Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Kodiak Canvas Tents

Does anybody have one or had any experience with them?

I've got a big canvas wall tent, looking for a quaility tent with a floor for weekend or long weekend trips.

Any advice or comments would be great!

Why a floor?

I live in Oklahoma, we have lots of bugs and I dont like them. Spiders freak me the f**k out.
Cant keep all of em out, but as many as possible outside is a plus

I have the 10x10. It's a great tent for the trips you're talking about. It stands the wind really well, has yet to leak, and a double mantle lantern keeps it comfortable when the outside temps are in the mid 30's. A buddy heater would most likely keep you fine in colder weather.
Breaths well so condensation has not been a problem as yet, and I suppose a tarp over the top might assure more moisture resistance if a person was worried about heavy snows etc..
Plenty of room for 2 people.
As to the floor, a welcome mat out front and a throw rug inside and you're good to go.

I have a 10x14 and really like it. Not something you can pack in but if you can drive your pickup next to the camp site it's really nice. Slept in it with a buddy heater when temps were in the 20's. was in the low 60's inside the tent. Very comfortable. We have 2 guys with full cots and all our gear inside and it's plenty big. Can get 2 guys and 2 kids in the summer without all our hunting gear.

I ran a light tent from David Ellis Canvas this year. Best canvas tent I have seen. He specializes in "lightweight" canvas. Mine has been bomber in the weather, easy to heat, and small and light to pack (for canvas anyway). Also very impressed with the stove jack design, way better than the fiberglass gasket design on my old tents. He will build you one with or with out a floor.

David Ellis Canvas

The Kodiak tents are pretty much a Chinese made copy of the Springbar tent made here in the USA by Kirkhams. I've only looked at the Kodiak and have never used one, but have been told that Kodiak uses a slightly different material than Springbar and may not breath as well.

I've had a Springbar tent for years and have only good things to say about it. Take a look at Kirkhams website, then give them a call to discuss the differences between their tent and the Kodiak product. For me, the fact the Springbar is made in USA made it worth the extra cost.

I love mine and it replaced my Reliable wall tent. The Springbar's are great as well and as mentioned US made. I will take a floor in my sleeping tent, but the kitchen is floorless.

Thanks for the suggestions !

A floor sounds good, but in practice is a goat faq IMO.

Zeke, Take a look a Cabelas Alaknak. I love the floor as I Bowhunt early season, I hated mice runing over you at night plus the bugs with no floor. Ever find a Snake under or in your Bag it will be the last time with no floor.

?

whats a "goat faq"?

Something I'm probably too young to see...

Don't like floors in my tents, either. The biggest problem is that they tend to freeze to the ground. I've found several nice canvas tarps in early summer in one of my elk areas. I just look where the greenhorns and tough guys set up camp.

We have one and really like it. Used it summer camping and at elk and deer camp this year. Sets up nicely. Ours is the 10 x 10. PLenty of room for 2 guys, gear and cots. I have a piece of indoor outdoor carpet on part of the floor to catch the dirt and lay a cheapo blue tarp down under the tent as a ground cloth.

When we got it we set it up and watered it down as recommended to tighten the canvas. Left it out to dry and go figure it turned into one of those days that it actually rained here in NM. Sets up easliy, nice heavy stakes although I may cut them down a little as they are long.

Do a search for posts by Txtrapper or something like that. He had one that he converted to use a woodburning stove.

Plastic traps = floor

At least in my case

I like my flexbow 10x14 a bunch, just picked it up last year for early season use and family summer camping. It is VERY well made. I also have a 16x20 wall tent but this kodiak with the floor is better for early season when bugs are out or for smaller campsites

Elk season and such I don't want a floor,but I do some early season hunts out east where rattlesnakes are prevalent.Sure like a floor and total zipper closure then.

This comment totally puzzles me. Have been using an Eena floorless tent with cotton tarps (less slippery than plastic) for flooring for decades, including some camps that had temps that were colder than -28 for a week or more and have never had a tarp freeze down?? We do use a stove, which for anyone ought to keep the floor from freezing down. I prefer to have a dirt floor under the stove, so use two tarps to cover 3/4 of the floor area.

Is it because these guys put the tarp over sonw and then they melt and refreeze the snow?

I always make sure to have a couple square-ended shovels (easier to dig a truck out of a snow drift with those anyway) and a broom. Before we set up the tent we clear the spot of snow if there is any. Shovel it out first then sweep it off to get to dry ground. The floor is a lot warmer if it is not over snow. During use, we just keep up with sweeping out dirt and snow. The stove quickly dries the floor, and it is usually warm enough to even walk around in socks long enough to start a fire or whatever. The broom is good for knocking snow off the roof and brushhing snow off boots and pantlegs as well. A small throw rug next to your cot where you will put your feet dowm as you get up is a nice luxury in the morning. We usually roll those up during other times to keep them dry and clean for sock feet.

I have had stakes freeze in pretty well at times, which is why I always have a good crowbar and my iceaxe for extraction.

For warm weather I just use a large dome tent. In wind I add extra tiedowns so it stays put. That excludes insects and snakes just fine. Zip them out of that bubble space. The mosquitoes may be pinging around on the outside, but they can't come in.

If it's to be a do all (cooking, eating, socializing, sleeping) tent, I too would nix the floor. A designated sleeping tent then OK.

With all the foul weather entrances/exits needed while preparing meals, retrieving forgotton items, bathroom runs, and then the spills accompaning dish washing, drip/drying outer ware, meal prep, coffee cups, stove ashes, etc, I find an earthen floor to be a wonderful modern invention.

Then there are also the needs for coasters beneath cots, weight bearing tables, and stoves.

Tending a floor is like being at home or in a camp trailer. Our party will use floored tents as sleeing quarters. All else happens in a wall tent with absolutely no consideration given to ones footware, recent where abouts, or spills.