Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Wall Tent Stove

Huntsman22. I had a 16 x 20 wall tent that I packed in many times. PAT85 on here has it now. It did take one mule to carry. I always kept it dry by using a poly tarp on top of it. The Simms stove I had kept it warm,but it did need restoked at night.
I don't know why everyone complains about the restoking. Us old duffer shave to get up at least twice in the night anyhow.

Youngsters ought to do it anyhow.It builds character.

The one in the lower photo is the big tent with a smaller one in front is one I use at times. The one in the top photo is another one we use now at times, although not mine.

Only been able to use my davis 14x16 tent once so far. I use a four dog stove and am happy with it. I drink water before going to sleep so I have to get up during night.

Like anything else, pros and cons with either tent or camper. I much prefer the tent.

Saddlesore, are you refering to Cabela's new walltents with the lightweight material? Because I have a cabela's 12 x 14 wall tent with the 10 oz canvas, which is alot heavier than their high tech material, and I don't have problems with snow loads. Also, Cabela's walltents are made my Montana Canvas, not exactly known for making poor quality walltents. Just curious.

The stove we use was made by one of our guys and it doesn't have a water tank but other than that it looks pretty much like this.

And our stove is a 16x20 and it does just fine for us.

Dober

Aggiedog.yea,I'm referring to the new lighter ones. I ran across a camp in late seaosn awhile back.It had a nice wall tent and a Cabelas.The Cabelas was some green material.It had snowed pretty heavy.The wall tent wass till standing, admittedly drooping soem, but the green tent was flat on the ground

Saddlesore: A hunting partner this season trucked in a Cabelas tent with a high center pole and four probably 4 ft corners poles. A floored unit with a vestibule. Probably a 12 x 12 floor. It was for sleeping only.

My issues with that one were: 1. it did not shed snow, and there's no easy way to tarp them short of custom fabrication.

2nd. Was the floor. One had to unshoe or run through a boot cleaning program if he needed to dash in from the mud or snow for some small item.

Looked like a great summer camp rig, maybe something one could let the muppets crawl around in, but not a unit I would count on in a wilderness snow setting.

The modern approach seems to be how many gimmicks and creature comforts can one squeeze in (cots, boot racks, showers, tables, chairs, electric lights, cell phones, games, MP3 players, air mattresses and pumps, propane heaters and steak grills, chairs with plastic parts that break in cold temps, etc). I'm not one of those minimialist folks that heads out with a trash bag and a match, but I do look at the load each year and ask what I might leave behind.

With an axe, a wall tent and sheepherder stove, and some rope, we put together a pretty fair camp.

Saddlesore, yes, that's what I was wondering, if it was the newer, and more expensive, high tech material. I am sure glad I didnt spring for that. My way of thinking is a wall tent needs to be made out of 10 oz canvas as it always has been.

Saddlesore, another thing I have heard on the high tech material is it does not hold heat like canvas does., certainly another consideration in choosing wall tents.

I have a smaller, 10 X 12 boy scout wall tent, that I used for about 20 years, and it never once callapsed from heavy snow. I did use a center pole during snowstorms with it.
Take Care.

I use one of the cylinder stoves pictured above. I love it. It works better if it is really cold because then you can load it up full of wood, go to sleep and wake up in the morning and it still has coals and tent isn't freezing. In mild cool weather, its too hot to load it full of wood when you go to bed so then the fire goes out and it is cold in the morning. Propane stove and such ar enice but there is nothing like the reliability of a wood stove. You might run out of propane or have a heater quit. You can always find some branches for a stove.

They sell the Cylinder stoves in different sizes so as long as you get the one that fits your tent, you should be fine. Then it just takes getting used to how to bank you fire when you got to bed.

I have one of the Cabelas Alaknak 13'x27' tents and I'm very happy with it.

Now, keep in mind, I'm using it in Kentucky where a giant snowfall is unlikely but I have camped in it with wind above 40 knots and it held up just fine. No, it does not hold heat as well as a canvas tent but when it gets warm it has eight windows as well as bug screens for ventilation.

Huge plus for us is that getting it bone dry before storage isn't needed like canvas is. Being nylon I think a propane heater would turn it into a rain forest but the Outfitter sized cylinder stove keeps it dry and warm.

I did a lot of research before I went with it and after two seasons I'm very pleased with it. Just wanted folks to get another perspective on them.

Pugs: I'd still suggest one get any tent well dried before storage, regardless of material. While synthetics are less prone to rot, they can take on all kinds of unpleasant odors and mildew, especially if packed away damp in a warm humid environment. Every tent we own, gets the same treatment, no matter the material.

Absolutely! We get it pretty darn dry but it's hard to get it bone dry and it's been fine. My big shying away from even treated canvas was the warning of it having to be completely dry for storage or it would be ruined.

Pugs, good info, my dad and I had made a cookshack for the front of my 10x12 wall tent, it was 13 ft wide by 10 ft, and extended over the roof of the wall tent, and along the sides. The cook shack made the whole setup very nice for 3 hunters. We had a cook / social room, and used the 10 x12 only for sleeping.

I might add on tents collapsing in snow, you need to pay attention to the load and deal with it at times. I always had a plastic tarp above mine, and that helps snow to slide off. But like saddlesore stated, on some of those setups with a center pole, not sure how you would deal with a heavy snow load, unless you took a broom to it often. Maybe someone with one of those cabela's setups could chime in. I always liked the looks of them, but not the cost.

We have a Davis 14 x 16 tent and heat it with the Outfitter Cylinder stove. It will easily heat the tent, especially with the damper open. Depending on what wood you have, how we set the damper we can almost get it to last all might. But like most of the group. Somebody will get up to pee and throw a log in it as they head out.

Our stove is 81 lbs. I put it on the off side from our tent. The canvas, stakes, rope etc to set up the tent balances out the stove pretty close. So one horse to pack that up canyon.
It's not something that I'd like to pack up each day and move. We usually haul it up in September and leave the tent stand until Halloween. On the first trip in, I bring a chain saw and cut lots of spruce & pine rounds. Stack them behind the tent and cover with a tarp and they will last us through the 8-12 nights we spend in the tent each fall.

I have the same set-up (Davis 14x16 and Cylinder Stove Outfitter model) and the stove will cook you out if you ain't careful. A chunk of coal with the damper and door vents pinched down will last most all night, and if I'm going somewhere where wood might be scarce, it's no big deal to haul enough with me to last a week or more.

Well, I have used the 'Mountaineer lightweight stove' in my 14 x 16 tent. Too small, but I bought it with visions of someday packing in (versus truck camping). I also bought the extended legs with it (just flat stock and angle iron with two 1/4-20 bolts per leg). The length lets you place wood under it to dry (and save some floor space). I wasn't really surprised at the performance, as I am generally hot by nature (hey -- you are hunting anyhow, and all those clothes better be keeping you warm enough that a minute or two by the stove is all you need).

http://www.walltentshop.com/CatStoves.html

This year I bought a 10 x 12 tent, as my kids all moved away and no one worked out to hunt regular with me (less to heat, and a bit less to set up). The stove worked perfect for this tent.

One thing I do is throw some dirt in the bottom of the stove to keep it from getting burned out (some past hunting pal pointed that one out to me). The light weight metal is my biggest reason for doing this. I suppose it also adds to its ability to hold some heat. Thin stoves will warp if over heated (my darling daughter had that sucker red all over and the tent at ~80 degrees once). That particular event also brings up the two holes she burned in the roof. With the air speed that was going up the flue it took some embers with it. I had a cap on it, but no actual screen. Since then I bought a screen from Davis Tent. It is a piece of hardware cloth they wrap into a cone that slides into the top section of pipe. By the way, the pipe that came with my stove has tabs to pull the sections apart. I stack mine in two sections as there is room in the 'box' that is formed from the stove parts.

Davis has a monthly special (changes each month). December is 15% off of the treated and fire resistant canvas, making it basically a free upgrade from the treated canvas. 'Treated' is canvas shrinkage control and uv protected. I have a buddy bought his tent years ago with untreated canvas and regrets it. A few years ago the special was tan canvas (as I recall) at 15% off. Seemed like a good idea, wouldn't show dirt, blend into the site. Too dark, just sucks the light out of the lantern.

I like the options of the Davis tent (and they are a home town company), so can't comment on others quality. Especially the 'Colorado' door. I get mine with a double slider (no cost) door zipper, so that I can open the top and look out if I want (or vent the door a bit if it is smoky or hot). The Colorado door is the flap over the door opening in the previous posts picture, with click-locking plastic latches. It gives two things: a back up to a broken zipper, and a wind block like a good jacket has.

The Davis web page shows three methods of standing the tent up: internal pole frame (as above), a pole kit (internal ridge pole kit and side poles that attach under the side rope eye bolts and onto the tent base pegs), and using on site wood for the ridge pole and either on site side poles or no side poles at all (great for packing in). I have the intermediate solution. One tent I bought the ridge pole, the other I made my own. On the side poles I use 1/2 of them in half inch EMT, and the other 1/2 in three quarter inch EMT. That way I can nest three poles (includes the ridge poles) into one, saving a lot of truck space (I use a small box on a trailer and pull it with a 2 door Tracker, so space is as important as weight).

I also paint my poles with two contrasting colors so I don't (hopefully) loose my poles in the snow or in the weeds when tearing down. The new tent got Christmas colors (I just got back -- tis the season).

One more thing a shooting buddy suggested. Hang hooks from the ridge pole supports. Take two screw type hose clamps and place them a few inches apart. Slide one or two ~8-12" long ~3/16" steel rods in them. Bend the rods to approximate a coat hanger to hang coats, hats, gloves, toilet paper rolls, whatever. Try it at home to see what works for you (may want to pre bend the wire, fit it to size for paper towels, etc). Watch the ends though if they are at eye level. I always throw a few clamps and rods in each year. You almost can't bring enough of them.

Another buddy brought up pellet stove fuel. We spread that out on the ground in really rough areas, or if we are sleeping on the ground we put it there too. It is also great around muddy spots (just inside the doorway, or the cook area, etc). And then we leave it when we drive off. All that is left is sawdust. Leaves room in the truck for the elk that you hope to be bringing back too.

One thing I did this year that worked very well. I use white gas stove and lantern, as I can carry a lot of fuel and it always works (versus the half empty propane tanks or the size and weight of a 20# bottle and plumbing). BUT- the generator in the Coleman stove (big brass thing on the end of the rod coming out of the tank) has to be hot enough to vaporize the fuel. This takes a while with the white gas version, and even longer with the dual fuel version (bigger heat sink). This year I stuck the tip into the flames of the fire in the wood stove for ~30 seconds. I was at full flame 30 seconds after starting the Coleman stove, instead of 10 minutes or so. Just make sure the fuel valve is closed prior to heating it.

You can fit more folks in a tent with tall legged cots (due to floor space). The hunter just needs to make sure he brings boxes (mouse proof) that will fit under it. I prefer to sleep on the ground when I can (pads, straw, pellets). I bring a sheet of heavy plastic that covers the sleeping area. Then a canvas painters drop cloth (cheap at Lowes Depot). I lay the plastic under the canvas, then use 4-8 spare tent pegs driven into the ground. Keeps any moisture from being drawn up into the canvas, and the canvas gives you some traction versus the plastic (carpet would work too, just heavier). I am not a fan of fully lined floors (or tents with floors sewn in). As noted, too hard to keep up. And a fire hazard if you drop something on it (plus, you can always shovel dirt over/out/around the ground -- can't do that with a floor). Davis builds their tents with a vinyl strip sewn in along the bottom edge. It is designed to be 'sacrificial' if it gets frozen to the ground and rips when taking it down (easy to repair). It keeps the wind out and the snow for uneven ground. But not the mice.

I also buy a roll of the reflective surveying tape and wrap the 8 corner ropes, as well as buy a cheap shorter (but full size diameter) crowbar. I grind the nail puller slot large enough to work with the tent stakes. It also gets painted two colors. And I like having a short handled 'campers' axe. Works as both a hatchet and hammer to drive the stakes in. I have three bags for my tent set up: 1 for the tent cloth; 1 for the poles (Davis sells a nice one); 1 for all the other stuff (axe, crow bar, spare rope, stakes, floor, roof tarp, etc). Then I label them "1/3, 2/3, 3/3" so I am reminded as I pack that I have everything. I paint a patch on the 3 bags that is color matched (and put the x/y label on this) so I know I have the correct (matching) components. Like a dirt bike number plate.

And if you want AR you need to meet my wife! Hope you can find something of value in this (sorry about the length). Oh, no native hardwood in Colorado. So don't expect a load of wood to be as hot or last as long. And water boils at lower temps as you go higher -- food may take longer to cook.

I used a 16x20 for a short while but finally went to a 12x14x5 as it was easier to pack on a horse and easier to set up. I used a stove I built from a 55 gallon barrel cut in half with a SS top to cook on if need be, it also had a built in oven....It uses a good bit of wood btw, but it will run you out of any tent, no matter how cold, if you really stoke it up...I also had a 3 burner grill running off a butane bottle for most cooking.

For what its worth I always took a 5 gallon can to mix sawdust and Kerosene for a fire starter..It's safe and fast on a cold Idaho mountain morning.

Ray, This I can't figuerout. You went to a samller tent,but pack in a stove made out of a 55 gal drum.I must be missing something here.

I had a friend who had bad luck with his wife in McCall Idaho and took his 10X12X5 wall tent up to 6,000 feet just out of town and spent 2 years in it on State ground.He used the old original type sheepherders stove they used in there wagons and stayed quite warm in below zero temps and several feet of snow.

His secret was a plastic barrier around the whole tent like a buffer.He dried his fish and meat from wires above the stove and buried them.I snowmobiled into his camp once and was quite impressed with his set-up and the warmth but it stunk from the drying meat.

I have a 10X12X5 my wife got me for our anniversary and I also used the old style herders stove but have changed to a barrel type stove out of a 30 gallon barrel.I love the wall tents and have spent many months in them before I could afford a camper..My first one was a 8X10 that did the trick working but was small and I sold that to Ray Arnold the back country mail man he put in his airplane for emergency's.

Jayco

I used the Kwik Camp inferno on my elk hunt this winter and it would burn all night and keep my 14x16 davis tent warm all night. Getting out of the sleeping bag was a whole lot easier when the temperature was above freezing lol. We just kept some wood on the opposite side of the door so when someone got up to pee they would stoke the fire and throw a log on if it needed it but usually it was good to go until the morning.

We slept four people in the tent plus gear. We all had cots and stored our duffle bags and rifles under the cots. Our Davis tent had the awning and 3 quarter floor so we didnt really have a problem with mud even though it snowed and rained.

We used this little box stove from the local hardware store. I think it was ~$100 and will heat you out of a 14x16 tent...