Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Floorless tents tipi's and lightweight woodstove questions

After a few years off I am starting to get back into backpack hunting.. My MSR Zoid1 works awesome and keeps me dry even in multiple days of downpours... It just gets small after a few days of living in it..

The Tipi style tents have my interest.. They seem like they would be much more comfortable to live out of for 5-7 day hunts.. I also like the idea of a lightweight packable wood stove.. I was just wondering how the floorless tents are during heavy rain? I'm assuming you have to dig trenches to keep from flooding the inside... And I would also assume that the trenches need to be dug on the inside of the tent (between the wall and the dry area correct?

I am also pondering the idea of sewing a stove jack into a lightweight tarp or fly of some kind and lashing together a frame of some kind (natural poles maybe) once I reach the camp spot..Anyone do this?

If pitched in a suitable location, I have not had problems during a heavy rain or had a need to dig trenches. Now, I've hastily pitched one before in a location that wasn't suitable (stupid me , when there was a better location 50 yards away, but I thought this looks sort of established) and trenches were needed.

I've stayed much drier during rain in floorless shelters than I ever did in tents with floors(never dug a trench)
Tim

Keep in mind that it is usually snowing when you pack in to the high country during deer season, so rain runoff isn't much of a problem.

I see your in the D7 area, do you pack into the Ansel Adams? I used to do pretty good in there sometimes

The soil where I have camped has always absorbed all the moisture.

I've used a 12 man and 4 man Kifrau for ten years......updated the 4 man to a Sawtooth this year as that's far more efficient.

I am following these tipi threads as I have interest but can't get by the dirt floor. Aren't you always dragging around dirt and debris? Can't critters crawl under and get into the gear?
Aren't they drafty and prone to get wet in a downpour? The stove is nice but you can get heat with a sewn in floor. Still trying to be open mined.

Not really dragging dirt, in fact in a way cleaner. A floored tent you bring dirt into and it stays unless you clean it out. A floorless tent, you walk in no big deal, use a ground sheet to keep your stuff clean. If the ground sheet has dirt pick it up and shake it out. In fact it's pretty easy to fashion a tipi floor from a tarp and we have instructions on our web site. Other solutions are a lightweight bivy, or a nest. I find a ground sheet sufficient and often times don't even take one of those.

Drafty, it depends on how close to the ground they pitch. That being said aren't all tents drafty ? They usually have netting with a fly over them.

In a downpour, see the comments from above. I've gotten wet in floored tents where water seeped in through the floor, and then you have no choice. Most of the time the ground absorbs the water. If you spill something on the ground there is nothing to clean up.

That being said, look at tarp campers. There are a lot of tarp campers, no floor, same thing. Wall tents, aren't floored either.

Yeah, hang a hammock under that tarp, if you have trees and it isn't cold enough for a stove. Tent floors suck.

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it...

I'm thinking I may buy a stove jack and sew it into a fly or tarp and see what kind of frame I can erect out of the limbs/tree's etc... At the areas I camp... Anyone done this?

Rizzy, I mostly go into the John Muir Wilderness... Are you from around here?

I'm way behind on these modern day tents and the tipi looks mighty good but what is a NEST?

A nest is a fully enclosed screen room essentially that sits inside.

Here is a question:

Would a floor and liner combo be enough protection for most folks ?

I am originally from Socal, I used to go up and hunt the madera county side of D7 nearly every year. I live in Idaho now, however my dad lives in Auberry near the top of the 4 lane. I have always wanted to hunt D7 going in from the X9A side, I might give it a try next season....

The floorless shelters are at their best in high country backpacking/hunting scenarios. I have used my supertarp in mid elevation 1 time this summer and fought mosquitos the whole night. Mice would travel in and out on occasion, however it didn't bother me. It is super convenient to be able to wake up and boil water while still in the sleeping bag and then dump out what you don't need.

Never been wet in a floorless tent. I doubt I will ever own a tent with a floor again.


Travis

Can you do a floorless tent / tipi w/o a stove? The whole point of a floorless tent, if I get this right, is to save weight. If I gotta tote a stove, that sort of defeats the purpose. Further, much of the time I like to hike in for hunting is still in fire season and all fires outside of designated campgrounds are illegal. There's no designated campground where I go. A gas stove is the only legal source of heat.

Not a problem not using a stove, I don't use one unless usually until about this time of year, and I stop in April unless I am camping up on snow.

Where I hunt in the early season the skeeters will carry you away if you don't have protection from them... Most tents and tipi's should keep them at bay.. Also a plus for tipi'e with the sod cloth..


The only concern about floor less I had was the water running in during rain... Where I hunt the dirt is fine coarse and full of pitch so it doesn't just soak in right away... digging a trench is not a big deal really, I was just thinking to be effective the trench would have to be on the inside of the tent for and water than runs under it after shedding off the sides...

Small world, I live only a few miles from the top of the 4 lane..

I have hiked into D7 from the X9a side... Unless you go way in it's hard to get away from the day hikers around Mammoth.. Seems like you have to hike for ever to reach timberline type terrain from the west side of the Sierra's...But from the East side it's a hop skip and a jump..

Muley,
Yes I've tried the tarp and stove. Not worth it from my experience. You really need an enclosed shelter to get the most benefit for a stove, drying clothes, saturated warmth etc.

Thanks Spence, I was thinking about modifying a tarp/fly so that it will wrap around a rigid frame (out of limbs trees,etc...) and be fully enclosed... At least until I can afford one of the nice shelters.. I guess it will give me something to do in the winter and help with cabin fever..lol