I don't make fires unless I need them and therefore in warm weather, I don't need a stove or a tent that accommodates a stove. I have no problem taking a cheaper lighter floored tent in warm weather. That said these tipi's have bug screen options but something can still crawl underneath but I'm mostly worried about flying/biting insects.
Floorless tents and tarps
- Thread starter NYSHUNTER
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I don't make fires unless I need them and therefore in warm weather, I don't need a stove or a tent that accommodates a stove. I have no problem taking a cheaper lighter floored tent in warm weather. That said these tipi's have bug screen options but something can still crawl underneath but I'm mostly worried about flying/biting insects.
Well stated Mike. in cold conditions, the stove makes living in the backcountry quite pleasant for all the reasons you listed...I find that I do not get as tired or beat-up due to the convenience offered by a stove. Staying dry, warm, and well hydrated makes cold weather hunting more about the hunt and less about all the details required to stay out...
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Mike338 thanks for the great info. When you use your tipi and stove I assume you've got horses to pack in the gear or a few buddies to share the weight?
i like your breakdown of pros/cons. Weight is a big factor for me so I'll have to research how much a stove adds to a tarp setup. If it's close in weight to my 2-person tent then it will be an easier decision.
i was thinking that if the weather forecast was calling for mild weather then a tarp and no stove would be a great option to save a few pounds over a full tent. Need to start saving some $.
i like your breakdown of pros/cons. Weight is a big factor for me so I'll have to research how much a stove adds to a tarp setup. If it's close in weight to my 2-person tent then it will be an easier decision.
i was thinking that if the weather forecast was calling for mild weather then a tarp and no stove would be a great option to save a few pounds over a full tent. Need to start saving some $.
Mike 338,
If I shared your experiences, I wouldn't be an advocate of the floorless shelters.
A few of your 'experienced' disadvantages are
YMMV
Ha ha,
If you shared my experiences, you'd probably never go hunting.
I don't have a Sawtooth but the one I have is kind of like it. I often use a riding mule with saddle paniers to pack my gear in and I walk. I usually don't go more than a few miles in to set up camp. Once I drop the gear and set up camp, I can saddle the mule and ride to where I hunt. I think the tipi and stove might be a little heavy and take up a fair amount of space in your pack if you intend to go solo very far in. If your rifle isn't a howitzer and you can eliminate some non-essentials and your in good shape, sure, one guy can do it but if you get an animal down, getting it and your gear out can be a real grind. With two guys you can split the load and it makes more sense. I don't know anything about the mega tarp. I just use a regular tarp and some cordage when I spike. Unless the mega tarp can be converted to a tent like structure, I don't really see the point of taking a tent stove to use with it but those who use it may disagree. If things get nasty, your going to want somewhere warm and dry to ride it out in and a tarp as my only option sounds like wishful thinking unless it's in the middle of the summer and even then... If I was going solo and hiking a fair ways back, I think I'd be inclined to leave the stove at home and carry a compact, light tent.
The sawtooth with a medium oval stove is under 10 lbs (probably under 9 lbs).
Leave the two poles at home and cut your own to save a bit more weight.
The sawtooth packs down to the size of a football; plus stakes and poles.
IMO/IME, the supertarp (with annex) is the best tarp available. I once owned the paratarp and the megatarp never really caught one (better options available).
For those sole hunts/hikes, add a small stove to the supertarp w/annex and you be extremely cozy in cold and wet (snow) conditions.
Even the 8-man is extremely packable and light for backpacking with two or three buddies to split the components.
I have spent up to ten continuous days in a floorless and didn't get any dirtier because of the lack of a floor. A 4'x7' piece of 3mm clear plastic is cheap and weights just a few ounces.
Oval stoves burn more efficient and weigh less than box stoves. And yes, you can cook and boil water with the oval stuff just fine. I build my own (and for friends) based on other's designs (TiGoat and EdT). Save another pound or so and use Ti. The only downside to using thin (0.004") material in stainless or Ti for these backpacking stoves is that they hold very little heat and needs to be fed often.
Leave the two poles at home and cut your own to save a bit more weight.
The sawtooth packs down to the size of a football; plus stakes and poles.
IMO/IME, the supertarp (with annex) is the best tarp available. I once owned the paratarp and the megatarp never really caught one (better options available).
For those sole hunts/hikes, add a small stove to the supertarp w/annex and you be extremely cozy in cold and wet (snow) conditions.
Even the 8-man is extremely packable and light for backpacking with two or three buddies to split the components.
I have spent up to ten continuous days in a floorless and didn't get any dirtier because of the lack of a floor. A 4'x7' piece of 3mm clear plastic is cheap and weights just a few ounces.
Oval stoves burn more efficient and weigh less than box stoves. And yes, you can cook and boil water with the oval stuff just fine. I build my own (and for friends) based on other's designs (TiGoat and EdT). Save another pound or so and use Ti. The only downside to using thin (0.004") material in stainless or Ti for these backpacking stoves is that they hold very little heat and needs to be fed often.
This has been a very helpful thread ... Just knowing that their's guys that actually put the products to use .. And can give a good review and can point a beginner in the right direct is worth it's weight in gold
Just wanted to thank everyone for posting and given me some valuable advice
Just wanted to thank everyone for posting and given me some valuable advice
I've used my Sawtooth for the last two years and it's one of the few items in my pack that isn't up for replacement. The medium ss box stove is packable and I have for two years but I bought a ti wifi for this season. I haven't weighed the new stove with the Sawtooth but about 7.5 lbs for a warm tent you can stand up in by the pole. I don't carry a ground cover of any kind and I have no real trouble with bugs so far except for one tick and a couple of spiders. My sawtooth has withstood a couple of nasty storms so far and as long as you have picked a good site you will have no trouble with water. If you leave a little gap at base it doesn't condensate much but if you snug it down in damp cold conditions it will get a little wet inside but the stove will knock that back. I can't see me ever using a conventional floored tent again.
The Sawtooth and medium ti oval stove will weigh approximately 6.5 lbs. I thought long and hard about buying the ti oval but took the added pound and went with the ti wifi by ti goat. Not absolutely sure I made the right decision but I have circulation problems in a couple of fingers when they get cold and I was afraid of the assembly in the cold. I went with what appears to be the simpler assembly.
Thanks for posting up the weights of your setup including the stove. that's actually lighter than I had expected... only about a pound heavier than my 2-person tent.
I really would like to try a setup like you guys are talking about, part of it seems to bring back a bit of a rustic nature to the hunt ... collecting firewood, sleeping directly on the ground, etc. back in the 90's I would backpack hunt without a tent up in the Sierra's. Just sleep on the ground and pray for dry weather and most of the time got pretty lucky because of the dryer climate.
Got a job after college and had some money to buy more gear and have been hunting with standard tents ever since. Now it seems I never get lucky with weather and always get rain and snow up in the Rockies. Boots stay dry for a couple of days but eventually get soaked through. Stove probably would help to dry out boots/clothes, but I never seem to be in camp long enough and once I get back to camp in the dark I'm in bed and wouldn't be awake long enough to feed a stove even if I had one. Once I'm in my tent I'm plenty warm and dry too. I don't doubt a stove could make things more comfortable for all the reasons you guys have pointed out, I guess it's just that I've always been plenty comfortable with a standard tent.
Also just looked at how much a Sawtooth and stove costs and holy elkballs those things are not cheap. After dropping that same kind of money on my Kifaru pack my wife would kill me if I tried for anything more! No doubt it's all worth it... I love Kifaru. Thanks guys for sharing your experience. I'm sure I'll try out a tarp/stove at some point, so it's good to hear that when you do it right there's more benefits than a standard tent.
I really would like to try a setup like you guys are talking about, part of it seems to bring back a bit of a rustic nature to the hunt ... collecting firewood, sleeping directly on the ground, etc. back in the 90's I would backpack hunt without a tent up in the Sierra's. Just sleep on the ground and pray for dry weather and most of the time got pretty lucky because of the dryer climate.
Got a job after college and had some money to buy more gear and have been hunting with standard tents ever since. Now it seems I never get lucky with weather and always get rain and snow up in the Rockies. Boots stay dry for a couple of days but eventually get soaked through. Stove probably would help to dry out boots/clothes, but I never seem to be in camp long enough and once I get back to camp in the dark I'm in bed and wouldn't be awake long enough to feed a stove even if I had one. Once I'm in my tent I'm plenty warm and dry too. I don't doubt a stove could make things more comfortable for all the reasons you guys have pointed out, I guess it's just that I've always been plenty comfortable with a standard tent.
Also just looked at how much a Sawtooth and stove costs and holy elkballs those things are not cheap. After dropping that same kind of money on my Kifaru pack my wife would kill me if I tried for anything more! No doubt it's all worth it... I love Kifaru. Thanks guys for sharing your experience. I'm sure I'll try out a tarp/stove at some point, so it's good to hear that when you do it right there's more benefits than a standard tent.
dmj
Well-Known Member
One brand of floor less tent you might take a look at is the Bearpaw wilderness. They seem to be more reasonable than some of the others. I do have one of their tents and while I haven't used it (only had it a short time). It is very easy to set up and does seem to be fairly well made. Hope to get out a time or two before hunting season to give it a try. My tent and wood stove weighs some place between 5 and 6 lbs.
