Cabelas Alaskan Guide Tent

[Ace Brown]

I am interested in getting user feedback on this tent in either the four or six man version. Mainly how difficult to set up by one person. How good does it vent in summer and snug enough in winter. I have Cabelas XPG four season and find the continuos pole sleeves to be a real pain for one man.

Thanks, Ace


2008 FJ Cruiser expedition ready and off-road trailer with RTT.

 

[AndrewP]

Ace-I have the 4 man version. It is an excellent tent. It's warm, very dry, great in the wind, and a total PIA to set up alone. It can be done, but I don't think I've used mine since my son went off to college and stopped camping with me.

This is a tent that will survive days of heavy wind and rain and still keep you dry. But if you move camp every day, it will drive you crazy.

I see in your sig line you have a RTT. Use that.

 

[Ace Brown]

I see in your sig line you have a RTT. Use that.

I use my RTT a lot, like 75 nights in a row recently during a trip to Baja, but there are times and places when I prefer a ground tent. My XPG is quite similar to the Alaskan and one of the very few larger four season tents but the pole sleeves make it a serious pita to erect. I would have hoped the Alaskans all clips would make set up much easier/faster. So what part of your setup was the problem? Thanks for your help.



2008 FJ Cruiser expedition ready and off-road trailer with RTT.

 

[AndrewP]

I use my RTT a lot, like 75 nights in a row recently during a trip to Baja, but there are times and places when I prefer a ground tent. My XPG is quite similar to the Alaskan and one of the very few larger four season tents but the pole sleeves make it a serious pita to erect. I would have hoped the Alaskans all clips would make set up much easier/faster. So what part of your setup was the problem? Thanks for your help.

The AG sleeves are quite long and the poles are in this double overlapping/re-enforcing arrangement that takes time to put together. The pole arrangement is what makes it so good in a wind-it is a seriously good tent for really bad weather. It just isn't convenient. With 2 people, it's easily 20 minutes to set up and that's after you've figured it out.

I actually think it's a great tent, but it isn't enough of a great tent to recommend it to you beyond the 2 tents you already own.

 

[dms1]

I originally bought the 6 man, and after one trip upgraded to the 8 man for the two of us. I have never tried to put it up myself, but with my wifes help we can put it up in 15-20 min at a leisurely pace. It is a lot easier to setup than I thought it would be.

As far as ventilation goes in the summer, it is about the same as any other tent I have owned (at least 10), once the sun hits it, it gets hot inside. But it withstands the wind great.

On my tent there are only three pole sleeves and they are less than 2 feet long, the rain fly does have one long pole sleeve, it is about 4 feet long. The lack of pole sleeves is what makes this tent easy to setup with at least 2 people..

 

[sfsmedic]

Check out the Kodiak canvas bow tents. They are nice and very easy to assemble alone.
http://www.competitiveedgeproducts.com/detail.aspx?ID=1149

Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner

 

[dms1]

I was actually going to buy one of those Kodiak tents, when I went to pick it up and saw how big the tent bag was, in addition to the separate pole bag, I decided not to buy it. I would guess the tent bag alone is 2 times larger than the Alaskan Guide Tent bag (which includes the poles), And the pole bag is separate.

 

[sfsmedic]

Yeah I haven't seen the cabelas tent. Canvas tents aren't small.


Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner

 

[Ace Brown]

Check out the Kodiak canvas bow tents. They are nice and very easy to assemble alone.
http://www.competitiveedgeproducts.com/detail.aspx?ID=1149

Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner

I have one also. Try loading one on the roof rack after an overnight rain. But please keep this on topic for the Alaskan Guide tent.



2008 FJ Cruiser expedition ready and off-road trailer with RTT.

 

[Ace Brown]

I originally bought the 6 man, and after one trip upgraded to the 8 man for the two of us. I have never tried to put it up myself, but with my wifes help we can put it up in 15-20 min at a leisurely pace. It is a lot easier to setup than I thought it would be.

As far as ventilation goes in the summer, it is about the same as any other tent I have owned (at least 10), once the sun hits it, it gets hot inside. But it withstands the wind great.

On my tent there are only three pole sleeves and they are less than 2 feet long, the rain fly does have one long pole sleeve, it is about 4 feet long. The lack of pole sleeves is what makes this tent easy to setup with at least 2 people..

I think the pole sleeves used to be longer and the short ones now used look pretty easy to my experience with way too many tents.

Thanks for your input.



2008 FJ Cruiser expedition ready and off-road trailer with RTT.

 

[sfsmedic]

But please keep this on topic for the Alaskan Guide tent.



2008 FJ Cruiser expedition ready and off-road trailer with RTT.

Silly me offering what I thought was a feasible alternative after someone mentioned it was difficult to put up by yourself was staying on topic.



Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner

 

[wiiawiwb]

I just bought the Alaskan Guide 6 and set it up the first time with no problem whatsoever. It is easily doable for one person. I am going to go to a Cabelas some 3 hours away to look at the 8 man Guide tent. I think I'd prefer the extra space even if most of the time it would be two people.

I have no reservations about setting up the Alaskan Guide 8 alone.

I will have the 6 out for its maiden voyage this weekend. When I set it up in a local park, it was very hot outside. I had both doors, and window, opened and the ventilation was fine. I can see where it would get hot in the midday sun in direct sunlight but I will always have it in forested areas so that's not an issue.

Don't worry about the set up alone. It is not an issue. The key is to stake down the corners first before you put any poles through the sleeves. I tried different methods but found that putting only one pole through the sleeve, connecting both ends, then hoisting the halfmoon shape upright was the way to go. From there, I could put one pole in at a time then and connect to both ends.

Good luck.

 

[Ace Brown]

^^ Thank you. That is exactly the kind of feedback I hoped to hear. I really dislike pole sleeves but as short as they are on the latest model I hoped no problem alone and you confirmed it. I currently have the XPG 4-Season with full length sleeves and four poles. It's a serious struggle but can do it. Previously tried the 6 man XPG and had to give up and carry it back with a defeated slump to my shoulders. :-(


2008 FJ Cruiser expedition ready and off-road trailer with RTT.

 

[Kowboy]

I used the Alaskan Guide tent for years. Very sturdy in foul weather. As stated, hot in the sun just like any other tent.

Set up ain't bad with two people. Very challengin' for one person.

Proper set up is to install all the poles first and then stake it out. Doable with one person but requires patience. And no wind. Any kinda breeze and you better be lookin' for help. Once I lost my campin' partner I also figured out that it helped to stake out the tent first when by yourself. However, make sure you stake the corners out loosely. If you stake the floor out tightly, there's a tremendous strain on tryin' to install the poles. I bent one badly as a result. Stakin' the corners loosely, installin' the poles, then movin' the stakes out so the floor was tight seemed to work. But I got rid of the thang 'cause it was such a pain for one-person set up.

Carry on.

 

[GregSplett]

I have the six man.Absolutely love it.It spends a lot of time on the ocean side of the Olympic mountains and has never let me down.Whether it be wind on the ocean or days of solid rain.

ditto on set up...one person doable but a struggle..two a breeze.

I have set this tent up uncountable times.I am headed for the SF Hoh this sat night.I will stake it and try the one pole at a time and report back.I will try that method as it probably is the only way I have not tried to do it by myself.