Tent Setup for Hunting Season

[Olympus]

I've lived out of tents for weeks at a time....out in the Alaskan bush...

IF I was you, I'd build a 6'x8' "deer blind" out on your property and use it as a tent!! It doesn't have to be fancy in ANY way to beat a tent!

I built one here,

Back in the day, IF I could have had something like THIS, instead of a tent, I would declared it a palace!!

NO more rain worries, NO more sweating, MUCH more secure ect.. ect Just sleeping up off the ground is more than worth it...

SR

If I was any kind of carpenter, maybe, but I have zero carpentry skills and not a ton of time to devote to building something like that. That would take me a lot longer to build than someone with some skills.

And I’ve had problems with wooden elevated blinds getting eaten down by squirrels. They eat holes in the plywood floor then they get inside.

 

[Groo]

I've lived out of tents for weeks at a time....out in the Alaskan bush...

IF I was you, I'd build a 6'x8' "deer blind" out on your property and use it as a tent!! It doesn't have to be fancy in ANY way to beat a tent!

I built one here,

Back in the day, IF I could have had something like THIS, instead of a tent, I would declared it a palace!!

NO more rain worries, NO more sweating, MUCH more secure ect.. ect Just sleeping up off the ground is more than worth it...

SR

and you can keep on adding on until it become a "real hunting lodge" if you want and as you need. Something like that should last way longer than even a premium quality wall tent. The point of a tent is that you move from place to place. This is a static location.

 

[hawkeye08]

Buy cheap now, then when your son wants to join you, perhaps you will be in better financial position to go with something nicer that you and your son can enjoy for 10+ years.

 

[BLSXJ]

I'd suggest you start with a "car canopy", but get one with walls. Now before you go set it up do the following.
1) take every joint section and have 1/2" rod gussets added
2) take every leg (not roof) pole and cut them down to as low as you can stand. (I recommend just high enough you have to bend you neck to sneek under a side)
3) when you set it up, use screw-in dog tie outs at each leg
4) use ratchet straps in a X pattern on every wall opening you dont walk through.

now if you lived up in Justin land.... I'd just set up a cot in the car shelter (no bugs in deer season!) if you get bugs... buy a cheap tent to keep the bugs out.

 

[BLSXJ]

I'd keep an eye out for free pallets.... and build up a bit of a floor....

 

[Olympus]

I'd keep an eye out for free pallets.... and build up a bit of a floor....

That part would be easy.

 

[/pine]

I see hard shell campers on CL all the time for less money than a decent quality tent...

 

[deanocraft]

My wife and I camp at some music festivals in a setup like you are thinking of. For longer stays, usually 10 days, we use a large walk in tent that I can easily stand in. It has an excellent fly and so we don't keep it under the 10 x 20 tent. For shorter trips, we use an REI backpacking tent that fits under the 10 x 20 portable garage. It is difficult to find a "4 Season" tent these days, and if you do it will cost a bundle. What that means is that there will be plenty of screen mesh, and screen mesh will not keep in any heat. As a previous poster said, you will need a warm sleeping bag for that. Anyway, the tent fly will help keep some heat in the tent and I would recommend it if you were camping in any wet weather. The 10 x 20 will only keep you dry if there is no wind or if you buy the walls.

We take good care of the 10 x 20 tarp and it has lasted us for probably 8 or 9 years already. I just make sure it is dry and clean before I put it away. You can probably put one up by yourself, but you will appreciate another person to help you put the legs under the assembled top and tarp. I use ratchet straps at all of the corners and over each post to keep it from blowing away. The spiral tent stakes mentioned before are a good idea, but Walmart sells dome big spikes with a plastic T that are pretty darn cheap.

We have a bunch of woven plastic rugs that we throw out and cover up all the ground. They keep the dirt and the moisture down. You can sweep them off and when you get home, hose them clean. They don't absorb any water, so they dry out quick. I think my wife found them for $15 or $20 a piece. Take care of your tents and stuff and they will last a while!

 

[RNeumann]

The teepee style “tent” is what I use for hunting and backpacking. Seek Outdoors and many others make them. I’d be afraid of a cheap wall tent. Too much weight, wind and weather loading to risk going cheap on one of those. The things don’t tend to fail in any other way besides spectacularly! Typically the wind blows wrong and you just throw it away.
If the budget is strict I’d go teepee style- they are cheapish, light weight and only use one pole made from about anything. If the budget grew I’d look into a proper wall tent- YouTube seems to have a cult like following behind a few brands- but finding one you can setup yourself will be a trick.

Good luck.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I would look at Sportsman's Guide. They have a lot of closeout deals on "name brand" gear. I've bought a couple of tents from them years ago, and they were fine. With moderate care, they will last much longer than you're anticipating. We still have the last one we bought, but we're really hanging onto it for the adult kids to take when they want to start up camping on their own.

Sportsman's Guide - Outdoor and Hunting Gear, Guns, Ammo & More!

They also have a "no hassle" return policy if you don't like the item you bought. I've only used that a few times over the years, but it was smooth and painless each time.

Make sure you put a ground cover down under your tent before you put the tent down. Most common thing to wear out on a tent is the floor. Walking on a tent floor that's just sitting on the bare ground causes all kinds of wear damage.