunt in SE Alaska. The moisture travelled about two and a half to three feet up the side, so it wasn't so much that you got rained on, but instead it was gear that got put on the ground and brushed against the sides that got moist. We had three different camp sites on that hunt and the one on top of dead grass had no moisture problems, whereas the two on top of live grass did because of the greenhouse effect.

The TiGoat stove (box type) was very air tight except for when the screen got clogged and smoke backed up. I would not recommend sealing it up because then you woulnd't be able to break it back down for packing.

I had my TiGoat on Kodiak this fall and the two guy out points helped. When the winds really kicked up the sides would bow in slight and you could see the guy outs helping to stabilize them. Also, you can use the guy outs to create a sort of squared off area on the sides to tuck a cot closer to the wall. It's hard to explain, but you'll see what I mean when you set it up.

All that said, I still think I would get a liner. I didn't have to dry out very many wet clothes on either of the hunts I had the TiGoat on, but I would still want it as dry as possible inside to speed up drying. I've seen pictures of a TiGoat with a liner added and that's the route I'm going to go.

I don't own either product, I made my own to see if the heated shelter was going to work for me and it has worked so well I haven't upgraded. I've spent time in both TG and Kif tipi's and they both seemed top notch and worked very well.

I don't have any experience with a liner but condensation in mine hasen't been an issue as there is plenty of room to avoid touching the sides and once the stove gets cranked up it drys out very quickly.

Mine is an ID sil shelter (yellow) with navy blue skirt made from sil nylon sewed on. The numerous tie out points are excellent for stability and maximizing room.

I'd love a sub 3 lb heated shelter and will get one soon but full standup space (7ft) and a decent sized stove (ti goat) sure is great and throw in the mini reclining chair (about a pound) and it gets downright decadent.

Thanks all!! You have been a great help to me.

Sooo... it sounds like from those that have seen/used both products there isn't a significant difference between the two, excepting the liner, some love them, some don't see the need, kinda depends on the conditions, if you are headed more often than not to SE AK or the PacNW a liner should seriously be considered. (after watching Kifaru videos "Patrick" states that approx. 25% of tipis get liners - almost universally they go to SE AK or PacNW!)

All seem to like their stoves, and they do dry out the tent and push moisture out somehow. Kay9Cop - I wasn't thinking of gluing the stove together - just trying to affix some gasket material to one side or the other of the stove box sides - so when you assembled it the gaskets compressed and made a seal. I have used other "folding" stoves and was not impressed - they sucked so much air, you couldn't control the fire, and they just raged and went out in short order - sounds like these are better from the get-go.

Olypen - pretty crafty tent. You give me some hope that if I need to I could craft a liner for my ti-goat. BTW - anyone know what type of fabric the liners are made of? Kifaru doesn't say - but in their videos (very helpful) it appears to be something different than the 1.1oz sil-nylon the tent is made from.

The liner is a light, breatheable nylon with a water repellant finish. The liner unlike Paraglider fabric allows water vapor to pass though however the larger drops are blocked.

I have a liner for my 6 man tipi. But I hardly ever use it because the condensation is not an issue espesially when you have a stove in there. But I am also in Colorado where it is relatively dry compared to some places like Alaska.

The liner does add a little warmth I believe and makes it nice so that if you do have some condensation brushing up against the wall is no big deal.

liners are for an individule to decide. i had a liner for one of my tipis and sold it. some buds want a liner, well ya cant win em all.
the secondary effect of rain or hail hitting the outside and knocking off the condensation inside has happend to me twice. wished i had the liner then. [but would not want to carry it]
the stove will go out and when that happens the condensation will creep up the sides.