Winter tents

[nakitsilik]

Anyone have a preference or style of tent for use when on the trail in Winter?

[Christian]

I have a 4-season tent from REI that I really like. It fits 2 people. One thing that I hate on tents are sleeves for the poles. I really like the plastic clip on style. A TON quicker, and less cumbersome to deal with.

[northwapiti]

Hi Laurie,

Arctic Ovens are the end all, be all for winter camping.

Karen

[nakitsilik]

thanks.. any particular style or model you recommend Karen? and Why?

[northwapiti]

They are all nice, but expensive - so basically whatever you can afford. Ours is the one of the smaller ones that will take a stove.

[Christian]

Karen, don't you use your Arctic Oven tent for your mandatory layovers? You have always said they are really nice! I hope to try one someday!

[northwapiti]

The tent was purchased for the year we intented to run Quest - to be used for my handlers on our Dawson layover.

No, I don't pack a tent at all on Iditarod - or any others races I've run.

Karen

[SnowPack]

We had a group of fishermen/hunters camping here over the past weekend and they had a brand new Cabella's tent. It looked something like a yurt....roundish. It came with a stove and was divided into "bedrooms" inside. Also had a mudroom with a flap to keep the elements out. Had an awning as well. Really neat but probably expensive!
Oh ya....it came in a carry case kinda like a big hockey bag.

[Christian]

Here is a link to Cabela's "outfitter" tents. Which one out of these was it Dana, if you remember.

http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates ... d=cat20075

[AlaskanKristen]

We had a group of fishermen/hunters camping here over the past weekend and they had a brand new Cabella's tent. It looked something like a yurt....roundish. It came with a stove and was divided into "bedrooms" inside. Also had a mudroom with a flap to keep the elements out. Had an awning as well. Really neat but probably expensive!
Oh ya....it came in a carry case kinda like a big hockey bag.

I was working on trails up at Byer's Lake this summer. We were staying in tents, and that reminded me of the guys tent. They bought something similar to that at Costco and put a big sign on it that said "The Hilton". There was a walk in closet, two rooms, big windows, and a section where you could set up one of those camp showers.

[SnowPack]

Here is a link to Cabela's "outfitter" tents. Which one out of these was it Dana, if you remember.

http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates ... d=cat20075

I looked through the website and I don't really see it. But there are a few that are similiar. I know the guys said it was the newest design from Cabela...they were one of the first dealers to try it out. Maybe it's not on the website yet???

[Christian]

Possibly...sounds cool though!

[adventuresource]

http://www.snowtrekkertents.com/

Check these out. I'm looking at one of the expeditions.

[snowboundadventures]

On our trips out, we generally prefer sleeping under the stars. We always carry a couple of tents in case mother nature throws us a curve though and am needing to replace one now. Anybody with any suggestions on a tried and true model that we need to consider? It needs to pack/setup easily and will be mainly for emergencies. www.snowboundsiberianadventuresandkennel.com

[swanny]

Probably the oldest style of tent in history is the "wedge" or "A" tent, like a hugely overgrown military "pup tent". The photo link provided by Adventuresource is of a modern version.

I have one that is a style popular during the American Revolution and has a large "bell" extension in the back. My wood stove goes into the bell saving floor space for "living space". It's very warm, reasonably roomy and makes a good alternative to the traditional wall tent.

The main advantage over a wall tent is that it is lighter and less bulky when packed to travel. You can see a photo and more information on the Nor' West Company web site.

I've camped in that tent in -30 degree temperatures and the water bucket stayed thawed all night, though they do chill off very quickly when the fire in the wood stove dies.

I almost never carry a tent when out with the team, though. Instead, I carry a tarp I can use to cover the load that I can also use to rig a lean-to shelter. If you set up a lean-to to shield you from the prevailing wind, and also rig a reflector behind an open fire, you can be very comfortable in such a shelter. Here's a pic of the rigging:



Swanny