Hot tent vs not

[Sytes]

add some rocks underneath while I have the stove running

A friend mentioned this as well... In fact, he once placed a stove we built on a bed of rocks. Returned and asked if I could replace the bottom as the heat sitting on the rocked gave the bottom a hell of a series of funky shapes! Haha!

Placing rocks help retain heat, I understand that, we were kayaking and only area to sleep was on a sand bar... We placed from our fire, hot rocks and set them in holes, covered with the sand and placed brush over the sand with our small tarp over... worked heck of a lot better than right on the sand and let the earth suck the heat out of our sleeping bags.

Curious though, a standing stove with rocks below (not touching the bottom of the stove) how much additional heat do you gain? It's doesn't take jack squat for time to make a reflective/heat retaining base of rocks. Good idea.

 

[Alpine01]

A friend mentioned this as well... In fact, he once placed a stove we built on a bed of rocks. Returned and asked if I could replace the bottom as the heat sitting on the rocked gave the bottom a hell of a series of funky shapes! Haha!

Placing rocks help retain heat, I understand that, we were kayaking and only area to sleep was on a sand bar... We placed from our fire, hot rocks and set them in holes, covered with the sand and placed brush over the sand with our small tarp over... worked heck of a lot better than right on the sand and let the earth suck the heat out of our sleeping bags.

Curious though, a standing stove with rocks below (not touching the bottom of the stove) how much additional heat do you gain? It's doesn't take jack squat for time to make a reflective/heat retaining base of rocks. Good idea.

Hard to nail down an exact answer. In one case, I woke up after about 4 hours of turning in after banking the fire in the stove with 3 large pieces of wood (my stove is 7 in x 8 in x 13 in) with a really good bed of embers and 8 or 10 large rocks underneath that were heated over a couple of hours and the stove was still very hot to the touch and the rocks were very warm (but could handle them). Temps in the tent were 45-50 degF while the outside temps the whole time were low-to-mid teens. So that was roughly 2 am. By 5 am the stove was cold as were the rocks and the tent temps were about 28-30 degF.

 

[JAG]

My idealizations of Alaska hunting die a little bit more every time I read posts about it.

You could end your dreams' slow death and watch this:

 

[JAG]

I have the SO 8-man tipi and my purchase of the stove is pending. The biggest plus about the stove that I've read so far is the maintenance and/or elimination of condensation. I also read from the SO site/blogs that the stove does so little benefit for warmth during the night that you shouldn't alter your sleeping bag degree rating for it unless you plan to wake up every hour to stoke the fire.

I have a 15-degree bag plus a liner that makes it a 10. I assume that I will get a 4th Rifle Elk tag in late November in SE CO. We will camp at 11K feet and I expect this would be adequate.

I like the point about the stove weight being comparable to the difference in weight of the 15-degree bag to the 0.

 

[Sytes]

I have a 15-degree bag plus a liner that makes it a 10.

There are significantly much better bag liners than packing one that offsets 5*.

I carry a Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme (25*) and SOL hvy duty e-blanket in my hunt pack and it's been a saving grace when my stubborn arse has me spike camp due to not wanting to leave the distance i trekked following a group of elk to pack back to camp.

At camp:
My stove is always set to burn in short order. Evening, hot tea and a warm tent to zip into the bag. Morning, stuff the stove w/ prepped kindling, hot coffee/tea and a cozy means to dress for the pre-dawn hike/hunt.
Worst setting is changing in a flipping cold, no stove tent. It's most always cold as crap pre dawn, heck even after dawn during hunt season.
Unless I'm on elk, I despise waking dark thirty to hunt elk. I love hunting into the eve... thus always pack the above just in case.

 

[Alpine01]

There are significantly much better bag liners than packing one that offsets 5*.

I carry a Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme (25*) and SOL hvy duty e-blanket in my hunt pack and it's been a saving grace when my stubborn arse has me spike camp due to not wanting to leave the distance i trekked following a group of elk to pack back to camp.

At camp:
My stove is always set to burn in short order. Evening, hot tea and a warm tent to zip into the bag. Morning, stuff the stove w/ prepped kindling, hot coffee/tea and a cozy means to dress for the pre-dawn hike/hunt.
Worst setting is changing in a flipping cold, no stove tent. It's most always cold as crap pre dawn, heck even after dawn during hunt season.
Unless I'm on elk, I despise waking dark thirty to hunt elk. I love hunting into the eve... thus always pack the above just in case.

I have a 4 oz silk liner that probably gets me another 7-8 deg of warmth. Biggest plus is that it keeps the inside of my bag clean and I only have to wash the liner after each trip.

100% on the "at camp" part. You just described my everyday routine except I will add it includes a hot dinner (various) and a hot breakfast (oatmeal).

My only difference - I am a morning person so getting up at o'dark thirty is my SOP. I'll hunt as late into the evening as I can but I want to be where I saw elk before, or expect to see them, well before the sun comes up.

So far I haven't had a need to spike out overnight but I do carry an e-blanket, backup fire-starters, and food in case I am forced to do it. That and all my foul weather gear that I can layer on if necessary.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

I have considered a hot tent and stove but I mostly hunt Southeast Alaska, Kodiak, and the Aleutians and finding dry wood is impossible. Last year on Kodiak I couldn't start a fire even with gasoline.

We take dry birch in a tote with us hunting Sitka Blacktails in late November when rain/snow/rain is the norm...boat for transport
and a big arctic oven is heaven after hunting in 33 degree rain all day.

 

[shoots-straight]

So if your in a floorless tent in Florida, or Georgia, just wondering out loud if the bugs would be a problem?

 

[glass eye]

We take dry birch in a tote with us hunting Sitka Blacktails in late November when rain/snow/rain is the norm...boat for transport
and a big arctic oven is heaven after hunting in 33 degree rain all day.

That would be nice but tough to carry hunting out of a backpack.

 

[glass eye]

So if your in a floorless tent in Florida, or Georgia, just wondering out loud if the bugs would be a problem?

Twice I've been bitten by a centipede in Hawaii so I no longer sleep on the ground.
Even when sleeping in a tent (not floorless) I woke up to find a huge centipede inside the tent. Don't know how it got inside but thankful it didn't bite me.
Not a fan of mosquitoes and creepy crawling insects inside my tent.

 

[jdf]

Spent 10 days in Frank Church Wilderness last Oct in my buddies Seek with stove.. we had snow 1st couple days and night Temps in mid 20s...
Stove imo was pain in butt. Not worth Hassel to me..
I will just go with my 0 degree bag in future and be fine.

 

[Ghillieman]

So if your in a floorless tent in Florida, or Georgia, just wondering out loud if the bugs would be a problem?

yep and snakes..they like to snuggle up to ya on cool nights. inserts for FLA, GA use otherwise floorless.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

 

[schoolhousegriz]

I have a Hilleberg nallo GT and the seek outside 8 man. In the summer scouting season and sometimes for spring bear I use the hilleberg. On fall hunts I use the seek outside. Iove the stove in the seek. However if you are planning on moving camp everyday the stove does take a bit of time to pack away and set up, not tons of time but enough that it does play into my decision if I am going to be mobile. Both tents are windproof and bomb-proof. However, in really bad winds you will want to tie the guy lines on a seek outside to a tree or something to keep it stable. It is super nice to hang out in the seek outside tent with a stove when it gets dark early and you are hanging out. I can also stand up and stretch in the seek outside.

 

[Shangobango]

I have tried both.

All things being equal, hot tent for me hands down.

 

[Runnin_Chupacabra]

Has anyone tried the Lux Tent Octopeak? I'm in the market for a backpacking tent as well.

Octopeak Ultralight (6P) Wood Stove Tipi [50% off]

This octagon shaped modular lightweight shelter is huge. Includes two main parts, the waterproof outer tent and the inner tent. Choose an optional stove jack to install wood heat inside. Perfect for backpacking, and group camping!

luxe-hiking-gear.com

 

[802flyfish]

I originally bought one. Had it for a week before I sold it. Purchased a Seek Outside Cimarron. I’d recommend saving up and purchasing a Seek Outside. Lighter and better materials. Luxe would be fine for car camping but I wouldn’t want to back pack it in.

 

[thebestusernamesaretaken]

You could end your dreams' slow death and watch this:

That just makes me want it more

 

[thebestusernamesaretaken]

I'm really wrestling with my shelter. Dyneema, Nylon etc. Hot vs not, cook inside and not..Likely early/late season and see many with and with out hot tents with stoves. Likely 7-10 day hunts and can definately see the usefulness of a hot tent when cold and then can also see the cons. Go with a Seek or another comparable shelter and a stove and you have alot of creature comforts yet I have seen ZERO on the effects of cooking which I've seen some do in a Dyneema shelter. Does grease smoke from cooking cause a long term issue? The weight savings on Dyneema mitigates the stove weight yet are both worth it? Some practical experience besides you tube vids would be helpful.

Me too

 

[Wrong Burgundy]

This is an interesting option: https://seekoutside.com/guardian/

Anyone have experience with it? Or did it just launch? Looks promising.