Good tent?

[Brnsvllyjohn]

I didn't put this in the backpack hunting section because I am not going to carry a tent on my back. In Idaho you are not allowed to hunt on a quad in the places I go. The rules do allow riding a quad in to set up a camp and then hunting from that camp. Our intent is to ride 10 miles into an area we used to hunt and setup a camp utilizing the quads. We may even tow a quad trailer. Weight of the tent is not an issue but I think it should still be smaller than any decent tent we already have. My current tents are not 4 season so I wouldn't want to use them if it gets really cold. Plus my best tent now is huge and not appropriate. We have talked about doing this for 5 years or so but we don't have some gear I would want and the tent comes first IMHO. Not going this year but next year is being planned now. So for around $500 is there something you guys would recommend? Any brands to look for? My son now has a nice Kodiak tent we have used in the snow and it was fine but it is way bigger than we need for a few nights on top of a mountain. It may still be our best choice for now.

 

[OPAH]

My Kodiak 10 X 12 sets up in Minutes, and is the best tent I have ever purchased, but being canvass it is a heavy tent.

 

[Brnsvllyjohn]

I think my sons is 10x14 and it is heavy. Great truck camping tent. I was just trying to save some space and on the weight a little bit. He said he will take it if we don't have something different by next year. My quad trailer is really small but I may alter it some. Last year we talked to a couple of guys who have been riding the quads in before season and setting up a large base camp. The only thing they would say was it was well worth it for them. They did say that they get a few day hunters riding in and that is illegal but hard to stop. If you hike in you are allowed to return with a quad to retrieve your game but basically you are never allowed to transport a deer rifle on your quad unless you are breaking down or setting up your camp. This is of course is on quad only roads. This does not apply to any road where full sized vehicles are allowed. Those guys last year had huge quad trailers compared to mine. I know the area well where they were headed and I would bet they had to winch up a couple of steep slopes with the weight of those trailers.

 

[Bankrunner]

That camp sounds great!
You might consider adding a large tarp to shelter the tent you have. Walmart has extra heavy duty tarps that have strong grommets that are 18" OC (they're silver). They're priced well and we ordered ours online with in-store pickup. We only used tarps (no tent) for last years deer camp up north . We had heavy rains some snow and high winds. It wasn't brutally cold but that's all about a good pad, a good sleeping bag, a good wool beanie and keeping em all dry.
It takes a little bit of trial and error to set up right and you need trees but as said before it's something you may want to consider. If you do, check out "how to set up a tarp shelter" online and you should get some ideas. You can also use em to set up a good cook shack.

 

[OPAH]

a Large Tarp with vertical post and rope frame, would be great ! we had two Large tents at each end and the tarp spanning them and it was Ideal plenty of room and cover.

 

[Brnsvllyjohn]

That is a decent idea. We all have small 3 person tents and a tarp spread over them would help a lot. A tarp just over the camp area is usually a must in bad weather and that is pretty normal for me even in summer. We are talking about 4 people on 3 quads or possibly 3 on 2 quads. I have never had anyone else sleep in my 3 person tent but me. I take a good pad and center it and can barely get my gear on both sides. 3 people would have to be 4' tall to work. I figure a minimum for 2 guys is a 4 person tent. No one wants to be in my tent, too many trips outside in the night.

 

[Bankrunner]

Just nudge me to the side on your way out and bring your ear plugs.

 

[Brnsvllyjohn]

As long as you don't need a kiss or to be tucked in. If you need that you should be on another forum.

 

[Bankrunner]

 

[P304X4]

Did some camping in Alaska using the lighter wait tents with a good air mattress and a double mummy bag (good to -20 I think). We were warm enough until we had to get out of the the bags. The junior guy had to get up first and build the fire.
I've seen contractors build temp work structures using half inch pvc pipe and wire ties to hold the tarps in place. The largest I remember was aprox. 8' wide x 12' long x 7' high in the center (5' on the sides).