Good Winter Tent on the large side?

[sandalscout]

Hello All,

I've got a decent 3 season tent that I use for myself, or often sleep under the stars or even under a handmade tarptent if backpacking, but I'm looking for something different for this winter.

My wife is not much of a camper, mainly because she despises summer heat. So, she has expressed an interest in camping some this winter, and I'm looking for a tent large enough for a queen sized air matress (78"x60"), 2 dogs on the floor, and a small amount of gear. I honestly don't want to spend a ton of money up front, mainly because I don't know if it will pan out as a regular event for her. I want something large enough for use to be comfortable, easy to heat (probably a CAT heater), and capable of standing up to a small amount of snow and wind and 2 dogs. I really don't think that an mountaineering tent will fit the bill, and the tents at bass pro that look big enough are all mesh top and look like they would get too cold.

Any suggestions at all? I'd LOVE a true canvas tent with a wood stove, and maybe that'll work out one day, but for now, we'll have to start smaller/mass produced.

Thanks!
Matt

 

[tinker trek]

I realize these may be way to pricey for what your looking for
but I thought I'd throw it out there.
They would be great for cold weather tent camping & not canvas.

http://www.tipitent.com/index.htm

They give you a lot of heating options.

 

[sandalscout]

Thanks for the link, I'd not seem them before. It's a shame that they are so pricey. I'm sure they are worth it, just out of my budget currently.

 

[Sharkman]

Eureka Asssult

http://www.eurekatent.com/p-67-assault-outfitter-4.aspx

We have been using this one for a couple of years. We have used it from the florida keys (85deg) to 12k feet in colorado to winter camping here in Michigan. Works well for our family of four and has held up well. Let me know if you want more info.

Steve

 

[paulj]

A nominal 4-man tent has enough room for a double (full) size air mattress, plus space for walking and/or a dog or two.

If anticipating rain, look for something with a good vestibule, or awning.

Until you started to talk about modest cost, I was going to suggest a Kifaru tipi tent with wood stove, but those run in the $1000 range.

One option would be a 4-6 person Kelty tent, especially if you can find last year's model at a reduced price at a retailer like Campmor, REI Outlet, or Sierra Trading Post. Pay attention to features like vents in the rain fly so you can button things down in rain and wind without developing too much condensation.

To handle wind and real snow you need a 4-season or moutain tent, but that will add to the cost. For use in the middle south, a 3 season with a good rain fly may be enough, unless you get a nasty sleet storm.

 

[rctr03]

the tipitent is a great tent, not sure about the floor?

 

[chrismc]

I've always thought these Cabela's tents looked really nice for base camp. I've seen their tents in person, and they are very nice quality.

Big Horn III ($650)

Alaknak ($550-$900, depending on size)

 

[sandalscout]

Wow, awesome tents, thanks for the suggestions.

After a little bit more digging around, and some pondering/realization of how far of the path we might go, I honestly except us to be back at/neat the vehicle when it's all four of us out there. That being said, I think we will tough it out in a heavier 3-season tent with a good fly (I've seen some of decent size in the $200 range) until we decide if we want to invest more money. At that point, I think it will seriously come down to two choices, a big "expedition" or wall tent, or some sort of a camper. Honestly, for the cost of one of those big tents we could get a REALLY nice popup, build our own vardo (gypsy) inspired 10x16" getup, or even a retro fiberglass camper. I suspect that although the wall tents are really cool, the convenience of a camper and not having to get out and set it up like a tent will eventually win out.

Thanks for the help, some of those were entirely new to me, and really sweet looking.

 

[latinoguy]

Camping Gear Depot has a 4 man Kelty tent for $99. I picked one up based on Kelty getting good reviews for their tents for the most part.

 

[Saline]

Although spendy, this tent looks stout and it's huge!
MSR Boardroom Tent:
http://www.cabelas.com/hprod-1/0055996.shtml

 

[RoundOut]

One thing to note is that the sleeping capacity of tents is grossly exaggerated if you want a single chihuahua OR a single cot. With a queen sized air mattress AND TWO dogs, you ought to be looking at a 6 person tent, minimally. I have a Kelty Trail Dome 6 and I love it for base camping. It has a front and back door without much of a vestibule, but since the tent is big enough, we just throw the gear inside. It is ideally comfortable for two cots with plenty of gear thrown underneath the cots and lots of stand-up space between them.

Another note on the four-season tents is that they are usually another order of magnitude more expensive. If you are talking about heating your tent with a catalytic heater, a three season tent will be sufficient in almost all instances except for a huge snowfall. Consider getting a pair of long poles (10 foot +) and a large tarp for snowy situations and just making an A-frame over your tent. If your poles are long enough, the snow won't stick to the tarp.

Use a good ground cloth tarp, too!

Another trick I learned is to use a duck canvas tarp for the floor of your tent. My Kelty is 10'x10' & I got a 10'x8' tarp for the floor & it is just right. It makes it a bit warmer and easier on the feet and on the floor of the tent when putting cots on it. Your tent will last much longer, and is real easy to clean, since the dirt etc. will accumulate on the tarp. When breaking camp, just fold it over, pull it out, shake it off, and fold it up.

Unless you will be setting up a tent yourself and you are OK with a more difficult setup, the Kelty Trail Dome 6 is hard to beat. I can set it up in just about 8 minutes myself. With help it goes up in 5. If your wife is as easily frustrated as she dislikes summer camping, make sure you get a tent that goes up easy.

I hope this helps.

.

 

[sandalscout]

Wow, thanks again for the responses. Latinoguy, that does look like a good deal, I'm digging around on their site now.

Saline, that is an AWESOME looking tent... too bad it too is out of my range!

RoundOut, thanks! We currently have a 3-4 man tent, and it's just barely larger than the air mattress is. It sleeps two backpackers fine, and holds a little bit of gear, but I'm used to smaller spaces when it's just me and minimal gear.

Good idea on the "snow fly", I hadn't really thought about that, but since I already carry one tap for a groundcloth, and another one, just in case, in the jeep, I could definitely employ one for this purpose. Thanks for the interior floor idea, that does seem much easier to keep it clean and lasting long.

Honestly, setting up a fast tent isn't as big of a priority, just something that keeps the cursing to a minimum! My wife would be fine with helping set up a tent it all but the worst weather, even if it took a little while. I'd like a faster tent than slow, but this won't be a major factor. I think setting up a camping tent versus one of those wall tents would be a HUGE difference but any camping tent setup time is going to be relatively low anyway. Her issue with camping is really mainly 3 issues, heat, bugs, and comfortable sleeping. She is a HUGE winter person, so she's actually looking forward to winter camping. Honestly, that's when I've done the majority of my camping anyway, so it should be fun. I sure hope it is for both of us, it'd be great to be able to do it alot more often.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[UK4X4]

I bought one of these marmot large tents on special $ 400 delivered,
not the fastest thing to set up, but big and roomy for those typical have to stay in days.

Great support for the roof, no issues with snow

The two inners rooms hang off the outer frame so can be with or without,
the center area has a small floor , but the rest is open to the ground, the two bedrooms do have their own floors..

When i set it up in the garden before leaving the main thing I thought it missed was a snow skirt/ floor to seal out the wind, but would probably add another 5lbs.

Its a star shape with three doors which can all be opened for warm days, it has the space...

I looked at the board room tent too but when the company did'nt even respond to some simple questions...

my money went to the competitor !

 

[ShearPin]

I have no personal experience with the attached - though I am a big fan of the quality of Kifaru packs. I've read reviews over the years about this heated tipi tent and they've all been positive.

The nights I've spent snowbound in the more modern designs available have me convinced of the value of a dependable heat source that will last through the night. I can also see the value of being able to walk in where it's warm and take your boots off. Throw down some pine bows around your cot......

http://www.kifaru.net/TIPI.HTM#
http://www.kifaru.net/stovspex.htm

Henry
www.4x4freedom.com

 

[mk4]

For winter trips or longer duration stays, I use my Napier Sportz SUV tent. I have the mid-sized one which is better, since the walls are nearly vertical and almost all of the 8.5 x 8.5 ft of floor space is usable.



One of the cool things is that I don't have to unload my gear. I just slide everything towards the end of the tailgate. Packing up camp is also simpler.

You can use it hooked up to your SUV or you can use it separately. The attachment tunnel is removable and turns into a large window.

I installed a stove jack into mine and use it with a wood stove.

Nice and warm into the single digits.



They're reasonably priced as far as large tents go. In fact I'd say they're cheaper. You can get them for about $200.