Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting My new backwoods paradise - Seek Outside Tipi

This is more of an introduction to my Seek Outside six man tipi tent then it is a review. I haven't had a chance to actually camp in the tipi yet, but wanted to share a little bit about my buying process and first impressions of the tent. Overall I've been very happy with my decision to buy the Seek Outside Tipi, I really couldn't be happier with it.

I�ve hunted a lot of years, but most of them have been hunted out of wall tents, trailers, the bed of a pickup truck and of course my own home. A long time hunting buddy and I decided that this year we would try to get a little farther away from the crowds as well as try our hands at bow hunting. This was going to require a lot of education and some new gear (I love new gear!) �.and all the research that goes along with buying that gear. I should add that I'm a research nut, probably to a fault; I can spend hours and days reading reviews, specs, etc. and then weighing the positives and minuses of each individual piece of gear. I really like to do things right the first time and don't mind spending a couple extra dollars to make sure I don't have buyer�s remorse.

When my buddy and I talked about shelter for the backcountry hunts, we tossed around all sorts of ideas. A four man tent, two-man tents for each of us to have our own shelters etc; after speaking with a few other backcountry hunters I knew that a tipi some sort was going to be the way we�d go. We also really like a little bit of comfort and the idea of a stove to dry things out should we end up hunting during a wet week in Washington seemed to seal the deal on a tipi with stove combo. No reason to be miserable for 7-9 days if you don�t have to be.

The decision then became what brand of tipi to go with and what size to buy. I looked at all the regulars like Kifaru, TI Goat and Seek Outside, as well as a handful of others that I don't remember. I quickly realized that it would either be a four man or six man tipi, nothing smaller or larger made sense, so I only had to decide between those two. I knew that I�d want a stove as well, large enough to warm the place up and take decent sized wood, but small and light enough that it wouldn�t be a burden. My hunt for my perfect setup began.

Did I mention I like research? To help with my decision I had made a spreadsheet; all the square footage sizes, weights, costs, benefits and the like. In the end I came to the following conclusions:

6 Man Tipi was the size I wanted � The extra room to stretch out, bring gear in from the rain and the overall comfort it would provide was a good tradeoff for the slightly larger packed size and weight. The larger tipi would also let me use it for a summer trip with my hunting partner and our two sons, big enough to comfortably sleep the four of us. Technically it could sleep my own family of four, but what are the chances really of getting my wife out in it?

�Large� Stove � I put large in quotes because compared to the large stoves I used to have in wall tents the �large� is more of a mini. Again the size/weight tradeoffs were easily worth the extra capacity that the large provided over a mini. Both would heat the tent easily I�m sure, but the large stove allows for larger sticks and logs. The larger pieces of wood obviously burn longer, but as important is the ease of breaking/cutting larger pieces vs smaller ones.

As I gave away in my opening paragraph, in the end I made the decision to go with the Seek Outside 6 Man Tipi, I really think it�s the best hunting tipi for my wants and needs. In the end the final decision had come down to Seek Outside and Kifaru, both great options. While I�m sure the Kifaru would have served my needs the Seek Outside weighed less while providing more features like two peak vents, two doors, sod skirts and zipper storm flaps.

I set the tent up in the yard so that the kids and I could play in it a little and make sure that I knew how all the pieces went together before I got up in the middle of nowhere with it. I watched the video that Seek Outside has on youtube.com for tent setup, it�s really quite a bit easier than expected. First time I think the tent took a whole 5 minutes to put up. The stove went together just as fast and in no time we had that tent up to what felt like 80 degrees. The kids were thrilled to have lunch in there and we all were having a good time adding wood to the fire�.who doesn�t love a good fire? I had some dry kindling to get it started and then the kids threw all sorts of wet sticks in there and the stove just burnt them up. I�m real impressed with the stove�s ability to draw air, the damper and spark arrestor combo, etc. With all the wet sticks burning I think the neighbors thought we had just elected a new Pope.

The maiden camping voyage is coming soon�..My son and I will make a quick overnight trip and post our review.

Weight total with stove? Good looking crew you have.

I think I expected about 11# for the whole kit, I know when the box arrived at my office I literally laughed. I'm used to wall tents that to lift the bare tent itself is a two man deal.

I'll get a real weight tonight, I should have done that, thanks for the reminder. This one has bug netting for both doors and is seam sealed, so it will probably be a little higher than the website advertises.

Thanks for the comments on the crew, they really are great kiddos.

Nice outfit.
Also a nice looking crew that is gonna LOVE camping out in that big tipi!

I think Seek Outside is the new standard for tipis.

Looking forward to the extensive review, your set-up is what I've been eyeballing lately! Cute kids too!

Alright, just got done weighing it all. Everything was still in their stuff sacks, so this is basically max possible weight. I rounded up and down if I was within .1 or .2 oz. That's tenth of an ounce.

Tent, seam sealed and with bug netting - 80 oz
Carbon Fiber Pole - 16 oz
Stakes - 10 oz
Stove, Pipe, Damper/Spark Arrestor - 49 oz

I then weighed it all together and it added up, so I feel those weights are correct.

Total weight of setup - 9# 11oz

So my hunting partner and I will each have less than 5# as part of our kit and be able to spend the week in a roomy and heated tent. I'll find ounces to cut elsewhere in exchange for the added comfort.

I agree

Nice I can handle that weight! This is to cool!

Anybody want to guess what a Sawtooth with an EdT Medium, and 7' of titanium pipe weighs?

EdT's new cylinder stove, without the stovepipe, weighs a pound and 6.7ounces all bagged up. So I'm guessing just slightly north of five pounds, all up. That stove is about five ounces lighter than a Kifaru Parastove, and I'm sure the heat output will be double.

That six man kinda look small in the pic with the kids outside it. It's an optical illusion from the angle of the shot, I gather.

I think we need many pics with adults inside and outside it

The angle is deceiving too, I was slightly higher than the kids and of course am taller than them already. 6 man tipi's aren't huge for sure though, that's why I went 6 man for two of us with a stove and a week's worth of gear. They obviously rate tents on how many they can sleep, not how many can fit in there standing up. Gear will be stored around the outside edges with the middle (taller part) being left open for sitting up, standing to change clothes, etc.

I'll get some additional pictures with bags laid out and a very average 5'9" male (aka me) standing around inside and outside of it.

Just an FYI on the cylinder stove, I looked into them, but the option of laying pans/cups/food in foil on top of the stove made me stick with the old box style.

Jason

Congrats! I've been using Kifaru tipi's for years and they really change the entire camping experience! Nothing better than firing up that woodstove after a day in the deerstand or out on the lake...

Picture of my six with a guy who is just under 6' next to it. I am 6'5" and can stand up in mine.

Very slick tent! They seem damn expensive to me, for not having a fly or a floor. But they look damn functional and the weight issue is ridiculous for their size.

The whole idea of camping with a wood stove seems dangerous to me. As in dangerously addictive. Is it really camping

Definitely a slick operation. I would love to see some shots with bug screens in place. They can by seriously important at times.

Brent, save your dough.
There are many of us foregoing the tipi-stove koolaid.

I have a high quality Go-lite utopia 4 but won't be using it much more. The more I have used it, the more I begun to hate floorless tents. I sold one here a few months ago as well. Wife totally loathed it and she's always been by my side for high country sheep and goat hunts.

I'm thankful to have some quality options in my tent cache, as the floorless designs suck with dirt, dust, bugs, cold, condensation and everything else out there.

The last thing I want to worry about on my hunt is burning wood for heat. Screw that unless I am in a huge canvas wall tent for an extended hunt--something frankly I've never done or will do.


There is a place for tipis and stoves like Ed T's awesome creation, like a fly-in ten day base camp on Kodiak for Kodiak griz or goat, but in my experience many who use them are just pussies that can't curl up in a bag for a week's hunt.

Less is more; but then again, I'm a walk-in long distance hunter.

Got my laugh for the day....

That was a good one...

*yawn*