I posted in another thread that this weekend was the maiden voyage for our 8 man Kifaru tipi, I did quite a bit of research before buying one and it is perfect for what I need in Montana. My concern is I am doing a caribou hunt in AK north side of the brooks range, we will be up there over labor day weekend, a ton of people recommend tipi's for alaska hunting but when we had a nasty hail/rain/lightning storm roll in on us in the high country we rode it out in the tipi and there was water coming into the shelter in little 1" streams. We were set up on as even of ground as we could find at 9000+ ft but the small contour changes in the ground make it impossible to get a perftect seal around the entire tipi. How will this work if we get 3 solid days of rain in Alaska? We are doing a fly in DIY and I dont want to make a mistake by bringing the tipi. We all have waterproof sleeping bag covers and dry bags for our gear but there must be a different approach to this or am I doing something wrong? Has anyone ever had material sewn to the base of the tipi to act as a sod cloth? I thought about a tarp type base to lay down? possibly dig a small trench around the perimiter but alot of the moisture sheds down the tipi right to the base. Im not convinced that it is the norm to just be ok with water entering your shelter but I read tons of other forums of people saying they wont bring anything to alaska except a floorless shelter. What to you guys do or what has your experience been with tipi's in a real downpour?
floorless tipi and rain?
- Thread starter Jonesy125
- Start date
dirtclod Az.
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2018
- Messages
- 2,776
Buy a tent.Big tarp underneath.Maybe overhead.$99bucks+$ 10 for tarps at harbor Frieght. 
My seek outside tipi has a nest that fits inside 1/2 of the shelter. I would think a mesh nest with bathtub floor would fit similar sized tipis regardless of brand. Otherwise the trench idea might work if you dig it just inside the tipi so it catches water that runs down the tent.
AvidIndoorsman
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2015
- Messages
- 18,406
I have had a couple similar experiences in floorless shelters. I think you can set them up in a way which keeps out water more effectively... but the couple wet and cold nights soured me to that style of tent. Bathtubs are more idiot proof, and I’m more often than not a real moron.
Our experiences are real similar. I've been looking at Tipi's for a possible trailhead basecamp solution to spike out from, and a bathtub floor is going to be must for me, it's become pretty apparent that I suck at setting up floorless shelters for precip.
dirtclod Az.
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2018
- Messages
- 2,776
Raised trench/dam has worked well for me during Az. monsoons.
AvidIndoorsman
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2015
- Messages
- 18,406
The stone glacier tent and the MSR fast and lite are on my radar because you can run the bathtub plus the fly without the tent body.
Thanks for the thoughts, I am thinking with very careful sight selection and some trenching we should be ok. For Alaska since we are flying in and not overly concerned with weight, maybe a 20x20 tarp and tuck the outside edges that overlap the footprint of the tipi in inside the walls.
PaulRevere
Well-known member
This is what I have for my new floorless tipi:
luxe-hiking-gear.com
Half-Hex Bathtub Floors (1 and 2 Person) for Teepee Tents
Providing extra protection when camping in wet conditions. Pairs with a tipi outer tent, for a more minimalist approach to camping. Fits multiple designs!
JV842
Well-known member
Just got my Luxe Hex Tipi n ordered the same bathtub floor also. Never went floorless other than wall tents and had to dig some trenches for those before.
MITCHMO
Well-known member
I got a tarptent and got a mesh liner with a bathtub floor. Works great. Half the tent is floorless.
Similar threads
