Tent Setup for Hunting Season

[MossRoad]

We've got a 2-person tent, a 4 person tent, and a three room tent, all nylon, all were under a hundred bucks. All are 25 years old and all are still in good condition.... with the exception of the bungee cords in the pole sections. All of them have degraded over time and broken, like the old elastic in your holy underwear. They'd be easy enough to replace though. The 2 and 4 person tents are what I'd consider 3 season tents. I don't think they'd hold a snow load very well. The 3 room tent is large enough for two queen sized air mattresses, one in each of the side rooms, and two chairs and a table in the center room. It is more of a summer tent, as it has screen over the center room. All of them have rain flies. They've all been used dozens of times.

I think you could get a very acceptable 3 season tent for around $199 or less. Depends if you want to stand up in it or not. I'd spend some money and get a better quality air mattress and a 12v inflator. THAT's what'll make you all comfy at night. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Sleeping on the ground, or a pad, or a cot is just not nearly as comfy as sleeping on a good quality air mattress. We've got a king and a queen. My daughter has a queen. We sleep on them when we visit her and vice versa. I like it better than most hotel mattresses, it's that comfy.

A wood floor is nice to put a tent over for sure, as it keeps the tent off the ground, water will go under the tent, etc..., but it's not necessary. Get some 1.5 or 2" PVC pipe and make a simple frame the same shape as your tent floor, but a tad smaller all the way around. Lay the frame on the ground, lay a waterproof tarp or plastic over the frame and tuck it well under the PVC. Then set your tent up over the frame so that your sidewalls hang over the PVC frame. Any groundwater that runs toward the tent will hit the frame and run around the tent, not under it. Drop in your air mattress and you're good.

Another thing that's nice to have is a stand for a backpack, so the backpack hangs on it upright and you can use it like a dresser. It also keeps it off the floor and takes up less floor space than laying it down. Make some racks out of conduit and use bolts and wingnuts to hold things together in open or closed position.

There's a ton of cheap, LED battery powered lamps out there, but I'd go for some 12v rope light or LED's. A good deep cycle marine battery, a solar charger panel, and you're good to go.

 

[Thomas]

What about army surplus store for tent.

 

[Olympus]

What about army surplus store for tent.

Those are very expensive. I’ve checked.

 

[deanocraft]

If you will be camping in cold weather, an air mattress will freeze your butt off. I'd go with a cot and a foam pad, or a Thermarest type pad. Sounds like an adventure!

 

[MossRoad]

If you will be camping in cold weather, an air mattress will freeze your butt off. I'd go with a cot and a foam pad, or a Thermarest type pad. Sounds like an adventure!

Put the pad on the air mattress.

 

[newbury]

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

I knew it, pallets would come in!!

What about army surplus store for tent.

Read the thread - been there, done that.

OP - Get the HF canopy.

And then get a "sleeping tent" which you can set up under the canopy or not.

 

[Olympus]

I knew it, pallets would come in!!



Read the thread - been there, done that.

OP - Get the HF canopy.

And then get a "sleeping tent" which you can set up under the canopy or not.

That's pretty much what I've decided. Now I'm just trying to decide whether to buy a cheap nylon cabin tent or spend $300 and buy the Ozark Trail canvas wall tent.

 

[AWSubie]

I like the Ozark Tents at Walmart. Simple, easy to setup. I add extra tie-downs and they hold up well.

 

[LMychajluk]

What's the weather going to be like during hunting season? Snow? High winds? Those HF canopies / carports / sheds do not have a snow load rating, and they tell you not to let snow accumulate on them. The manuals will also say not to leave up in high winds, so you may get to your campsite after being away for a week to find it mangled. They also don't meet flammability ratings, so be careful with stoves / campfires around them.

If it was me, going for a few days at a time and driving/riding in and couldn't have a lockable shed, I'd stick to a nylon cabin tent with a separate fly (I've never had a tent w/ a fly leak on me) and take it down when I'm done. A modern tent shouldn't take more than 15 min to set up or take down, and you don't have to worry about it being beaten up by the weather / vandals / animals while you're not there. I'm somewhat partial to Eureka tents for the price, and would prefer a smaller dome for stability and warmth, but if you want the height, Cabelas has a 10x10 cabin on sale now for $167 that may be worth a try.
10x10 - https://www.cabelas.com/product/cam...779080/sc/105590880/null/2437116.uts?slotId=1
10x14 - https://www.cabelas.com/product/cam...779080/sc/105590880/null/2432881.uts?slotId=2

But, if you like the single-wall tent, the 6 or 8 man Outbacks are ~$100 more.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/cam...las-outback-lodge-tent-x/2437115.uts?slotId=1
https://www.cabelas.com/product/cam...las-outback-lodge-tent-x/2432880.uts?slotId=2

Whichever tent, I highly recommend the Kelty j-stakes. (You can mark the stakes and leave them in the ground to make the next setup quicker.)
https://www.cabelas.com/product/KELTY-PACK-INC-J-STAKE-PACK/1735100.uts?slotId=3

Get a decent camp tarp if you want more space to cook under or park the ATV, or for when there's snow. Run a ridge line between a couple of trees and hang the tarp over it diagonally and secure 2 corners to the ridge line w/ prusik knots, then stake down the corner that's into the wind near the ground. Use a branch or pole to raise the front corner, creating an awning, or stake it down close to the ground in bad weather. Take the tarp down when you're leaving (you can leave the ridge line up for quick setup).
Kelty Noah Tarp - https://www.cabelas.com/product/Kelty-Noahs-Tarp/1504978.uts?slotId=0
(I often see these on sale for up to 30% off.)

For warmth, get a space blanket / tarp (not the ultra-thin mylar space blanket from the first aid kits) and use it under your air mattress inside your tent as insulation from the ground. If it gets really cold, you can fold it so that 1/2 of it covers your sleeping bag as an extra blanket. With an insulated air mattress and one of these laid out as a floor in my 3-man dome tent, I can sleep comfortably down into the 20s in my underwear in a 25-degree bag.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/The-Original-Space-Brands-All-Weather-Blanket/713345.uts?slotId=0

You can also leave a candle lantern burning w/ a 12hr candle in the tent to keep the moisture in check and contribute a couple of BTUs.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Candle-Lantern/1233229.uts?slotId=4#tabsCollection

If you go with the 10x10 cabin tent for $167, all of the above shouldn't cost more than ~$300.

 

[GLyford]

Plastic pallets. No nails to poke holes in your tent floor. Lighter (some are even made of foam). If you set up a solar shower over a dug pit, they make a good shower grate.